HESI Insights - October 2024

Is your organization facing new scientific challenges? Are you seeking a collaborative forum to help generate data, develop methodologies, build consensus on applications for safety, or other challenges?

The Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI) seeks your suggestions for priority emerging scientific issues (human or environmental health) that should be addressed through a focused, multi-sector, collaborative program. Proposals will be reviewed in early 2025 and one or more may be selected to form a new scientific program within HESI.

This is NOT a grant program and no direct financial awards to external parties will be made. However, selected programs may receive funding in the form of HESI support for scientific program design, coordination, and staffing. We are seeking topics that focus on the applied human and/or environmental health sciences and that require scientific perspectives and expertise from academia, government, industry, NGOs, clinicians, and/or other research sectors.

Looking for somewhere to start? Learn more about HESI’s existing scientific activities on our committees page and in the 2023 Annual Report. These resources may help guide you when considering your idea, however, HESI welcomes all new proposals whether they are captured in these lists or not.

The deadline to submit proposals for consideration is 17 January 2025.

Click here to Access the 2025 Proposal Form

For questions contact Jennifer Pierson.

Join us for an exciting HESI Genetic Toxicology Technical Committee Webinar!

Date: October 23-24, 2024
Time: 7:00 AM – 10:00 AM EDT (Day 1) | 7:00 AM – 9:30 AM EDT (Day 2)

Discover the Benchmark Dose (BMD) approach for analyzing genetic toxicity dose-response data. Learn from global experts about the application of BMD in toxicology, comparative potency analysis, and regulatory decision-making.

Hear from:
Paul White, Health Canada, Ottawa, Canada
Guangchao Chen, RIVM, Bilthoven, The Netherlands
George Johnson, Swansea University. Swansea, United Kingdom
John Wills, GlaxoSmithKline, Stevenage, United Kingdom
Andreas Zeller, Hoffmann-La Roche, Basel, Switzerland

Don’t miss this insightful event! Register here: Event Details & Registration

Lucilia Mouries and Liisa Koski, co-managers of the COMprehensive Protein Allergen REsource (COMPARE) have been invited to join the GIANT LEAPS Stakeholder Board. The GIANT LEAPS project, which stands for “Gap resolution in sAfety, NuTritional, allergenicity and Environmental assessments to promote Alternative Protein utilization and the dietary Shift,” aims to accelerate the dietary shift to make the food system more sustainable and healthier, in line with the EU Green Deal objectives and the Farm to Fork Strategy. Project details can be found here.

This article addresses the growing public health concerns surrounding the use of botanical supplements and herbal products, focusing on their potential to cause liver toxicity and dangerous drug interactions. As the popularity of these products increases, so do cases of adverse effects, including drug-induced liver injury (DILI). The paper highlights the need for advanced safety testing methods, such as 3D liver models and in vitro tools, to more accurately predict and prevent these risks. Based on discussions from the HESI Botanical Safety Consortium session, held at the Society of Toxicology Meeting in March 2024, the report features insights from regulators, researchers, and industry experts who call for improved safety frameworks and collaboration to protect consumers. Readers interested in botanical safety, toxicology, or regulatory science will find this paper’s exploration of cutting-edge solutions highly relevant.

Koturbash et al., 2024. Botanical-induced toxicity: Liver injury and botanical-drug interactions. A report on a society of Toxicology Annual Meeting symposium. Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yrtph.2024.105708.

The HESI Environmental Risk Assessment Committee  has just published a new study in Global Epidemiology, investigating risk assessors’ perception of the utility of epidemiology in human health risk assessments. The article highlights a discrepancy between the perceived potential value of epidemiological research by risk assessors and the actual value derived from its current application. Based on a survey of 75 risk assessors across the globe, the study identifies key challenges in current practices, such as inadequate exposure assessment, and lack of transparency, that hinder the integration of epidemiological data in risk assessment. It also highlights that risk assessors generally agree on the need for increased collaboration with epidemiologists.

This publication is essential reading for those involved in public health, toxicology, epidemiology, risk assessment, or regulatory science, as it outlines practical ways to make epidemiology more useful for risk assessment-based decisions. Don’t miss this valuable insight into bridging the gap between research and real-world health protection!

