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CoursesRA-COURSES organises the following courses and provides funding for travel, subsistence and course fee for PhD students and post docs:
1. Receptor-mediated toxicity. Accomplished.
2. Health risk assessment I: Principles and applications. Accomplished.
3. Regulatory toxicology. Accomplished.
4. Reproductive and developmental toxicology. Accomplished.
5. Child health and the environment.
7. Philosophy of risk in health risk assessment.
9. Exposure assessment II: Focus on residue and consumption databases and probabilistic modelling.
10. Statistics for toxicologists with focus on dose response modelling.
1. Receptor-mediated toxicityOctober 22-26, 2007Stockholm, Sweden
The course was organised by RA-COURSES in collaboration with CASCADE Network of Excellence and the Postgraduate programme in Environmental Factors and Health at Karolinska Institutet.
Course participants and teachers at the course in Receptor-mediated toxicity. The objective of the course was to provide state-of-the-art knowledge of toxicological mechanisms mediated by hormone receptors and endocrine signalling pathways.
The course included the following topics: Molecular mechanisms of hormone receptor signalling, Signalling pathways targeted by endocrine disrupting chemicals, Emerging techniques to identify and screen for endocrine disrupters and Risk assessment of endocrine disruptors.
The course consisted of lectures, group work, methods workshop and project work.
The intended learning outcome was understanding of molecular mechanisms of endocrine disruption and its implications for risk assessment as well as new methodological tools for own research in the topic.
The course programme is available here.
A report from the course is available here.
Course organiser: Johanna Zilliacus, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.
Course committee: Johanna Zilliacus, Agneta Rannug and Helen Håkansson, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden and Patrik Andersson, Umeå University, Sweden.
Contact person: Johanna Zilliacus, Karolinska Institutet, E-mail: j.zilliacus.cascade@biosci.ki.se
2. Health risk assessment I: Principles and applicationsApril 14-18, 2008Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
The course was organised by RA-COURSES in collaboration with CASCADE Network of Excellence and the Postgraduate programme in Environmental Factors and Health at Karolinska Institutet.
Course participants and teachers at the course in Health risk assessment I: Principles and Applications. The objective of the course was to provide knowledge and understanding of the methods and principles used in health risk assessment and to familiarize participants with the general procedures used in health risk assessments.
The course included the following topics: fundamental concepts in toxicology and risk assessment, epidemiology, exposure assessment; risk assessment in regulatory decision-making, critical effects, extrapolation, uncertainty factors and allocation of health-based guidance values; interpretation possibilities and evaluation of data from different test systems, handling of uncertainties and data gaps, and other problems in health risk assessment.
A report from the course is available here.
3. Regulatory toxicologyAugust 25-29, 2008Kuopio, Finland
The course was organised by RA-COURSES in collaboration with CASCADE Network of Excellence and the Finnish Graduate School in Toxicology.
Course participants and teachers at the course in Regulatory toxicology. The objective of the course was to provide up-to-date information of the international, European and national regulatory processes concerning chemical risk assessment in humans.
The course included the following topics: Introduction to risk assessment, international, European and national regulatory organisations for chemicals and medicinal drugs, different categories of regulated chemicals, EU chemicals legislation-REACH, regulatory processes for food safety, occupational safety and environmental pollution, as well as alternative non-animal tests in regulatory processes. Also, development of new in vitro methods and new emerging fields (nanotoxicology) were discussed from the regulatory perspective.
A report from the course is available here.
Course organiser: Kirsi Vähäkangas, University of Kuopio, Finland.
4. Reproductive and developmental toxicologyNovember 3-7, 2008Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
The course was organised by RA-COURSES in collaboration with CASCADE Network of Excellence.
Course participants and teachers at the course in Reproductive and developmental toxicology.
The objective of the course was to 1) Provide an overview of basic aspects of embryology, female and male reproductive systems and regulatory toxicology, 2) Discuss experimental evaluation of the reproductive systems and interpretation of possible results and present some of the OECD guidelines, 3) Give an overview of virtual and in vitro methods and teratological studies to evaluate developmental toxicity and 4) Provide the participants with practical demonstrations regarding some of the methods employed.
The course included the following topics: Introduction to risk assessment, Basics of reproductive toxicology, Embryology, Molecular embryology, Computational embryology, Male and female reproductive systems, Spermatogenesis and oogenesis, Practical aspects of mating of laboratory animals, Maternal and fetal metabolism and kinetics of xenobiotics, Maternal toxicity, Evaluation of female and male fertility, Endocrine active compounds, Assays for screening of endocrine disruptors: uterotrophic and Hershberger assays, Assays for the evaluation of juvenile reproductive systems and for neurotoxicity, In vitro methods for evaluate developmental toxicology, Statistical analysis of developmental toxic effects, Legal requirements for evaluation of reproductive toxic effects of pesticides and medical products. The course consisted of lectures, discussions, group work, video presentations, practical demonstrations and a round table discussion.
