Ed: Victoria von Hagen
Telephone +33/76/010271
Fax +33/76/010273
Messages +33/76/549401
E-mail: gerard.brugal@ujf-grenoble.fr
=== PRESIDENTS MESSAGE
Dear members of the ESACP,
This first issue of the ESACP Newsletter gives me the
opportunity to elucidate the special profile of our society and
inform you about the activities I would like to initiate.
As I see it, the special features of our society are its European
internationality, interdisciplinarity, methodological orientation
emphasizing quantitation in human cellular pathology.
First, we, as scientists should set an example in European
cooperation in science. We should be pioneers in European
unification and in peaceful coexistence. We should compete, on
the one hand but cooperate, on the other to combine our
specific capabilities to reach a higher level of scientific quality.
Since different countries have developed different
methodological qualification, we can learn from each other.
Secondly the fact that pathologists, cytologists, physicists,
computer scientists mathematicians, bioloaists cytogeneticists
and others attend our meetings offers the unique opportunity for
interdisciplinary exchanges and for catalysation of cooperation.
Multicenter studies, interlaboratory exchanges and quality
assurance may thus be initiated. Physicians from different
disciplines may learn methodological details from physicists,
molecular biologists or computer scientists. The former may
formulate basic biological questions and diagnostic or
prognostic questions, which may be solved together with the
latter.
Thirdly, the ESACP is particularly devoted to the development
and application of quantitative methods in research and routine
diagnosis such as quantitative FISH and VISH, quantitative
immunohisto- and cytochemistry, AgNOR quantification,
quantitative interphase and metaphase cytogenetics, flow
cytometric immunophenotyping, quantitative laserscan
microscopy and static or flow DNA cytometry.
The Society plans to offer tutorials on these special methods,
organized by leading European scientists in their laboratories
on a non-profit basis. The ESACP Council will elaborate
qualitative and quantitative conditions which must be fulfilled by
the organizers and their institutions. Three categories of
ESACP affiliations will be differentiated:
i) those recognized by ESACP (initiative by a member where
ESACP is not included in the organization;
ii) those on behalf of ESACP (initiative by a member ESACP
included in the orqanization) and
iii) those organized by ESACP (initiative and organisation by
ESACP).
As soon as the regulations for these methodologic tutorials
have been elaborated by the committees of
the ESACP council, they will be published in the next
newsletter.
Members of the ESACP will then be asked to apply for the
organization of such courses on behalf of the ESACP. Quality
control of these courses will be guarantied by the ESACP
council.
The methodological orientation of our Society qualifies us to be
the ideal body to elaborate consensus reports on special
methods. These should contain suggestions for nomenclature,
instrumentation requirements, scaling procedures,
performance standards, standardized protocols, guidelines for
data interpretation and mechanisms for quality assurance. As a
first example, the Consensus Report on Diagnostic DNA Image
Cytometry was established, which had been agreed upon by 32
invited specialists during the Third ESACP conference in
Grenoble, This report will soon be published in ACP. Another
consensus report on diagnostic DNA-flow cytometry is in
preparation.
The following committees were founded during the council
meeting at the Third ESACP Conference: DNA image
cytometry, DNA flow cytometry, quantitative
immunohistochemistry/cytochemistry, telepathology and
tutorial activities.
These committees will both supervise the methodologically
oriented tutorials and the elaboration of consensus papers.
Fourthly, the interdisciplanarity of our societv offers the
opportunity of an integrated application of histology, cytology,
cytogenetics, molecular biology, molecular genetics, informatics
and other methods for research in diagnostic pathology. Our
biological aim is, on the one hand, basic research in pathology
by combined application of the above cited methods, and on the
other the application of quantitative methods to improve
diagnosis in cyto- and histopatholoqy. In contrast with purely
pathological societies, ESACP offers a multidisciplinary
approach to basic research and diagnosis in pathoiogy.
Pathologists will benefit from the contact with specialists of
those methods they wish to apply in their research and routine
diagnostic work. The non-pathologists in our society will profit
from discussions with pathologists understanding their
diagnostic problems and learning about the etiology and
pathogenesis of various diseases.
Finally, I would like to express our sincere gratitude to Gerard
Brugal and his team for their perfect organization of the Third
ESACP conference in Grenoble It has been a scientifically and
culturally outstanding event. All of the ESACP are grateful that
he has dedicated all his enthusiasm, experience, creativity and
ability to help our young and inexperienced society to mature
and experience such a fruitful and communicative meeting.
