Winter 2005 (191) Vol. 34, No. 1

Message from the President IN THIS ISSUE The holiday Message from the President ……………... 1 season is here again, so very best ESP Meeting in France …………….……. 2 wishes to all our members for Letter from the Editor ……………………. 2 holidays with Free Electron Lasers ……………………... 3 friends and family and for success in Donate to the ASP ……………………..... 3 the New Year. This is also the ASP Homepage Usage Statistics ……...... 3 time to thank Finsen Awards …………….…………….. 4 those who have kept our society functioning and prospering this year - firstly John Simon, editor of Research by ASP Members ……………... 4 Photochemistry and Photobiology, and his staff. You have all seen the handsome “new look” of the journal Fred Urbach, RIP ……………..…….…... 5 and a series of exciting Symposia-in-Print are in preparation. Taking the journal to bimonthly ASP History …………………………...... 5 publication has enabled the stabilization of finances Upcoming Events ………………………... 6 while maintaining high publication standards. All papers are indexed and freely available on the internet as soon as they are accepted, so there is no effective hope also to see many of our regular members there. delay in publication due to this altered schedule. The Council is meeting in Washington DC on February 5 We are also actively planning the July 2006 meeting to discuss further ways of ensuring the success of the of the ASP, to be held at the Westin Rio Mar Beach journal in a time of major changes in scientific Resort in Puerto Rico. This is located a mile from the publishing, particularly open access publishing. Caribbean National Forest, known as El Yunque, which takes its name from an Indian spirit Yuquiye, Thanks are due also to our Treasurer, John Streicher, "Forest of Clouds", the name of the mountain that who has steered our investments in an upward dominates the 28,000 acre tropical forest. Also a direction, and to the rest of our ASP officers - Past photobiologist’s delight is Bioluminescent Bay (see: President Tom Moore, incoming President Lisa www.biobay.com), which can be visited by kayak. Kelly and Secretary Lanie Hill. Also many thanks are There are many other sites in Puerto Rico, including due to Peter Ensminger, editor of ASP News and the Arecibo telescope, Camyun Caves and Old San webmaster, and finally, to our Secretariat Linda Juan. We look forward to your suggestions and input Hardwick and her staff, who cheerfully keep us to make this an exciting and productive scientific functioning and organized. meeting. It already seems a long time since our successful In February, the Council will also be discussing the Seattle meeting. The year 2005 will be the first year topic of extending terms of office, as we now meet that the ASP does not meet since 1973. However, we biennially. This year Lisa Kelly and I will have an encourage you to attend the meeting of our sister exchange of the gavel in July, which will be a virtual society - the ESP - in September 2005 in Aix-les- one that we will capture for the web site. Bains, France. The ASP has a commitment to our associate members and will be offering competitive Frances Noonan fellowships for them to attend the ESP meeting. We ASP President

