This application is an (R13) grant requests partial support for the newly inaugurated advanced training course entitled: FRONTIERS IN REPRODUCTION: MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR CONCEPTS AND APPLICATIONS (Fir) held annually from late May to July 4 at the MBL in Woods Hole. This course is an intensive six-week laboratory and lecture designed for young independent scientists and physicians and advanced post-doctoral fellows seeking comprehensive and sophistical training in research strategies and state-of-the-art methods on cellular, immunological and molecular biological approaches. Participants receive authoritative conceptual training in all aspects of reproduction ranging from gamete interactions, early development, implantation, parturition, immunology, and the molecular basis of reproductive hormonal regulations, in a unique physical and intellectual environment not duplicated int he Nation's Universities, Medical Schools or Research Institutes. The course consists of daily lectures from resident faculty and other invited speakers, discussions and informal seminars, laboratory exercises and demonstrations and one-on-one tutorials. The five modules are integrated to provide broad exposure to emerging problems: Module 1> Gametogenesis and Fertilization; 2. Embryogenesis and Stem Cells; 3. Reproductive Immunology; 4. Signal Transduction and Gene Expression; and 5: Genetic Manipulations in Reproductive Endocrinology. The course concludes with the 'Frontiers in Reproduction Symposium,' which draws international attention and honors """"""""Pioneer in Reproduction."""""""" Drs. Anne MacLaren and Ralph Brinster were the first honorees. The extreme competition ensures that the selected participants represent an outstanding cadre of the most promising M.D./M.D..-Ph.D. and Ph.D. scientists, and also ensures that members of under-represented groups as well represented. In the first year of the proposal, it is limited to 16 participants, 16 in year -02, 20 in years -03 and -04 and then 24 participants in years -5. FIR is under the direction of Joan Hunt, Kelly Mayo, and Gerald Schatten, who serve under the guidance of the FIR Advisory Board composed of Charles Lockwood, Michael McClure, Michael Nelson, and Jerry Strauss. The inaugural offering was quite successful, and with the strong support marshalled from the biomedical community, there is every indication that it will continue to prosper and inspire the next generation of leaders in academic reproductive medicine.
