Upcoming Seminars

Past Seminars

Title: Early Placental Development and Function in Growth Restricted Pregnancies
Speaker: Dr. Russell V. Anthony, Colorado State University
Date & Time: Tuesday, April 10 2007, 2:30pm
Location: 1310 Anthony Hall
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Title: Defining the Plasticity and Potentials of Stem Cells and Embryos
Speaker: Dr. Gerald Schatten, University of Pittsburgh
Date & Time: Thursday, March 1 2007, 10:00am
Location: Room 1425, Biomedical and Physical Sciences Building, MSU
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Title: Anti-Mullerian Hormone: Background and Clinical Significance
Speaker: William E. Roudebush, Ph.D., HCLD. Manager-Reproductive Endocrinology, Beckman Coulter, Inc.
Date & Time: Tuesday, February 6th 2007, 2:30pm
Location: 1310 Anthony Hall
Title: Oocyte control of granulosa cell development and function
Speaker: Dr. John Eppig, The Jackson Laboratory
Date & Time: Wednesday, November 8th 2006, 2:00pm
Location: 1310 Anthony Hall
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Title: Endogenous reverse transcriptase in embryonic development, tumor progression and in the genesis of new genetic information
Speaker: Dr. Corrado Spadafora, National Institute of Health, Rome
Date & Time: Friday, July 7 2006, 12:30pm
Location: 1310 Anthony Hall
Title: Developmental Programming of Reproductive Health
Speaker: Dr. Vasantha Padmanabhan, University of Michigan
Date & Time: Monday, May 8 2006, 1:00pm
Location: The James Henry Center for Executive Development, Room 107, 3535 Forest Rd
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Title: Cloning: The Persuasive Oocyte meets the Stubborn Nucleus
Speaker: Dr. Keith Latham, Temple University
Date & Time: Tuesday, April 25 2006, 10:30am
Location: 1310 Anthony Hall
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Title: Components of Oocyte Quality and Resulting Developmental Consequences
Speaker: Dr. Rebecca Krisher, Purdue University
Date & Time: Thursday, April 13 2006, 12:30pm
Location: 1240 Anthony Hall
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Title: Genetic Dissection of Gonadal Tumor and Fertility Pathways
Speaker: Dr. Martin M. Matzuk, Baylor College of Medicine
Date & Time: Wednesday, January 18th 2006, 12:30pm
Location: 1425 Biomedical and Physical Sciences
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Details of Upcoming Seminars. . .

Details of Past Seminars. . .

top Early Placental Development and Function in Growth Restricted Pregnancies
Date, Time, Location:
Tuesday, April 10 2007, 2:30pm; 1310 Anthony Hall
About the Speaker:
Russell V. Anthony, Ph.D.
Department of Biomedical Sciences
Colorado State University
Perinatal Research Facility
University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
More . . .

The placenta is a multifaceted organ that plays critical roles in maintaining and protecting the developing fetus. These roles include nutrient transfer from the mother to the fetus and waste secretion from the fetus to the mother, acting as a barrier for the fetus against pathogens and the maternal immune system, and as an active endocrine organ. Dr. Anthony’s research program is directed at characterizing the communication between the developing fetus and the utero-placental unit that is required for normal fetal growth and development to occur.
Sponsored by:
Michigan State University Reproductive and Developmental Sciences Program
top Defining the Plasticity and Potentials of Stem Cells and Embryos
Date, Time, Location:
Thursday, March 1 2007, 10:00am; Room 1425, Biomedical and Physical Sciences Building, MSU
About the Speaker:
Gerald Schatten, Ph.D.
Director, Pittsburgh Development Center
Deputy Director, Magee-Womens Research Institute
Professor & Vice Chair of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, and Cell Biology and Physiology
University of Pittsburgh
More . . .

Dr. Schatten's research focuses on understanding human reproduction and development and making contributions to therapies in molecular medicine by determining stem cell potentials and accelerating gene therapy.
Sponsored by:
The Department of Physiology and the Reproductive and Developmental Sciences Program at Michigan State University
top Oocyte control of granulosa cell development and function
Date, Time, Location:
Wednesday, November 8th 2006, 2:00pm; 1310 Anthony Hall
About the Speaker:
John J. Eppig, Ph.D.
Senior Staff Scientist
The Jackson Laboratory
Bar Harbor, ME
More . . .

