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Newsnotes
March 2014

Table of Contents

**Reminder**  Abstract submission for 2014 World Forum on Biology closes TODAY, March 31st!

  1. Message from the President
  2. In Memoriam - Stanley Leibo
  3. New Members
  4. Membership Renewal
  5. CryoFellow Nominations Sought
  6. World Forum on Biology
  7. Event Report - ACCryo 2014
  8. Upcoming Events
  9. Cryo. Jobs
  10. Cryobiology Journal

Do you have any news, reviews, articles, vacancies or training opportunities to share in the June newsletter?

If so please email them to the editorial team at [email protected]


2014 Officers

President
Erik J. Woods

President-Elect
Jason Acker

Past-President
John H. Crowe

Secretary
Yuksel Agca

Treasurer
Adam Higgins

2013 Board of Governors

Serean Adams
W. John Armitage
James D. Benson
Gloria D. Elliot
Eric James
Jens O. M. Karlsson
Barbara M. Reed
Andreas Sputtek
Tiantian Zhang






 

 

Message from the President

Erik WoodsGreetings fellow members of the Society for Cryobiology.  As we follow our recent 50th anniversary and begin our next 50 years on the heels of one of the best annual meetings in recent memory, it is my distinct pleasure to begin my term as President. 

As you know, much is planned to take our Society forward in exciting directions while bringing discipline to the organization in a changing world.  We have an energetic board and a fantastic meeting planned in conjunction with the Society for In Vitro Biology (SIVB) in May/June this year.  We have also begun more interactions with other societies that use our discipline as well, such as the International Society for Cell Therapy (ISCT), The International Society for Environmental and Biological Repositories (ISBER) and, of course, the American College of Cryosurgery (ACC). 

At the same time, it saddens me greatly to have heard news of Stanley Leibo’s passing.  This newsletter will only give a glimpse of the importance of Stanley to our field.  He was an excellent scientist, a great person and a friend.  For those of you able to attend the meeting last year I'm sure you will remember his plenary lecture "Milestones in Cryobiology", an overview of the most important achievements of the past 50 years; it was an honor for me to represent and discuss the future of cryobiology after his presentation on our history. I would encourage everyone to remember both him and his work.

I’m looking forward to a very bright future while we cherish our past, and encourage you all to be proud to be associated with this Society.

Erik J. Woods  


In Memoriam

It is with great sadness that the Society has been notified of the death of long-term member and Fellow of the Society for Cryobiology, Stanley Leibo, on March 25, 2014.  Stanley was an active member of the Society right from its inception and throughout the following 50 years, serving in many capacities on the Board of Governors, Editorial Board, and as President of the Society from 1985-1987. 

Stanley was, most recently, Professor of Biological Science at the University of New Orleans and his research focused primarily on oocytes, spermatozoa and embryos of a wide variety of mammalian species.  His research and publication history spans over 45 years in Cryobiology alone; his first manuscript was published in 1969 and his most recent manuscript is currently in press and will appear in the April 2014 issue of the journal.  He was also a contributor to a wide range of other journals, including Zoo Biology, Theriogenology, Biology of Reproduction, Fertility and Sterility, Zygote, Biology of Reproduction, and Journal of Mammalian Ova Research, all in the last five years alone.  The importance of his early research on the preservation of mammal embryos cannot be overstated, as it laid the foundation for the application of human fertility aid in fertility clinics all over the world.

A longer memorial celebrating Stan's life and achievements will appear in a forthcoming issue of Cryobiology.  Until then we leave you with a few parting thoughts from other Society members...

"He was one of our best with unbendable scientific integrity, amazing creativity to stay at the cutting-edge for decades, and incredible memory of everything published in the field.  He was one of my major sources of inspiration in science. It will be different without Stanley. I am a lucky man and a much better scientist to have known him."  Mehmet Toner

"Dr. Leibo was a wise sage, gentleman and a pioneering researcher in our community.  To me personally, he was an outstanding mentor in my early years at LSU and I'll miss the long conversations with him which over the years ranged from the proper use of "isotonic media", the difference between "osmolarity and osmolality", his anecdotes on his early pioneering research in cryobiology and many many more topics.  There are not enough words to describe him and he will be missed very much."  Ram Devireddy

“I have very fond memories of Stanley mostly from the Cryobiology social events but also fof his enduring and infectious enthusiasm for the subject.  His presence will be truly missed.  I’m sure that you’ll receive other emails from members of the editorial board and I hope that these can be passed onto the family so that they will know how much he was loved and admired by his colleagues across the world.”  Charles Hunt

