2:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Registration Desk open

Legends Foyer

 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM

 Clinical Course I: Infertility and Implantation Failures

Legends I-III

 4:00

Rafat Abbasi, Columbia Fertility Associates – Endometriosis / Immune Abnormalities and Treatment

 4:30

Conor Harrity, RCSI University  – RIF and Immunotherapy

 5:00

Raymond Anchan, Harvard University – Non-Hormonal Treatment for Endometriosis During Fertility Care: Using Genetic, Molecular, and Immunological Discoveries to Shift Treatment Paradigms

 5:30

George Ndukwe, Harley Street Fertility Clinic - PCOS and Immune Response

 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Clinical Fellowship Reunion Reception

Legends Foyer 

 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Registration Desk open

Legends Foyer

 7:00 AM - 8:00 AM

Continental Breakfast for Clinical Course attendees

 Legends Foyer

 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM

 Clinical Course II: Laboratory Sciences and RF

Legends I-III

 8:00

Gabriela Gutierrez, University of Buenos Aires – Endometrial Microbiome and Reproduction

 8:30

Aleksander Stanic-Kostic, University of Wisconsin - Flow cytometric analysis of peripheral immune cells in women with RF

 9:00

Svetlana Dambaeva, Rosalind Franklin University - Endometrial gene expression: assessment of immunoregulatory, homeostasis and tissue remodeling related factors to evaluate endometrium condition

 9:30

LiangHui Diao, Shenzhen Zhongshan Obstetrics & Gynecology Hospital - Inspection of endometrial immune cells and their contribution to embryo implantation

 10:00 AM - 10:15 AM

COFFEE BREAK

Legends Foyer

 10:15 AM - 12:15 PM

 Clinical Course III: Recurrent Pregnancy Losses and Rheumatic Disease in Pregnancy

Legends I-III

 10:15

Joanne Kwak-Kim, Rosalind Franklin University – Chronic Endometriosis and Reproductive Failures

 10:45

Wael Saab, Centre for Reproductive and Genetic Health – Criticised But Effective: The IVIG Dilemma in Recurrent Implantation Failure

 11:15

Joshua Milner, Columbia University - Genetic disorders of the immune system: Windows into reproductive immunology?

 11:45

Ricardo Barini, University of Campinas – How to set up a guideline for immunological assessment and management in patients with pregnancy loss and implantation failures?

 12:15 PM - 1:15 PM

Clinical Course Lunch: Clinical Reproductive Immunology Fellowship: Future Directions

Chairs: Joanne Kwak-Kim & Rafat Abbasi

 1:15 PM - 3:15 PM

 Clinical Course IV: Infection and Pregnancy

Legends I-III

 1:15

Gil Mor, Wayne State University - Infection and Maternal Immune Response

 1:45

Elizabeth Enninga, Mayo Clinic – Chronic Villitis and T Cells

 2:15

Kenneth Moise, University of Texas – RH Sensitization and Immune Treatment

 2:45

Sandra Blois, University of Hamburg – Preeclampsia and the Glycan-Galectin Network

 3:15 PM - 4:45 PM

Executive Council Meeting (ASRI Council & Committee Chairs only)

Champions 3

 5:00 PM - 5:15 PM

Welcome Remarks & Introduction

Legends I-IV

 5:15 PM - 6:00 PM

PL01: Molecular mechanisms of innate immunity and inflammation in health and disease 

Chair: Indira Mysorekar, PhD

Thirumala Kanneganti, PhD

St. Jude Children's Hospital

Program Chair Lecture

COULAM AWARD LECTURE: Anatomy of a Question

Elizabeth Bonney, MD

University of Vermont

2023 Carolyn Coulam Award recipient

 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM

WELCOME RECEPTION: "Denim & Diamonds"

*Special guest performance by the Houston Grand Opera*

Legends Foyer

7:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Registration Desk open

 Legends Foyer

7:30 AM - 8:00 AM

COFFEE (breakfast on your own)

 Legends Foyer

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

PL02: NIAID Strategic Plan: Reproductive Immunology and Women's Health

Chair: David Aronoff, MD, PhD

Jeanne Marrazzo, PhD

NIH / NIAID

Presidential Lecture

  Legends I-IV

9:00 AM - 9:30 AM

AJRI AWARD LECTURE:  Male partner factors that set the course of maternal immune adaptation to pregnancy