Dr. John J. Eppig’s research focuses on the development and function of the mammalian oocyte-cumulus cell complex. He was the first to achieve complete development of mammalian oocytes in vitro. This included in vitro initiation of primordial follicle development, oocyte growth, and acquisition of competence to undergo maturation, fertilization, and birth of live young after transfer of preimplantation embryos to foster mothers. Dr. Eppig developed the well established concept of an oocyte-granulosa cell regulatory loop in which bi-directional communication between the oocyte and companion granulosa cells is essential for both normal oocyte and follicular development. A major goal of his current research is to define the components of this regulatory loop and their mechanism(s) of action.
Sponsored by:
The MSU Reproductive and Developmental Sciences Program with funding provided from the Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies.
top Developmental Programming of Reproductive Health
Date, Time, Location:
Monday, May 8 2006, 1:00pm; The James Henry Center for Executive Development, Room 107, 3535 Forest Rd
About the Speaker:
Vasantha Padmanabhan, Ph.D.
Professor of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, & Molecular and Integrative Physiology
Director of Pediatric Endocrine Research
Senior Research Scientist, Reproductive Sciences Program
University of Michigan
More . . .

As described on her profile, Dr. Padmanabhan's research is translational and centers on understanding the fetal origin of pubertal and adult reproductive and metabolic disorders and the impact of steroids and estrogenic environmental pollutants in programming such defects. Utilizing integrative approaches ranging from cell and molecular biology as well as in vitro systems to whole animal physiology the emphasis is to understand the fundamental processes controlling reproductive cyclicity in the female, the mechanisms by which environmental / hormonal influences in early fetal life program reproductive failures and insulin resistance such as that seen in hyperandrogenic disorders like Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and to identify prevention and treatment strategies.

Research also centers on understanding the neuroendocrine mechanisms involved in the control of follicle-stimulating hormone, a key regulator of ovarian follicular development and fertility in women, its structure function relationships and the neuroendocrine and paracrine mechanisms controlling ovarian folliculogenesis, delineation of which will aid in overcoming infertility problems as well as in developing contraceptive approaches.
Sponsored in part by:
The MSU Reproductive and Developmental Sciences Program with funding provided from the Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies
top Cloning: The Persuasive Oocyte meets the Stubborn Nucleus
Date, Time, Location:
Tuesday, April 25 2006, 10:30am; 1310 Anthony Hall
About the Speaker:
Keith Latham, Ph.D.
Professor
Fels Institute for Cancer Research and Molecular Biology
Temple University
More . . . and More . . .

Dr. Latham's research program is focused on understanding the remarkable properties of the mammalian oocyte, which exists as a highly differentiated cell type endowed with the unique capacity for creating an embryonic genome from the two terminally differentiated gamete genomes, activating that embryonic genome, and regulating its function during much of the preimplantation period. The research seeks to understand these fundamental, life-generating processes at the molecular level, by employing a combination of microsurgery, quantitative gene expression analyses, microarray analyses, and structural studies.
Sponsored by:
The MSU Reproductive and Developmental Sciences Program with funding provided from the Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies
top Components of Oocyte Quality and Resulting Developmental Consequences
Date, Time, Location:
Thursday, April 13 2006, 12:30pm; 1240 Anthony Hall
About the Speaker:
Rebecca Krisher, Ph.D.
Department of Animal Sciences
Purdue University
More . . . and More . . .

Oocyte quality impacts early embryonic survival, the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy, fetal development, and even adult disease. Quality, or developmental competence, is acquired during folliculogenesis as the oocyte grows, and during the period of oocyte maturation. Although meiosis may be completed successfully, there are a variety of other processes occurring within the cytoplasm of the oocyte that are required for complete developmental competence following fertilization. However, the cellular mechanisms that impart oocyte developmental competence are entirely unclear. Dr. Krisher's long range goal is to understand the mechanisms of maturation in mammalian oocytes in relation to developmental potential.
Sponsored in part by:
The MSU Reproductive and Developmental Sciences Program with funding provided from the Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies.
top Genetic Dissection of Gonadal Tumor and Fertility Pathways
Date, Time, Location:
Wednesday, January 18th 2006, 12:30pm; 1425 Biomedical and Physical Sciences
About the Speaker:
Martin M. Matzuk, M.D., Ph.D.
Stuart A. Wallace Professor
Department of Pathology
Baylor College of Medicine
More . . .

We are extremely fortunate to have Dr. Martin Matzuk from Baylor College of Medicine as our first Reproductive and Developmental Sciences Program Seminar Speaker. Marty has won every prestigious award in his field, has a very impressive track record of funding from the NIH, including a merit award, and has published numerous seminal papers in the field of reproductive and developmental biology stemming from his elegant work using gene knockouts and other genetic models in mice.
Sponsored by:
The MSU Reproductive and Developmental Sciences Program with funding provided from the Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies.