ASPEN PERINATAL BIOLOGY SYMPOSIUM

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: NRI COMPETITIVE GRANT
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 0210765
• Grant No.: 2007-35203-18228
• Proposal No.: 2007-01237
• Project Start Date: Jul 1, 2007
• Project End Date: Jun 30, 2008
• Grant Year: 2007
• Program Code: [41.0]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIV
1310 BOLLEY DR
FARGO,ND 58105-5750

Performing Department
ANIMAL SCIENCES

Non Technical Summary
Although it has long been recognized that fetal and, subsequently, postnatal growth and development are critical life stages in all mammals, including livestock, it has only recently been shown that poor growth of the fetus in utero profoundly affects health and productivity not only during the immediate postnatal period but throughout life, a concept termed Fetal or Developmental Programming. Development of the fetus and neonate is a complex process, which necessitates that meetings on this topic are interdisciplinary in nature. The planned Aspen Perinatal Biology Symposium, entitled oInteraction of Maternal, Placental and Fetal Systems in Perinatal Development,o and with the overarching theme of the development of healthy offspring and the long-term consequences of abnormal development, will bring together applied and basic scientists, established senior and junior investigators, from clinical medicine to applied livestock production, and from around the world to report and discuss their findings in an atmosphere conducive to frank yet amicable exchange. This will occur via talks, workshops, and poster sessions. The four Co-Organizers and 12 Scientific Committee members are all accomplished agricultural or biomedical scientists and will ensure the success of this unique and important meeting. This conference will address 3 NRI goals: (1) Enhancing economic opportunities for agricultural producers; (2) Supporting increased economic opportunities and improved quality of life in rural America; and (3) Improving the Nations's nutrition and health.

Animal Health Component

50%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

50%

Applied

50%

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
301	3999	1050	50%
302	3999	1050	50%

Knowledge Area
302 - Nutrient Utilization in Animals; 301 - Reproductive Performance of Animals;

Subject Of Investigation
3999 - Animal research, general;

Field Of Science
1050 - Developmental biology;

Keywords

symposium

meeting

fetal programming

developmental programming

long-term health

long-term productivity

Goals / Objectives
In mammals, development of the fetus and neonate involves the interaction of maternal, placental, and fetal systems. These are often studied in isolation, yet an integrated view is needed if we are ever to understand the system as a whole. Epidemiological studies throughout the world have supported the concept of Developmental Programming by showing a strong association between low birthweight and the subsequent risk of developing a range of pathologies, including poor growth, type 2 diabetes, obesity, immune dysfunction, behavioral problems, and cardiovascular disease (Luther et al., 2005; Wallace et al., 2006). It is clear that these diseases have a major impact on the quality of life and, ultimately, will reduce productivity. Thus, reducing the impact of developmental insults and low birthweight has the potential to impact an individuals immediate survival and lifelong health, and thus developmental programming affects livestock and the efficiency of livestock production as well. Perinatal research is also truly international, and research meetings regularly attract foreign scientists with whom trainees and young investigators can interact. The planned Aspen Perinatal Biology Symposium, entitled "Interaction of Maternal, Placental and Fetal Systems in Perinatal Development," and with the overarching theme the development of healthy offspring and the long-term consequences of abnormal development, will bring together clinicians and scientists, established senior and junior investigators, from clinical medicine to applied livestock production, and from around the world to report and discuss their findings in an atmosphere conducive to frank yet amicable exchange. This will occur across all levels via plenary sessions, workshops, and poster sessions, with dedicated time set aside for presentation by and recognition of trainees and junior investigators. The purpose of this meeting is 2-fold: (1) To support travel awards to enable trainees in various aspects of perinatal research to attend the Aspen Perinatal Biology Symposium. This will allow interaction with other scientists in the field, development of research collaborations, and exposure to the latest scientific developments in perinatal research. The long-term objective is to expand perinatal research nationally within the United States, to develop further worldwide collaborations in this field, and to further career development for young US scientists. The awardees will be clearly identified as "USDA-NRI Travel Award Fellows;" and (2) To sponsor 4 established and 4 junior investigators to attend the Aspen Perinatal Biology Symposium and give a state-of- the-art plenary lecture, which will serve as a focal point for a plenary session and poster sessions or workshops in that area. In this way, perinatal biologists can be exposed to the latest developments in that particular field. These individuals would be identified as "USDA-NRI Invited Lecturers" at the meeting.

