Conference Programme
Wednesday 29th July
| Opening Reception | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Time | Session | Location | |
| 16:00 - 17:00 | Registration | Atrium | |
| 17:00 - 17:15 | Introductory Address Jackson Kirkman-Brown, University of Birmingham, UK | G03 | |
| 17:15 - 17:30 | Welcome to UOB VC Rep, University of Birmingham, UK | G03 | |
| 17:30 - 18:15 | Thaddeus Mann Memorial Lecture Eduardo Roldán, CSIC, Spain | G03 | |
| 18:15 - 19:00 | Spermatology Then and Now Lars Björndahl | G03 | |
| 19:00 - 21:00 | Welcome Reception with Drinks and Buffet | Atrium | |
Thursday 30th July - Spermatogenesis & Genetics
| Time | Session | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:00 - 9:00 | Registration and Refreshments | Atrium | |
| 9:00 - 9:45 | TBC | G03 | |
| 9:45 - 10:15 | Machine learning–driven morphometric analysis reveals when species-specific sperm form emerges during spermiogenesis Maria Teves, Virginia Commonwealth University, USA | G03 | |
| 10:15 - 10:45 | Integrated metabolomic and RNA-seq analyses suggest a biosynthetic pathway for a sperm attractant in ascidians Manabu Yoshida, Kitazato University, Japan | G03 | |
| 10:45 - 11:15 | Refreshment Break | Atrium | |
| 11:15 - 12:00 | Keynote Speaker: When genetics fail sperm, identifying genes critical for sperm function Leonie Herrmann, Institute of Reproductive Genetics, Germany | G03 | |
| 12:00 - 12:30 | Calcium-ion efflux maintains fertilizing potential of newt sperm during storage in the sperm reservoir Akihiko Watanabe, Yamagata University, Japan | G03 | |
| 12:30 - 14:15 | Lunch | Atrium | |
| 14:15 - 15:00 | Keynote Speaker: Cryo-electron microscopy as a discovery tool in sperm biology Tzviya Zeev Ben Mordehai, Utrecht University, Netherlands | G03 | |
| 15:00 - 15:30 | The spermatozoa centriole transmits a novel head kinking movement powered by tail beating Tomer Avidor-Reiss, University of Toledo, USA | G03 | |
| 15:30 - 16:00 | Refreshment Break | Atrium | |
| 16:00 - 16:45 | Keynote Speaker: Selfish Sperm Anne Goriely, University of Oxford, UK | G03 | |
| 16:45 - 17:15 | Functional study of testis-specific genes in
vivo and in vitro using a genome editing approach Masahito Ikawa, The University of Osaka, Japan | G03 | |
| 18:30 - 21:00 | Evening Meal - Indian Street Food | The Vale | |
Friday 31st July - Ejaculation, Delivery and the Fertilisation Environment
| Time | Session | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:30 - 9:00 | Registration and Refreshments | Atrium | |
| 9:00 - 9:45 | Keynote Speaker: Are your Sperm Sneaky? A Squid Story
Noritaka Hirohashi, Shimane University, Japan | G03 | |
| 9:45 - 10:15 | Spermatozoa as in vitro toxicity model to
elucidate the effect of environmental contaminants Liana Maree, University of The Western Cape, South Africa | G03 | |
| 10:15 - 10:45 | A multiparametric high-throughput imaging assay to resolve distinct acrosome reaction states in human sperm Analia Guadalupe Novero, University of Dundee, UK | G03 | |
| 10:45 - 11:15 | Refreshment Break | Atrium | |
| 11:15 - 11:45 | TBC | G03 | |
| 11:45 - 12:15 | A multi-scale view of horse sperm function: From in vivo dynamics to fertility proteomic signatures Elie Barakat, INRAE, France | G03 | |
| 12:15 - 14:15 | Lunch | Atrium | |
| 14:15 - 15:00 | Keynote Speaker: Channels Maketh the Sperm (function)
Polina Lishko, Washington University School of Medicine, USA | G03 | |
