Original content written by Graziella Allegri (Prof Emeritus-University of Padova, Italy & Honorary Member of ISTRY), and updated by Edwin Lim (ISTRY Secretary).
During the conference on “Analytical and Pathophysiological Aspects of Tryptophan Metabolism” held at Höhenried near Munich on September 27th and 28th, 1971 and organized by Prof. H. Schievelbein (Germany) the idea emerged to further continue the exchange of experiences among the scientists interested in the metabolism of tryptophan. Therefore, it was decided to constitute a study group for tryptophan research with the aim of intensifying the exchange of information and experiences by means of regular international meetings and by opening the possibility of cooperation on research projects and mutual exchange of coworkers to the various research groups. Thus, Prof. Schievelbein, after having received approval from Prof. Luigi Musajo, wrote a letter on January 31st, 1972 saying: “It is necessary to elect an Executive Committee to elaborate some proposals.”
The following scientists proposed by Schievelbein were elected: R.R. Brown (USA), O. Hayaishi (Japan), W. Kochen (Germany), L. Musajo (Italy) and C. Streffer (Germany), with Kochen as chairman (letter of May 5th, 1972). Prof. Kochen proposed to constitute the “International Study Group for Tryptophan Research (ISTRY)”, denomination approved by Musajo in a letter dated October 14th, 1972. Prof. J.M. Price (USA) suggested organizing the 1st International Meeting of ISTRY in Padova (Italy) to honour the pioneering work of Prof. Luigi Musajo. The motion of Prof. Price was accepted (letter from Kochen to Musajo on July 11th, 1972). Prof. Musajo confirmed his availability to hold and organize as chairman the Meeting (letter of July 15th, 1972). On February 3rd, 1973 Prof. Schievelbein came to Padova and together with Prof. Musajo and his coworkers (Graziella Allegri, Carlo V.L. Costa, Antonio De Antoni) drafted the following protocol:
1st ISTRY Meeting, 1974
In fact, the 1st International Meeting of ISTRY was held at the University of Padova (Italy) from May 2nd to 4th, 1974, with great success and with a participation of 170 scientists from 20 countries (Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Great Britain, USA).
The Organizing Committee was composed by Prof. Musajo (Chairman), G. Allegri (Secretary), A. De Antoni (Treasurer), and C. Costa (Adjoint secretary).
The Executive Committee was formed by W. Kochen (Germany) as President, R.R. Brown (Wisconsin, U.S.A.), O. Hayaishi (Japan), L. Musajo (Italy), H. Schievelbein (Germany), and C. Streffer (Germany).
The Proceedings of the 1st International Meeting of ISTRY on “Tryptophan Metabolism: Biochemistry, Pathology, and Regulation” were issued in “Acta Vitaminologica et Enzymologica” (Milano), 1975, 29:1-352 (eds. G. Allegri, A. De Antoni, and C. Costa). Unfortunately, after the Meeting, on November 18th, 1974, Prof. L. Musajo, director of the Pharmaceutical Institute of the University of Padova and Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, one of the pioneers on tryptophan research along with Prof. Yashiro Kotake, died leaving a great sorrow for his loss in all of us. Subsequent meetings of ISTRY were held every three years.
2nd ISTRY Meeting, 1977
The 2nd International Meeting was held in Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.A., in 1977, chaired by Prof. R.R. Brown with the assistance of a local organising committee consisting of D.P. Rose, W.E. Knox, and T.L. Sourkes. Prof. C.P. Berg was honoured at this meeting. The Executive Committee of ISTRY was formed by W. Kochen (Germany) as President, and G. Allegri (Italy), R.R. Brown (Wisconsin, U.S.A.), O. Hayaishi (Japan), and C. Streffer (Germany).
