Event Program
March 06-11, 2027 · Lloret de Mar, Spain
The program is structured to guide participants through a coherent scientific journey, beginning with the foundations of ovarian biology and progressing toward translational, clinical, technological, and societal dimensions of the field.
We open with sessions on ovarian reserve, oocyte competence, and ovarian ageing, establishing the developmental, molecular, and physiological principles that underpin female reproductive function across the lifespan.
Building on this foundation, the programme transitions into emerging technologies, including in vitro gametogenesis, single‑cell analysis, and mechanobiology, highlighting how cutting‑edge tools are reshaping our understanding of ovarian processes.
The following sessions focus on fertility preservation, polycystic ovarian syndrome, toxicology, and environmental impacts, illustrating how basic discoveries translate into clinical practice and public health.
Later sessions broaden the perspective to include follicular signalling, ovarian cancer, and wildlife conservation, reflecting the diversity of species, models, and applications that characterize contemporary ovarian research.
The meeting concludes with a debate on ovarian model systems and presentations from scientific networks, reinforcing collaboration, methodological reflection, and community building.
| Time | Programme category | Speaker name and topic of talk |
|---|---|---|
| March 07 (Sunday) | ||
| 13:00-17:00 | Early Career Symposium | 6x 30 minutes by early career researchers, discussion event, best talk award, organized by Ovaren |
| 17:00-18:00 | Registration | Registration desk opens |
| 18:00-20:00 | Reception + Drinks | Networking & Mingle |
| 20:00 | Dinner | |
| March 08 (Monday) | ||
| 08:30-09:00 | Opening | Welcome by the organizing committee |
| Session 1: Origins and determinants of ovarian potential | ||
| 09:00-09:25 | Keynote 1 | Ovarian reserve: initiation and depletion – Diana Laird (University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Science – USA) |
| 09:25-09:50 | Keynote 2 | Determinants of oocyte quality and competence – Luca Jovine (Karolinska Institute, Department of Medicine – Sweden) |
| 09:50-10:15 | Short talk | 1x 15 minutes (selected from submitted abstracts) |
| 10:15-10:45 | Flash talks | 10x 3 minutes (selected from submitted abstracts) |
| 10:45-11:15 | Break | |
| Session 2: Ovarian ageing | ||
| 11:15-11:40 | Keynote 1 | The biology of ovarian ageing: from DNA damage to follicle loss – Neil Hunter (University of California, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology – USA) |
| 11:40-12:05 | Keynote 2 | The clinical impact of ovarian ageing across the reproductive lifespan – Farners Amargant (Washington University School of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology – USA) |
| 12:05-12:20 | Short talk | 1x 15 minutes (selected from submitted abstracts) |
| 12:20-12:50 | Flash talks | 10x 3 minutes (selected from submitted abstracts) |
| 12:50-14:50 | Lunch + social event | Mingle-event (meet-the-speakers and ‘human-bingo’) |
| Session 3: Emerging technologies | ||
| 14:50-15:15 | Keynote 1 | Development of in vitro gametogenesis – João Pedro Alves Lopes (Karolinska Institutet, Department of Women’s and Children’s Health – Sweden) |
| 15:15-15:40 | Keynote 2 | Single-cell analysis of pediatric ovaries – Luz Garcia-Alonso (Wellcome Sanger Institute, – UK) |
| 15:40-15:55 | Short talk | 1x 15 minutes (selected from submitted abstracts) |
| 15:55-16:25 | Flash talks | 10x 3 minutes (selected from submitted abstracts) |
| 16:25-16:55 | Break | |
| 16:55-17:10 | Short talk | 1x 15 minutes (selected from submitted abstracts) |
| 17:10-17:55 | Flash talks | 15x 3 minutes (selected from submitted abstracts) |
| 18:00-19:30 | Poster session + drinks | Posters from sessions 1-3 |
| 20:00 | Dinner | Welcome dinner party |
| March 09 (Tuesday) | ||
| Session 4: Fertility preservation | ||
| 09:00-09:25 | Keynote 1 | Regulation of follicle dynamics by AMH: implications for ovarian protection – Roseanne Rosario (University of Edinburgh, Institute for Regeneration and Repair – UK) |
