Dear ISAC Member,

The ISAC Council Elections ended on February 28, 2010.? ISAC received ballots from 210 members.? Congratulations to ISAC’s new Officers and Councilors whose terms will begin on Monday, May 10: ?

President-Elect - John Nolan

Treasurer - Paul K. Wallace

Councilors - Grace Chojnowski, Andrea Cossarizza, Derek Davies and Mario Roederer

Lastly I want to thank ISAC’s outgoing Officers and Councilors whose dedication to the Society is commendable.

Best Regards,

Robert F. Murphy
ISAC, President

New AIMBE Fellows from ISAC

ISAC is pleased to announce that on February 22, 2010 the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) inducted three new members of the ISAC Community as AIMBE Fellows.  This recognition amplifies the importance of cytometry in the field of bioengineering.  Congratulations to go Elias Caro, Wallace H. Coulter Foundation, Zbigniew Darzynkiewicz, New York Medical College and Peter Hansen, PointCare Technologies. Their accomplishments in the field of cytometry bring honor and recognition to the society.  

Update on Cytometry Certification and Request for Nominations of Subject Matter Experts

February 1, 2010

In 2009 ISAC and CCS contracted with the Professional Examination Service (PES) to conduct a market analysis feasibility survey for a certification in the cytometry field.  Responses to the survey were overwhelmingly positive and showed support for certification from all work settings and career levels.  Moreover, there appears to be a core of knowledge that all cytometrists need to know, no matter where they work or what they work on.  This core body of knowledge can form the basis of a certification program.

The next stage in the process of creating such a program is to conduct a role delineation study. The purpose of the role delineation study is to determine the core body of knowledge and create a blueprint for a certification examination.  In February ISAC and CCS will contract with a leading company in the testing industry to carry out the role delineation study in collaboration with the certification advisory committee (members listed below).

In order to conduct a successful role delineation study we need your help.  The advisory committee is in need of volunteers to serve as "Subject Matter Experts" (SME).  The subject matter experts will be required to attend a multiple day, face-to-face meeting to develop an extensive survey of the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities for cytometrists. The membership of ISAC & CCS, as well as volunteers from affiliated societies and regional cytometry groups, will then be asked to complete the survey.  A final report will be generated from the survey responses, which will form the basis for creating an initial certification exam.

If you would like to nominate yourself or a colleague as a potential SME, please contract Todd Philbrick, ISAC Executive Director by email at toddp@isac-net.org by February 18.  Nominees should describe the nature and length of their cytometry work experience.

Thank you again for your support. 

Brent Wood, President, CCS and Bob Murphy, President, ISAC on behalf of the certification advisory committee.

Certification Advisory Committee:
Bob Murphy, ISAC, President
Brent Wood, CCS, President
Paul Robinson, ISAC, Past-President
Mike Borowitz, CCS, Past-President
Lori Anderson, ISAC, Secretary
Tim Bushnell, ISAC, Councilor
Derek Davies, ISAC, Core Managers Taskforce Chair
Bruce Greig, CCS, Councilor

Teri Oldaker, CCS, Secretary-Treasurer

Sony Enters the Flow Cytometry Business in Life Science Field by Acquiring iCyt

Sony Corporation (Sony) announced today that it has acquired iCyt Mission Technology, Inc. (iCyt), a leading producer of high-performance cell sorters used for stem cell and disease research, through its U.S. subsidiary, Sony Corporation of America (SCA).  With this acquisition, Sony is using its expertise and technologies to enter the flow cytometry business in life science field. iCyt, founded in 1995 and headquartered in Champaign, Illinois, designs, manufactures and sells flow cytometers, associated reagents and services.

"Sony brings an amazing level of technology and engineering capability to the field of cytometry," said Gary Durack, founder, President & CEO of iCyt.  "As a Sony company, iCyt will be able to leverage Sony's global resources to deliver a variety of innovative solutions to the cell analysis market. This is truly a win for iCyt, its customers, and all who will benefit from these advances."   

"We are very pleased to welcome Gary Durack, who has extensive experience in the flow cytometry industry, and iCyt to the Sony family," said Keiji Kimura, EVP of Sony. "iCyt's experience and technologies will be valuable assets for Sony as it expands into this new business domain.  We are confident that this acquisition will accelerate the development of Sony's flow cytometry business by combining Sony's expertise in the manufacturing of consumer products with the technological assets of iCyt."

As a wholly-owned subsidiary of SCA, iCyt plans to develop advanced technologies and deliver new products in collaboration with Sony. Gary Durack will continue to lead the company through this period of growth and expansion.

New products and advancements will be announced at CYTO 2010 (www.cytoconference.org), the upcoming Congress of the International Society for Advancement of Cytometry (ISAC), in Seattle in May 2010.