| 15:00 - 15:30 | Progesterone signalling in human sperm involves rapid changes in membrane potential that are controlled by an interplay of CatSper and Slo3 channels Christoph Brenker, University of Münster, Germany | G03 | |
| 15:30 - 16:00 | Refreshment Break | Atrium | |
| 16:00 - 16:45 | The Viscous Environment – Governing Internal Fertilisations
Meurig Gallagher, University of Birmingham, UK | G03 | |
| 16:45 - 17:15 | A novel regulator of sperm motility links mitochondrial dysfunction and ferroptosis Yingying Yin, Karolinska Institute, Sweden | G03 | |
| 19:00 - 21:00 | Evening Meal - BBQ | The Vale | |
Saturday 1st August - Sperm Function: To the oocyte and beyond
| Time | Session | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:30 - 9:00 | Registration and Refreshments | Atrium | |
| 9:00 - 9:45 | Keynote Speaker: A Billion Cells – Many Hundred Ways - Diversity Across Species
Gerhard van der Horst, University of the Westen Cape, South Africa | G03 | |
| 9:45 - 10:15 | Hanging in the balance: Understanding the
importance of sperm ROS for pre-implantation embryo development Joshua Deluao, Adelaide University, Australia | G03 | |
| 10:15 - 10:45 | 4-Phenylbutyric acid averse acrylamide-induced oxidative state and endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated testicular damage and sexual behavioral alteration in albino Wistar rats Jiten Singh, Baddi University of Emerging Sciences & Technology, India | G03 | |
| 10:45 - 11:15 | Refreshment Break | Atrium | |
| 11:15 - 11:45 | Ultra-rare sperm detection using an AI-enabled
microwell system Arafeh Bigdeli, Brigham And Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, USA | G03 | |
| 11:45 - 12:15 | The effect of combined cryoprotectant strategies
on the functional quality of post-thaw chicken sperm Azindokht Babapour, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, Poland | G03 | |
| 12:15 - 14:15 | Lunch and Close of Exhibition | Atrium | |
| 14:15 - 15:00 | Keynote Speaker: Ocean Derived Chemicals in Mussels
Jonathan P. Evans, University of Western Australia, Australia | G03 | |
| 15:00 - 15:30 | Towards semen collection at younger age:
non-invasive monitoring of puberty onset in young beef bulls at performance testing stations Joanna Bremer, University of Inland Norway, Norway | G03 | |
| 15:30 - 16:00 | Refreshment Break | Atrium | |
| 16:00 - 16:45 | Keynote Speaker: Sheep Sperm - Optimised Breeding and Key Mammalian Model Simon de Graaf, University of Sydney, Australia | G03 | |
| 16:45 - 17:15 | Free Communication | G03 | |
| 19:00 - 23:00 | Conference Dinner | Fry Suite | |
Sunday 2nd August - Sperm: Tiny Cell - Big Picture
| Time | Session | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:30 - 9:00 | Registration and Refreshments | Atrium | |
| 9:00 - 9:45 | Keynote Speaker: Contraception – New Perspectives
Chris Barratt, University of Dundee, UK | G03 | |
| 9:45 - 10:30 | Keynote Speaker: Disentangling Paternal Effects, Sperm Quality and Aging
Irem Sepil, University of Oxford, UK | G03 | |
| 10:30 - 11:00 | Refreshment Break | Atrium | |
| 11:00 - 11:45 | TBC | G03 | |
| 11:45 - 12:00 | Spermatology 2030 | G03 | |
| 12:00 - 12:15 | Closing Ceremony
Jackson Kirkman-Brown & Meurig Gallagher, University of Birmingham, UK | G03 | |
| 12:15 - 13:15 | Lunch | Atrium | |
As part of the organisation of this conference, the University of Birmingham is collecting income via registration fees and sponsorships on behalf of the Spermatology 2026 organising committee.
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