Alfred A.Böcking
President of ESACP
=== MESSAGE FROM THE PAST PRESIDENT ===
The European Society for Analytical Cellular Pathology and its
journal Analytical Cellular Pathology were founded in 1987-88
and the Society had its first meeting in 1989 at Schloss Elmau,
Germany (organized by the late Georg Burger and
collaborators). There were about 150 participants. Past
President Peter Vooijs organized the second ESACP meeting
in 1992 which was held in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. About
400 people attended this meeting. The third ESACP meeting
was held in Grenoble in 1994, organized by Gerard Brugal and
collaborators, and was attended by 700 participants.
In addition to the excellent talents of the organizers of these first
three international conferences, the reason tor the exponential
growth in the number of participants is also due to other factors.
The ESACP and the journal ACP are devoted to the
communication of scientific work within cytometry and
molecular pathology with emphasis on a possible clinical use of
these techniques. During the short existence of the ESACP a
breakthrough of important new techniques has occurred, such
as the polymerase chain reaction, the possibility of using locus
specific probes for the demonstration of nucleotide sequences
with fluorescence microscopy and also important
developments in the use of fluorescent in situ hybridization
(FISH). As can be seen from the list of contributions during the
last conference it is obvious that there is considerable interest
in applying these new techniques for further development of
diagnostic pathology
It is also true that the application of quantitative
immunohistochemistry in combination with monoclonal
antibodies and cytometric instrumentation has made much
progress during the last few years and hold promise of even
greater improvement for use in diagnostic pathology in the near
future.
It is obvious that ESACP and its journal ACP have the potential
to become an important platform for the communication of
developmental work within the field covering molecular and
quantitative techniques and their extension into diagnostic
pathology. The introduction of the relatively new techniques
mentioned above and the development of other related methods
will contribute to an increased understanding of eucaryotic gene
expression and its relationship to human disease. Therefore it is
to be expected that the ESACP and ACP will expand their
membership even more in the near future.
Bjoern Stenkvist
Past President of ESACP
=== REPORT FROM THE PRESIDENT ELECT ===
Interlinking of Cytometric Societies: Establishment of the
International Cytometry Network (CytometryNet)
Cytometric techniques are presently utilized in many
biomedical and cell oriented disciplines. The non destructive
flow or image analysis of specific biochemical processes in
individual viable or fixed cells within a
heterogeneous environment i.e. in the presence of other cell
types, adds fundamentally new possibilities to characterize the
structural and functional mecha-nisms of growth, differentiation,
death or malignant transformation of cells.
Cytometry initially started as a tool for the determination of DNA,
volume, area or light scatter distributions of cells, but is rapidly
growing into a potent strategy for the simultaneous,
multiparametric and direct analysis of biochemical processes in
cellular systems or organs. Since abnormal biochemical
processes are the cause of disease, cytometric analysis is
conceptually closer to patho-biochemical processes than the
biochemical analysis of humoural body fluids like blood, serum
plasma, urine or cerebrospinal fluid which only indirectly reflect
cellular changes.
Today's cytometric approach to pathological states is
necessarily multidisciplinary with input from general
biochemistry, molecular biology, immunology, cell physiology,
genetics, informatics or engineering, for example .
Due to the fast expansion of cytometric disciplines, certain
peculiarities have developed in its world wide organization over
the years.
The initial European effort was centred mainly on DNA
cytometry by microscopy or by the Phywe ICP11 and ICP22
Impulzytophotometer instruments developed by W.Göhde in
Münster. Without a firm organization, a core group of scientists
organized memorable meetings in Heidelberg, Münster, Vienna,
Voss and Rome between 1973 and 1980.
The development of electrical cell counters by W. Coulter, of
fluorescence activated cell counters by L. Kamentsky (Ortho
Cytofluorograph), of preparative cell sorters in the Los Alamos,
Livermore and Stanford laboratories by a variety of scientists
and of several automated image analyzers for blood and other
cells, encouraged the American Engineering Foundation,
represented by the late S. Cole, to organize a series of 7 equally
memorable meetings in Asilomer and Pensacola in the USA
and in Schloss Elmau (Germany) between 1971 and 1989.
In 1979, the approximately 150-200 scientists on a world scale
decided to jointly found the Society for Analytical Cytometry
(SAC) in order to strengthen the further development of
cytometry. The SAC journal, Cytometry, started in 1980. SAC
was renamed the International Society for Analytic Cytology
(ISAC) in 1990 too emphasize the international character of the
society. A Clinical Division with a publication section in
Cytometry was established in 1993 and this Clinical
Communication in Cytometry (CCC) is edited in conjunction
with the Charleston Clinical Application of Cytometry group as
part of Cytometry since 1994 to cope with clinical manuscript
submissions.