Sony has been exploring healthcare applications for its consumer-based optic technologies, such as those used for Blu-ray discs and its advanced data transmission technologies.  Recent progress in regenerative medicine has highlighted the importance of cell analysis and, specifically, flow cytometry, an indispensable tool for research.  Sony plans to realize unique technological advances in flow cytometry through the application of its core technologies.  As part of this effort, Sony and iCyt have been jointly developing new flow cytometry devices since April 2009.  Through this acquisition, Sony expects to accelerate its development of next-generation cell analysis systems and deliver innovative products to research and clinical laboratories around the world.

About Sony Corporation:

Sony Corporation is a leading manufacturer of audio, video, game, communications, key device and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets.  With its music, pictures, computer entertainment and on-line businesses, Sony is uniquely positioned to be the leading electronics and entertainment company in the world.  Sony recorded consolidated annual sales of approximately $79 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2009.  Sony Global Web Site: http://www.sony.net/

About iCyt:

iCyt supplies advanced flow cytometry analysis and sorting technology for use in life science research.  Its products are marketed to private and public research institutions, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and large medical centers.  iCyt has received significant industry recognition for its line of multi-channel, high-speed cell sorting products.  iCyt Web Site: http://www.i-cyt.com/
 

Media Inquiries:

Corporate Communications, Sony Corporation

Tel: +81-3-6748-2200

ISACs Core Managers Task Force will again be holding a Core Managers Forum at CYTO 2010 in Seattle. So that we can best serve the needs of our audience we want to canvass opinion as to topics to be considered. The following are suggestions from the Task Force, please rank in order of interest with 1 being the highest interest. Also indicate if you have any other topic suggestions, suggestions for speakers or if you are prepared to speak or lead a discussion. Please respond to derek.davies@cancer.org.uk by January 31st.

Potential topics:
Funding in times of recession
Core centralization
Efficient management and utilization of cores
Training for Core Managers
Certification in Cytometry
Staff recruitment and retention issues
Effective Communication with Administration
Biosafety issues
Other....

January 19, 2010

TO:                 ISAC MEMBERSHIP

SUBJECT:     CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2010 ISAC MEMBERSHIP AWARD

FROM:            J. Paul Robinson, Past President and Chair, ISAC Awards Committee

It is once again time to solicit nominations for the ISAC Membership Award (formerly the ISAC Honorary Fellow of the Society Award). Membership Awards are nominated only via ISAC members nominations. Final selection is by the Awards committee.

The ISAC Membership Award recognizes those individuals with exceptional service to the cytometry community, as well as to the Society and those who have achieved peer recognition for advancing the field of cytometry. The award includes a plaque and lifetime membership in ISAC.

Past Membership Award recipients include:

2008:  Hans J. Tanke

2006:   Gunter Valet & Michael Ormerod

2004:   Anne A. Hurley

2002:   Howard Shapiro

2000:   Harry A. Crissman & Harald B. Steen

1998:   Louis A. Kamentsky; Wolfgang Gohde; Leonard A. Herzenberg

1996:   Myron Melamed & Mortimer L. Mendelsohn

1994:   Klaus Goerttler & Marvin A. Van Dilla

1993:   J. Sebastian (Bas) Ploem

To be nominated for this award, an individual must meet the following criteria:

• Be an ISAC member for a minimum of 10 years
• Have participated actively in several ISAC Congresses through chairing sessions and presenting papers
• Contributed in a significant way to the field of cytometry

To make a nomination for this award:

• Please submit a written explanation of why you think this person should be considered for the ISAC Membership award based upon the criteria outlined above. Please be specific when referring to the nominee's Congress activities as well as achievements both within the Society and the field of cytometry as a whole. A detailed review of the candidate's qualifications in terms of the above criteria should be provided.
• The nomination should not be discussed with the candidate and should remain in confidence.
• Only candidates nominated by ISAC members in good standing will be considered by the committee.
• Multiple individuals may nominate the same person.
• Please email your submission to ISAC Executive Director, Todd Philbrick at toddp@isac-net.org no later than Friday, February 5, 2010.

 Judging will be by the Awards Committee, which is chaired by me and includes several Past Presidents of ISAC.

 Winner(s) will be notified by March 5^th with the award presented on Monday, May 10, 2010 at CYTO 2010: ISAC's XXV International Congress in Seattle, Washington, USA.

 Please take this opportunity to honor your peers and submit a nomination for this prestigious award!

The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) of the US National Institute of Health (NIH) recently announced the availability of funding to support participation in standards development processes (http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-EB-09-006.html). Principal investigators with active grants from NIBIB are eligible for administrative supplements to support travel and investigator effort in standards development activities. ISAC has several ongoing standards development activities, including data standards for both flow and image cytometry and fluorescence intensity calibration, and is willing to support applications for these supplements. Interested investigators should contact ISAC, Executive Director Todd Philbrick (toddp@isac-net.org) for more information.