Chair: Surendra Sharma, MD, PhD

Sarah Robertson, PhD

University of Adelaide

2023 AJRI Award Recipient

Legends I-IV

9:30 AM - 10:00 AM

COFFEE BREAK

 Legends Foyer

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

S-01: IMMUNOPATHOLOGY OF ENDOMETRIOSIS                             Sponsored by

          Chairs:  Joanne Kwak-Kim & Diana Monsivais

Legends I

10:00

Ramakrishna Kommagani, Baylor College of Medicine - Mechanisms of Transcriptional Regulation in Endometriosis Pathogenesis

10:30

Gregory Burns, Michigan State University - Unraveling Endometriotic Lesions: Epithelium-Macrophage Crosstalk Revealed by Spatial Transcriptomics

11:00

Diana Monsivais, Baylor College of Medicine - Uncovering the growth factor signals the control endometrial regeneration and endometriosis

11:30

ORAL 1: Peritoneal GATA6+ macrophage contribution on endometriosis-associated hyperalgesia - Kanako Hayashi

11:45

ORAL 2: Impact of IL-33-mediated ILC2 activation via the JAK3/STAT6 signaling pathway on the progression of endometriosis in mice - ZhiMin Lu

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

S-02: SEX DIFFERENCES IN REPRODUCTIVE TRACT IMMUNITY

          Chairs: Indira Mysorekar & Marta Rodriguez-Garcia 

Legends IV

10:00

Lydia Shook, Harvard University - Sex differences in Placental Immunity

10:30

Berenice Benayoun, University of Southern California - Sex-dimorphic effects of aging on mouse macrophages

11:00

Sabra Klein, Johns Hopkins University - Sex steroids affect the pathogenesis of viruses and responses to vaccines

11:30

ORAL 3: Sexually dimorphic impact of Zika virus infection on offspring neutrophil immunity - Jiahui Ding

11:45

ORAL 4: Estrogen Suppresses Placental Inflammatory Processes in Non-human Primate Pregnancy - Sahar Khoshravesh

Lunch Pickup

Legends Foyer 

12:30 PM - 1:30 PM

LUNCH SESSION: EMPOWERING REPRODUCTIVE HEALTHCARE - ADVOCACY FOR POLICY PROGRESS

Representative Ann Johnson

Texas House of Representatives

District 134

Followed by panel discussion

1:30 PM - 3:30 PM

S-03: ENDOCRINE DISRUPTORS AND HOW THEY IMPACT PREGNANCY OUTCOME AND OFFSPRING HEALTH

          Chairs: Ana Zenclussen & Melissa Suter

Legends I

 1:30           

Nicole Meyer, UFZ Leipzig - Unlocking the Secrets of Early Pregnancy: Environmental Chemicals and Their Role in the Dynamics of Vascular Remodeling and Fetal Development

2:00

Alison Paquette, Seattle Children's Hospital - Multi-omic data illuminates the placentas role as a mediator between prenatal EDC exposure and preterm birth

2:30

Martin Matzuk, Baylor College of Medicine - DNA-Encoded Chemistry Technology (DEC-Tec) for the study of female and male reproduction

3:00

ORAL 5: Viral Double-Stranded RNA Dampens Decidualization while Increasing Uterine Senescence and IL-15 - Jacy Scott

3:15

ORAL 6: The Autophagy Protein, ATG14 Safeguards Against Unscheduled Pyroptosis Activation to Enable Embryo Transport During Early Pregnancy - Pooja Popli

1:30 PM - 3:30 PM

S-04: FETAL IMMUNE SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT AND MICROCHIMERISM

          Chairs: Ananth Kumar Kammala & Liza Konnikova

Legends IV

2:00

Shelly Buffington, Baylor College of Medicine - Maternal environmental exposures influence risk for neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring

2:30

Ananth Kumar Kammala, University of Texas Medical Branch - Impact of Pregnancy-Associated Infection on Fetal Microchimerism in Maternal Lungs