The rapid and world wide installation in the 80s of many new
flow cytometers, especially in hospitals, and the development of
new conventional confocal and laser scanning microscopes
created an enormous boost for scientific work in many basic
research and clinical disciplines. This generated an increasing
demand for training, quality control, method and software
development.
As a consequence, national societies emerged in many
European countries as well as Japan, China and Australia The
foundation of the regionally active European Society for
Analytical Cellular Pathology (ESACP) in 1986 was initiated
mainly by image analysis and the clinically oriented Concerted
Action for Automated Cytometry (CAAC) of the European
Economic Community (EEC). The journal Analytical Cellular
Pathology (ACP) started in 1989 and from its beginning was
focused on clinical aspects of image and flow cytometry.
The present organization of cytometry into so many different
societies may at first glance seem like a throwback to historical
particularism. Although nationally successful, unnecessary
information lags have become increasingly apparent. But seen
positively, these many, very active societies are, with proper
contact, carriers of an enormous world wide creativity and
innovation potential.
Besides basic research, it is a main world wide effort to utilize
cytometric patho-biochemistry in image and flow for better
diagnosis, therapy control and prognosis establishment in
individual patients. These efforts should lead to more efficient
therapies with less drug induced side effects. The affected
cellular systems are used directly as disease indicators instead
of indirect indicators, such as the reaction of the whole
organism or the changes of humoral biochemistry.
ISAC suggests affiliation of national societies under the ISAC
umbrella for better information exchange and cooperative
efforts. The Australian society and the Charleston Clinical
Application of Cytometry group in the USA have affiliated but
most national societies have so far preferred a looser
adherence in the form of an International Federation of
Cytometric Societies (IFCS).
The elaboration of consensus protocols and also the joint
organization of cytometry courses and focus of meetings in
Europe has generated the need for closer cooperation of
cytometric societies within the EEC. This has prompted
ESACP at its recent Grenoble meeting to initiate the
establishment of the CytometryNet via internet data lines. The
CytometryNet will be a complement to the installation of
cytometric E-mail boxes for educational and methodological
purposes e.g. by Paul Robinson (University of Indiana) for ISAC
and on a smaller scale also by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für
Zytometrie (DGZ) in Germany.
The goal of the CytometryNet will be to provide organizational
information on individual national societies such as names and
addresses of officers and secretariat, membership,
newsletters; meeting schedules, abstracts, courses etc. In
addition, the elaboration of consensus protocols, the
organization of international meetings, and especially in Europe
the planning and elaboration of joint research projects seem to
be important items. The world wide free access to cytometric
information for interested people and the easy entrance for new
cytometric societies into the CytometryNet are attractive
aspects. The first CytometryNet on-line service has been
recently installed in the gopher information system. The ESACP
and GZ nodes are reached by the Gopher and FTP
(anonymous) programs as:
cytoesacp.biochem.mpg.de and: cytogerm.biochem.mpg.de
They are also reachable from the world wide web (www) net
with programs like Mosaic or Netscape as:
gopher://cytoesacp.biochem.mpg.de and:
gopher://cytoscan.biochem.mpg.de.
To provide better access to the CytometryNet and to be
simultananeously informed on cytometry bulletin boards of large
institutions or individual flow cytometry laboratories as well as
on E-mail boxes and cytometric shareware software providers,
the www CYTORELAY node was recently installed:
http://www.biochem.mpg.de/valet/cytorel.html
The electronic interlinking will be an efficient tool for the
coordinated world wide advancement of cytometry. It will
particularly favour the clinical sciences. An enormous effort for
standardization and quality control is required for the worid wide
establishment of "good laboratory practice" (GLP) procedures.
Although the practical implementation of a scientific
consensus may vary in different countries, the efforts for
reasons of intellectual and financial economy are best made on
a world wide scale. It is my hope that the CytometryNet will
substantially contribute to this effort.
Günter Valet
President Elect of ESACP
=== A PERSONEL NOTE FROM THE NEWSLETTER'S EDITOR ===
For those of you who are wondering why I went off the screen
for so long, the reason is that my horse took a dim view of
running into an electrified cow wire strung across a communal
path. Senor Quito bolted in the opposite direction at a thrilling
gallop only to be confronted with yet another cow wire and he
slammed on the brakes. My perfect Galilean parabola dumped
me onto a mess of cow pats, which are not as soft as you
would think. I fractured 7 ribs (two compound) and I am now
tearing around my office at the speed of a Galopagos tortoise.
