“Emerging technologies for healthy reproduction and sustainability”

January 18–22, 2025
Worthington Renaissance
Fort Worth, Texas
Program Chairs: Kiho Lee & Paula Rodriguez-Villamil
*Please note sessions I-V are followed by 2 short oral communications

Friday, January 17

IETS Board of Governors
13:00 – 20:00 Board Meeting Bur Oak
13:00 – 18:00 HASAC - Research Subcommittee Treaty Oak

Saturday, January 18

IETS Board of Governors
08:00 – 17:00 IETS Board Meeting Bur Oak
18:00 – 20:30 Foundation Meeting Bur Oak

HASAC Committee Meetings
8:00 – 10:00 Forms & Certificates Treaty Oak
10:30 – 12:00 Research Subcommittee (Tentive) Treaty Oak
10:30 – 12:00 HASAC Regulatory Meeting TBD
14:30 – 18:00 Manual Subcommittee Treaty Oak

Other Meetings
08:00 – 18:00 W5171 Multistate Meeting TBD
09:00 – 17:00 | West Fork | IETS Preconference Symposium | Advanced Embryo Technologies in Equine: From Gamete Collection to Embryo Transfer

Session I
09:00 – 09:15 Opening & Welcome, Camilo Hernandez–Aviles, Texas A&M University, US
09:15 – 09:45 Cryopreservation of equine semen, including epididymal sperm harvest, Camilo Hernandez–Aviles,Texas A&M University, US
09:45 – 10:15 Commercial applications of equine sex-sorted semen, Juan C. Samper, Texas A&M University, US
10:15 – 10:45 Methods for cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) recovery, evaluation, packaging, and shipping to dedicated Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI) laboratories, Luisa Ramirez-Agámez, Texas A&M University, US
10:45 – 11:00 Break
11:00 – 11:30 In vitro production of equine embryos, including ICSI and conventional in vitro fertilization (IVF), embryo vitrification, and transfer, Luisa Ramirez-Agámez, Texas A&M University, US
11:30 – 11:45 Camilo Hernandez–Aviles: Closing Remarks
11:45 – 13:00 Lunch On your own

Session II
13:00 – 14:00 Sperm processing for cooled storage and cryopreservation (including cushioned and single-layer colloid centrifugation techniques) Juan C. Samper and Tessy Lozano, Texas A&M University, US
14:00 – 15:00 Epididymal sperm harvest and processing for cryopreservation, Charles C. Love, Texas A&M University, US
15:00 – 16:00 COCs recovery from post-mortem ovaries, COC evaluation, and packaging for shipping, Luisa Ramirez-Agamez & Alanoud Alshami, Texas A&M University, US
16:00 – 17:00 Embryo vitrification and warming for transfer, Camilo Hernandez-Aviles & John Gibbons, Texas A&M University, US
17:00 – 17:15 Closing
09:00 – 17:00 | Pecos | DABE Preconference | Exploring new frontiers in CRISPR-Cas: Advancements past Cas9

Session I
09:00 – 09:15 Introduction to the pre-conference – Paula Rodriguez-Villamil, DABE Committee Chair, US
09:15 – 10:45 New Frontiers in CRISPR-Cas: Advancements past Cas9- Miguel Angel Moreno, Andalusian Center of Developmental Biology, Spain
10:45 – 11:00 Coffee break
11:00 – 12:30 Delivery of genome editing components via oviduct to create genetically modified animals, Masato Ohtsuka, Tokai University, Japan
12:30 – 13:30 Lunch On your own

Session II
13:30 – 15:00 Strategies to reduce off-targeting events while using CRISPR-Cas system- Kiho Lee, Missouri State University, US
15:00 – 15:15 Dong-Hyeok Kwon: Cas9-expressing cattle using all-in-one CRISPR/Cas9 for bovine genome editing (153)
15:15 – 15:30 E. Moreno: Effect of PAG7 ablation on matrix remodeling markers in the bovine endometrium (155)
15:30 – 16:00 Coffee break
16:00 – 17:00 How to start a CRISPR-Cas project – Irina Polejaeva & Iuri Viotte Perisse, Utah State University, US
17:00 – 17:15 Closing remarks

Sunday, January 19

07:00 – 08:00 Past Presidents' Breakfast Post Oak
07:00 – 08:00 Student Competition Finalists Breakfast Bur Oak

