About the ISD

The ISD – its History and Goals

The ISD is a non-profit professional society dedicated to advancement of the field of cell and developmental biology. Founded as a result of the First International Conference on Differentiation held in Nice in 1971, the ISD seeks to provide an international forum for communication of research in three key areas – cancer, morphogenesis and stem cells – through international meetings and through the journal, Differentiation.

Why should I join ISD?

By joining the ISD you become part of an energetic and dedicated community of international researchers that is working for the advancement of the field of cancer, morphogenesis and stem cells. Membership in the ISD provides a free on-line subscription to Differentiation, free color pages to authors submitting manuscripts to Differentiation, reduced registration fees to international meetings held every two years, personal contacts in the field, research links, career openings, and support for students attending the ISD Conference and targeted local satellite meetings.

The Jean Brachet story 1909 – 1988

Jean Louis Auguste Brachet became President of the International Society of Differentiation at the Society’s founding in 1971 and later was named Honorary Life President until his death in 1988.A founder of modern cell and developmental biology, Brachet began his studies on the cellular localization and functions of RNA and DNA in the 1920’s, before their genetic significance was understood. Using cytochemical techniques, he discovered RNA and demonstrated that it was enriched in nucleoli. He went on to show that it moves from the nucleus to the cytoplasm where it directs protein synthesis. In other seminal discoveries, Brachet showed that chloroplasts contain DNA and that chloroplast specific RNA can be made independent of the nucleus. He also described the first example of transport of a protein from the cytoplasm into the nucleus. Brachet believed that biochemistry was central to development and was fond of referring to his field as “Chemical Embryology”.Brachet was concurrently Professor on the Science Faculty at Brussells and Director of the Laboratory of Animal Morphology at the Free University of Brussells in Rhode Ste Genese. Brachet authored Biochemical Cytology, Academic Press, 1957, and The Biochemistry of Development, Pergamon Press, 1960, which remain classics.Among Brachet’s many honors were: Belgium: the Lauriat du Concourse Universitaire, Van Beneden Prize, DePotter Prize, Quinquennial Prize of Fundamental Medical Sciences (Royal Academy) France: Charles Meyer Prize; Germany: Schleiden-Medaille; The Netherlands: H.P. Heineken Prize.The International Society of Differentiation honored Brachet’s contributions to science and to the Society with the first Jean Brachet Memorial Lecture at the 6th International Conference on Differentiation held in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1990. The lecture series has continued at every ISD sponsored international conference since that time.

The Jean Brachet Memorial Lectures

2016, Boston DOUGLAS MELTON Islet biology and diabetes from a developmental perspective	2014, London SIR JOHN GURDON United Kingdom Jean Brachet en route to nuclear reprogramming	2012, Amsterdam HANS CLEVERS The Netherlands Lgr 5 stem cells in self-renewal and cancer
2010, Nara MARIANNE BRONNER United States Formation of the neural crest from a gene regulatory perspective	2008, Singapore GIULLO COSSU ItalyTowards Cell Therapy for Muscular Dystrophies	2006, Innsbruck RUDOLPH JAENISCH United States Nuclear Cloning, Embryonic Stem Cells and Cell Therapy: Promise, Problems, Reality
2004, Honolulu H. ROBERT HORVITZ United StatesGenetic Control of Programmed Cell Death in C. elegans	2002, Lyon NICOLE LE DOUARIN France Neural Crest, a Pluripotent Structure of Vertebrate Embryos	2000, Gold Coast, Australia SIR JOHN GURDON United KingdomCell Signaling in Early Development
1998, Houston PIERRE CHAMBON France Retinoid Signaling in Development	1996, Pisa MARIE A. DI BERARDINO United States Genomic Potential – Acetabularia to Mammals	1994, Hiroshima MASATOSHI TAKEICHI Japan Control of Morphogenetic Cell Assembly: Roles of the Cadherin-Catenin Adhesion System
1992, Helsinki PETER GRUSS Germany Murine Developmental Control Genes	1990, Vancouver SIR HENRY HARRIS United Kingdom The Role of Differentiation in the Suppression of Malignancy

