Meeting to Bring World’s Top Reproduction Scientists to WSU

PULLMAN, Wash. — Many of the world’s top research scientists in reproduction — both
human and animal — will take part in the Society for the Study of Reproduction’s 32nd annual
meeting July 31-Aug. 3 at Washington State University.
More than 700 scientists will discuss topics related to animal cloning, invitro fertilization,
female and male infertility, diseases of the reproductive tract, contraception and pregnancy,
reproduction and conservation of endangered species, and reproductive toxicology during the
four-day meeting.
The event is hosted by the Center for Reproductive Biology at WSU and the University of
Idaho. Michael Skinner, CRB director and WSU professor of reproductive biology, chairs the
meeting’s local arrangements committee. He will also participate in the presentations with a
discussion of aspects of his research on ovarian cancer and male fertility.
The society’s president is Michael Griswold, incoming director of WSU’s new School of
Molecular Biology. The society has members in 47 countries. Its publication, Biology of
Reproduction, is ranked as the top journal in the field of reproductive biology by the Institute of
Scientific Information scientists.
The meeting is expected to attract 1,200 participants and their families to the region,
according to Skinner.
Among the leading researchers making presentations are two WSU alumni. James Wells,
founder of Sunesis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Redwood City, Calif., and professor at University of
California, San Francisco, will discuss the development of pharmaceuticals through altering
protein structure and genetic engineering. Stephen Foder, founder and CEO of the nation’s
leading biochip company, Affymetrix, Inc., Santa Cruz, Calif., will discuss the use of DNA array
technology–biochips–for drug discovery and medical diagnoses.
WSU’s College of Sciences will award Fodor its Distinguished Alumnus Award during the
meeting. Fodor received a bachelor’s degree in biology in 1978 and a master’s degree in
biochemistry in 1982, both from WSU, and a doctorate from Princeton. He and Affymetrix have
been the subject of lead articles in Fortune magazine and other business and academic journals
which expect the biochip to revolutionize aspects of the fields of medicine and agriculture.
Other presenting scientists include:
— Ryuzo Yanagimachi, professor of anatomy and reproductive biology at the University of
Hawaii, School of Medicine. He was one of the first to develop the cloning technology in mice
that is now used in several species.
— John Eppig, senior scientist with Jackson Laboratories in Bar Harbor, Maine. He is a
leading researcher in oocyte and embryo culture used for invitro fertilization and cloning
technology.
— Jerry Strauss, director for the Center for Research on Reproduction and Women at the
University of Pennsylvania. He is a leading researcher of women’s health and women’s diseases
such as polycystic ovarian disease and uterine dysfunction.
— Robin Lovell-Badge, professor at the Institute of Medical Research in London and
discoverer of the genes involved in sex determination and their role in development.
WSU’s Conferences & Professional Planning is managing conference logistics and residence hall
registration.
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