Main Session Opening
08:00 – 08:15 Opening & Welcome Pecos
08:15 – 08:30 Morula’s Welcome Pecos

Session I: Production of artificial gametes and embryos

Co-Chairs: Beatriz Fernandez-Fuertes & Eduardo Ribes Martinez
08:30 – 09:15 In vitro gametogenesis in cattle: What we can learn from the bovine embryo and mouse models, Anna Denicol, University of California Davis, US Pecos
09:15 – 10:00 Current status of artificial embryos, Ye Yuan, Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine, US Pecos
Session I Short Oral Communication
10:00 – 10:15 Use of ECM-based 3D scaffolds for stimulating bovine spermatogonia differentiation and meiotic division in vitro (Poster #166), Francesca Di Filippo, Università degli studi di Milano, Italy Pecos
10:15 – 10:30 Proteomic insights into the maturing follicle: A study of growing equine follicles (Poster #147) Sophia Marchio, Texas A&M University, US Pecos
10:30 – 11:00 Break/Poster Viewing & Exhibits Brazos & Corridor
11:00 – 12:30 | Pecos | IETS Foundation Student Research Competition
11:00 – 11:15 Development of field techniques for collection and disinfection of bison semen (Poster #1) Sergio Pezo, University of Saskatchewan, Canada
11:15 – 11:30 Association between sperm metabolites and field fertility in beef bulls (Poster #2) Samantha Roberts, University of Tennessee Knoxville, US
11:30 – 11:45 ID2 is not required for bovine blastocyst formation (Poster #3) Inés Flores-Borobia, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Italy
11:45 – 12:00 Tetraploid complementation and embryo aggregation improve development and quality of heterospecific SCNT yak embryos (Poster #4) Minerva Yauri Felipe
12:00 – 12:15 Characterization of plasmatic extracellular vesicles during pregnancy in beef cattle (Poster #5) Maria Camila Lopez-Duarte, University of Florida, US
12:15 – 12:30 Relationships of phototextural characteristics of ovine presumptive zygotes to their developmental potential in vitro (Poster #6) Jakub Bartlewski, University of Guelph, Canada
12:30 – 14:00 Lunch (on your own)  
12:30 – 14:00 IETS Board Lunch with Partner Society Post Oak
12:30 – 14:00 Morulas Mentor Lunch Bur Oak
12:30 – 14:00 HASAC Emerging Technology & Issues Subcommittee Treaty Oak

Session II: Use of stem cells and genome editing technology in livestock

Co-Chairs: Cindy Tian & Meihong Shi
14:00 – 14:45 Application of genome editing technology to improve agricultural traits, Bethany Redel, University of Missouri, USA Pecos
14:45 – 15:30 Use of stem cells for regenerative medicine or to understand cell biology, Fabiana Bressan, Universidade De São Paulo, Brazil Pecos
Session II Short Oral Communications
15:30 – 15:45 A decellularized extracellular matrix hydrogel promotes the development of vascularized testicular spheroids, (Poster #167) Nicole Grechi, University of Munich, Germany Pecos
15:45 – 16:00 Identifying PRDM family members potentially involved in epigenetic reprogramming after fertilization in porcine embryos, (Poster #71), Ty Montgomery, University of Missouri, US Pecos
16:00 – 18:00 Break/Poster Session I/Exhibits
Break sponsored by Professional Embryo Transfer Supply Inc. (PETS)		 Brazos & Corridor
16:00 – 18:00 HASAC Regulatory Meeting Speaker Post Oak
18:00 – 20:00 Welcome Party Brazos & Corridor
20:00 – 21:00 Morulas Forum/Biz Meeting West Fork
21:00 – 22:00 Student Mixer West Fork

