Rising Stars 2024 #4

KEYNOTE AND PLENARY SPEAKERS

Towards understanding mesenchymal-epithelial transition in endometrial epithelial regeneration.

Dr. Amanda Patterson, University of Missouri School of Medicine

Title: Towards understanding mesenchymal-epithelial transition in endometrial epithelial regeneration.

Description: Mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET) is critical for fetal tissue and organ development and is exploited by pathologies such as cancer and fibrosis. The uterus uses this mechanism in adults under non-pathological conditions to regenerate the endometrial epithelium following parturition and in menstruation-like conditions in mice. During this webinar, I will discuss the advances made in understanding MET in normal physiological regeneration events to gain insight into its role in pathologies when dysregulated.

Decoding molecular mechanisms controlling uterine aging.

Dr. Xiaoqiu (Churchill) Wang, North Carolina State University

Title: Decoding molecular mechanisms controlling uterine aging.

Description: Advanced maternal age (i.e., ≥35 years old) is associated with an increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes such as infertility, preterm birth, intrauterine growth restriction, congenital heart disease and other fetal abnormalities. Much attention has been focused on ovarian function and oocyte quality (“the Seed”); but we provide evidence that defects in uterine decidualization (a process of uterine stroma cell proliferation and differentiation to accommodate implanting embryo; “the Soil”) could be a major cause of age-related reproductive decline in mice, which, in turn, interferes with the establishment of a functional feto-maternal exchange unit. In this talk, I will discuss our recent efforts on elucidating the mechanisms underlying reproductive aging in the uterus, particularly the convergence of the Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) signaling pathway and the hormonal endometrial response during endometrial decidualization.

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