Improving the integration of epidemiological data into human health risk assessment: What risk assessors told us they want. Phillips et al., 2024. Global Epidemiology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloepi.2024.100167

HESI staff recently returned from the 2024 Safety Pharmacology Society Annual Meeting where many members of HESI and the HESI Cardiac Safety Committee had the opportunity to connect and share their latest work. HESI groups presented four posters from the BAA Ion Channel Working Group and Integrative Strategies Blood Pressure Subteam. Dr. Yevgeniya Koshman of AbbVie also presented preliminary data from the blood pressure study during both a symposium and the DSI Data Blast. Dr. Norman Stockbridge accepted this year’s Distinguished Service Award, where he highlighted some of HESI’s work in the risk assessment of QT prolongation.

Ruth Roberts, HESI board member and Apconix co-founder, and Jennifer Pierson (HESI staff), co-organized a minisymposium at the recent Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL, USA. More than 120 attendees gathered to hear about breakthroughs in seizure research, particularly in the context of treatment-resistant epilepsy and prediction of seizures in drug development. Seizures are problematic to treat and detect in both clinical and nonclinical settings. Approaches in our ability to predict seizures are moving rapidly thanks to new technologies and discoveries as highlighted by the speakers. Seizures are challenging but researchers are opening new avenues for both treating epilepsy and reducing seizure risks during drug development. Learn more about HESI’s efforts here.

The Botanical Safety Consortium (BSC) held its inaugural in-person Annual Meeting at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) in North Carolina last week. This historic event marked a significant milestone in the Consortium’s mission to advance botanical safety science.

The summit kicked off with a day of engaging presentations and virtual participation, with nearly 70 online attendees joining the conversation and 45 in-person. The hybrid format allowed for a broad exchange of ideas and highlighted the importance of collaboration between in-person and remote participants. The second day saw small-group sessions that delved deep into critical issues, fostering in-depth discussions that laid the groundwork for future progress.

This meeting not only served as a platform for idea-sharing but also reinforced the Consortium’s commitment to botanical safety and scientific excellence. We look forward to the exciting developments that will stem from this gathering.

Learn more about the Botanical Safety Consortium here.

HESI members from a number of committees attended EUROTOX 2024 in Copenhagen last month. Below is a photo of the eSTAR poster “A vision for the use of molecular points of departures (PODs) for chemical testing.” The poster was presented by Dr. Karen Tilmant of Bayer.

We are excited to announce that HESI is a partner in the NC3Rs CRACK-IT Challenge “Wings of Change” initiative, which focuses on advancing acute and chronic avian non-animal models (NAMs). This collaboration aims to develop innovative and ethically responsible methods for assessing toxicity in avian species, reducing the reliance on animal testing, and enhancing the scientific rigor of avian safety assessments.

We invite researchers, innovators, and industry leaders to join us in solving this challenge and driving positive change in the field of toxicology.

For more details, visit the NC3Rs CRACK-IT Challenge page.

HESI’s Committee on Transforming the Evaluation of Agrochemicals (TEA) invites you to participate in the TEA Global Challenge, a groundbreaking initiative focused on advancing ecological and human safety assessments of plant protection products using non-animal methods. This year’s challenge focuses on the safe use of a hypothetical grape fungicide (VineGuard).

Not familiar with agrochemicals? No problem! Anyone can participate!

Your mission is to propose creative solutions to evaluate the safety of VineGuard.

We offer great flexibility in how you can participate:

• You are free to choose the scope of the problem you want to solve.
• You can propose conceptual solutions (simply explain how you would proceed) or more specific solutions based on hypothetical datasets of your choice.
• You only need to explain your approach, using the provided reporting template.

Exciting Rewards:

• $2,000 USD in travel funds to attend a relevant scientific conference.
• Support from the HESI TEA committee to publish your work.

For detailed guidelines, visit TEA Global Challenge website.

Watch our recent webinar outlining the Challenge!

The HESI Cardiac Safety Committee seeks Postdoctoral or Early Career researchers working in cardiovascular safety science or a related field for the 2025 Early Career Seminar Award Series. This award offers an opportunity to share your research, learn from and network with experts in the toxicology and safety pharmacology fields from academia, regulatory agencies and pharmaceutical companies.

Award: Selected candidates will receive a $500.00 USD award and be invited to present their research on a public webinar with HESI Cardiac Safety Committee scientists and other invited guests. Webinar dates will be scheduled with the awardees in Q1 2025.