Monday, January 20

07:00 – 08:30 Organizational Breakfast Meeting IETS Foundation Bur Oak

Session III: Technological advancements in predicting embryo viability

Co-chairs: Sofia Ortega & Giovanna Nascimento Scatolin
Sponsored by Dibimed
08:30 – 09:15 Maria Belen Rabaglino: Unravelling the complexity of embryonic and foetal development in cattle through machine learning, Maria Belen Rabaglino, Utrecht University, Europe Pecos
09:15 – 10:00 Satoshi Sugimura: Morphokinetic based prediction of embryo viability in cattle, Satoshi Sugimura, Tokyo University, Japan Pecos
Session III Short Oral Communications
10:00 – 10:15 Micro Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (Micro-MRS) for Non-Invasive Metabolic Assessment of Individual Bovine Embryos (Poster #118) Giulia Sivell, EPFL Lausanne: Annaida Technologies, Switzerland Pecos
10:15 – 10:30 Alterations in miRNA and tRNA-derived fragment expression during bovine conceptus elongation (Poster #70) Gabriela L. Murphy, Oklahoma State University, US Pecos
10:30 – 11:00 Break/Poster Viewing & Exhibits
Break sponsored by IMV Technologies/IMV Imaging		 Brazos & Corridor
11:00 – 11:05 Peter Farin Trainee Award Presentations Pecos
11:05 – 11:10 Reconstructing bovine embryos following individual blastomere reduction, Giovanna Nascimento Scatolin, University of Florida Pecos
11:10 – 11:15 Transcriptomic difference of in vitro produced male and female early embryos in bovine, Meihong Shi, Cornell University Pecos
11:15 – 11:20 Interleukin-11 Supplementation Alters the Composition of In Vitro Produced Bovine Blastocysts, Abigayle Pollock, Virginia Polytechnic and State University Pecos
11:20 – 11:25 Use of decellularized extracellular matrix as scaffold to create a 3D endometrium, Eduardo Ribes Martinez, Ludwig-Maximillian University Pecos
11:25 – 11:30 Cleavage rates after bovine IVF are impacted by relative abundance of sperm phospholipase C zeta 1, Raul A Gonzalez-Castro, Colorado State University Pecos
11:30 – 12:00 IETS Business Meeting Pecos
12:00 – 13:30 Lunch (on your own)
12:00 – 13:30 Data Retrieval committee Meeting Post Oak
12:00 – 13:30 Morulas Career Lunch Meeting Bur Oak
12:00 – 13:30 Committee Meeting  

Session IV: New technology to improve embryo transfer programs

Co-Chairs: Jordan Thomas & Raul A Gonzalez-Castro
Sponsored by Partnar Animal Health and Proterra Genetics
13:30 – 14:15 Advances in donor synchronization and superstimulation for OPU:-IVEP: Optimizing oocyte quantity and quality, Alvaro Garcia Guerra, Ohio State, USA Pecos
14:15 – 15:00 Current status on non-surgical embryo transfer in swine Maria A Gil, University of Murcia, Spain Pecos
Session VI Short Oral Communications
15:00 – 15:15 Advancing embryo evaluation: generative artificial intelligence to assess embryos in routine embryo transfer practice (Poster #82) Cara Wells, EmGenisys, US Pecos
15:00 – 15:30 Pregnancy Association Glycoproteins for Assessment of Pregnancy Status in IVF Embryo Recipients (Poster #78) Rafael Paiva, Texas A&M University, US Pecos
15:30 – 16:00 Distinguished Practitioner Award Pecos
16:00 – 16:30 Break and Exhibits Brazos & Corridor

Concurrent Sessions
16:00 – 18:00 | Pecos | Practitioners Forum “Understanding and implementing IETS Freeze Codes”
Sponsored by Calier
16:00 – 16:05 Introduction- Matt Wheeler, Barbara Durrant & Brad Lindsey
Overview of IETS’s Roll in Embryo Technology & Importance of Freeze Codes in Embryo Transfer
16:05 – 16:25 Darrel DeGroft: The Basics of Freeze Codes:The purpose, history, and current standards of Freeze Codes, along with the application process and required documentation
16:25 – 16:45 Ashley Swenson: Updates to Freeze Code Usage Guidelines: Current Labeling guidelines, Recent changes and the impact on practitioners and Laboratories
16:45 – 17:00 Hanna Grothmann: European Regulation and Practice: Overview of requirements for establishment approvals, traceability, germplasm movements, and the use of "TRACES," the EU’s online health certification platform.
17:00 – 17:45 Round Table Discussion & Practitioner Feedback- Brad Lindsey, Clay Breiner, Ashley Swenson, Hanna Grothmann, Joao Viana, Gabriel Bo, Darrel DeGroft, Barbara Durrant
17:45 – 18:00 Closing Remarks & Next Steps
16:00 – 18:00 | West Fork | CANDES Forum
16:00 – 16:45 Assisted Reproductive Technologies(ART) for Conservation of America's Last Wild Ocelots, Ashley Reeves, USA
16:45 – 17:00 Compounds enhancing American toad (Anaxyrus americanus) sperm activation: beneficial effects of bovine serum albumin (BSA) and caffeine, Renato Naranjo, USA
17:00 – 17:15 Influence of cumulus cell morphology on nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation markers of equine oocytes, Sabrina Cousseau, USA
17:15 – 17:30 Successful production of kangaroo ICSI embryos, Patricio Palacio, Australia
17:30 – 17:45 Corpus luteum characterization after embryo removal using the B mode and Color Doppler ultrasound in alpaca (Vicugna pacos) Ariadna Yáñez, Peru
17:45 – 18:00 Ending remarks, Housekeeping
18:00 – 20:00 Poster Session II Reception/Exhibits Brazos & Corridor