Project Methods
The four organizers of the Aspen Perinatal Biology Symposium (which came out of a series of perinatal biology symposia that have been held over the past 10 years under the auspices of FASEB, but is now independent because FASEB limited the number and types of presentations by young investigators and trainees) were chosen as being leaders in each of the systematic areas of the meeting; i.e. fetal physiology (Hay), maternal physiology (Davidge), placenta (Myatt), and agricultural models (Reynolds). In addition to the four core organizers, 12 other scientists have been recruited as members of the Scientific Committee and representing the four thematic areas. The Scientific Committee will serve as consultants in creation of the scientific program. This ensures a novel scientific program will be organized, with diversity and the inclusion of Junior Investigators. The Scientific Committee will also assist in review of abstracts. Drs. Myatt, Davidge, Hay, and Reynolds will liaise closely with each of these organizers and the Scientific Committee during the abstract submission and review processes to allow selection of trainees and young investigators for travel awards. Lastly, the Scientific Committee will assist the Organizers in evaluating the posters for three poster awards. Perinatal researchers worldwide are cognizant that investment in trainees and the development of junior investigators is crucial to continued expansion of the perinatal research field worldwide. This is particularly important as cellular and molecular techniques are increasingly incorporated into perinatal research but need tobe integrated into the existing base of physiologic knowledge. In addition, attendance of young investigators at national and international meetings together with exposure and interaction with senior scientists is also vital for building collaborations, networks, and peer recognition. Thus, the Aspen Symposium is designed to be trainee- and young investigator-friendly and will feature both presentations by them and many opportunities for interaction with senior investigators. To facilitate this, there are several initiatives planned for this meeting, which include: a) Reduced registration for trainees and young investigators; b) Trainee and new investigator travel awards; c) Inclusion of new investigators in plenary oral sessions. At this meeting the program committee has invited junior investigators both male and female to present alongside senior investigators in all plenary sessions; and d) Poster Awards. An awards committee of senior scientists will review poster presentations by new investigators and three poster awards will be presented. The venue for the meeting will be the Given Institute in Aspen, Colorado. This state-of-the-art conference facility is owned and staffed by the University of Colorado School of Medicine. The symposium will have plenary sessions, poster sessions, and workshops, and will be widely advertised to both biomedical and agricultural scientists worldwide.