The Beverly Kerr McKinnell Award for exemplary research as a student

The ISD’s pioneering administrative officer, Beverly Kerr McKinnell, passed away on November 15, 2005, following a brief battle with lung cancer. The International Society of Differentiation benefited enormously from Beverly’s talents and dedicated quarter century of service. Although not trained as a scientist, Beverly became involved very early in ISD affairs through her husband, Bob, who was one of its founding members in the early 1970’s. As the Society matured, it established its place at the interface between development and cancer, began regularly to hold international conferences bringing scientists in those disciplines together, and launched the journal, Differentiation, as its official organ. It also became administratively more complex, developing features that conventionally trained scientists are largely unprepared to handle. Beverly took on the Society’s administrative affairs, initially quite informally. With time and experience she was formally appointed the ISD’s first Administrator, a post she held with consummate professionalism until her death. Those who were elected to serve as officers and board members of the ISD came quickly to recognize Beverly’s dedication to the society. She was always there to remind them of what needed doing, when it needed doing, and to prod if it wasn’t getting done. She took very little credit for that, being concerned not with kudos but with the continued vitality of the society. Largely unknown to those who knew her only through the ISD, Beverly was very active in her community and was a dedicated wife, mother and grandmother. She served the League of Women Voters as President of the Saint Paul chapter, President of the Minnesota chapter and First Vice President of the national organization. Her effectiveness was recognized by two special honors, the Hope Washburn Award and the Fay Lyksett Award. Her outstanding service on appointed state and county commissions was specially acknowledged by Minnesota Governor Arnie Carlson, who designated 28 April 1992 as Beverly Kerr McKinnell Day. She was an avid bird watcher, an interest she had ample opportunity to pursue as she accompanied Bob on his pursuit of frogs in the wild. Beverly took particular pleasure in the participation of budding young scientists in ISD conferences. To honor her memory, beginning with the Innsbruck conference in 2006, the ISD instituted a special award for outstanding research presented by a student. The award takes the form of a cash prize equivalent to 1,000 euros. Beverly Kerr McKinnell Award Recipients 2016, Alison Wirshing, Northeastern University, for her presentation entitled Development of organized stress fibers in a model contractile tube coincides with cell contractionfollowing tissue stretch and is dependent on Ca2+ signaling and myosin II activity which was judged to represent exemplary research as a student.  2014, London RACHAEL LUMB Ph.D. candidate The Centre for Cancer Biology Australia for her poster titled Neuropilins define distinct populations of neural crest cells, 2012 Amsterdam TAHSIN STEFAN BARAKAT Ph.D. candidate Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam For his poster titled RNF12 activates Xist and is essential for X inactivation in female mouse embryonic stem cell 2010, Nara YUJI ATSUTA Ph. D candidate Nara Institute of Science and Technology for his poster titled Tubular extension and cell epithelialization are coordinately regulated and influenced by adjacent tissues 2008, Singapore MICHAEL D. HALL Ph.D. Candidate, Georgetown University for his poster titled TIG1 contributes to cytokinesis in mammalian cells, and participates in hindbrain development and somitogenesis in the zebrafish. 2006, Innsbruck BEATE LICHTENBERGER Ph.D. candidate, Medical University of Vienna for her poster titled Conditional deletion of VEGF impairs SOS-dependent skin tumor development in transgenic mice

The Anne McLaren Award for Outstanding Women in Developmental Biology

1927-2007*

Renowned and revered geneticist and reproductive biologist, Professor Dame Anne Laura Dorinthea McLaren, worked for more than 50 years at the forefront of studies on mammalian fertility, developing techniques for mouse embryo transfer, implantation, and chimera formation.  This early work led to the development of techniques currently used in clinics for human in vitro fertilization.  When not in the lab, she addressed the ethical issues associated with her research, serving on several British and European ethics panels as a policy advisor, and subsequently argued in favor of studies using human embryonic stem cell lines.  She was well regarded for her ability to articulate scientific information to nonscientists and to explain potential implications of controversial technologies with clarity, which helped provide ethical guidelines for their use and facilitated government support.                                                                                                                                                                                  

Professor McLaren was an active member of the International Society of Differentiation for over twenty-five years, and, in those years, she made innumerable contributions to the society.  Her service on the Board of Directors, as well as Chair of the Publications Committee, was dedicated and steadfast. Moreover, she actively participated in strengthening the content of our journal Differentiation and helped to establish a strong economic base for the ISD through negotiated publishing contracts.  

In addition to being an outstanding scientist and public educator, Professor McLaren was also admired as a role model and mentor to young scientists.  Ever patient and nurturing, she maintained a strong desire to see others succeed.  Because of that and as a result of her untimely passing in 2007, Hans Clevers, with Executive Board support, recommended that the International Society of Differentiation pay tribute to her life in a notable and lasting manner.  As such, in honor of Anne McLaren and the innumerable contributions she made throughout her life, especially her support for younger scientists, the Board approved an Anne McLaren named-lecture to be featured at the international meetings of the ISD. This award is given specifically to an outstanding mid-career developmental biologist.  

Anne McLaren Award Recipients

2016 Boston YOSHIKO TAKAHASHI	2014 London CAROLE LABONNE	2012 Amsterdam AMY WAGERS
2010 Japan MIKIKO C. SIOMI	2008 Singapore MAGDALENA ZERNICKA-GOETZ

*Image from Wikipedia

ISD Board of Directors 2018-20

Executives

President: Elizabeth Robertson, UK  President Elect: Richard Behringer, USA Secretary/Treasurer: Mark Lewandoski (USA) Past President: Richard Harland, USA Editor-In-Chief, Differentiation: Colin Stewart (Singapore) Deputy Editor-In-Chief, Differentiation: Nadia Rosenthal (USA)

Directors:

Genevieve Almouzni (France) Josh Brickman (Denmark) James Briscoe (UK) Rebecca Burdine (USA) Danny Chan (Hong Kong) Stephen Cohen (Denmark) Tariq Enver (UK) Anne Grapin-Botten (Denmark) Pamela Hoodless (Canada) Ryoichiro Kageyama (Japan) Robert Kelly (France) Peter Koopman (Australia) Michel Labouesse (France) Heiko Lickert (Germany) Christof Niehrs (Germany) Angela Nieto (Spain) Stefano Piccolo (Italy) Anna Philpott (UK) Olivier Pourquie (France) Yumiko Saga (Japan) Mitinori Saitou (Japan)  Claudio Stern (UK) Shahragi Tajbakhsh (France) Patrick Tam (Australia) Tanya Whitfield (UK)  Valerie Wilson (UK) Yukiko Yamashita (USA) Ken Zaret (USA)

Founding President: Jean Brachet (Belgium)