On Monday July 20th Tom Holder gave a presentation as part of the President’s Sympozium at the Society for the Study of Reproduction‘s 42nd Annual Meeting. The presentation was attended by around 500 members of the society, ranging from undergraduates up to well established professors. The talk provided suggestions on how to talk about science to those without a science background, as well the importance of speaking out. After the talk a number of members of SSR have been in contact to ask how they can get involved with Speaking of Research’s activities – a positive result all round.
The rest of the conference provided an interesting overview of some of the research going on to tackle illness such as infertility, cancer and endometriosis. Animal models varied from fish and rodents, through to cattle, pigs and primates, with scientists careful to explain why their particular choice of animal was the most suitable for their particular research. GnRH (Gonadotropin-releasing hormone) agonists are a good example of the crucial role that animals have played in fighting disease in reproductive biology. After significant work with monkeys, mice and sheep scientists were able to come up with some of the leading treatments for prostate cancer, breast cancer and endometriosis – such as Leuprolide (Market Name: Viadur/Lupron) and Goserelin
You can read the abstract for Holder’s speech here.
Regards
Dave
Speaking of Research 