PROJECT SUMMARY
We are requesting funds to support the Reproductive Aging Conference annually for 3 years, 2023 - 2025.
The 2023 meeting will be held at the Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort (Palm Springs, California, USA) on May
2 - 5, 2023. This will be the second meeting following the Inaugural conference in June 2022. Aging in the
gonad dramatically affects aging in somatic tissues, yet we know little about the mechanisms regulating
healthy aging in reproductive organs, nor how this crosstalk is achieved. The Reproductive Aging conference
will focus on understanding mechanisms that regulate aging in reproductive tissues and their relationship to
overall organismal healthspan and longevity. Funds are requested each year to help cover expenses of 1)
invited speakers and 2) meritorious junior scientists (students, postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty) and
minority trainees who will benefit from formal and informal interactions with senior scientists, to present their
research findings, receive feedback from experts in the field, and exchange ideas for shaping the field. To our
knowledge, this is the only international meeting dedicated entirely to the topic of reproductive aging.
The goal of the Reproductive Aging conference is to showcase research and stimulate collaborations that
bridge the disciplines of reproductive biology and aging research to help define new paradigms to accelerate
progress. Our primary objective is to become the premier forum for coalescing the field and fostering the
discussion of concepts and presentation of research at the forefront of discovery related to aging in the
reproductive system and its connection to aging in the rest of the body. Reproductive aging research
encompasses multiple fronts of interest: identification of the molecular and cellular mechanisms that regulate
aging in reproductive organs that facilitate overall healthspan and longevity; mechanisms of germ cell and
niche aging and how these might regulate systemic aging; and developing new models to study these
interactions. The intersection of these historically separate areas, the basic biology of aging and aging in the
reproductive tract, have begun to merge around common molecular principles. Invited speakers include
established as well as outstanding early career scientists selected for the quality of their science and ability to
stimulate debate. This conference will provide a forum for both formal and informal interactions between
trainees and faculty at all stages to promote the exchange of ideas and collaborative synergies around
reproductive aging. Poster and oral presentations will examine reproductive aging at the molecular, cellular
and organismal level, including its molecular drivers, and the effects of genetic and environmental factors on
relevant cellular/system properties and interactions across diverse model systems ranging from worms to
humans. This unique conference will bring together scientists tackling this problem from fundamental to clinical
angles to brainstorm creative ways to build and strengthen the field.