2011 Fertilization and Activation of Development Gordon Research Conference

描述（由申请人提供）：本R13申请申请资金用于支持2011年施肥和激活发展戈登研究会议。2011年的会议将是第19次这样的会议，从1974年开始，从1977年开始每两年举行一次。本次戈登受精和发育激活研究会议讨论了影响两个配子合并和新个体发育开始的无数生物现象——生物化学、生物物理、分子、细胞和生理。同样值得注意的是，这将是自2010年诺贝尔生理学或医学奖授予罗伯特·g·爱德华兹博士（Dr. Robert G. Edwards）以表彰体外受精的发展以来，首次举行的受精与发育激活戈登研究会议。这进一步强调了这一生物学和生物医学研究领域的重要性。戈登研究会议是世界上唯一一个专门关注施肥生物学的会议。2011年会议的科学计划将遵循非常成功的传统戈登研究会议的形式，在上午和晚上举行会议，在下午和晚上会议之后留出空闲时间进行非正式和友好的互动。会议安排了两次海报会议，科学会议将包括演讲者的演讲，主题包括影响配子的正常生殖过程的扰动（例如，年龄，环境暴露，辅助生殖技术），生殖道环境对配子的影响，精子运动和趋化性，精子进入卵子，卵子激活信号和事件，以及介导成功早期胚胎发生的过程。主题演讲将由Gregory S. Kopf博士发表，他是戈登研究会议的前任主席，曾在一系列实验系统，学术界和工业界工作过。他的演讲题目是“配子生物学的下一个前景在哪里？”“未来的蓝图”，其中Kopf博士将从历史和未来的角度讨论配子生物学的重要性，并为其未来提出战略蓝图，以便其他科学学科和潜在的新研究者继续认识到这一领域的重要性。本次会议的首要目标是创建一个展示和讨论前沿研究的论坛，营造一个充满活力和互动的氛围，以促进科学互动，并为年轻的研究者以及来自传统上在科学领域未被充分代表的群体（包括妇女、未被充分代表的少数民族/种族和残疾人）的参与者提供一个支持性的环境。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This R13 application requests funds to support the 2011 Fertilization and Activation of Development Gordon Research Conference. The 2011 meeting will be the 19th such conference, having started 1974, and then meeting biennially since 1977. This Gordon Research Conference on Fertilization and Activation of Development addresses the myriad of biological phenomena - biochemical, biophysical, molecular, cellular, and physiological - that impact the merger of the two gametes and the initiation of the development of a new individual. It is also noteworthy that this will be the first Fertilization and Activation of Development Gordon Research Conference since the awarding of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to Dr. Robert G. Edwards for the development of in vitro fertilization. This further underscores the significance of this area of biology and biomedical research. The Fertilization and Activation of Development Gordon Research Conference is the only meeting worldwide focusing specifically on the biology of fertilization. The scientific program for the 2011 conference will follow the highly successful traditional Gordon Research Conference format with sessions held in the mornings and evenings, leaving free time in the afternoons and after the evening sessions for informal and friendly interactions. Two poster sessions are scheduled, and the scientific sessions will include talks by speakers on topics including perturbations to normal reproductive processes that affect the gametes (e.g., age, environmental exposures, assisted reproductive technologies), effects of the reproductive tract environment on the gametes, sperm motility and chemotaxis, sperm entry into the egg, egg activation signals and events, and processes mediating successful early embryogenesis. The keynote address will be presented by Gregory S. Kopf, PhD, a previous chair of this Gordon Research Conference who has worked in a range of experimental systems, and in academia and in industry. His talk is entitled, "Where are the Next Horizons for Gamete Biology? - A Blue Print for the Future," in which Dr. Kopf will discuss the importance of gamete biology from both historical and future perspectives, and will pose a strategic blue print for its future so that the importance of this field continues to be recognized both by other scientific disciplines and potential new investigators. The overriding goals for this conference are to create a forum for presentation and discussion of cutting-edge research, to foster a vibrant and interactive atmosphere to facilitate scientific interactions, and to provide a supportive environment for young investigators as well as participants from groups traditionally underrepresented in the sciences, including women, underrepresented ethnic/racial minorities, and people with disabilities. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The Gordon Research Conference on Fertilization and Activation of Development will convene in summer 2011, for the 19th time since the first such conference in 1974. This long- running conference brings together scientists from around the world to discuss cutting edge research on the fundamental biology of sperm, eggs, fertilization, and early development. This field is all the more relevant in light of the 2010 Nobel Prize in Medicine being awarded to Dr. Robert G. Edwards for the development of in vitro fertilization, a technique that is used to help the many couples who face struggles with infertility and has led to the birth of ~4 million individuals worldwide.