2012 SIVB Lifetime Achievement Award

The highest honor given by the Society for In Vitro Biology is the Lifetime Achievement Award. It is presented to scientists who are considered pioneers or highly influential researchers to the science and art of cell culture. They are men and women who have devoted their careers to exemplary research and/or teaching. The recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award are selected by vote of the Board of Directors from a list of nominations recommended by the Awards Committee. The Society for In Vitro Biology honored Dr. Wallace McKeehan and Dr Niels Bols with SIVB Lifetime Achievement Awards at the 2012 In Vitro Biology Meeting. This issue highlights Dr. Niels Bols’ career. Dr. Wallace McKeehan’s career was highlighted in the previous issue of the In Vitro Report.

Dr. Niels Bols

Dr. Niels Bols, Professor in the Department of Biology at University of Waterloo, Canada, received the 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award at the World Congress on In Vitro Biology held in Bellevue, Washington. Dr. Bols is a world leader in fish cell line development and the use of fish cell cultures in toxicological and immunological studies.

Dr. Bols came to the University of Waterloo as an Assistant Professor in 1977. At that time there were a little over 30 cell lines available from fish species. During his career he has been a major contributor of new fish cell lines that have become an invaluable tool for researchers in Canada and abroad. The list of cell lines developed in Niels’ lab is extensive, and includes RTL-W1, a rainbow trout cell line derived from the liver which has been used extensively for cytochrome P450-dependent monooxygenase toxicological assays, and RTS11, a rainbow trout monocyte macrophage cell line that has become a vital tool for understanding innate immune responses in fish cells to viruses, bacteria and protozoan infections. Other cell lines produced in Dr. Bols’ lab include: (i) RTgill-W1 from rainbow trout gills, (ii) RTP-2 from rainbow trout pituitary, (iii) RTS34st a spleen derived stromal cell line that produces mitogens supporting fish leukocyte growth, (iv) PHL a cell line from Pacific herring that is sensitive to infection by viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus, (v) RTHDF a rainbow trout fibroblast cell line derived from skin connective tissue, (vi) HEW a fibroblast-like cell line derived from haddock embryos, (vii) PBLE a cell line derived from a peripheral blood leukocyte preparation from American eel, (viii) ZEB2J an epithelial cell line established from blastula stage embryos of zebrafish, (ix) ZSSJ a zebrafish spleen stromal cell line and (x) RTgutGC a rainbow trout intestinal epithelial cell line. This list, though long, represents a fraction of the cell lines that have been established in Niels’ lab, and there are many more yet to be characterized in his lab’s liquid nitrogen dewars.

Not only has Niels Bols developed a large number of important cell lines, but he has been integral in the development of applications and methods to culture these cell lines, including novel methods of media supplementation and the use of feeder cells to establish other fish cell lines. Most recently, his RTgutGC cell line has successfully been used to generate zebrafish germ-line chimeras, in the aim to produce transgenic zebrafish. Niels has also developed novel methods for culturing primary hematopoietic cells from rainbow trout spleen.

One of Niels’ major contributions to research is in the field of aquatic toxicology. He developed microplate-based fluorometric assays to study the effects of aquatic toxicants on fish cell proliferation. He also developed a microplate assay to measure EROD activity, which is useful for the assessment of cytochrome P450 induction by toxicant exposure. Niels has published numerous papers assessing the toxicity of fluoranthene, dioxins, furans, polychlorinated biphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, industrial effluents and pharmaceutical personal care products. Many of these were comparative studies using mammalian and fish cell lines as well as protozoans. These studies led to the identification of new biomarkers for toxicant assessment. His work in this area has been invaluable to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, of the Government of Canada. In addition to his numerous scientific publications, Niels has also written several book chapters on the use of fish cell lines in cytotoxicity testing.

Niels has also made important advances in the fields of fish immunology and virology. He has contributed to the cloning and characterization of the rainbow trout TNF-alpha gene as well as studies on interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-8, IL-11 and IL-18. He has characterized chemokine receptors, and studied LPS-stimulated gene expression in fish cell lines. He has worked to elucidate innate antiviral mechanisms in fish using dsRNA treatments and virus infections. His work has suggested a role for the dsRNA-dependent kinase (PKR) as a key player in the innate antiviral immune response in fish. Niels has studied cell responses to chum salmon reovirus, infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus, grouper iridovirus and viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus. Niels was among the first to examine apoptosis in fish cells in response to toxicant exposure and viral infection.

Niels’ impact on the scientific community extends beyond his many cell lines and publications; it can be argued that his true legacy is his trainees, which includes 36 graduate students and 70 undergraduate students. His student-support, enjoyment of science, and ability to create a collegial and supportive working environment has fostered the development of many productive scientists (as well as medical doctors, teachers, business professionals) throughout the world. Support letters for this Lifetime Achievement Award were unanimous, everyone contacted fully supported Niels for this award, based not only on his scientific excellence but his superior mentoring abilities and out of the box scientific ideas. To quote a past student: “All in all I can say that it was the time in Niels Bols’ lab that made me decide to stay in science. The positions I obtained thereafter, both in research and teaching, are based on what I learnt from him…When students sometimes ask me who influenced me most in my career, I have a clear answer – Niels Bols”. Another student said “I cannot overstate my support to Niels for this award. He is a remarkable scientist, an outstanding mentor, and a captivating human being. “

Who could ask for a better legacy or a more deserving scientist for a Lifetime Achievement award?

Submitted by
Richard Mosser
Stephanie DeWitte-Orr
Kristin Schirmer