Progress 07/01/07 to 06/30/08

Outputs
OUTPUTS: Aspen Perinatal Biology Symposium Final Report Attendees There were 97 registrants total for the conference. Of these 40 were female with one minority female who was an invited speaker. The attendees included 38 individuals who were still in training. The majority of attendees were U.S. based but 25 were from overseas, including individuals from Australia, New Zealand, South America, India and Europe. There were 2 Hispanic registrants. Individuals Supported 1. USDA-NRI Travel Award Fellows: a. Joanna Kerslake (doctoral student), Institute of Veterinary, Animal and Biomedical Sciences, Massey University, New Zealand b. Michael Carey Satterfield (doctoral student), Texas A&M University c. Meijun Zhu, PhD, University of Wyoming d. Pawel Borowicz, PhD, North Dakota State University 2. USDA-NRI Invited Lecturers: The scientific program was organized into 8 plenary sessions, two each for maternal, fetal and placental systems and for agriculturally relevant models. In addition, two workshops were held, and two poster sessions featuring 43 submitted abstracts were held. The nine USDA-NRI Invited Lecturers are given below. Monday Morning, August 27, Session E (Agriculture 1): Fetal programming in agriculturally-relevant animals, Chair: Larry Reynolds, PhD, North Dakota State University 8.00-8.30am Ron Magness, PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison. "Uteroplacental blood flow regulation: Implications for fetal programming" 8.30-9.00am Susan Bagby, MD, Oregon Health and Sciences University. "Maternal proteinrestriction in microswine: oxidative stress and vascular dysfunction" 9.00-9.30am Paul Greenwood, PhD, University of New England and NSW Department of Primary Industries, Australia. "Effects of birth weight and nutrition on postnatal muscle development and energy metabolism" 9.30-10.00am Sean Limesand (Junior Investigator), PhD, University of Arizona. "Programming of fetal pancreatic development in sheep" Tuesday morning, Aug 28, Session I (Agriculture 2): Effects of maternal nutrition and specific nutrients on fetal development in agriculturally-relevant animals, Chair: Steve Ford, PhD, University of Wyoming 10.30-11.00am Guoyao Wu, PhD, Texas A&M University. "Role of dietary amino acids in regulating fetal and placental development and function in agriculturally relevant species" 11.00-11.30am Joel Caton, PhD, North Dakota State University. "Impacts of maternal nutrition and specific nutrients on fetal and neonatal organ development in sheep" 11.30-12.00pm Jacqueline Wallace, PhD, Rowett Research Institute, Scotland. "Maternal and fetal adaptations to nutritional extremes: Impact on postnatal metabolism and phenotype" 12.00-12.30pm Min Du (Junior Investigator), PhD, University of Wyoming. "Effects of maternal nutrient intake during early pregnancy on fetal and neonatal muscle development in sheep" 12.30-1.00pm Justin Luther (Junior Investigator), PhD, North Dakota State University. "Maternal nutrient intake and placental development and function in sheep" Publications The abstracts presented at the meeting were published in the journal Pediatric Research in September 2007 (Pediatric Research 62: 380-387, 2007) PARTICIPANTS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. TARGET AUDIENCES: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Nothing significant to report during this reporting period.

Impacts
Aspen Perinatal Biology Symposium Final Report Purpose of the Meeting The purpose was 2-fold: (1) To secure funding to support travel awards to enable trainees in various aspects of perinatal research to attend the Aspen Perinatal Biology Symposium to allow interaction with other scientists in the field, development of research collaborations, and exposure to the latest scientific developments in perinatal research. The long-term objective was to expand perinatal research nationally within the United States, to develop further worldwide collaborations in this field, and to further career development for young US scientists. The travel awardees were selected by competitive review by the program committee of abstracts submitted to the Aspen Perinatal Synposium, but with regard being paid to representation of women and minorities. In addition, for this particular application, the NRI funds were used to support research relevant to the mission of the NRI, and the awardees (see below) were clearly identified as "USDA-NRI Travel Award Fellows," and received their award certificates at a ceremony held after one of the plenary programs; to (2) To sponsor 4 established and 4 junior investigators to attend the Aspen Perinatal Biology Symposium and give a state-of- the-art plenary lecture. These individuals were not necessarily perinatal biologists but rather were senior leaders or promising junior investigators in an area that has relevance to perinatal biology (e.g angiogenesis, neuroendocrinology, pulmonary biology, amino acid transport, organ function) and served as a focal point for a plenary session and poster sessions in that area. In this way, perinatal biologists were exposed to the latest developments in that particular field. These individuals (see below) were identified as "USDA-NRI Invited Lecturers" at the meeting. Location The conference was held from August 25 - 28 2007 at the Given Institute, Aspen Colorado. Co-Funding In addition to funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's NRI, funding was also secured from the March of Dimes, Ross Products Division, Abbott Laboratories, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the University of Colorado, the National Institutes of Health, North Dakota State University, and the University of Cincinnati to support the conference.

Publications

• Publications The abstracts presented at the meeting were published in the journal Pediatric Research in September 2007 (Pediatric Research 62: 380-387, 2007), available at: http://www.pedresearch.org/pt/re/pedresearch/pdfhandler.00006450-2007 09000-00032.pdf;jsessionid=JJTGtQ9v76jTYvLvW2bKZZq23qFPT1VKX32cb0vFR3 VJ6nzGCQ1p!-1853705402!181195629!8091!-1