Tuesday, January 21

07:00 – 08:30 Organizational Breakfast Meeting IETS BOG Post Oak

Session V: Environmental adaptation and sustainability

Co-Chairs: Goo Jang & Abigayle Pollock
08:30 – 09:15 Genome edited livestock to secure sustainability, Tad Sonstegard, Acceligen-Recombinetics, USA Pecos
09:15 – 10:00 Data-driven technologies and reproductive management practices for improving sustainability, Julio Giordano, Cornell University, USA Pecos
Session V Short Oral Communications
10:00 – 10:15 Periparturient olive oil supplementation increases oocyte yield in dairy cows (Poster #177) Hilde Aardema, Utrecht University Pecos
10:15 – 10:30 Association between follicular characteristics and ovulatory response to the last GnRH of the Double Ovsynch and pregnancy per AI in first service Holstein multiparous cows (Poster #173) Iago Leão, University of Wisconsin, US Pecos
10:30 – 11:15 Break & Exhibits Brazos & Corridor
IETS Foundation Early Career Achievement Award

Chair: Carol Hanna
11:15 – 11:20 Introduction Early Career Scientist Pecos
11:20 – 11:45 Early Career Scientist Presentation Pecos
11:45 – 11:50 Introduction Early Career Practicing Professional Pecos
11:50 – 12:15 Early Career Practicing Professional Presentation Pecos
12:15 – 12:30 AETE & ICAR Announcements Pecos
12:30 – 14:00 Lunch (on your own)
12:30 – 14:00 IETS Program Committee Lunch Post Oak
14:00 – 14:30 Pioneer Award Pecos

Session VI: George E Seidel Jr. Keynote Lecture

Chair: Carlos Pinzon
Sponsored by Professional Embryo Transfer Supply Inc. (PETS)
14:30 – 15:15 Organs on chip to understand reproduction, Julie Kim, Northwestern University, US Pecos
IETS Foundation Early Career Achievement Award
15:15 – 15:20 CSIRO: Best Poster,
Chair: Jennifer Kelly, University of Adelaide		 Pecos
15:20 – 15:25 Undergraduate Student Poster Competition,
Chair: Rolando Pasquariello, University of Milan		 Pecos
15:25 – 15:30 Graduate Student Competition Winner
Chair: Khoboso Lehloenya, University of Zululand		 Pecos
15:30 – 16:00 HASAC Open Session Pecos
16:00 – 16:30 Closing Ceremony #IETS2026 Invitation Pecos
18:00 – 22:00 Closing Party Billy Bobs

Wednesday, January 22

IETS Post Conference Symposium
08:00 – 13:00 | pecos | Oocytes to ranch: Current state of technology for in vitro production in bovine
8:00 – 8:15 Opening & Welcome - Ky Pohler
8:15 – 8:45 Advancements in oocyte maturation in bovine, Dr. Bethany Bauer, USDA, ARS, US
8:45 – 9:15 In vitro production of bovine embryos, Daniela Demetrio, DD Embryos, US
9:15 – 9:45 The role of the paternal histone epigenome in preimplantation embryo development, Dr. Lacey Luense Texas A&M University, US
9:45 – 10:15 Break
10:15 – 10:45 Nutritional programming and pregnancy, Dr. Rodolfo Cardoso Texas A&M University, US
10:45 – 11:15 Pre and Post breeding management for pregnancy success, Dr. George Perry, Texas A&M University, US
11:15 – 11:45 Late embryonic development to weaning losses, Dr. Ky Pohler, Texas A&M University, US
11:45 – 13:00 Panel Discussion & Closing

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