3:00

ORAL 7: Fetal Brain and Lung Inflammation in a Non-Human Primate Model of Choriodecidual Ureaplasma Infection - Sudeshna Tripathy

3:15

ORAL 8: Assessing Maternal Natural Killer and T Cell Transplacental Migration Using Ex Vivo Human Placenta Perfusion - Udo Markert

3:30 PM – 4:00 PM

COFFEE BREAK

Legends Foyer

4:00 PM – 6:00 PM

POSTER SESSION & JUDGING

 Legends V

7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

TRAINEE "LAUNCHPAD" NETWORKING EVENT ($)

Turn up the heat and fuel up with some world-famous Texas BBQ as we enjoy a casual networking dinner at Goode Co. in downtown Houston.

Tickets: $30pp incl. RT transportation, dinner & drinks.  

Email us to add a ticket to your registration

Meet in Lobby

7:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Registration Desk open

 Legends Foyer

7:30 AM - 8:00 AM

COFFEE (breakfast on your own)

 Legends Foyer

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

PL03: PROGRAM CHAIR'S SESSION: Disruption of immunity at the maternal-fetal interface by maternal infection and inflammation

Chair: Indira Mysorekar, PhD

Ilhem Messoudi, PhD

University of Kentucky

Keynote Speaker

Legends Ballroom

9:00 AM - 9:30 AM

HERR LECTURE: TITLE TBD

Chair: Melissa Herbst-Kralovetz., PhD

Nardhy Gomez-Lopez, PhD

Wayne State University

2023 Herr Award recipient

Legends Ballroom 

9:30 AM -10:00 AM

COFFEE BREAK

 Legends Foyer

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

S-05: CERVICOVAGINAL MICROENVIRONMENT

          Chairs: Melissa Herbst-Kralovetz & Ryan Doster

Legends I

10:00

Katy Patras, Baylor College of Medicine - New models to study host-microbe interactions in the vaginal microenvironment

10:30

Sujatha Srinivasan, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center - The Vaginal Metabolome: Chemical Insights into Bacterial Communities

11:00

Johanna Holm, University of Maryland SOM - Metagenomics-Based Classification of the Vaginal Microbiome: The mgCST Classifier and Its Clinical Applications

11:30

ORAL 9: Cervical goblet cell subtypes arise from distinct progenitor populations: insights into mucosal immunity - Shanmuga Priyaa Madhukaran

11:45

ORAL 10: Deciphering the Immunometabolic Impact of Atopobiaceae in HPV Infection, Cervical Dysplasia, and Cancer - Nicole Jimenez

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

S-06: ADAPTIVE IMMUNITY IN THE REPRODUCTIVE TRACT

          Chairs: Ana Zenclussen & Andrea Edlow

 Legends IV

10:00

Aimee Beaulieu, State University of New Jersey - IL-33 signaling at the maternal-fetal interface

10:30

Babbette LaMarca, University of Mississippi Mediical Center - The consequences of B lymphocyte activation during preeclampsia and beyond

11:00

Ana Zenclussen, UFZ Leipzig - Immunomodulation of maternal adaptive immune cells and their importance for early pregnancy

11:30

ORAL 11: Uterine injury during diestrus leads to placental and embryonic defects in future pregnancies in mice - Elisa Zhang

11:45

ORAL 12: B-lymphocyte-induced maturation protein 1: newly discovered roles in regulating decidual Tim-3+Treg cell differentiation and function during early pregnancy - Xinxin Lin

12:00 PM - 1:30 PM

LUNCH & ASRI BUSINESS MEETING

Chair: David Aronoff

1:30 PM - 3:30 PM

S-07: HIV IN THE REPRODUCTIVE TRACT

          Chairs:  Anna Powell & Charu Kaushic

Legends I

1:30

Anita Naicker, University of Kwazulu-Natal - Angiogenesis in HIV infected preeclamptic women

2:00

Vainav Patel, NIRRCH (ICMR) - Host-pathogen interplay at the pathogenic and transmission interface: insights from HIV-1C cohorts in India

2:30

Robert Cabrera, Baylor College of Medicine - Balancing the Action and Counteractions of HIV Integrase Inhibitors in Pregnancy

