Fertilization and Activation of Development 2007 Gordon Research Conference

Gordon Research Conferences, East Greenwich RI

Investigators

Abstract

[unreadable] DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Seventeenth Gordon Research Conference on Fertilization and the Activation of Development will provide a forum for presentation and discussion of new developments and ideas in this exciting, rapidly advancing field. This meeting will be held at the [unreadable] Holderness School, Plymouth, New Hampshire, July 15 - July 20, 2007. This conference has been held every two years since 1974. It is the only Gordon Research Conference concerned with the interaction of the male and the female gametes in the vital process of fertilization and activation of the fertilized egg to begin the process of embryo formation. It provides a venue for the interaction of biochemists, cell biologists, molecular biologists, physiologists, geneticists, and biophysicists working in the field. [unreadable] This conference has been singularly successful in fostering collaborations among scientists with widely disparate experience and seniority and, among research laboratories in this country and in Europe, Japan, Australia and Latin America. These collaborations have borne many fruitful results. [unreadable] There will be nine sessions in the conference, following the Gordon Research Conference format. Eight sessions will focus on: 1) Post-testicular maturation of sperm; 2) The role of the female reproductive tract in gamete interactions; 3) Chemotaxis and Sperm Motility; 4) Sperm-egg interactions; 5) Sperm signaling; 6) Oocyte to Embryo Transition; 7) Polarity of egg and early embryo; 8) Gametes, early embryos, and epigenetics. These sessions will include both scheduled speakers as well as selected [unreadable] short talks chosen from posters and/ or late breaking topics. Particular emphasis has been placed on junior scientists, including postdoctoral fellows and graduate students. In addition, we will have a round table discussion on the past, present, and future of this field. The Gordon Research Conference on Fertilization and the Activation of Development is concerned with the interaction of the male and the female gametes in the vital process of fertilization and activation of the fertilized egg to begin the process of embryo formation, which are key processes underlying fertility. It provides a venue for the interaction of biochemists, cell biologists, molecular biologists, physiologists, geneticists, and [unreadable] biophysicists working in the field. The conference will promote collaborations among US [unreadable] and international scientists with widely disparate experiences/seniority, methodologies, [unreadable] and model systems. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]