"This is a passing of one of the giants of the field, and it comes much too early in his life. We all saw Stanley last summer at the Cryo meeting where he gave a masterful talk. He'll be missed." John Crowe

 "This most loved individual will be greatly missed by all who knew and worked with him.  Truly a scholar and a gentleman." David Rawson

Stanley Leibo

Above: Budhan Pukazhenthi, Stanley Leibo, Nucharin Songsasen
Below Left: Erik Woods and Stanley receive their commemorative plaques in honor of their plenary lectures at Cryo2013, the 50th anniversary meeting of the Society.
Below Right: Stanley in action, delivering his 'Milestones in Cryobiology' plenary lecture at Cryo2013.  This plenary lecture was also video recorded and can be viewed on our website: http://www.societyforcryobiology.org/stanley-leibo


 New Members

Since the last newsletter we warmly welcome the following new members:

  • Kenneth Baumann (USA)
  • Jennie Briard (Canada)
  • Anamika Chatterjee (Germany)Welcome
  • Cifeng Fang (USA)
  • Zhendong Jiang (China)
  • Xiaoli Liu (China)
  • Wei Liu (China)
  • Leah Marquez-Curtis (Canada)
  • Thomas Miller (USA)
  • Tim Rittinghaus (Germany)
  • Debapriya Saha (Germany)
  • Lingxiao Shen (China)
  • Daisuke Takahashi (Japan)
  • Heyu Tang (China)
  • Henry Vu (USA)
  • Tao Wang (China)
  • Zhendong Wang (China)
  • Yungpeng Xu (China)
  • Jingru Yi (China)
  • Yuntian Zhang (China)
  • Kaixuan Zhu (China)

Membership Renewal

The majority of our members have already renewed their membership for 2014, but if you haven't don't worry, there's still time.  If you have not renewed you should have recently received an email to say that your account will be archived on April 1.  We all know life gets in the way of things at times, so if this does happen to you, don't worry - it's easy to reinstate your account - simply renew at any stage and your account will be reactivated.

The easiest way to renew is to use Paypal on the Society's website, but if you would prefer to pay by check or bank/wire transfer you can do this by filling in the renewal form, available to download on the membership renewal page.  

Renew Button 


Nominations sought for 2014 CryoFellows

As you probably know, the Society for Cryobiology has established an award and medal of CryoFellow, for recognition of members of the SfC and individuals from the cryobiology community at large who have had an outstanding impact on the field.

CryoFellows are awarded this prestigious status in recognition of: scientific impact of their research on cryobiology (50%); sustained nature of that impact (20%); generation of scientific offspring (20%); and service to the Society (10%).

The 2014 CryoFellows Nominations Committee is now soliciting nominations for the appointment of new CryoFellows. The Committee consists of three current members of the Board of Governors and two CryoFellows.  This Committee evaluates the nominations and makes recommendations to the Board of Governors for approval of new Fellows.  

There is no formal application form on which to make the nomination, but the documents you provide the Committee should be of sufficient depth to support the candidate’s contributions to the categories mentioned above in a clear and demonstrable way. Usually this will mean inclusion with the nomination: (1) supporting letters from members of the Society or other major contributors to cryobiology (including one from the nominator); and (2) a detailed resume of the nominee. I suggest you contact the proposed CryoFellow to discuss their nomination before proceeding and to obtain the resume from the nominee.  

The deadline for nomination is May 1, 2014.  For more information and to nominate an outstanding individual please contact Jason Acker.


2014 World Forum on BiologyWorld Forum on Biology 2014 Logo

MARCH 31 IS THE FINAL DEADLINE!
Submit your abstract now!
Abstract Submission Ends March 31!  
 
Submit your abstract by March 31 to be considered for presentation at the World Forum. Abstracts submitted after March 31 will not be published in any of the on site meeting publications, so get your abstract in now! Remember, you  have to register for the meeting before you can submit an abstract.

Register Now

 

NEW: Wednesday Afternoon Symposium on The Importance of Data Management
A special symposium is scheduled for Wednesday, June 4 from 10:30 am - 12:30 pm. Do you know where all of your data is stored and if it’s up-to-date? Would your neighbor across the hall be able to find and interpret your latest experimental results on your computer? Would you pass safely through an NIH audit of your research? If any of these questions made you nervous, learning more about proper data management would be a good use of your time! Attend this highly interactive, 2-hour session to network and engage with your colleagues over the struggle to maintain your research data. Using a real lab’s research project as an example we’ll cover the importance of good data management practices, seven common issues in data management, and resources to assist you along the way.  By the end of this fun session you will have tools to help your lab better manage your data and feel more comfortable creating the 2-page data management plans required by NSF and NIH grants. Make your plans to attend!