Qualifications and Requirements: Eligible candidates must have a PhD or equivalent degree in biology or related field (cell biology, biochemistry, pathology, biomechanical engineering, or similar); have current post-doc position/appointment or consider themselves an early career scientist (~1-5 years post-academic training) and may not have previously received an award under this program. Open to both domestic and international applicants.

Deadline for submission: November 15, 2024.

Apply on the website here: https://hesiglobal.org/cardiac-safety/#earlycareeraward

DONOR RELATIONS and OPERATIONS MANAGER

Want to work for a nonprofit organization that creates science-based solutions for a safer, more sustainable world? Join HESI as a Donor Relations and Operations Manager, where you’ll manage key donor relationships, support institutional operations, accounting, and budgets as part of HESI’s effort to address global health and environmental challenges.

This position works in Washington, DC, and reports to the HESI Executive Director.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Donor Management

• Manages key facets of donor stewardship including processing annual donor invoices, maintaining lists of key contacts in donor organizations, fulfilling payment-related donor information requests, and working with HESI leadership and management staff to address other donor-related reporting as assigned.
• Leads annual member outreach activities to donors through dissemination of customized HESI Sponsorship reports as prepared by the HESI Scientific Staff.
• Maintains member information in the Constant Contact database.
• Reports to Executive Director/Deputy Director on trends in donor composition.
• Assists the Associate Director for Program Development & Resourcing in tracking of grants and grant-related contracts.

Operational Management

• Works directly with HESI’s finance department and legal department to support HESI operations and the annual organizational financial audits and other compliance requirements.
• Supports the Executive Director in disseminating communications and requests to the HESI Board of Trustees and broad HESI membership. This includes engaging directly with members of HESI’s global Board of Trustees to communicate logistical and administrative needs, scheduling and providing logistical support for Board-related events and activities.
• Identifies opportunities to enhance and streamline internal systems to support the work of the organization.
• Manages organization-wide vendor contracts, payment, and financial transactions.
• In partnership with senior HESI staff, monitors organizational budget relative to Board expenditures and expenses for Bi-Annual Scientific Conference.
• Leads logistical support for events, meetings and conferences for HESI and its programs on an as needed basis. This may include coordinating banquet event orders (BEOs), and providing onsite logistical support, and assisting with booking guest travel for events.
• Adhere to strict deadlines for completion of all assigned work.
• Completes special projects and ad hoc tasks as needed to support the organization.
• Exercise a high degree of judgment and discretion while collaborating with leaders and staff throughout the organization.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Experience

• Familiarity with nonprofit member and donor management a plus.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience required, with a minimum of 3+ years of work experience involving increasing responsibilities in a related field or discipline such as project management, donor relations, grant management, membership management, nonprofit administration, or similar.
• Proficiency with the Windows environment and MS Office suite, along with experience using databases like Constant Contact and PN3 (AR/AP) preferred.
• Ability to quickly learn and adapt to new software and technologies as needed.
• Proven track record of strategic and creative approaches to tasks.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and manage multiple, concurrent projects with strong organizational skills, setting priorities, and meeting tight deadlines in a dynamic environment.
• Flexible and adaptable to shifting priorities and new tasks, with a proactive approach to managing change.
• Self-motivated and able to work well with and through others, having a strong commitment to customer service.
• Strong attention to detail and superior verbal, writing, and proofreading skills.
• Ability to travel domestically or internationally.

Work Environment and Additional Tasks

• This role involves work performed in an office or similar environment and may involve extended periods of sitting, working at a computer, and supporting meeting logistics.
• Occasional physical tasks may include lifting and moving items up to 20+ pounds, such as boxes or meeting materials, and setting up or breaking down event logistics.
• Mobility in confined or restricted spaces may be required for brief periods, particularly when supporting meetings or event logistics, which may involve occasional movement or physical tasks.

ABOUT HESI

At HESI, it is our mission to collaboratively identify and help to resolve global health and environmental challenges through the engagement of scientists from academia, government, industry, clinical practice, research institutes and NGOs. We achieve that in a variety of ways:

• Create a collaborative environment where scientists from academia, government, industry, and NGOs come together to find solutions that improve health and environmental safety.
• Encourage the development of meaningful studies that ask the right questions, structure the right framework, and develop solutions that inform decision-making by both private- and public-sector scientists.
• Create a knowledge base that can be easily transferred from the laboratory or journal page to real life.