3rd ISTRY Meeting, 1980
The 3rd International Meeting of ISTRY on “Tryptophan Metabolism: Biochemistry, Pathology and Regulation” was in Kyoto, Japan, from August 4th to 7th, 1980, and was organised by Prof. O. Hayaishi (chairman), R. Kido (Secretary), Y. Ban, T. Deguchi, T. Hashimoto, T. Hino, K. Inagami, I. Ishiguro, Y. Ishimura, A. Ichiyama, K.Iwai, N. Koga, M. Kosaka, Y. Kotake, T. Kawachi, Y. Matsumura, I. Nakagawa, Y. Nishizuka, M. Osanai, Y. Sakamoto, T. Segawa, S. Senoh, Y. Shibata, K. Soda, T. Sugimura, K. Tada, H. Takahashi, K. Takai, T. Tokuyama, Y. Tsukada, T. Ueda, Y. Umebachi, H. Wada, O. Yoshida, and Y. Yugari, honouring the late Prof. Yashiro Kotake. The Executive Committee of ISTRY was formed by W. Kochen (Germany) as President, G. Allegri (Italy), R. R. Brown (Wisconsin, U.S.A.), O. Hayaishi (Japan), and C. Streffer (Germany).
The Proceedings on “Biochemical and Medical Aspects of Tryptophan Metabolism” were published by Elsevier/Noth Holland Biomedical Press. Developments in Biochemistry, 1980, 16:1-373 (eds. O. Hayaishi, Y. Ishimura and R. Kido).
4th ISTRY Meeting, 1983
The 4th International Meeting of ISTRY was located at Martinsried near Munich, Germany, from April 18th to 22th, 1983, organised by Prof. Kochen, H. Schlossberger, B. Linzen, and H. Steinhart to honour the distinguished work of Prize-winner Prof. A Butenandt. The Executive Committee was formed by R.R. Brown (Wisconsin, U.S.A.) as President, G. Allegri (Italy), O. Hayaishi (Japan), M.H. Joseph (U.K.), W. Kochen (Germany), H. Steinhart (Germany) as Secretary/Treasurer.
The Proceedings on “Progress in Tryptophan and Serotonin Research” were issued by Walter de Gruyter, Berlin, 1984, pp. 1-889 (eds. H.G. Schlossberger, W. Kochen, B. Linzen, H. Steinhart).
At this meeting, a Constitution and By-Laws (see scan below) which provided guidelines for the election of officers, for the admission of members, and for the regular scheduling of meetings every three years, were approved by the meeting attendees.
5th ISTRY Meeting, 1986
The 5th International Meeting of ISTRY was held in Cardiff, Wales, U.K., July 28th-August 1st, 1986, with Dr. A.A-B. Badawy heading a planning committee composed by D.A. Bender (Treasurer), K.J. Collard, G. Curzon, M.H. Joseph, and C.I. Pogson, honouring Prof. Gowland Hopkins, the discoverer of tryptophan.
The Executive Committee was composed by G. Allegri (Italy) as President, R.R. Brown (Wisconsin, U.S.A.), O. Hayaishi (Japan), M. H. Joseph (U.K.), W. Kochen (Germany), H. Steinhart (Germany) as Secretary/Treasurer.
The Proceedings on “Progress in Tryptophan and Serotonin Research 1986” were published by Walter de Gruyter & Co., Berlin, New York, 1987, pp. 1-429 (eds: D.A. Bender, M.H. Joseph, W. Kochen, H. Steinhart).
6th ISTRY Meeting, 1989
The 6th International Meeting of ISTRY was held in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, from May 9th to 12th, 1989, with Dr. R. Schwarcz heading the local organizing committee composed by C. Speciale and E. Okuno, honouring Prof. B. Witkop.
Executive Committee: R. Kido (Japan) as President, G. Allegri (Italy) A. A-B. Badawy (U.K.), R.R. Brown (Wisconsin, U.S.A.), G. Curzon (U.K.), W. Kochen (Germany), R. Schwarcz, H. Steinhart (Germany), S.N. Young (Canada).
The Proceedings on “Kynurenine and Serotonin Pathways. Progress in Tryptophan Research” were issued in Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, 1991, 294: 1-715 (eds.: R. Schwarcz, S.N. Young, and R.R. Brown).