But I am here, and things are slowly coming back to normal.
That personal note taken care of, I would like to go on to
matters of direct interest to our members. On the urging of
Philippe Terheggen (Elsevier) and Brian Mayall, we have agreed
to a "friendly take over" of membership applications and
renewals and the managerial running of ESACP. Thus,
whenever you experience difficulties receiving your copies of
ACP please contact me directly and promptly. Indeed, do not
hesitate to contact me if you have queries about your
manuscripts, or any thing else. For the newly founded
NEWSLETTER, I will need announcements, congresses,
tutorials etc that you wish to have published at the earliest
possible date in order that it be included in the NEWSLETTER.
Once a few of the NEWSLETTER have come out, it will be
easier to see what the yearly frequency will be.
As most of you have noted, ACP is doing very well indeed with
more submissions in 1994 (63) than in 1993 (56). But even
more important, the quality of the papers have risen
significantly. This is illustrated by 1993 impact assessment
which was 1.138, a high score for a new journal (usually around 0.7).
That puts us at 23rd of 55 journals in Pathology and 48th out of 75
in cytology and histology. We can expect that rating will continue
to go up, reflecting the rise in the quality of submitted papers.
Victoria von Hagen
=== SYNOPSIS OF THE COUNCIL AND GENERAL MEETING IN MAY,GRENOBLE ===
Outgoing President: Björn Stenkvist
Outgoing Treasurer: Martin Oberholzer
Officials of ESACP 1994-1997
President: Alfred Böcking
President Elect: Günter Valet
Editor-in-Chief ACP: Gerard Brugal
Managing Editor and Co-opted Executive Secretary: Victoria von Hagen
Agreed to continue:
Secretary: Ian O. Ellis
Treasurer: Georg Feichter
Nasseem Husain (retired) has indicated his willingness to
continue to support the Society and was Co-opted onto Council.
Councillors willing to continue on Council:
Walter Giaretti, Albrecht Reith, Olga Ferrer-Roca, James
Tucker, Sophia Markidou, Guilliano Mazzini
New nominations accepted for Council:
Gerard Lizard (France)
Chris Sowter (Great Britain)
Erik Schulte (Germany)
Peter Hall (Scotland)
I.T.Young (Netherlands)
Michael Ormerod (Great Britain)
Bernhard Tribukait (Sweden)
(Note: An excess number of nominations had not been
received and voting was therefore not necessary)
Members of Council no longer active or wishing to stand
down:
Frank Roels, Francisco Beltrame, Gerald Slavin, Martin
Oberholzer, Dennis Rutovitz, Naseem Hussain, Gert Auer,
Franko Rilke, Pierre Viallet
The ESACP has Affiliations with the following National
Scientific Societies:
- The Royal Microspical Society (United Kingdom). Both bodies
are organizing the Cyto'95 as a joint congress in July 1995 in
Southampton
- The Cercle Francais de Microscopie (France). Both bodies
organized the IIIrd Conference of the ESACP in Grenoble, May 1994.
- The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Zytometrie (Germany). Meeting
abstracts are regularly published in ANALYTICAL CELLULAR PATHOLOGY.
- The societies furthermore exchange mailing lists and coordinate
meeting dates.
Future ESACP Scientific Meetings:
1995 Joint meeting of 4th ESACP and The Royal Microspical
Society 3-6 July, University of Southampton, hosted by M.Ormerod.
1997: 5th full ESACP meeting is to be hosted by A. Reith in Norway.
(Note) The next ISAC meeting will be held in Europe in 1996.
Consequently, our next full meeting will be in 1997.
Activities Committees: - DNA image cytometry
Secretary: A. Böcking, Düsseldorf, Germany
Members: X.Albe, Geneva Switzerland, F.Giroud Grenoble,
France; A. Reith, Oslo, Norway; E. Schulte, Mainz, Germany;
E. Thunnissen, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
- DNA Flow Cytometry
Secretary: B. Tribukait, Stockholm, Sweden
Members G. Feichter, Basel Switzerland; W Giaretti, Genoa,
Italy, F. Otto, Münster, Germany; M. Ormerod, Raygate, United
Kingdom, V. Shankey, Maywood II USA; G. Valet, Munich,
Germany.
