# 2021 Fertilization and Activation of Development GRC/GRS

> **NIH NIH R13** · GORDON RESEARCH CONFERENCES · 2022 · $10,000

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
We request funds to support the 24th Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Fertilization and Activation of
Development. The GRC will integrate research across approaches including genetic, physiological,
biochemical/biophysical, molecular/cellular, imaging, evolutionary, and organismal, and across a range of
organisms. Thus, the GRC will reveal conserved mechanisms of fertilization and ways that these mechanisms
can be modified. The topics covered in this GRC are of both fundamental and applied importance in biology
and biomedical research. This is supported by the award of the 2010 Nobel Prize for in vitro fertilization and
the 2012 Nobel Prize for induced pluripotent stem cells. In fact, a leader in converting induced pluripotent stem
cells into gametes spoke at the 2015 GRC.
This GRC is the only meeting worldwide focused specifically on fertilization biology. In recent years,
researchers in this field have identified molecules that mediate sperm-egg recognition and fusion, defined the
roles of the reproductive tract and its products such as exosomes in supporting fertilization, and identified
mechanisms that activate fertilized eggs to transition to embryogenesis. This year, the Keynote speaker will be
developmental and cell biologist Dr. Ruth Lehmann. Her lab has used Drosophila to shed light on how germline
stem cells become germ cells and how they travel from where they originate to the gonad during early
embryonic development. The 2021 GRC will include topics that were not discussed in previous GRCs such as
new targets and mechanisms that can be targeted for male or female contraception, aspects of viral–cell fusion
that pertain to sperm–egg fusion, and environmental effects on reproductive mechanisms and behavior.
The GRC will be immediately preceded by a Gordon Research Seminar, which attracts and scientifically
nurtures young investigators in the field of gamete research and fertilization. New this year will be a mentorship
event at which panelists will discuss a variety of career opportunities after completing a PhD program. The
panel will comprise three academically trained scientists who took different career pathways (Ushma Neill, Vice
President of Scientific Education and Training at Memorial Sloan Kettering; Nancy Ryan Gray, Gordon
Research Conferences director; and Mariana Wolfner, Goldwin Smith Professor of Molecular Biology and
Genetics at Cornell University).
This GRC has a long tradition of creating a forum for presenting and discussing cutting-edge research and
fostering a vibrant atmosphere to facilitate scientific interactions. Thus, this GRC will advance and “cross-
fertilize” the science and provide a supportive environment for both established and new investigators. An
important goal of this GRC is to foster and encourage inclusion and participation by members of groups
traditionally underrepresented in the sciences, including women, minorities, and people with disabilities.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10236749
- **Project number:** 1R13HD105414-01
- **Recipient organization:** GORDON RESEARCH CONFERENCES
- **Principal Investigator:** Celia M Santi
- **Activity code:** R13 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $10,000
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-09-01 → 2023-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10236749

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10236749, 2021 Fertilization and Activation of Development GRC/GRS (1R13HD105414-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10236749. Licensed CC0.

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