7th ISTRY Meeting, 1992
The 7th International Meeting of ISTRY was held in Toyoake near Nagoya, Japan, June 6-10, 1992, with Prof. Ishiguro as Chairman, T. Nagatsu, Y. Nagamura (Secretary), and K. Takai (Program chief) to honour the distinguished work of Prof. Osamu Hayaishi, who delivered the Kotake Memorial Award Lecture “My life with tryptophan –Never a dull moment”.
Executive Committee: R. Kido (Japan) as President, G. Allegri (Italy), A.A-B. Badawy (U.K.), R.R. Brown (Wisconsin, U.S.A.), G. Curzon (U.K.), W. Kochen (Germany), R. Schwarcz (Maryland, U.S.A.), H. Steinhart (Germany) as Secretary/Treasurer, S.N. Young (Canada). The Proceedings on “Advances in Tryptophan Research 1992” were published by Fujita Health University Press, Japan, 1992, pp. 1-458 (eds. I. Ishiguro, R. Kido, T. Nagatsu, Y. Ohta).
8th ISTRY Meeting, 1995
It was appropriate that ISTRY meeting returned to its birthplace in Padova (Italy) to celebrate its 21st year in 1995 and to commemorate Prof. L. Musajo twenty years after he passed away. Therefore, the 8th International Meeting of ISTRY on “Recent Advances in Tryptophan Research” was held in Padova, Italy, June 25-29, 1995, and was organised by Prof. G. Allegri Filippini (Chairperson), A. Bertazzo, M. Biasiolo, C.V.L. Costa (Secretary/Treasurer), F. Moroni, R. Pellicciari, F. Rossi Fanelli, C. Speciale, and P. Traldi. In this occasion, the University of Padova struck a medal in memory of prof. Luigi Musajo who was one of the pioneers in tryptophan research, one of the founders of ISTRY, and who taught and researched at the University of Padova. Prof. Osamu Hayaishi was awarded in honour of his pioneering work in the field of tryptophan research and of his outstanding contributions. Prof. O. Hayaishi delivered the Musajo Memorial Award Lecture “Tryptophan oxygenase and sleep” during the opening ceremony.
Executive Committee: S. N. Young (Canada) as President, G. Allegri Filippini (Italy), F. Artigas (Spain), A. A-B. Badawy (U.K.), Secretary, M.P. Heyes (Maryland, U.S.A.), I. Ishiguro (Japan), R. Kido (Japan), R. Schwarcz (Maryland, U.S.A.), and H. Steinhart (Germany).
The Proceedings on “Recent Advances in Tryptophan Research: Tryptophan and Serotonin Pathways” were published in Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, 1996, 398: 1-766 by Plenum Press, New York, edited by G. Allegri Filippini, C.V.L. Costa, and A. Bertazzo who dedicated this book to Prof. L. Musajo, their great and unforgettable teacher in recognition of his pioneering work in tryptophan metabolism.
9th ISTRY Meeting, 1998
The 9th International Meeting of ISTRY on “Tryptophan-Basic Aspects and Practical Applications” was held in Hamburg, Germany, October 10-14, 1998, and was organised by Prof. H. Steinhart (Germany) as Chairman, M. Besler, G. Huether, W. Kochen, and T.J. Simat. During the opening session, the Musajo Memorial Award was given to Prof. W. Kochen for his outstanding contributions to ISTRY.
Executive Committee: S. N. Young (Canada) as President, G. Allegri Filippini (Italy), F. Artigas (Spain), A. A-B. Badawy (U.K.) Secretary, M.P.Heyes (Maryland, U.S.A.), I.Ishguro (Japan), R.R. Kido (Japan), R. Schwarcz (Maryland, U.S.A.), and H. Steinhart (Germany).
The Proceedings on “Tryptophan, Serotonin, and Melatonin. Basic Aspects and Applications” were published in Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, 1999: 467, 1-852, by Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York (eds. G. Huether, W. Kochen, T.J. Simat and H. Steinhart).