3:00

ORAL 13: The DIVA study: Defining the Microbiome for the Neovagina - Christina Farr

3:15

ORAL 14: Identification of Innate Lymphoid Cell subpopulations in the human female genital tract that mediate responses during homeostasis and HIV stimulation - Alexandra Werner

1:30 PM - 3:30 PM

S-08:  PREECLAMPSIA: MECHANISMS AND THERAPEUTICS

          Chairs:  Surendra Sharma & Akitoshi Nakashima

 Legends IV

1:30

Nima Aghaeepour, Stanford University - Machine Learning for Integrative Analysis of the Immune System in Maternal and Child Health

1:53

Kristy Pringle, Newcastle University - Novel insights into the role of the soluble (pro)renin receptor in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia

2:16

Maria Laura Costa do Nascimento, University of Campinas, Brazil - Preeclampsia in Low-Middle-Income Countries during COVID-19: Clinical and Research Challenges

Surendra Sharma, Women & Infants Hospital - Alzheimer’s Etiology in Preeclampsia

3:00

ORAL 15: AT1-AA Induced Placental Ischemia Contributes to Hypertension in Female Offspring - Nathan Campbell

3:15

ORAL 16: Molecular Mimicking: Probing Convergent Pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Preeclampsia in Placental Dysfunction During Pregnancy - Eliza McColl

3:30 PM - 3:45 PM

COFFEE BREAK

Legends Foyer

3:45 PM – 5:45 PM

S-09: IMPACT OF THE ENVIRONMENT ON THE REPRODUCTIVE TRACT 

          Chairs:  Melanie Conrad & Stephanie Eick

  Legends I

3:45

Ruth Etzel, George Washington University - How the pre- and postnatal environment affects child health

4:15

Stephanie Eick, Emory University - Influence of chemical and non-chemical stressors on perinatal health

4:45

Melanie Conrad, Charite University of Medicine, Berlin - Maternal mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: Effect on pregnancy outcomes and childhood health

5:15

ORAL 17: In utero exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals blunts the innate immune response to infection in adult mice- Victoria Stephens

5:30

ORAL 18: IL-17+ producing Gamma Delta T cells are Depleted in the Pregnant Non-Human Primate Lung During Influenza A Virus Disease - Orlando Cervantes

3:45 PM – 5:45 PM

S-10: INNATE IMMUNITY IN PREGNANCY

          Chairs:  Rama Kommagani & Craig Bierle

  Legends IV

3:45

Ai-Ris Collier, Harvard University - Cellular immune responses to vaccines

4:15

Mancy Tong, Yale University - Impact of inflammation on endometrial-placental communication via extracellular vesicles

Enitome Bafor, National Institutes of Health - Unchecked IFNγ: Implications for T cell dysregulation in female reproductive immunopathologies

5:15

ORAL 19: Cell-specific inflammatory profile at the maternal-fetal interface - Jessica Weng

5:30

ORAL 20: Spatial analysis of the cellular landscape at the maternal-fetal interface in women with chronic chorioamnionitis - Dustyn Levenson

7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

AJRI Editorial Board Meeting (by invitation only)

 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Registration Desk open

 Legends Foyer

 7:30 AM - 8:00 AM

COFFEE (breakfast on your own)

 Legends Foyer

 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM

PL04: GUSDON AWARD SESSION

Chair: Ramkumar Menon & David Aronoff

Legends Ballroom

8:00

G1: Anna Borchers - Contrasting Maternal Immune Contributions in Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy

8:15

G2:Hajime Ino - TIL-18: A pivotal player bridging between uterine immunity and placental formation

8:30

G3: Phuon NM Vo - Identification and characterization of soluble TLR4 (sTLR4) as a new player in mucosal immunity

8:45

G4: Deepak Kumar - SARS-CoV-2 ORF3a protein disrupts trophoblast differentiation and maturity: Mechanistic insights through a trophoblast stem cell-derived 3D-organoid model

9:00

G5: Yuan Zhang - Unbalanced Immune Homeostasis at the Maternal-fetal Interface in Women with Embryo Implantation Failure Caused by Hyperlipidemia

