Toronto, Canada
March 21, 2006
Non-human Primates (NHPs) provide valuable models to study various aspects of human reproductive health. However, these NHPs have not been fully utilised for biomedical research in many European and North American countries due to high cost or unavailability.
The need for NHP models for research in human reproductive health is increasing due to ethical constraints conducting reproductive research in humans and to increased public awareness about the safety of new developments in reproductive technology (new drugs, embryonic stem cell research, cloning, intracytoplasmatic sperm injection, blastocyst culture, in vitro maturation of oocytes) and their impact on future generations.
Baboons have many advantages in reproductive research owing to their similar reproductive anatomy, endocrinology and other physiological features compared to humans. They breed well in captivity and are not endangered species. Ethically justified research in reproductive health involving baboons from source countries such as Kenya can reduce the cost of overall research and contribute to technology transfer and capacity building in developing countries.
This International Conference aims to review how nonhuman primates have been and can be used as research models for basic and clinical aspects of human reproduction and how they can be considered as a preclinical model for new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in reproductive medicine. This International Conference will also be a platform for young investigators/researchers to present the results of their research projects in an attractive and intellectually stimulating environment.
Supported by
- ESHRE (European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology)
- UNESCO-ICRO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, International Cell Research Organization)
- Society for Gynecologic Investigation (SGI)
- Institute of Primate Research, Nairobi, Kenya
- Leuven University Fertility Center, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Belgium
- Serono Symposia International Foundation
OBJECTIVES
At the conclusion of this Spring Symposium participants will have in-depth understanding of the following main topics:
- Main clinical challenges in human reproduction including genetics, endometriosis, assisted reproduction, implantation, and preterm labour, and how important nonhuman primate research is to make scientific progress on these issues.
- Ethical and economic aspects of nonhuman primate research in the area of reproductive disorders.
TARGET AUDIENCE
- Clinicians, scientists, embryologists and other health care or biomedical research professionals interested in reproductive medicine;
- Young scientists who are active or interested in research in reproductive medicine;
- Delegates from pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical companies with an interest in the baboon as preclinical model for diagnosis and treatment in reproductive medicine;
- Delegates from international organizations involved in South-South or North-South collaborative projects in the field of biomedical research or clinical medicine;
- Primatologists and other individuals interested in the conservation of endangered primate species;
The topics covered in this conference will be of interest to all clinicians and scientists who are interested in Reproductive Health, and to Special Interest Groups in the European Society for Human Reproduction (ESHRE) and in the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) such as Embryology, Contraception, Endometriosis, Early pregnancy, Reproductive Surgery, Andrology and Reproductive Endocrinology. Young clinicians and scientists on a PhD track are specifically encouraged to participate.
Serono Symposia International Foundation (www.seronosymposia.org) has submitted this program “Clinical Frontiers in Human Reproduction - Models in Primate Research” (Toronto, Canada - March 21st, 2006) for accreditation by the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME), by the Royal College of Physicians, London, UK and by the Groupment des Union Professionelles Belges de Médicins Spécialistes, Belgium.
