2025 Fertilization and Activation of Development Gordon Research Conference and Seminar - PROJECT SUMMARY We request funds to support the 25th Gordon Research Conference and Seminar on Fertilization and Activation of Development. This GRC will integrate research from different approaches, including physiological, biochemical/biophysical, molecular/cellular, genetic, imaging, evolutionary, and omics data across organisms. Therefore, the research of this GRC will reveal conserved mechanisms of fertilization, their adaptation and evolution, and their application to improve the human condition. The topics covered in this GRC have fundamental and applied implications in biology and medicine, respectively. The latter is reflected by the 2010 and 2012 Nobel Prizes awards for in vitro fertilization and the discovery of pluripotent stem cells, respectively. A pioneer in rendering gametes from pluripotent stem cells will speak at the 2025 GRC. This GRC is the only meeting worldwide focused on fertilization biology. In the recent past, researchers in this field have identified the processes that prepare and optimize sperm and eggs for fertilization, the molecules of gamete recognition, adhesion, and fusion, defined the roles of the reproductive tract, established the conditions to support fertilization, while identifying the signaling pathways and molecules of egg activation and early embryogenesis. The GRC 2025 Keynote speaker will be the developmental and cell biologist Dr. Jacob Hanna. His lab has created conditions that allow the complete formation of mouse and human embryos ex-vivo from induced stem cells. The 2025 GRC will also include topics not discussed in previous GRCs, such as the evolution of gametes and adaptive mechanisms for successful fertilization and the application of new methodologies to probe and uncover further insights into the molecules and mechanisms of early development. The GRC will be preceded by a Gordon Research Seminar, which attracts and scientifically nurtures young investigators in our field. This year’s mentorship event will have panelists discussing various career opportunities post-Ph.D. For the first time, panelists will address the commercialization of research findings, patents, and starting your own company. The panel will comprise four academically trained scientists who took different career pathways. We have confirmed Dr. Ed Grow, Assistant Professor, UT. Southwestern, TX, and Dr. Rita Vassena, CEO of Fecundis, and we are finalizing the other panelists. The GRS Keynote Speaker will be Dr. Paula Cohen, Professor of Genetics and Associate Vice Provost for Life Sciences at Cornell University. This GRC has a long tradition of providing a forum for presenting and discussing innovative research and fostering a vibrant atmosphere encouraging open scientific interactions. Thus, this GRC will advance and promote the exchange of science hypotheses and provide a supportive environment for established and new investigators.
