Three-dimensional micro-CT image of a bovine ovary showing the vasculature of the corpus luteum. Image: Dr. Jaswant Singh.
Three-dimensional micro-CT image of a bovine ovary showing the vasculature of the corpus luteum. Image: Dr. Jaswant Singh.

ICAR: "Olympics of animal reproduction"

Dr. Gregg Adams' version of the Olympics is taking place in Vancouver, B.C. — not in London — this summer.

But rather than lauding the world's sports elite, the University of Saskatchewan scientist will be celebrating the work of fellow researchers at the 17th International Congress on Animal Reproduction (ICAR) from July 29 to August 2.

"For me, ICAR truly is the Olympics of animal reproduction," explains Adams, a professor at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine and chair of the ICAR's 2012 local organizing committee. "The Congress has taken place every four years since 1948, and I think this one will be the largest ever with over 1,000 international delegates coming from all over the world."

As Adams explains, the world's leading experts in reproductive science and medicine will present their ideas and research findings to ICAR participants over five days filled with plenary sessions, symposia, workshops, social events and tours of Vancouver.

"Speakers will cover everything from basic endocrinology and genetic diversity in animals to sperm function and the development of male fertility," says Adams.

Altogether, ICAR organizers have lined up 60 high-profile speakers including University of Manchester lecturer Dr. Matthew Cobb, author of Generation: The Seventeenth-Century Scientists Who Unraveled the Secrets of Sex, Life and Growth, and Dr. Stephen O'Brien, a medical geneticist, conservationist and author of Tears of the Cheetah: The Genetic Secrets of Our Animal Ancestors.

The speaker list also includes several former U of S graduate students who have gone on to excel in the field of reproductive science and medicine. One example is Dr. Alexander Evans, director of the Reproductive Biology Research Cluster at the University College Dublin. Evans, who earned a PhD at the U of S in 1993, is a leading authority on the physiology and endocrinology of reproduction in farm animals.

This is the first time that ICAR has ever come to Canada, and Adams says the location will help to showcase the groundbreaking research that has been conducted by Canadian reproduction scientists.

Besides a number of U of S faculty and graduate students, the ICAR's 2012 organizing committee includes representatives from the University of British Columbia, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, University of Guelph, University of Alberta, University of Montréal, Laval University, the University of Calgary and Boviteq Inc., a Québec-based embryo transfer centre for the cattle industry.

"Organizing ICAR has given us a chance to gain a lot of exposure and to get our names out there," says Adams, a core member of the U of S Reproductive Science and Medicine (RSM) Group.

Created more than 30 years ago, the RSM Group includes more than 20 U of S faculty members and over a dozen graduate students in reproductive biology. The U of S-based group is known for achieving a number of "firsts" in animal and human reproduction. For example, RSM Group members pioneered the use of in vivo embryo transfer in cattle and were the first to establish the bovine model for the study of ovarian function in women during pre- and peri-menopausal stages.

Adams says most of the RSM Group's members will travel to Vancouver for this unique opportunity to meet with the world's leading scientists in reproductive biology. The U of S contingent will include about 10 graduate students who have taken on the challenge of organizing a graduate student program – the first of its kind for ICAR.

Adams says the response to this new feature has been overwhelming: "This will give our students the chance to meet graduate students from all over the world. It's a fantastic opportunity for them."

After ICAR, several international students — two visiting students from Italy and one from Chile — also plan to visit the U of S and spend several months working alongside members of the RSM Group.

For Adams, who began working on a bid to bring ICAR to Canada in 2006, developing a Canadianized version of the international event has demanded a tremendous amount of work and dedication from all of the organizing committee members.

"But having said that, this is a chance for all of us to broaden our horizons: to meet with specialists throughout the world and to make personal connections that could lead to future research collaborations or invitations to speak at events held around the world," says Adams. "Those are huge advantages for our Canadian team — it really is worth the effort."

Visit the 2012 ICAR web site for more information.
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