October 3 - October 4, 2008
After the great scientific interest deserved to the International Conference From Genetics to Implantation and Early Fetal Development in Infertile Couples held in Milan in October 2003 and the publication of most of the topics as a supplement of Placenta, many colleagues stimulated us to a second edition covering even wider aspects of reproductive health. We decided to follow such a suggestion, hoping to share with all the contributors the same success of the first edition. The conference is scheduled in seven sections.
The first will focus on oocyte and sperm quality that has been studied in the last few years with new approaches after the knowledge of how chromosomal abnormalities dramatically affect the outcome of assisted reproductive techniques as natural conception and new interest on gamete quality came after the results of embryo morphological, metabolic and genetic screening.
The second topic will concentrate on the complex interactions between the embryo and the endometrium during implantation: the molecular dialog written by growth, angiogenic and apoptotic factors, and adhesion molecules. In this part of the meeting the aim is to provide current knowledge on human gametes and embryos and to establish strategies for the study of uterine receptivity.
In the third section fertility, treatment and complications in special groups of patients such as patients with cardiac anomalies, immune diseases etc will be discussed.
The understanding of early fetal and placental development and pregnancy outcome in infertile couples will be covered in the forth section.
The fifth topic will detail our knowledge in fertility preservation and the role of assisted reproduction technologies in patients other than infertile couples.
The sixth section will discuss cancer risk in infertile patients and if and how infertility treatment represents a risk factor.
The closing seventh section will bring us into the future cell therapy based on the biologic knowledge acquired in reproductive medicine.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
At the conclusion of this conference, the participant will be able to:
- Describe the current strategies of evaluation of human gametes and understand genetic and metabolic screening of human embryo.
- Describe the maternal-embryonic communications on human implantation, the biological markers of endometrial receptivity and predictive factors for embryo implantation potential.
- Describe fertility, assisted reproduction and pregnancy outcome in special and high-risk groups of patients.
- Describe current strategies in fertility preservation and the role of assisted reproduction in patients other than infertile couples.
- Understand cancer risk in infertility and assisted reproduction.
- Understand the obstetrical and neonatal complications and the current strategies in prenatal care in pregnancies after infertility and ART.
- Describe current and future of stem cells and understand the application of ART technologies to other fields of reproductive health.
TARGET AUDIENCE
Obstetricians, gynecologists, reproductive endocrinologists, embryologists, basic scientists, paramedical and nurses as well health institution managers and post graduate students involved in reproductive health of couples and children will benefit from this conference.
PROCEEDINGS
The Proceedings of this Conference will be published as a Supplement to the journal “Placenta”.
Serono Symposia International Foundation (www.seronosymposia.org) will submit this program “From Infertility Treatment to Reproductive Health” (Milan, October 3-4, 2008) for accreditation by the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (EACCME), the Royal College of Physicians, London, and the Italian Ministry of Health.