| 09:25-09:50 | Keynote 2 | Proteomic signatures of chemotherapy-induced ovarian damage: mechanistic insights for fertility preservation – Isabelle Demeestere (Université Libre de Bruxelles, Research Laboratory on Human Reproduction – Belgium) |
| 09:50-10:05 | Short talk | 1x 15 minutes (selected from submitted abstracts) |
| 10:05-10:20 | Short talk | 1x 15 minutes (selected from submitted abstracts) |
| 10:20-10:50 | Flash talks | 10x 3 minutes (selected from submitted abstracts) |
| 10:50-11:20 | Break | |
| Session 5: Modern approaches to ovarian disorders | ||
| 11:20-11:45 | Keynote 1 | Epigenetic inheritance of PCOS by developmental programming and germline transmission – Elisabet Stener-Victorin (Karolinska Institutet, Department of Physiology and Pharmacology – Sweden) |
| 11:45-12:10 | Keynote 2 | |
| 12:10-12:25 | Short talk | 1x 15 minutes (selected from submitted abstracts) |
| 12:25-12:55 | Flash talks | 10x 3 minutes (selected from submitted abstracts) |
| 12:55-14:55 | Lunch + social event | Mentor “speed dating” |
| 15:00-18:00 | Social Event | Visit to Santa Clotilde Gardens |
| 18:00-19:30 | Poster session + drinks | Posters from sessions 4 and 5 |
| 20:00 | Dinner | |
| March 10 (Wednesday) | ||
| Session 6: Environmental impacts on ovarian function | ||
| 9:00-9:25 | Keynote 1 | Ovarian toxicology and environmental impacts – Majorie van Duursen (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment – Netherlands) |
| 9:25-9:40 | Short talk | 1x 15 minutes (selected from submitted abstracts) |
| 9:40-9:55 | Short talk | 1x 15 minutes (selected from submitted abstracts) |
| 9:55-10:40 | Flash talks | 15x 3 minutes (selected from submitted abstracts) |
| 10:40-11:10 | Break | |
| Session 7: Signals from the follicular microenvironment | ||
| 11:10-11:35 | Keynote 1 | Extracellular vesicles from follicular fluid as fertility biomarkers – Agne Velthut-Meikas (Tallinn University of Technology, Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology – Estonia) |
| 11:25-11:40 | Short talk | 1x 15 minutes (selected from submitted abstracts) |
| 11:40-11:55 | Short talk | 1x 15 minutes (selected from submitted abstracts) |
| 11:55-12:25 | Flash talks | 10x 3 minutes (selected from submitted abstracts) |
| 12:25-14:25 | Lunch + social event | Lunch with a mentor |
| Session 8: Mechanical signaling in the ovarian microenvironment | ||
| 14:25-14:50 | Keynote 1 | Surface mechanics and compressive stress as regulators of follicle development – Chii Jou Chan (National University of Singapore, Mechanobiology Institute – Singapore) |
| 14:50-15:15 | Keynote 2 | Cryopreservation and tissue mechanics: how cryopreservation shapes ovarian biomechanics – Francesc Fábregues (Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Institute of Gynaecology Obstetrics and Neonatology – Spain) |
| 15:15-15:30 | Short talk | 1x 15 minutes (selected from submitted abstracts) |
| 15:30-16:00 | Flash talks | 10x 3 minutes (selected from submitted abstracts) |
| 16:00-16:30 | Break | |
| Session 9: Wildlife conservation | ||
| 16:30-16:55 | Keynote 1 | Assisted reproduction in deer: advances in fertility management – Sam Ecroyd (Tyndale Farm Animal Practice, – UK) |
| 16:55-17:10 | Short talk | 1x 15 minutes (selected from submitted abstracts) |
| 17:10-17:25 | Short talk | 1x 15 minutes (selected from submitted abstracts) |
| 17:25-17:55 | Flash talks | 10x 3 minutes (selected from submitted abstracts) |
| 18:00-19:30 | Poster session + drinks | Posters from sessions 6-10 |
| 20:00 | Dinner | Gala dinner |
| March 11 (Thursday) | ||
| Session 10: In vitro culture of ovarian follicles | ||
| 9:00-9:25 | Keynote 1 | In vitro culture of ovarian follicles: what are the challenges? – Norah Spears (University of Edinburgh, Biomedical Sciences – UK) |
| 9:25-11:00 | Scientific debate over brunch | Ovarian model systems: 3D models, animal models, transgender ovaries |
| 11:00-11:30 | Closing ceremony with prizes and final remarks | Organizing committee |