The intended learning outcome was to understand and interpret experimental data in terms of their biological significance for risk assessment.
A report from the course is available here. Course organisers: Ibrahim Chahoud, Konstanze Grote and Chris Talsness, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
Course committee: Ibrahim Chahoud, Konstanze Grote and Chris Talsness, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany, Helen Håkansson, Annika Hanberg and Agneta Rannug, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, Kirsi Vähäkangas and Markku Pasanen, University of Kuopio, Finland Contact person: Johanna Zilliacus, Karolinska Institutet, E-mail: j.zilliacus.cascade@biosci.ki.se
5. Child health and the environmentMarch 23-27, 2009Stockholm, Sweden
The objective of the course is to provide state-of-the-art knowledge about the environmental threats to child health in Europe. Overarching themes will be the specific susceptibility and exposure of the developing foetus, infant and child to environmental toxicants and the importance of modifying factors, e.g. nutrition and genetics.
The course will include the following topics: Prioritised environmental factors such as indoor environment, environmental tobacco, air quality, organic and metal pollutants, noise and electromagnetic fields. Increased frequency of allergy disease among children and their susceptibility. Role of health outcome and exposure monitoring and the European action plans for child health.
The course consists of lectures and group work on adjacent issues such as breast-feeding.
The intended learning outcome is knowledge about the differences between children and adults concerning development and exposure, updated insight on the most important environmental factors for children’s health and ability to use and improve science to guide public health decisions and protect child health.
More information and registration details will be provided here later.
Course organiser: Mattias Öberg, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.
Course committee: Helen Håkansson, Annika Hanberg, Mattias Öberg and Agneta Rannug, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, Karin Wiberg, Umeå University, Sweden, Markku Pasanen and Jarkko Loikkanen, University of Kuopio, Finland, Ibrahim Chahoud, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany
Contact person: Johanna Zilliacus, Karolinska Institutet, E-mail: j.zilliacus.cascade@biosci.ki.se
6. Exposure Assessment I: Environmental chemistry and metabolism, including chemical exposure assessment analysis and modellingAutumn 2009Umeå, Sweden
The objective of the course is to give an introduction into the field of exposure assessment with specific focus on chemical analysis and various modelling techniques including pattern recognition and fugacity modelling.
The course will include the following topics: Chemicals, analytical chemistry, and strategies for sampling, modelling and interpretation of data. Metabolism and modelling tools to predict levels in humans using physiology-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modelling. Quality issues related to environmental concentrations data and the exposure assessment process as an integrated part of risk assessment protocols.
The course consists of lectures, demonstrations of chemical analyses and a group work in form of the mini-case study where the participants will be given opportunities to take lead in the first steps of an exposure assessment. The mini-case study will e.g. include issues of sampling strategies, designing an exposure assessment and ordering of analytical chemistry data.
The intended learning outcome is to reach an understanding of fundamental environmental analytical chemistry to be able to examine quality of analytical data and understand modelling techniques as a complementary tool to the use of data of environmental and human levels.
More information and registration details will be provided here later.
Course organisers: Patrik Andersson and Karin Wiberg, Umeå University, Sweden.
Course committee: Patrik Andersson and Karin Wiberg, Umeå University, Sweden, Annika Hanberg and Mattias Öberg, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, Chris Talsness, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany, Polly Boon, RIKILT-Institute of Food Safety, Netherlands
Contact person: Johanna Zilliacus, Karolinska Institutet, E-mail: j.zilliacus.cascade@biosci.ki.se
7. Philosophy of risk in health risk assessmentAutumn 2009Stockholm, Sweden
The objective of the course is to provide an overview of important aspects of interactions between science and policy in health risk assessment with a focus on strategies to handle scientific uncertainty.
The course will include case studies to exemplify different approaches to uncertainty, an introduction to principles and methods for risk communication, basic and applied concepts in theory of science, and an introduction to decision theory and risk-benefit analysis.
The course consists of lectures as well as group assignments and group discussions.
The intended learning outcome is understanding of how science is used for decision-making and of methods for risk communication.
More information and registration details will be provided here later.
Course organiser: Christina Rudén, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden.
Course committee: Annika Hanberg, Mattias Öberg and Christina Rudén, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, Kirsi Vähäkangas, University of Kuopio, Finland
Contact person: Johanna Zilliacus, Karolinska Institutet, E-mail: j.zilliacus.cascade@biosci.ki.se
8. Health risk assessment II: Focus on risk assessment based on cancer, developmental neurotoxicity and endocrine disruption as the critical end-pointsSpring 2010Stockholm, Sweden
The objective of the course is to provide knowledge and understanding of the methods used, and to specific problematic issues related to health risk assessment of cancer, developmental neurotoxicity and endocrine disruption.
The course will focus on cancer, developmental neurotoxicity and effects of endocrine disruption as important critical health effects of chemicals and environmental pollutants.