Individuals interested in applying for this position should send their RESUME with COVER LETTER to Career@hesiglobal.org.

Principals only, please. Unsolicited resumes from third-party agencies will not be considered. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.

Learn more about us at www.hesiglobal.org.

SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM MANAGER

Looking for an exciting career in human or environmental toxicology, drug safety, biomedical innovation, regulatory science, epidemiology, exposure-science, and risk assessment — outside of the lab?

Want a great place to grow your career via collaboration with thought-leaders from government, industry, academia, clinic, and NGOs?

Seeking an opportunity to apply your skills in leadership and program management while applying science to real world challenges?

The Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI), a global nonprofit scientific organization, seeks a Scientific Program Manager to help lead collaborative scientific programs in the biomedical and environmental health fields. Successful candidates will have a passion for fostering creative and rigorous scientific collaborations that pool expertise, resources, and technical input from a diverse base of stakeholders. HESI Scientific Managers are responsible for developing, managing, and providing scientific input to large international scientific teams that generate science to protect public health and the environment. HESI offers the opportunity to work with internationally recognized scientists from government, academia, NGOs, clinic, and industry. This responsible position requires leadership skills and the ability to work as part of a team to help realize HESI’s mission of achieving science for a safer, more sustainable world.

This position works in Washington, DC, and reports to the HESI Executive Director.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Provides scientific, strategic, management, and administrative support to collaborative scientific committees involving academic, government, nonprofit, and private sector scientists;

Works with committee members to design and execute novel scientific research programs, publications, workshops, and trainings;

Prepares and monitors committee budgets, assists with communications (technical and non-technical), supports membership development, facilitates workshops and meetings, and contributes to overall HESI strategy and outreach.

QUALIFICATIONS

• A Master’s or Ph.D. in a scientific field such as toxicology, pharmacology, genetics, immunology, epidemiology, genetics, molecular biology, cell biology, pathology, chemistry, environmental health, or related life sciences and a minimum of 3 years of experience in project management, drug or chemical safety evaluation, scientific consulting, and/or regulatory affairs.
• Strong facilitation skills and the ability to work with groups meeting virtually or in person.
• Advanced written and verbal communication skills, outstanding management and organizational ability.
• At least 5 years of experience in project or program coordination.
• Leadership experience and presentation skills.
• Technical/scientific writing.

EXPERIENCE

Expertise in any/all of the following areas preferred:

• Regulatory Science
• Exposure Science
• Drug Safety Assessment
• Chemical Safety Assessment
• Computational Toxicology
• ADME

ABOUT HESI

At HESI, it is our mission to collaboratively identify and help to resolve global health and environmental challenges through the engagement of scientists from academia, government, industry, clinical practice, research institutes and NGOs. We achieve that in a variety of ways:

• Create a collaborative environment where scientists from academia, government, industry, and NGOs come together to find solutions that improve health and environmental safety.
• Encourage the development of meaningful studies that ask the right questions, structure the right framework, and develop solutions that inform decision-making by both private- and public-sector scientists.
• Create a knowledge base that can be easily transferred from the laboratory or journal page to real life.

Individuals interested in applying for this position should send their RESUME with COVER LETTER to Career@hesiglobal.org.

Principals only, please. Unsolicited resumes from third-party agencies will not be considered. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.

Learn more about us at www.hesiglobal.org.

With the official arrival of fall in the Northern Hemisphere, the HESI team is busy planning for the year ahead, including the critical task of budgeting. This process requires careful thought and precision to ensure our programs can continue driving impactful science. For a nonprofit like ours, budgeting is about balancing resources with our mission. Our work demands both agility and foresight, which is why we are also exploring external funding opportunities, such as competitive grant programs. While we have several active grant programs, a few are set to conclude this year. As we look ahead to 2025 and beyond, we are thoughtfully planning how to expand our funding portfolio and welcome additional input as we move forward.

As we gear up for the future, I am confident that with careful planning and a steadfast focus on our mission, we will continue to make a meaningful difference in environmental and public health. Thanks to our members and partners for your ongoing support of our organization and mission!

Jennifer Pierson, PhD, HESI Associate Director for Program Development & Resourcing