Important Meeting Deadlines
March 31, 2014: Final Abstract Submission
April 24, 2014:    Hotel Reservations:
April 29, 2014:    Advanced Registration

WORLD FORUM LINKS AND INFORMATION:
Home  *   Scientific Program  *  Exhibitors  *  Student Opportunities  Hotel  *  Contact Us


Event Report - ACCryo2014

Hilton Key Largo

The American College of Cryosurgery held a jointly sponsored meeting with the Society for Cryobiology (SfC) this past January 15-19 at the Hilton Key Largo Resort (pictured left).  The meeting was also sponsored by the Winthrop University Hospital, which provided American Medical Association Continuing Medical Education Credits (CME) for attending health professionals. Educational grants to support speaker attendance were provided by the SfC and CPSI Biotech, Inc. Additional participating societies also included the Cryogenic Society of America and the Society for Thermal Medicine.

The scientific program offered a diverse representation of “translational cryomedicine” by linking natural biologic systems, cryopreservation and cryoablation.  Details of the program may be found online (https://cryoconference.com/).  Featured plenary lectures included Dr. John Bischof’s discussion of the challenges and opportunities in temperature and injury measurements during cryosurgery.  Dr. Peter Mazur provided a comparison of the operative principles in cryopreservation versus cryoablation. Dr. John Baust identified opportunities for improved ablative efficacy by “repurposing” cryoablation." Dr. Aaron Katz lectured on targeted cancer therapy and genomics while Dr. P. Pasricha discussed the future of “cryo-endoscopy.”  

Numerous focus sessions, which supported new trends in cryomedicine such as the concluding session on the “Cell Death Continuum: Its Role in Cryomedicine” chaired by Dr. M. Taylor and Dr. J.M. Baust delved into the cell/molecular biological aspect of post-freeze recovery.  The intriguing opening session titled “Translational Hibernation” chaired by Jan Storey provided new insights into the biology of hypothermia.  Dr. B. Glasmacher chaired a session titled “Biopreservation of Biologics:  Translation from Stem Cells to Cancer,” Dr. Y. Rabin organized a session on “Computerized Tools for Cryosurgery Training” and Dr. R. Griffin chaired a session on “Advances in Thermal Medicine” which highlighted advances in heat-based therapeutic strategies.  Diverse clinical sessions were integrated throughout the program.

Next year’s venue will be announced shortly.  Members of the Society for Cryobiology may wish to add this interdisciplinary meeting to their 2015 schedule.  Further, on behalf of the ACC, we acknowledge and thank the Society for Cryobiology for its partnership and support of the ACC annual meeting.


John G. Baust, Ph.D.
President, American College of Cryosurgery
Fellow and Past-President, Society for Cryobiology

Kristi K. Snyder, Ph.D.
Conference Coordinator


Upcoming Events

Cryogenics2014 header

Cryogenics 2014

April 7-11, 2014, Prague, Czech Republic

The International Institute of Refrigeration's bi-annual conference will be held at the Congress Centre, Prague, in April 2014.  The programme will include cryophysics, cryoengineering, liquefaction and separation of gases, cryobiology and cryomedicine.

For further information please visit http://www.cryogenics2014.cz


ISBER Header

ISBER 2014
May 20-24 2014, Walt Disney World, Orlando, FL, USA

ISBER are holding their 2014 annual meeting at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotels in Orlando, FL from May 20 - 24.  ISBER will also be holding a number of workshops on various aspects of biobanking prior to the beginning of the conference. Planned symposia include:

  • Advancing Science through Evidence-Based Biobanking.
  • Translational Science through Biobanking: Applications and Opportunities
  • Model Organisms and Environmental Biorepositories: Interdisciplinary Perspectives in Biobanking.
  • Biospecimen Science

A number of SfC members will be speaking, including current Society President, Erik Woods, and President-Elect, Jason Acker, as well as Alison Hubel and Steve Mullen.

For further information information please visit http://www.isber2014.org


British Association for Crystal Growth Annual Conference
July 13-15, Leeds, UK

Abstracts are currently being accepted for the 45th annual BACG conference, which will be held from July 13-15 at the Rosebowl in Leeds, UK.