10th ISTRY Meeting, 2002
The 10th International Meeting of ISTRY on Tryptophan Research was held in Padova, Italy, June 27-30, 2002, organised by G. Allegri (Chairperson), E. Anklam, A. Bertazzo, M. Biasiolo, P. Caliceti, C.V.L. Costa (Secretary), B. Gatto, P. Giusti, P. Manzini, S. Moro, and F. Moroni. During the opening session, the Musajo Memorial Award was given to Prof. G. Allegri for her distinguished research on tryptophan metabolism. Prof. O. Hayaishi delivered the Musajo Memorial Award Lecture entitled “Metabolism to function-an odyssey with tryptophan”.
Executive Committee: H. Steinhart (Germany), President, G. Allegri (Italy), A.A-B. Badawy (U.K.), F. Bengtsson (Sweden), M.P. Heyes (Maryland, U.S.A.), Y. Nagamura (Japan), R.J. Reiter (Texas, U.S.A.), K. Takai (Japan), S.N. Young (Canada).
The Proceedings on “Developments in Tryptophan and Serotonin Metabolism” were published in Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, 2003, 527: 1-774 by Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York (eds. G. Allegri, C.V.L. Costa, E. Ragazzi, H. Steinhart, L. Varesio).
11th ISTRY Meeting, 2006
The 11th International Meeting of ISTRY was held in Tokyo, Japan, July 4-7, 2006, organised by Prof. K. Takai as Chairman, H. Steinhart; K. Goda (Secretary), Y. Nagamura, T. Shimizu, S-I. Fukuoka, H. Hasegawa, H. Iizuka, Y. Minatogawa, M. Nakagawa, K. Nakagomi, Y. Ohta, E. Okuno, K. Saito, H. Sanada, K. Shibata, H. Taguchi, O. Takikawa, S. Tone, T. Yajima, J. Yamada, F. Yamakura, H. Yokogoshi, S. Yuyama. The Musajo Memorial Award Medal was given to Prof. R. Kido for his distinguished work on tryptophan research.
Executive Committee: H. Steinhart (Germany) as President, G. Allegri (Italy), A.A-B. Badawy (U.K.), S. N. Young (Canada), R. J. Reiter (Texas, U.S.A.), K. Goda (Japan), Y. Nagamura (Japan), K. Takai (Japan).
The Proceedings on “The Interdisciplinary Conference on Tryptophan and Related Substances: Chemistry, Biology, and Medicine” were issued in International Congress Series 1304 by ELSEVIER, 2007, pp. 1-428 (ed. K. Takai).
12th ISTRY Meeting, 2009
The 12th International Meeting of ISTRY was held in Florence, Italy, July 9-11, 2009, organised by Prof. F. Moroni (Chairman), D. Pellegrini-Giampietro, A. Chiarugi, G. Mannaioni, V. Carlà, and A. Cozzi. The Musajo Memorial Award Medal was given to Prof. S. N. Young for his distinguished research on tryptophan.
Executive Committee: A. A-B. Badawy (U.K.) as President, K. Goda (Japan) as President Elect, F. Moroni (Italy), Vice President, D.M. Dougherty (U.S.A.), G. Guillemin (Australia), Y. Nagamura (Japan), K. Takai (Japan), and S.N. Young (Canada).
The next meeting of the International Society for Tryptophan Research (ISTRY) will take place in Australia, in 2012 and will be organised by A/Prof. Gilles Guillemin.
13th ISTRY Meeting, 2012
The 13th International Meeting of ISTRY was held in Sydney, Australia, November 7-9, 2012, organised by A/Prof. G. Guillemin (Chairman), A. A-B. Badawy, D. Dougherty, K. Goda, F. Moroni, P. Pucetti, H. Steinhart, T. Stone, B. Brew, S. Bustamante, R. Grant, E. Lim, R. Stocker, S. Thomas and D. Walker. The Musajo Memorial Award Medal was given to Prof. A. A-B. Badawy for his distinguished research on tryptophan.
Executive Committee: K. Goda (Japan) as President, D. Dougherty (USA) as President Elect, F. Moroni (Italy) as Vice President, G. Guillemin (Australia) as Secretary, A. A-B. Badawy (UK) as Treasurer, Y. Nagamura (Japan) and K. Takai (Japan).
