SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 29
02.45 pm Welcome remarks
Carlo Flamigni, Italy
Pre-congress mini symposium
Cryopreservation of gametes and embryos
Chairs: C. Flamigni, Italy – C. Nappi, Italy
03.00 pm New insights into sperm cryopreservation
John Morris, UK
03.20 pm Ovarian tissue cryopreservation
Raffaella Fabbri, Italy
03.40 pm Oocyte cryopreservation: a biological perspective
Giovanni Coticchio, Italy
04.00 pm Discussion
04.20 pm Coffee break
Oocyte freezing: a viable alternative? The Italian experience
04.50 pm - Eleonora Porcu, Italy
05.10 pm - Andrea Borini, Italy
05.30 pm Developmental potential of stored embryos
David Edgar, Australia
05.50 pm Blastocyst freezing
Yves Ménézo, France
06.10 pm Fate of stored embryos: our ten-year experience
Monica Cattoli, Italy
06.30 pm Discussion
MONDAY SEPTEMBER 30
SESSION 1
The oocyte
Chairs: Rita Canipari, Italy – Keith Latham, USA
09.00 am Cellular and molecular landmarks of oocyte development
David Albertini, USA
09.20 am Oocyte-somatic cell interactions
Sandra Cecconi, Italy
09.40 am The role of mitochondria in the establishment of oocyte developmental competence
James Cummins, Australia
10.00 am Oocyte growth and maturation in vitro
Johan Smitz, Belgium
10.20 am Discussion
10.40 am Coffee break
SESSION 2
Ovarian stimulation regimens and oocyte quality
Chairs: G. D’Amato, Italy – C. Gastaldi, Italy
11.10 am FSH: urinary and recombinant
Antonio Palagiano, Italy
11.30 am FSH and LH together
Paolo Levi Setti, Italy
11.50 am GnRh analogs: depot vs. short formulations
Luca Dal Prato, Italy
12.10 pm GnRh antagonist
Elisabetta Coccia, Italy
12.30 pm Recombinant gonadotropins and their impact on oocyte quality
Colin Howles, Switzerland
12.50 pm Discussion
01.10 pm Lunch
SESSION 3
The spermatozoon
Chairs: Simon Fishel, UK – Riccardo Talevi, Italy
02.40 pm New insights into the genetics of spermatogenesis
Bruce Lahn, USA
03.00 pm Paternal contribution to the zygote
Christopher Navarra, USA
03.20 pm Exogenous influences on sperm function
Stewart Irvine, UK
03.40 pm Discussion
04.00 pm Coffee break
SESSION 4
Fertilization
Chairs: Barry Behr, USA – Barry Bavister, USA
04.30 pm Egg-sperm interactions at fertilization in mammals
Paul Wassarman, USA
04.50 pm Maternal and Paternal contributions to Ca+ signaling at fertilization
John Carroll, UK
05.10 pm Sperm entry and the establishment of embryo polarity
Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz, UK
05.30 pm Discussion
05.50 pm Invited free communications
TUESDAY OCTOBER 1
SESSION 1
Assisted fertilization
Chairs: Giovanni Coticchio, Italy – Christopher Navarra, USA
09.00 am In vivo vs. in vitro fertilization
Riccardo Talevi, Italy
09.20 am Effects of culture conditions on IVF outcome
Barry Behr, USA
09.40 am Laser-assisted ICSI
Laura Rienzi, Italy
10.00 am ICSI in non-severe male factor
Simon Fishel, UK
10.20 am Discussion
10.50 am Coffee break
SESSION 2
Early embryogenesis: genetic and epigenetic aspects
Chairs: David Albertini, USA – Sandra Cecconi, Italy
11.10 am Genetics of gametes and embryos
Joyce Harper, UK
11.30 am Maternal and paternal factors controlling genome activation and early development
Keith Latham, USA
11.50 am A global view of gene expression in the preimplantation mouse embryo
Minoru Ko, USA
12.10 pm Discussion
12.30 Lunch
SESSION 3
Exogenous influences on preimplantation development
Chairs: Lino Loi, Italy – Maurizio Zuccotti, Italy
02.00 pm Epigenetic effects on embryo development in vitro
Barry Bavister, USA
02.20 pm Metabolism and developmental competence of the preimplantation embryo
Franchesca Houghton, UK
02.40 pm Aberrant epigenetic reprogramming and cloning in mammals
Wendy Dean, UK
03.00 pm Discussion
SESSION 4
Embryo selection strategies: embryological views
Chairs: James Cummins, Australia – Joyce Harper, UK
03.20 pm Reducing the number of embryos to transfer in IVF I ICSI
Jan Gerris, Belgium
03.40 pm Advances in preimplantation genetic diagnosis
Dagan Wells, USA
04.00 pm The future: high throughput technology far embryo selection
Mark Hughes, USA
04.20 pm Discussion
04.40 pm Coffee break
SESSION 5
Embyro selection strategies: clinical views
Chairs: Nino Guglielmino, Italy – Elisabetta Chelo, Italy
05.10 pm Perifollicular vascularity monitoring and scoring: a clinical tool far selecting the best oocyte
Andrea Borini, Italy
05.30 pm Cumulative pregnancy rates after transfer of fresh and thawed embryos
Filippo Ubaldi, Italy
05.50 pm Clinical outcome of blastocyst culture
Carlo Bulletti, Italy
06.10 pm Discussion
06.30 pm Closing remarks
