The First International Conference on Male-Mediated Developmental Toxicity was held in Pittsburgh in 1992. This Conference was the first to bring together clinicians, biologists and epidemiologists from around the world to discuss various aspects of research in the area of male-mediated effects on progeny. This was a highly successful conference that resulted in a book with the proceedings. Since 1992, the field has progressed significantly; leading organizers and participants of the first conference to schedule a Second International Conference on Male-Mediated Developmental Toxicity, to be held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from June 20- 23, 2001. The goals of the Second International Meeting on Male-Mediated Developmental Toxicity are to identify new developments and directions in the field over the past decade, as well as the challenges for the years ahead, and to promote communication/integration among basic scientists, epidemiologists and clinicians. The scientific program will feature leaders in the fields of reproductive toxicology, teratology, epidemiology, cancer, developmental biology, environmental toxicology, and occupational health. The conference will include state-of-the-art lectures, symposia, poster sessions and workshops. Plenum Press has agreed to once again publish the meeting proceedings. The most recent developments will be presented on a range of topics including: parental legacies and genomics; lifestyle, occupational and therapeutic paternal exposures and effects; effects on the gamete-packaging of human sperm; effects on fertilization and the embryo; role of DNA repair and germ cell apoptosis; stem cells, epigenetics and cloning; markers of sperm quality and relationship to progeny; model systems; implications to clinicians and genetic counsellors; and impact on reproductive technology and legislation. It is anticipated that this conference will foster improvements in risk assessment for male-mediated developmental effects and aid in the identification of specific biomarkers of damage. The meeting is organized to maximize participation and increase interactions among attendees and speakers as well as senior and junior investigators and students. The first International Conference received funding from NIH based on the high quality of the program and the important contribution of the meeting to this interdisciplinary area of research.