-Quantitative Immunocytochemistry
Secretary: J.A. Baak, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Members: I.Ellis, Nottingham, United Kingdom, O. Ferrer-Roca Canarias, Spain;
D. Kunze, Dresden, Germany; F. Giroud. Grenoble. France.
-Educational Activities
Secretary: A. Böcking, Düsseldorf, Germany
Members: I.O. Ellis, Nottingham United Kingdom,
A. Reith, Oslo, Norway;
J. Tucker; Edinburgh, United Kingdom;
I.T.Young, Delft, The Netherlands.
Please note deadline for next ESACP
News letter material is July 10,1995
Munich, Jan. 8, 1995
Dear colleagues,
CYTO95:
As you recall, ESACP will coorganise the CYTO95 meeting in South-
amptom, UK (July 3-6) together with the Royal Microscopical Society. A first
circular is available and enclosed in this letter. Please, ask for further
information by sending the postcard part of the announcement to the indicated
address. We would be very happy if ESACP contributors or visitors to this
meeting would be numerous.
ACP Newsletter:
While this short newsletter is sent out to inform you about the CYTO95
meeting, a regular and more extensive ESACP newsletter will appear in the
societie's journal: Analytical Cellular Pathology (ACP) in one of the next
issues. Many colleagues have expressed their interest in regular newsletters.
We will try to keep you informed on new developments in the cytometric area.
ESACP On-line Bulletin Board:
An electronic bulletin board of ESACP was recently installed within
the Internet Gopher information system. The bulletin board can be reached
by the Gopher or the FTP(anonymus) programs as: cytoesacp.biochem.mpg.de.
It is also reachable through the world wide web (www) net via the Windows
Mosaic program as:
http://www.classimed.de/esacp.html The bulletin
board contains information on the structure and function of the society i.e.:
adresses of secretariat, executive committee and council members, history,
bylaws, meetings. We will also try to make the authors and abstract titles
of the Grenoble 1994 meeting available for electronic search. Furthermore a
consensus document on morphometric DNA analysis of Prof.Böcking,
Düsseldorf and colleagues is included. A consensus document on flow
cytometric DNA analysis by Prof.Tribukait, Stockholm and colleagues is in
preparation.
A second information node for the Deutsche Gesellschaft für
Zytometrie (DGZ) is linked to the ESACP node within the CytometryNet. This
node is reached via automated link from the Cytorelay node:
http://www.classimed.de/cytorel.html
or directly by:
http://www.classimed.de/dgz.html.
It is our hope to extend this net further. The Italian and Iberian cytometric
societies have expressed their wish to build up their own servers.
Phil Dean, Livermore has recently established a electronic networking
task group for the International Society for Analytical Cytology (ISAC).
Besides basic information on ISAC, Gary Salzman, Los Alamos will make
available the new proposals for standardised cytometric list mode and
image data files. It is also intendet to build up a: cytorelay node which
will provide automated links to cytometric bulletin boards of the NIH, NCI,
Harvard University, Salk Institute etc. In this way it will be very easy to
access a maximum of frequently updated information in the cytometric field.
Most of the information is presently on flow cytometry but there are efforts,
mainly in the US, to provide such information equally for the image analysis
area.
The rapidly evolving electronic communication will probably link many
cytometric societies on a world wide scale in the near future. It seems
therefore important that ESACP members try to get access to the E-mail or
Internet system. For university or public institution scientists this is
usually comparatively easy because most universities provide cost free
institutional access to the electronic network for their members.
ESACP Membership Directory:
For the new membership directory, it would be very convenient to in-
clude telephone and telefax numbers as well as E-mail addresses of the mem-
bers. The mutual contacts are substantially facilitated if this information is
generally available. Please, communicate these data to me by fax, E-mail,
letter or telephone. The ESACP membership is presently around 270 members.
We encourage you all to renew your membership in 1995 and to interest
further scientists to join. There is the curious situation that between 400
and 600 scientists participate in ESACP meetings but ESACP does not gain
members at the same speed.
ESACP and ACP Renewal:
Due to changes of the VAT system in the European Community on
Jan.1, 1995, the exact price of the ESACP membership and ACP r renewal are
not yet fixed. Either all ESACP members pay the same rates or the rates
have to be individualized according to the VAT levels in the different EEC
and overseas countries. A decision will be shortly made and you will be
informed by the Elsevier publishing house.
with my best wishes
for a successful year
G.Valet
President Elect