The course will include fundamental concepts in health risk assessment, epidemiology, and will also cover risk assessment in regulatory decision-making. Furthermore, attention will be paid to interpretation possibilities and evaluation of data from toxicology and epidemiology, dose-response assessment, interspecies and interindividual variation in sensitivity, low-dose extrapolation, and other critical issues in health risk assessment.
The course consists of lectures as well as group activities.
The intended learning outcome is to get a deeper insight in health risk assessment of chemicals causing cancer, developmental neurotoxicity and effects of endocrine disruption, how it is performed, interpretation of data, limitations of methods used and uncertainties.
More information and registration details will be provided here later.
Course organiser: Annika Hanberg, Karolinska , Sweden
Course committee: Helen Håkansson, Johanna Zilliacus and Annika Hanberg, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, Kirsi Vähäkangas and Jarkko Loikkanen, University of Kuopio, Finland, Ibrahim Chahoud and Konstanze Grote, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Polly Boon, RIKILT-Institute of Food Safety, Netherlands
Contact person: Johanna Zilliacus, Karolinska Institutet, E-mail: j.zilliacus.cascade@biosci.ki.se
9. Exposure assessment II: Focus on residue and consumption databases and probabilistic modellingAutumn 2010Wageningen, Netherlands
The objective of the course is to familiarize participants with dietary exposure assessment to toxic compounds and in particular with probabilistic modelling of dietary exposure.
The course will include different items connected with dietary exposure assessment. These include among others: Importance of exposure modelling in risk assessment, Models to integrate chemical levels and food consumption data to assess dietary exposure assessments (e.g. point estimate / deterministic approach / probabilistic approach, characteristics different approaches, acute vs. chronic exposure, which method most appropriate for which situation, data availability, recipe databases, databases to convert food as eaten into raw agricultural products), Probabilistic modelling in particular: using the software programme @RISK participants will be taught the basic principles of probabilistic modelling using simple examples, Levels of toxic chemicals in food (e.g. pesticides, mycotoxins, dioxins, acrylamide), sampling, analytical aspects, processing, level of analysis (foods, agricultural products), intertwined with exercises in @RISK, Food consumption data in exposure assessment (sources of food consumption data, which data most appropriate, availability of data within Europe and comparability, methodological aspects), intertwined with exercises in @RISK, Performance of more complex examples of probabilistic modelling using the MCRA (Monte Carlo Risk Assessment) programme, including sensitivity and uncertainty analyses, Refinement of exposure modelling: processing effects, variability (when addressing the acute exposure to pesticides), levels assigned to samples with levels below the limit of detection, Pan-European modelling of exposure, Further developments in modelling of exposure: integration with effect modelling, risk – benefit modelling, exposure to more than one compound (risk-benefit, cumulative exposure).
The course consists of lectures and computer exercises to be performed in groups of two participants.
The intended learning outcome is knowledge of exposure modelling and probabilistic modelling in particular, and how this is organised at the international level related to the evaluation/assessment of toxic compounds.
More information and registration details will be provided here later.
Course organisers: Polly Boon and Jacob van Klaveren, RIKILT-Institute of Food Safety, Netherlands.
Course committee: Polly Boon and Jacob van Klaveren, RIKILT-Institute of Food Safety, Netherlands, Mattias Öberg and Marika Berglund, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, Patrik Andersson and Karin Wiberg, Umeå University, Sweden
Contact person: Johanna Zilliacus, Karolinska Institutet, E-mail: j.zilliacus.cascade@biosci.ki.se
10. Statistics for toxicologists with focus on dose response modellingSpring 2011Stockholm, Sweden
The objective of the course is to provide knowledge on dose response modelling in toxicology, including benchmark dose analysis, for risk assessment of chemicals.
The course will include the following topics. Regression analysis, Dose-response modelling of continuous and discrete data, The benchmark dose method and traditional NOAEL approach in risk assessment, Calculation of relative potencies and Calculation of sensitivity differences between populations.
The course consists of lectures and computer exercises.
The intended learning outcome is to get experience of the use of dose response modelling in toxicology and to understand the possibilities and the difference of such procedures compared to the traditional NOAEL approach.
More information and registration details will be provided here later.
Course organisers: Wout Slob, RIVM, Netherlands and Salomon Sand, Karolinska Institutet, Netherlands.
Course committee: Wout Slob, RIVM, Netherlands, Helen Håkansson, Mattias Öberg and Salomon Sand, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, Patrik Andersson, Umeå University, Sweden, Kirsi Vähäkangas, University of Kuopio, Finland, Polly Boon, RIKILT-Institute of Food Safety, Netherlands
Contact person: Johanna Zilliacus, Karolinska Institutet, E-mail: j.zilliacus.cascade@biosci.ki.se |
RA-COURSES is financed by the European Union Marie Curie Conferences and Training Courses Contract number MSCF-CT-2006-045972
Link to related EU-project:
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