9:15

G6: Elisha Segrist - Interferons shape homeostatic immunity of the female reproductive tract

 9:30 AM -10:00 AM

COFFEE BREAK

 Legends Foyer

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

S-11: NUTRITION AND IMMUNITY TO INFECTIONS  DURING PREGNANCY

          Chairs:  David Aronoff & Allison Eastman

  Legends I

10:00

Jennifer Gaddy, Vanderbilt University Medical Center - Pour some sugar on me: the utility of human milk oligosaccharides against perinatal Group B Streptococcus infections

10:30

Lindsey Burcham, University of Tennessee, Knoxville - Host metal status contributes to bacterial colonization and inflammation in the vaginal mucosa

11:00

David Aronoff, Indiana University - Folic acid regulation of macrophage behavior

11:30

ORAL 21: Effects of endometrial microbiota on immune tolerance at the maternal-fetal interface - Kazuhide Takada

11:45

ORAL 22: Pathology and innate immune responses at the maternal/fetal interface in a non-human primate model of malaria in pregnancy - Sallie Fell

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM

S-12: MODELLING TROPHOBLAST - IMMUNE INTERACTIONS

          Chairs:  Tamara Tilburgs & Nazeeh Hanna

  Legends IV

10:00

Soumen Paul, University of Kansas Medical Center - Early Placentation Defects in Trisomy 21, Immune Response and Beyond

10:30

Alexander Beristain, University of British Colombia - Evaluating regenerative trophoblast platforms: Strengths, limitations, and next steps

11:00

Lauren Richardson, University of Texas Medical Branch - Chorion Trophoblasts Form a Formidable Barrier at the Feto-Maternal Interfaces

11:30

ORAL 23: Characterization of ACE2, a SARS-CoV-2 Entry Receptor, on Extracellular Vesicles from Trophoblast Organoids - Anthony Zhao

11:45

ORAL 24: Activated and Memory Placental Villi T cells Are Skewed in Preterm Birth - Tyler Rice

12:00 PM - 1:30 PM

LUNCH SESSION: PLACENTAL PATHOLOGIES

          Chairs: Elizabeth Enninga & Enitome Bafor

1:30 PM - 3:30 PM

S-13: THE IMMUNE MILIEU OF THE MALE REPRODUCTIVE TRACT

          Chairs: Sudhanshu Bhushan & Lucia Vojtech

  Legends I

1:30

Tony De Falco, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center - Exploring the Ontogeny, Development, and Functions of Testicular Macrophages

2:00

Jannett Dufour, Texas Tech Health Science Center - Complement and Sertoli cell Immune Regulation

2:30

Maria Battistone, Harvard University - Regulatory T cells play a pivotal role in ensuring sperm tolerance and maintaining male fertility

3:00

ORAL 25: Tolerogenic effects of extracellular vesicles from human semen at the level of dendritic and regulatory T cells - Shahrokh Paktinat

3:15

ORAL 26: Optimizing success rates in ART with personalized care based on the endometrial immune profiling: Results of a randomized controlled trial - Nathalie Ledee

1:30 PM - 3:30 PM

S-14: HOST-PATHOGEN INTERACTIONS AT THE MATERNAL-FETAL INTERFACE

          Chairs:  Bin Cao & Rafael T. Michita

  Legends IV

1:30

Hana Totary-Jain, University of South Florida - Placental Vigilance: SINE dsRNA Safeguards Against Viral Vertical Transmission

2:00

Tom Hooven, University of Pittsburgh SOM - New genetic tools to investigate group B Streptococcus chorioamnionitis

2:30

Bin Cao, Xiamen University - The Janus-faced role of endogenous retroviruses in placental development

3:00

ORAL 27: Pichinde virus as a model of arenavirus infection during pregnancy - Craig Bierle

3:15

ORAL 28: Zika Virus-Induced Tunneling Nanotubes (TNTs) in Trophoblasts: Gateways for Evading Interferon Lambda Defense and Orchestrating Intercellular Mitochondria Transfer - Long Tran

7:00 PM - 11:00 PM 

ASRI AWARDS DINNER: Galactic Gala: Honoring Stellar Scientists

Legends Ballroom