1 2005 ESP Meeting Letter from the Editor The Casino Grand The ASP has met annually since their first meeting on Cercle in Aix-les-Bain, the Lido Beach in Sarasota, Florida on June 10-14, France, site of the 2005 ESP Meeting (Sept 3-8). 1973. According to Kendric Smith, the ASP was The casino features planning to meet at a newly remodeled hotel and gaming tables, slot convention center in 1973. Then the development machines, a night club, company declared bankruptcy several weeks before an Irish bar, a piano bar, and a dance hall. the meeting and left the ASP “on the beach”. Fortunately, the Lido Biltmore stepped into the breach The 11th Congress of the European Society for and the ASP moved from the beach and into that hotel. Photobiology will be held in Aix-les-Bains, France, September 3-8, 2005. The scientific program will For the first time in 30 years, there will not be an consist of 5 plenary lectures, 29 half day-symposia, annual ASP meeting in 2005. Instead, in a move oral communications, and two poster sessions. One toward closer ties with the ESP, the ASP encourages of the objectives of the conference is to cover all the all members to attend the ESP meeting in Aix-les- main fields of photobiology. There will be Bains, France on September 3-8, 2005. Jean Cadet presentations on photophysics and photochemistry of and colleagues have already prepared a preliminary molecules of biological interest, biological effects of program and this is available on the newly designed UV and visible radiation, PDT, photosensory ESP web site: www.esp-photobiology.it. So brush up biology, photosynthesis, and vision. Both on your French and polish your tongue for an exciting fundamental and more applied aspects of time in September! photobiology will be covered. Abbaye d'Hautecombe lies directly across Lac Aix-les-Bains is on Lac du du Bourget from Aix-les- Bourget, the largest Bains, site of the 2005 natural lake in France. ESP meeting. The Swimming, sailing, scuba abbey’s construction diving, and other water began in 1100. It served sports are available in the as a mausoleum to many princes of the House of summer, when the water Solvay. In the 19th century, Charles-Felix, king of reaches 25°C. Hikers and cyclists can also visit Sardinia, rebuilt the abbey in the Troubadour Gothic nearby Mont Revard (1550 meters). style. Visitors are welcome. Aix-les-Bains is an easily accessible international resort located in the heart of the French Alps in the vicinity of scenic cities and popular tourist spots such as Annecy, Chambéry, Chamonix, and Albertville (site of the 1992 winter Olympics). St-Exupéry-Lyon and Geneva airports are about 65 miles and 50 miles respectively from Aix-les-Bains and shuttle buses ASP News from these airports are readily available. There are Published quarterly by the American Society for also several direct fast train connections (TGV) with Photobiology Paris every day and an excellent motorway network, www.photobiology.org for easy connections with Italy, Switzerland, and the Editor rest of France. For more information on the congress, Peter A. Ensminger, Ph.D. please visit the ESP web site: www.esp- 256 Greenwood Place photobiology.it. Syracuse, NY 13210 Everyone is welcome in Aix-les-Bains for a fruitful Tel: 315-478-6024 and enjoyable conference! E-mail: [email protected] Layout Jean Cadet Tracy A. Newman ESP Meeting Organizer E-mail: [email protected]

2 Free-electron Lasers • Probing biological effects such as protein folding dynamics and exposure limits. Council Committee Visits Jefferson Lab The Committee will submit a report before the winter Fred Dylla (far meeting of the ASP Council. right), director of the Jefferson Lab John Sutherland Free-Electron ASP Council Laser Program, describes the Donate to the ASP operation of the Your contributions to the ASP will help secure our laser to (from left) David Sliney, John Sutherland, future by building a strong financial base. You can Patrick Neale and Ed De Fabo. All are standing mail your donation to the ASP Secretariat at the within the vacuum ring that recirculates a pulsed address below or submit your donation electronically beam of electrons. The linear accelerator, which at asp-donations.allenmm.com. The first five people generates the high-energy electron beam, is behind to donate $200 will receive a photobiology book Neale and De Fabo and the optical cavity, which (Life Under the Sun, $26.95 value). Contributions converts the energy in the electron beam into a laser may be tax deductible. beam, is to the left. Photo by Gwyn Williams, FEL basic research program manager. Name ______In late October, four members of the committee ASP Fund Pledge Amount appointed by the ASP Council to explore the impact and application of free-electron lasers (FELs) in ASP Endowment Fund* ______photobiology visited the FEL facility at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Newport Urbach Student Travel ______News, VA). Two other members, Rox Anderson Endowment Fund* and Martyn Caldwell, were unable to attend, ASP Operations** ______although Rox has visited the facility on other occasions. Student Travel Subsidy** ______This committee is charged with reporting to the ASP *Contributions to endowment funds will be invested. Council on the potential for FELs as light sources Proceeds from those investments will support the en- for photobiology experiments. Among the half dowment's named objective. dozen FELs operating in North America, the **Contributions to operating funds will be spent to- ward their named objective as needed. Jefferson FEL is outstanding in both the spectral breadth and time-average power of the light Mail to: produced. With the commissioning of the UV American Society for Photobiology component, scheduled for completion within a year, PO Box 1897 this FEL will produce high intensity (hundreds to Lawrence, KS 66044-8897 thousands of watts, time average power) at wavelengths ranging from the UV-C through the ASP Homepage infrared and into the THz region (between the Usage Statistics infrared and microwave regions). Visits to the ASP homepage, www.photobiology.org, Potential applications in photobiology include: are being monitored by bravenet.com. Details are • Determination of high-resolution available at www.pol-us.net/ASP_Home/stats.html. monochromatic action spectra in animals, plants Counter Dates: Aug 16 – Nov 15 (93 days) and microorganisms in the UV-B and UV-A, where activation cross-sections are small and Total page views: 2611 (avg of 28.1 per day) conventional light sources provide limited wavelength and power. Total unique visits: 1860 (avg of 20.0 per day) • Photodynamic therapy and other areas of PAE photomedicine.