The next meeting of the ISTRY will take place in USA, in 2015 and will be organised by A/Prof. Lena Brundin.
14th ISTRY Meeting, 2015
The 14th International Meeting of ISTRY was held in Grand Rapid, USA, November 16-18, 2015, organised by A/Prof. L. Brundin (Chairman), P. Brundin, A. Halaris, F. Moroni, G. Pendergast, G. Guillemin, G Engberg, K. Shibata, R. Schwarcz, S. Erhardt, T. Postolache, F. Zepf, K. Saito and E. Lim. The Musajo Memorial Award Medal was given to Prof. R. Schwarcz for his distinguished research on tryptophan.
Executive Committee: F. Moroni (Italy) as President, K. Goda (Japan) as Past President, G. Guillemin as President Elect, F. Zepf (Australia), K. Saito (Japan), S. Erhardt (Sweden), L. Brundin (USA).
The next meeting of the ISTRY will take place in Japan, in 2018 and will be organised by Prof. Kuniaki Saito.
15th ISTRY Meeting, 2018
The 15th International Meeting of ISTRY was held in Hikone, Japan, September 18-21, 2018, organised by Prof. K. Saito (Chairman), K. Shibata, Y. Egashira, Y. Ohta, O. Takikawa, S. Tone, K. Nakagomi, Y Nagamura, H. Funakoshi, F. Yamakura, Y. Itoh, K. Kunisawa, H. Fujigaki, M. Hoshi, A. Mouri, Y. Yamamoto, Y. Tsuji, T. Nabeshima, Y. Matsuo, H. Matsunami and T. Fukuwatari. The Musajo Memorial Award Medal was awarded to Prof. T. Stone for his distinguished research on tryptophan (Medal was presented at ISTRY 1st Webinar on the 28 Sept 2021 via Zoom hosted by Karolinska Institute).
Executive Committee: G. Guillemin (Australia) as President, F. Moroni (Italy) as Past President, F. Zepf (Australia/Germany) as President Elect, K. Saito (Japan) as Vice President, L. Brundin (USA) as Secretary, T Stone (UK) as Treasurer, S. Erhardt (Sweden), S. Comai (Italy) and E Lim (Australia).
It was decided during the Executive Committee meeting that the proceedings of ISTRY meeting will become biennial instead of triennial. The next meeting of the ISTRY will take place in Germany, in 2020 and will be organised by Prof. Florian Zepf.
16th ISTRY Meeting, 2020 (2024)
Due to worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, the 16th International Meeting of ISTRY was postponed from 2020 till 2024. The Musajo Memorial Award Medal was awarded to Prof. F. Moroni at the 2nd Webinar on the 29 March 2022 for his distinguished work in the tryptophan field. Another Musajo Memorial Medal was presented to Prof. D. Fuchs at the 2024 ISTRY meeting in Jena, Germany.
Executive Committee: F. Zepf (Germany) as President, G. Guillemin (Australia) as Past President, S. Erhardt (Sweden) as President Elect, T. Fukuwatari (Japan) as Vice President, E. Lim (Australia) as Secretary, T. Stone (UK) as Treasurer, S. Comai (Italy) and A. Pocivavsek (USA).
During the interim, the Past President and the Secretary step down due to personal commitments. The Secretary was replaced by E. Lim and a new member, A. Pocivavsek, was inducted into the executive committee. The next meeting of the ISTRY will take place in Italy, in 2026 and will be organised by Prof. Stefano Comai.
During these meetings of ISTRY, the following Professors served as Presidents: W. Kochen from 1974 to 1980 (2 terms), R.R. Brown from 1980 to 1983, G. Allegri from 1983 to 1986, R. Kido from 1986 to 1992 (2 terms), S.N. Young from 1992 to 1998, H. Steinhart from 1998 to 2006 (2 terms), A.A-B. Badawy from 2006 to 2009, K. Goda from 2009 to 2012, F. Moroni from 2012 to 2015, G. Guillemin from 2015 to 2020 (2 terms) and F. Zepf from 2020 til 2024 (extend due to pandemic).