Last Update: 08/16/2006 Printer Friendly Printer Friendly   Email This Page Email This Page  

Frontiers in Reproduction (FIR)

FIR is a laboratory and lecture course designed for scientists in training who are interested in improving their basic conceptual knowledge and methodological skills to pursue research careers in reproductive biology. The effort is supported by the NICHD Reproductive Sciences Branch.

The course is divided into three major sections of 2 weeks duration. Each section consists of lectures from resident faculty and other invited speakers, discussions and informal seminars, laboratory exercises, demonstrations and one-on-one tutorials. The first section covers signal transduction and gene expression in reproductive endocrinology. The second section is focused on gametogenesis, fertilization, cloning and stem cells. The third section covers transgenic technology, cell-cell interactions in reproductive tissues during development as well as embryology and implantation biology.

The laboratory exercises will provide participants with broad exposure to state-of the-art methods and techniques on cellular, immunological and molecular biological approaches currently being used to advance our knowledge of reproductive biology. These are supplemented with lectures by resident faculty and other leading investigators who discuss their current research in various aspects of reproduction ranging from gamete interactions, early development, implantation, parturition, immunology, the molecular and cellular basis of hormone action in reproductive tissues, reproductive disorders and clinical aspects of reproductive biology and endocrinology. Resident faculty also lead discussions on the theoretical basis of the laboratory exercises as well as discussions of the expected outcomes and the potential clinical relevance of some of the areas of focus. The course also includes discussions on professional development such as publishing, funding opportunities, and grant preparation and review.

FIR ends with a two-day symposium featuring seminars by distinguished speakers and short research presentations by current and previous participants. To find out more about the course, visit http://courses.mbl.edu/FIR/home.htm or contact the course directors:

David Albertini (dalbertini@kumc.edu)
University of Kansas Medical Center

Mario Ascoli (mario-ascoli@uiowa.edu)
The University of Iowa

Franco De Mayo (fdemayo@bcm.tmc.edu)
Baylor College of Medicine