The Histochemical Society's 2010 Annual Meeting, New Trends in Microscopy and Immunohistochemistry is March 21-23, at the Marine Biology Laboratory, in Woods Hole, MA.  The meeting focus will be breakthroughs in new 3D imaging technologies and the tools required to achieve the technologies full potential and advance cell biological and biomedical research.

Scientific sessions will be a mixture of invited presentations and those chosen from submitted abstracts. There is no charge for the first submitted abstract. More detailed information can be found at:

http://www.histochemistry2010.org/index.html

HCS's successful Short Course Immunohistochemistry and Microscopy immediately follows the meeting utilizing the MBL laboratories.  The course includes lectures and hands-on lab sessions and is limited to 30 participants, March 23-26, 2010.  More detailed information can be found at:

http://immunohistochem.com/

You may also download a two page brochure detailing both programs here:

http://bit.ly/3ckTA5

Registration and Abstract submission is now open. We hope to see you in March!

William Stahl
Executive Director
The Histochemical Society

CYTOMETRY NEWS

• Acoustic focused flow for cytometry.  Taken from: Update: Life Tech's Applied Biosystems Debuts Flow Cytometer, http://www.genomeweb.com/life-techs-applied-biosystems-debuts-flow-cytometer

By Ben Butkus,  December 07, 2009

NEW YORK (GenomeWeb News) - Life Technologies' Applied Biosystems business today launched a flow cytometer that uses sound waves to control the movement of cells, marking the company's first entry into the flow cytometry instrumentation market.

The instrument, called the Attune Acoustic Focusing Cytometer, is the first to use sound waves to precisely control the movement of cells, and enables enhanced sample throughput, sensitivity, and accuracy for a range of cell biology applications, Life Tech said.

The technology behind the instrument was developed by scientists at New Mexico's Los Alamos National Laboratory, which in 2006 spun out a company called Acoustic Cytometry Systems to commercialize the platform.

Last November, Invitrogen acquired Acoustic Cytometry Systems for an undisclosed amount in a relatively unpublicized deal; and around the same time Invitrogen and Applied Biosystems completed their merger to form Life Tech.

• Flow Cytometry's Expanding Niche, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, 29, 20, Nov 15, 2009.  See also www.genengnews.com
• Innovative Applications of Flow Cytometry Win U.S. and European Researchers Free Accuri C6 Flow Cytometer(R) Systems. 

2009 Creativity Awards Program Recipients Plan to Use their Accuri C6 Flow Cytometer(R) Systems for diverse applications to include: studies range from the growth physiology of microbes in ocean systems to measurement of intracellular calcium in mammalian nerve cells.  See news release from PR Newswire:

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/innovative-applications-of-flow-cytometry-win-us-and-european-researchers-free-accuri-c6-flow-cytometerr-systems-78758662.html

TO:                 ISAC Membership

FROM:           J. Paul Robinson, ISAC Past President & Chair, ISAC Nominating Committee

SUBJECT:     ISAC Council Nominations

DATE:            November 24, 2009

It is once again time to nominate some of your fellow members to the ISAC Council. The process provides for the Nominating Committee to select a slate of nominees consisting of at least two candidates for each position available. The deadline date for nominations is Thursday, December 31.  Please email your nominations to Todd Philbrick, ISAC Executive Director at toddp@isac-net.org, or fax to him at 301-634-7429.

The ISAC Bylaws allow for two nomination methods:

1.            Nomination for Consideration by the Nominating Committee
An individual's name is submitted for consideration by the Nominating Committee. This individual may be self nominated or nominated by another ISAC member. The individual submitting the nomination MUST have the agreement of the nominee that he/she is willing to run if selected for the slate. Nomination in this manner does NOT guarantee the individual will be placed on the ballot.

2.            Nomination by Petition
This method requires the signatures of eighteen (18) ISAC members (the equivalent of 5% of the number of votes cast in the preceding election).  This nominee must have already been contacted by the petitioners and agreed to run. Nomination in this manner REQUIRES the nominee's name to be included on the ballot.

All nominators and nominees must be ISAC members in good standing - i.e., Full members who are current in their dues.  Emeritus, Honorary and Student members are not eligible to vote or hold office. Please give consideration to geographical issues.  This is important in developing a balanced slate.

Six positions will be filled in the upcoming election:

• President-Elect
• Treasurer
• Councilor, Technical (2)
• Councilor, Analytical (1)
• Councilor, Clinical (1)

Information on these positions can be found in the ISAC Bylaws posted at:

http://isac-net.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=508&Itemid=42

Nominees will be contacted by the ISAC office for materials needed for the ballot. Voting will be conducted electronically. Once the slate has been determined, ISAC members will be notified by email where they may vote.

Although the process does result in some people not being elected, I can assure you that all who agree to be considered for election are "winners" and have distinguished themselves by their willingness to serve ISAC.

If you have any questions regarding the nominations process, please contact ISAC Executive Director, Todd Philbrick at toddp@isac-net.org or 301-634-7454.

Thank you in advance for your participation in this very important process.