Conference topics include:

  • Crystallisation Modelling Across Length Scales
  • Crystallisation for Product Formulation
  • Fundamentals of Nucleation and Crystal Growth
  • Ice Nucleation and Crystallisation
  • Industrial Crystallisation Processes

Confirmed speakers include SfC member John Morris (Asymptote Ltd, Cambridge, UK) as well as Richard Braatz (MIT, USA) and Elias Vlieg (Radboud Univ, Netherlands).

For further information please visit http://www.bacg.co.uk/bacg2014/index.php


IBP Conference

Second Ice-Binding Protein Conference
August 4 - 7, 2014. Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan

We are pleased to announce the 2nd International Ice-Binding Protein Conference will be held August 4 - 7, 2014 in Sapporo, Japan. The first meeting in this series took place three years ago in Kingston, Canada, and attracted 75 scientists from 13 countries. A variety of organisms living in cold/ice-laden environments produce ice-binding proteins, which include macromolecular antifreezes inhibitors of ice recrystallization, ice adhesions and ice nucleation proteins. Because of their importance in science and technology, both their basic principles and practical applications will be discussed at this gathering. The venue is the Conference Hall of Hokkaido University, which is located close to the Sapporo Railway (JR) station, in the centre of Sapporo. 

The organizing Committee members are: Peter Davies, Ido Braslavsky, Arthur DeVries, Sakae Tsuda (the host), John Duman, and Andrzej Wierzbicki.

Confirmed speakers include SfC members Ido Braslavsky and Maddalena Bayer, among others.

For further information please visit http://www.sci.hokudai.ac.jp/IBP_meeting_2014


Jobs
Vacancy: Engineer or Applied Physicist (Cryogenic Operation)
Location: CERN, Switzerland
Closing Date: April 2, 2014

As an Engineer or Applied Physicist (Cryogenic Operation) in the Technology Department (TE), Cryogenics Group (CRG), Operation for Detectors and Test Areas (OD) section you will join the Cryogenics (TE-CRG) Group which is in charge of the design, construction, commissioning and operation of the cryogenic systems for CERN accelerators, detectors and test facilities as well as of the management of the industrial support contract for maintenance and operation of cryogenic systems. It also provides support for low-temperature developments and tests at the Central Cryogenic Laboratory as well as consultancy and support in cryogenic design and cryogenic instrumentation.

Within this group, the Operation for Detectors and Test Areas (OD) section is responsible for operating the cryogenic system of detectors test areas, including the LHC detectors ATLAS and CMS, and related cryogenic infrastructure. It also operates a wide range of medium sized refrigerators for test facilities and experiments. For the operation of this cryogenic infrastructure the group is opening a staff position for a Cryogenics Operation Engineer.

For more information and to apply please visit: http://jobs.web.cern.ch/job/11048

Vacancy: Postdoctoral Researcher - Cryopreservation of oocytes and somatic cells
Georgia Regents University, Augusta, GA, USA

A postdoctoral position is available at the Medical College of Georgia/Georgia Regents University to study cryopreservation of mammalian oocytes and somatic cells. Familiarity with oocyte/embryo-related techniques is preferred. Interested applicants should submit a CV and contact information of three referees to Dr. Ali Eroglu at [email protected]


Cryobiology Journal

Volume 68, Issue 1 (February 2014)

Review Article

  • Mechanisms of cryoablation: Clinical consequences on malignant tumors
    J.G. Baust, A.A. Gage, T.E. Bjerklund Johansen, J.M. Baust    