3 achieved a breakthrough in the photosciences. Dr.

2004 Finsen Awards Yarosh is receiving the award for his research in The International Union of Photobiology (IUPB) DNA repair and prevention of skin cancer. It is with presented the 2004 Finsen Award and the 2004 great pleasure that the Board of IUPB has selected Finsen Lectureship to two ASP members. These Dr. Yarosh as Finsen Lecturer for 2004." awards are presented once every four years at the The IUPB is the worldwide association of International Congress of Photobiology. This year’s photobiology societies, including those of the United congress was in Korea, at the Jeju Island resort of States, Europe and Japan. Jungmoon. These awards commemorate 1903 Nobel Prize recipient Niels Finsen for his contributions to Yarosh said, "I am honored to receive this award, photobiology. which reflects the dedication of scientists at AGI and collaborators around the world. It recognizes that John Epstein basic photobiology research can put products in our hands to reverse skin damage even after sun The IUPB named Niels Ryberg exposure." ASP member Finsen, 1903 John Epstein, Nobel Prize (reprinted with modification from the AGI web site) Clinical Professor winner for his of Dermatology at research in the University of photobiology. Research by ASP Members California at San Francisco (UCSF), as the 2004 Finsen Award winner. Ultraviolet Radiation and Melanoma This medal is awarded for life-time achievement in In the United States, melanoma accounts for about photobiology and is the highest honor that the IUPB 3.5% of skin cancers, but about 80% of skin cancer awards. deaths, or ~8000 people per year. Sunlight exposure John Epstein has been with the Department of is implicated in initiating melanoma, but there is Dermatology at UCSF for more than 30 years. During controversy about the relative importance of UV-A that time, he has authored or co-authored more than (320-400 nm) and UV-B radiation (280-320 nm). 250 papers and has received many other awards for A recent study by ASP members Edward De Fabo, his work in dermatology. Dr. Epstein also serves as a Frances Noonan (George Washington University consultant for many San Francisco hospitals and has Medical Center) and colleagues shows that only a private practice in San Francisco. UVB-containing sources initiated melanoma in a John Epstein specializes in photomedicine and transgenic mouse model that recapitulates human photocarcinogenesis. He has also studied other melanoma. These results have important implications conditions such as lupus and the porphyrias. for risk assessment from exposure to solar and artificial UV radiation, and to the development of Dan Yarosh effective UV radiation protection strategies. The The IUPB named ASP member Daniel Yarosh, study was published in the September 15 issue of founder and CEO of AGI Dermatics, the “Finsen Cancer Research. Lecturer” for 2004. Evolution of Dinoflagellate Luciferase Dan Yarosh was singled out for this distinguished An enzyme with multiple catalytic sites represents an award by the IUPB for his research efforts that evolutionary elaboration of an enzyme with a single produced a topically applied drug (T4N5 Liposome catalytic site. One example is the luciferase of Lotion, trade name Dimericine®), currently under dinoflagellates, which has three homologous catalytic review by the FDA. T4N5 Liposome Lotion uses domains. This enzyme catalyzes bioluminescence in liposomes to deliver DNA repair enzymes into the the presence of luciferin and oxygen and is regulated cells of the skin. These enzymes reverse the DNA by a circadian clock. damage caused by sunlight. In the November 15 issue of Proceedings of the ASP member Herbert Hoenigsmann, President of National Academy of Sciences, ASP member Woody the IUPB and Professor of Dermatology at the Hastings (Harvard University) and colleagues University of Vienna Medical School, said, "Finsen present their study of the catalytic sites of the Lectures are presented by scientists that have (Continued on page 5)

