Conference Summary
40th Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR)
July 21 – July 25, 2007, Marriott Rivercenter, San Antonio, Texas

Zelieann Rivera
PhD Candidate
Physiological Sciences GIDP

The meeting: As a recipient of a Herbert E. Carter Travel Award, I was able to attend the 40th Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR). SSR unites professional with one common interest: reproductive biology. SSR is responsible for the publication of the top journal in its area of research, Biology of Reproduction. Professionals in the fields of basic, applied and clinical research from around the world meet each year at SSR’s annual meeting. The annual meeting offers trainees like me numerous opportunities to interact with peers and network with some of the most accomplished scientists in the field of reproductive biology. The environment at SSR is highly interdisciplinary because it brings together scientists working in colleges, universities, medical and veterinary schools, medical centers, research institutes, industry and government agencies. This year’s annual meeting was held in San Antonio, Texas. I was able to attend various talks addressing current topics in reproductive biology. Some of the major themes in the meeting were: how alterations in nutritional status, metabolism and energy balance affect reproductive processes, fertilization, embryonic development and blastocyst implantation, signaling pathways in reproductive tissues, recent advances in cloning and stem cell technology, and how to achieve effective communication of new scientific discoveries.

My participation in the meeting: In mammalian ovaries, primordial follicles comprise the ovarian reserve and contain meiotically arrested oocytes that cannot be further replaced. Under normal conditions ovarian follicles become depleted with time and the female undergoes ovarian failure known as menopause in women. There have been many studies aimed at determining the role of the residual ovarian tissue (depleted of follicles) in post-menopausal women’s health. In order to study the post­menopausal ovary, researchers depend greatly on samples obtained from women undergoing oophorectomy due to non-ovarian gynecological pathologies. This greatly reduces sample number and the health of the tissues could be affected.

At SSR 2007, I presented my poster titled “Androgenic capacity of the follicle-depleted ovary of VCD-treated mice” in the poster session dedicated to “Gene expression in Reproductive Tissues”. My poster includes evidence of steroidogenesis, specifically production of androgens, in the follicle-depleted ovary of mice. Dr. Hoyer’s group (my advisor) has developed an ovary­intact mouse model of menopause using the chemical 4-vinylcyclohexene diepoxide (VCD). VCD selectively targets and destroys primordial and small primary follicles in ovaries of mice and rats. Thus, VCD causes premature ovarian failure. Because VCD does not target larger follicles, it does not alter ovulation and the animal gradually progresses into ovarian failure. One key feature of our model is that the animal retains residual ovarian tissue which permits the use of this model for understanding the physiology of the post-menopausal ovary. In addition to presenting my poster, I participated in the “Trainee/Mentor Lunch” sponsored by the Trainee Affairs Committee. During this lunch, trainees interact with an established scientist that they have pre-selected and talk about science, careers and possible collaborations while enjoying lunch. I was also a trainee volunteer for the Local Arrangements Committee which allowed me to meet and learn from members of the SSR office staff.

XVIth Ovarian Workshop: On the same trip, I also attended the XVIth Ovarian Workshop also held in San Antonio from July 19 to July 21, 2007. At the ovarian workshop, I presented a poster titled: “Gene expression in the follicle-depleted ovary of VCD-treated mice” for which I was awarded the 2007 Cornelia Channing New Investigator Award for Oustanding Research by a trainee. This year the workshop focus was on “Ovarian differentiation, development, function and persistence”. In summary, attending SSR 2007 and the XVIth Ovarian workshop was a wonderful opportunity to share my research with peers, learn more about the current findings in the field of reproductive biology and interact with top scientists in my field of interest.
Thank you for this wonderful opportunity!