Event and place

Joint International Congress of the American Society for Reproductive Immunology (ASRI) and the European Society for Reproductive Immunology (ESRI) was held in the Chamber of Commerce in Hamburg, Germany on 31 May - 2 June 2012. http://www.asri-esri-2012.de/

Scientific programme
The programme was organized in 12 plenary sessions, 3 poster sessions divided into 6 poster-walks and 2 satellite events. The satellite events included Postgraduate Workshop on 30 May and 3rd Jena InTReST on 3-8 June.
More than 350 scientists from all over the word attended the congress and shared recent clinical results, new investigation topics and new directions in the scientific work. Special interest was provoked by the New Investigator Award Session where 9 distinguished scientists presented their research and were awarded with the New Investigatior Clinical Awards, Gusdon New Investigator Awards and New Investigator Basic Science Award.

PLENARY SESSIONS
• Genetic and Epigenetic Regulation of Genomic Imprinting and Fetal Development
• Immune Aspects of Male Reproduction and Contraception
• Immune Regulation during Gestation: What’s new on T Regulatory Cells?
• Presidential Symposium
• New Investigator Award
• Cell incognito: Do we underestimate the Function of Fetal and Maternal Cross Talk and Microchimerism?
• Immune Regulation during Gestation: what’s new on NK cells?
• Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Genital HIV Infection
• Checkpoints during Trophoblast Invasion: from Normalcy to Pre-eclampsia
• Cutting Edge Topics in Reproductive Medicine
• It Takes 2 to Tango: Endocrine-immune Cross talk in Reproduction
• Macro- and Micro-Environmental Challenges in Reproduction

POSTER SESSIONS
• Immune Regulation during Gestation: what’s new on NK cells?
• Immune Regulation during Gestation: What’s new on T Regulatory Cells? It Takes 2 to Tango: Endocrine-immune Cross talk in Reproduction
• Checkpoints during Trophoblast Invasion: from Normalcy to Pre-eclampsia
• Immune Aspects of Male Reproduction and Contraception
• Macro- and Micro-Environmental Challenges in Reproduction
• Cell incognito: Do we underestimate the Function of Fetal and Maternal Cross Talk and Microchimerism
• Cutting Edge Topics in Reproductive Medicine
• Genetic and Epigenetic Regulation of Genomic Imprinting and Fetal Development
• Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Genital HIV Infection

POSTGRADUATE WORKSHOP held on Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Session I –IV.
• Translational Research: Success Stories
• Translational Research: Reproductive Failures – Clinical
• Translational Research: Reproductive Failures – Markers/ Therapies
• Future Translational Research in Reproductive Immunology

3rd Jena InTReST-DGRM (International Training in Reproductive Sciences and Technologies) held on 3-8 June, 2012
“Jena InTResT trains young scientists in modern and progressive technologies in reproductive sciences. Under expert supervision, a group of 25 international Ph.D. students and post docs will learn theoretical background and practice hands-on clinical approaches and scientific methods, which will be fundamental for their future innovative investigations. The methods include in vitro fertilization procedures as well as experimental and laboratory techniques, such as specialized state-of-the-art applications in PCR, RNA interference, flow cytometry or microscopy.”
Scientific presentation from IBIR, supported by the ReProForce project

The Joint International Congress of the American Society for Reproductive Immunology (ASRI) and the European Society for Reproductive Immunology (ESRI) was attended by Assoc. Prof. Milena Mourdjeva, Assoc. Prof. Pavel Rashev and Georgi Georgiev, PhD scientists from IBIR. Four posters were presented:

P 025
Investigation of instructive potential of decidual stromal cells on differentiation of T-cells into Tregs.
K. Vinketova1, R. Dimitrov1, I. Karagouzov2, M. Mourdjeva1, T. Oreshkova1,
1 Institute of Biology and Immunology of Reproduction, Molecular Immunology, Sofia, Bulgaria
2 MHAT “Tokuda Hospital Sofia”, Sofia, Bulgaria

P 046
Progesterone induced blocking factor expression in decidual stromal cells as a potential marker for successful pregnancy
E. Stoyanova1, K. Vinketova1, T. Oreshkova1, R. Dimitrov1, I. Karaguozov2, W. Chaiwangyen3, J.Pastuschek3, U. Markert 3, M. Mourdjeva1,
1 Institute of Biology and Immunology of Reproduction, Molecular Immunology, Sofia, Bulgaria
2 MHAT“Tokuda Hospital Sofia”, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Sofia, Bulgaria
3 Friedrich-Schiller-University, Placenta-Laboratory, Department of Obstetrics, Jena, Germany

P 082
Localization of matrix metalloproteinases–2 and -9 in ejaculated, capacitated and acrosome-reacted human spermatozoa
P. Rashev, M. Mollova
Inst. of Biology and Immunology of Reproduction, Immunobiology of Reproduction, Sofia, Bulgaria

P 137
Melatonin receptors in human spermatozoa - new findings and relevance to assisted reproduction
G. Georgiev1,, R. Dimitrov1, P. Todorov1, Y. Dimitrov2, R. Konakchieva1
1 Institute of Biology and Immunology of Reproduction, Sofia, Bulgaria
2 In-Vitro Medical Celter “Dimitrov”, Sofia, Bulgaria

Studies on decidual stromal cells provoked interest in scientists attending poster sessions. A lot of questions concerning isolation, culturing, characterization and functions of these cells under normal culturing conditions and decidualization were discussed with colleagues from Germany, Great Britain, Russia, Serbia. Possible joint studies on these cells were commented. Prof. M. Kurpisz from Poland was interested by confocal microscopy data presented by P. Rashev. They talked over the technical abilities of the microscope and other apparatus purchased by ReProForce project and the possibilities for future collaborative studies.

3rd Jena InTReST was attended by Elena Stoyanova and Kameliya Vinketova. They participated in performing of modern analytical cell biology methods, listened to lectures on innovative scientific topics and established contacts with colleagues from many countries.
During the meeting and the satellite event, the scientific data of ReProForce project participants was presented. The poster (P046) showed results obtained in a mobility exchange program ReProForce of Assoc. Prof. Milena Mourdjeva, visiting Jena Partner’s center, Germany (Placenta-Laboratory, Department of Obstetrics, Friedrich-Schiller-University), and finally completed in the laboratories of IBIR. The new scientific data presented at the plenary lectures, the interesting discussions and newly established contacts had invaluable impact on scientific upgrade of the five IBIR scientists attending the event.