4 (Continued from page 4) dozen of those years was the Director of the Center luciferase from seven dinoflagellate species. Their for Photobiology at the Skin and Cancer Hospital in study elucidates the relationships and evolutionary Philadelphia. For 31 years he served on the staff of significance of the different catalytic domains of the former Skin and Cancer Hospital, which was dinoflagellate luciferase. affiliated with Temple. He retired from the chair of dermatology at Temple University in 1991. Fluorescent Phytochrome An authority on photobiology, Dr. Urbach wrote Phytochrome is a pigment that regulates growth and more than 200 articles and six textbooks. He was development of plants. It is also present in devoted to educating the public about the dangers of cyanobacteria. In a forthcoming issue of Proceedings tanning and overexposure to the sun. In 1963 he of the National Academy of Sciences, Amanda researched the effects of ultraviolet radiation from Fischer and ASP member Clark Lagarias the sun on vulnerable parts of the face and neck and (University of California, Davis) report their studies showed that umbrellas and hats did not provide of the directed evolution of a cyanobacterial adequate protection. Later he travelled around the phytochrome. world, including the North and South Poles, to study They identify a specific region of the apoprotein that the increase of ultraviolet radiation caused by is important in regulating the spectroscopic depletion of the earth’s ozone layer. Following his properties of phytochrome. They also show that a retirement, Dr. Urbach continued to write and specific tyrosine-to-histidine mutation transforms consult, including for NASA. He was a pioneer and phytochrome into a red fluorescent protein. Such world renowned expert in the photobiological effects mutant proteins have potential as far-red light of ultraviolet radiation and received numerous fluorescent reporter genes and for other applications. awards for his research. In 1991 he received the highest honor in photobiology, the prestigious Finsen (reprinted with modification from the ASP web site) Medal from the International Union of Photobiology (IUPB) at the International Congress for Photobiology in Kyoto, Japan. At this year’s IUPB meeting, the congress established a research fund in Fredrick Urbach his honor. Rest in Peace In addition to his service with the ASP, Dr. Urbach was also a member of the US National Committee for Photobiology (1973-1982), served as Vice-President Frederick Urbach, of (1976-1980) and President (1980-1984) of the IUPB, Villanova PA, died and was an honorary member of the Austrian Society peacefully in his home on for Dermatology and Venereology. th July 8 2004. Dr. Urbach Herbert Hoenigsmann was a founding member of the ASP, an ASP Councilor on two occasions, and was ASP President in 1977. He received the ASP Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993. ASP History Dr. Urbach was born in Vienna, Austria in 1922. He Archives Added to ASP Web Site earned an AB cum laude from the University of Irene Kochevar, ASP Historian, has recently added Pennsylvania and an MD from Jefferson Medical extensive archival materials to the ASP web site. College. Following a fellowship in dermatology at These materials include ASP histories (previously the University of Pennsylvania, which culminated in published in Photochemistry and Photobiology), his Certification in Dermatology, he held photo galleries of ASP presidents, and photos taken appointments in physiology and dermatology at at ASP meetings from 1973 to the present. All Roswell Park, the University of Buffalo, and Temple materials are available by clicking the “History” link University. He was chief cancer research on the navigation menu or by going directly to http:// dermatologist at Roswell Park Memorial Institute in www.pol-us.net/ASP_Home/asp_history.html. Buffalo NY, before joining the Temple faculty in 1958. From 1967 to 1991 he was Professor and PAE Chairman of Dermatology at Temple, and for about a

5 1200 New York Ave NW topicals/ecbo/ Upcoming Events Washington DC 20005 Tel: 202-326-6400 June 18-25, 2005 January 5-10, 2005 E-mail: [email protected] Graduate summer school: Bio- Fourth Asian Photochemistry Confer- Web site: www.aaas.org Photonics '05 ence (APC-2005) The Island of Ven Grand Hotel, Taipei, Taiwan February 20-26, 2005 Backafallsbyn, Sweden Contact: Lorraine Hsu 8th International Conference on Solar Web site: www.biop.dk/ Tel/Fax: 886-2-2362-4925 Energy and Applied Photochemistry biophotonics05/School/School.asp E-mail: [email protected]. Ain Shams University tw Photoenergy Center July 2-6, 2005 Web site: http://www.iams.sinica.edu. Upper Egypt [Luxor/Aswan] 16th International Symposium on the tw/introa/conference/apc2005/ E-mail: [email protected] Photochemistry and Photophysics of apc2005.htm Fax: +202 634 7683 or + 202 484 Coordination Compounds (ISPPCC)

5941 Asilomar Conference Center January 6-9, 2005 Web site: www.photoenergy.org Pacific Grove, CA 16th Inter-American Photochemical Contact: Patrick Hoggard Society Winter Conference March 7-10, 2005 E-mail: [email protected] Clearwater Beach, Florida International Laser Safety Conference Contacts: Felix N. Castellano Marina de Rey Marriott July 8-11, 2005 Tel: 419-372-7513 Marina del Rey, CA Summer Meeting of the Society of E-mail: [email protected] General Chair: David H. Sliney Free Radical Research (Europe) Dirk M. Guldi Web site: www.laserinstitute.org/ De Vere Belfry Hotel Tel: 574-631-7441 conferences/ilsc/ Leicester, England, UK E-mail: [email protected] Contact: Joseph Lunec, Chief Organ-

March 14-18, 2005 izer January 9-14, 2005; March 13-18, Photociencias 2005 E-mail: [email protected] 2005 rd 3 Symposium & School on Photobi- Web site: www.sfrr-europe.org/ Protein Purification: Isolation, Analy- ology, Photochemistry and Photo- sis, and Characterization of GFP physics July 16-20, 2005 Cook College, Rutgers University Havana, Cuba Plant Biology 2005 New Brunswick, NJ Tel: (53) (7) 8705707, 8707666 ASPB’s Annual Meeting Contact: William W. Ward E-mail: [email protected] Washington State Convention & Tel: 732-932-9562 ext 216 or 212 Trade Center E-mail: [email protected] April 11-13 Seattle, Washington Web site: www.rci.rutgers.edu/ Photonics Research and Applications Web site: www.aspb.org/meetings/pb- ~meton/protein.html Hilton San Diego Resort 2005/index.cfm

San Diego, CA January 22, 2005 Optical Society of America July 24-29, 2005 Photonics West/Biomedical Optics Tel: (800) 723-4632 12th International Conference on Pho- San Jose Convention Center E-mail: [email protected] tochemistry San Jose, CA Web site: www.osa.org Cairns, Australia Tel: (360) 676-3290 Contact: ICP 2005 Conference Secre- E-mail: [email protected] May 22-7, 2005 tariat Web site: spie.org Conference on Lasers and Electro- Phone: +61 3 9682 0244

Optics (CLEO) Fax: +61 3 9682 0288 February 12-16, 2005 Quantum Electronics and Laser Sci- E-mail: [email protected] Biophysical Society 49th Annual Meet- ence Conference (QELS) ing Baltimore Convention Center August 27 - September 1, 2005 Long Beach Convention Center Baltimore, MD 2005 IUPB and EBSA Joint Meeting Long Beach, CA E-mail: [email protected] Montpellier, France Tel: (301) 634-7114 Tel: 202-416-1907 Web site: www.iupab.org/ E-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.cleoconference.org/ Web site: www.biophysics.org September 3-8, 2005

June 13-16, 2005 11th European Society for Photobiol- February 17-21, 2005 European Conference on Biomedical ogy Congress American Academy for the Advance- Optics Aix-les-Bains, France ment of Science Neue Messe Washington, DC Munich, Germany July, 2006 Contact: American Academy for the rd Web site: www.osa.org/meetings/ 33 ASP Meeting Advancement of Science Puerto Rico

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