Regular Articles

  • Investigations of motility and fertilization potential in thawed cryopreserved mouse sperm from cold-stored epididymides
    Toru Takeo, Kiyoko Fukumoto, Tomoko Kondo, Yukie Haruguchi, Yumi Takeshita, Yuko Nakamuta, Shuuji Tsuchiyama, Hidetaka Yoshimoto, Norihiko Shimizu, Ming-Wen Li, Kristy Kinchen, Jadine Vallelunga, K.C. Kent Lloyd, Naomi Nakagata
  • Optimization of cryoprotectant loading into murine and human oocytes
    Jens O.M. Karlsson, Edyta A. Szurek, Adam Z. Higgins, Sang R. Lee, Ali Eroglu
  • Ultrasound signal wavelet analysis to quantify the microstructures of normal and frozen tissues in vitro
    Lei Sheng, Gubing Wang, Fubing Li, Jianwen Luo, Jing Liu
  • Membrane permeability of the human granulocyte to water, dimethyl sulfoxide, glycerol, propylene glycol and ethylene glycol
    Alex M. Vian, Adam Z. Higgins
  • Investigating sperm cryopreservation in a model tunicate, Ciona intestinalis sp. A
    Gerarda Sorrenti, Anna Bagnoli, Valentina Miraglia, Fabio Crocetta, Valentina Vitiello, Filomena Ristoratore, Paola Cirino, Giovanni Sansone, Paolo Sordino
  • Dose–injury relationships for cryoprotective agent injury to human chondrocytes
    M.D. Fahmy, K.A. Almansoori, L. Laouar, V. Prasad, L.E. McGann, J.A.W. Elliott, N.M. Jomha
  • Development of a modified straw method for vitrification of in vitro-produced bovine blastocysts and various genes expression in between the methods
    A-Na Ha, Sang-Ryeul Lee, Jeong-Seon Jeon, Han-Seul Park, Sang-Ho Lee, Jong-In Jin, Benjamin R. Sessions, Zhongde Wang, Kenneth L. White, Il-Keun Kong
  • The value of frozen cartilage tissues without cryoprotection for genetic conservation
    Gaye Cetinkaya, Ibrahim Hatipoglu, Sezen Arat
  • Extreme rapid warming yields high functional survivals of vitrified 8-cell mouse embryos even when suspended in a half-strength vitrification solution and cooled at moderate rates to −196 °C
    Shinsuke Seki, Bo Jin, Peter Mazur
  • Percutaneous cryotherapy for metastatic bladder cancer: Experience with 23 patients
    Zhou Liang, Yao Fei, Niu Lizhi, Zeng Jianying, Zhang Zhikai, Chen Jibing, Li Jialiang, Xu Kechen
  • Devitrification and recrystallization of nanoparticle-containing glycerol and PEG-600 solutions
    Fukou Lv, Baolin Liu, Weijie Li, Ganesh K. Jaganathan
  • Cryopreservation of epididymal stallion sperm
    M. Olaciregui, L. Gil, A. Montón, V. Luño, R.A. Jerez, J.I. Martí
  • Tolerance of apexes of coral Pocillopora damicornis L. to cryoprotectant solutions
    Lionel Feuillassier, Pascal Romans, Isabelle Engelmann-Sylvestre, Patrick Masanet, Dominique Barthélémy, Florent Engelmann   
  • Protective effects of propolis on cryopreservation of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) sperm
    Fatih Öğretmen, Burak E. İnanan, Mehmet Öztürk
  • Selection of optimal reference genes for quantitative RT-PCR studies of boar spermatozoa cryopreservation
    Changjun Zeng, Lian He, Wenpei Peng, Li Ding, Keyi Tang, Donghui Fang, Yan Zhang
  • Rhodotorula svalbardensis sp. nov., a novel yeast species isolated from cryoconite holes of Ny-Ålesund, Arctic
    Purnima Singh, Shiv M. Singh, Masaharu Tsuji, Gandham S. Prasad, Tamotsu Hoshino
  • Influence of various antioxidants added to TCM-199 on post-thaw bovine sperm parameters, DNA integrity and fertilizing ability
    Serpil Sarıözkan, Mustafa Numan Bucak, Pürhan B. Tuncer, Serhat Büyükleblebici, Fazile Cantürk   
  • Cryotherapy for local recurrent dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans: Experience in 19 patients
    Jiongyuan Xu, Jialiang Li, Xulong Zhou, Jianying Zeng, Fei Yao, Yuan Wang, Feng Mu, Lizhi Niu, Jibing Chen, Jianguo Liu, Kecheng Xu
  • Boron increases the cell viability of mesenchymal stem cells after long-term cryopreservation
    Selami Demirci, Ayşegül Doğan, Burcu Şişli, Fikrettin Sahin
  • A study on cryoprotectant solution suitable for vitrification of rat two-cell stage embryos
    Tomoo Eto, Riichi Takahashi, Tsutomu Kamisako, Kyoji Hioki, Yusuke Sotomaru

Brief Communications

  • Developmental competence of frozen-thawed yak (Bos grunniens) oocytes followed by in vitro maturation and fertilization
    Hui-Ran Niu, Xiang-Dong Zi, Xiao Xiao, Xian-Rong Xiong, Jin-Cheng Zhong, Jian Li, Li Wang, Yong Wang
  • Application of the Kwei equation to model the Tg behavior of binary blends of sugars and salts
    Lindong Weng, Ranganathan Vijayaraghavan, Douglas R. MacFarlane, Gloria D. Elliot
  • Annealing condition influences thermal hysteresis of fungal type ice-binding proteins
    Nan Xiao, Yuichi Hanada, Haruhiko Seki, Hidemasa Kondo, Sakae Tsuda, Tamotsu Hoshino