We are pleased to feature an interview with Prof. Paulo Navarro-Costa, our final speaker at the 18th NYRA Meeting. He is an Invited Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon and leads the EvoReproMed Lab at the Instituto de Saúde Ambiental. His research focuses on the genetic and molecular mechanisms underlying …
We’re excited to highlight another plenary speaker for the 18th NYRA Meeting: Dr. Frédéric Chalmel. He is a Research Scientist at Inserm and co-leads the UrGenT team (Physiology and Physiopathology of the Urogenital Tract) at the Irset Institute in Rennes. His research focuses on functional and integrative genomics, particularly transcriptomics, to study the development and physiology of the mammalian urogenital tract and …
We are pleased to feature an interview with Prof. Aurora Ruiz-Herrera, another speaker at the 18th NYRA Meeting. Prof. Ruiz-Herrera is a Full Professor at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and leads the Evolutionary Genomics Group. Her work explores how mammalian genomes are organized and how genome architecture evolves, providing important insights into chromosome biology, germ cell development, and …
We are pleased to feature an interview with Dr. David Skerrett-Byrne, another speaker at the 18th NYRA Meeting. Based at the German Research Center for Environmental Health, his research explores how environmental stress and epigenetic signals shape sperm function, male fertility, and offspring health. With a strong focus on the epididymis, his work aims to redefine clinical andrology …
We are delighted to introduce Dr. Ester Anton, a speaker at the 18th NYRA Meeting. Dr. Anton is a researcher at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain, in the Genome Integrity and Reproductive Biology group. Her research focuses on male reproductive biology, including molecular and multi-omics analyses of sperm and the identification of biomarkers relevant …
In February 2025, NYRA, in collaboration with the European Academy of Andrology (EAA) and ANDRONET, hosted its first School on Transcriptomics and Male Germ Cells at the Maersk Tower, University of Copenhagen. This initiative aimed to equip early-career researchers with practical skills to tackle one of the most complex challenges in reproductive biology: understanding the …
The 17th International NYRA Meeting took place on April 12–13, 2025, at De Ruwenberg in the Netherlands, just before the European Testis Workshop. 39 participants from 12 countries joined us for two days of science, connection, and future-shaping discussion on male fertility and contraception. Here are the main take-home messages from the meeting: Dr Geert …
We are delighted to introduce an interview with Dr. Judit Castillo Corullón, a speaker at the 17th NYRA Meeting. Dr. Castillo is a Serra Húnter Lecturer at the Genetics Unit, Department of Biomedicine, University of Barcelona, and a member of the Molecular Biology of Reproduction and Development research group (IDIBAPS). Her research focuses on male reproductive biology, particularly sperm proteomics and male fertility. …
We are excited to introduce Dr. Erika Matunis, a speaker at the 17th NYRA Meeting. Dr. Matunis is a Professor of Cell Biology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where her research explores how stem cells renew and differentiate. Her work uses the fruit fly testis as a model to study the molecular signals that regulate the proliferation and differentiation of germline …
We are pleased to feature an interview with Dr. Elizabeth Bromfield, another speaker at the 17th NYRA Meeting. Dr. Bromfield is an ARC DECRA Fellow at the Priority Research Centre for Reproductive Science, where her work focuses on how human sperm cells recognize and interact with the egg to improve in vitro fertilization outcomes. Her research has provided key insights into sperm-egg recognition and the …
We are delighted to introduce an interview with Dr. Geert Hamer, a plenary speaker at 17th NYRA meeting. Dr. Hamer is a Research Associate at the Amsterdam Reproduction & Development and Associate Professor at the Reproductive Biology Laboratory, Amsterdam UMC. His work focuses on genome stability maintenance and development of germ cells and human preimplantation …
Get to know Dr. Anne Jørgensen, one of the plenary speakers at the upcoming 17th NYRA Meeting. Dr. Jørgensen is a Senior Researcher at Herlev and Gentofte Hospital in Denmark. Her current research focuses on mechanisms leading to the arrest of normal fetal gonocyte differentiation and development of GCNIS cells using an ex vivo culture model of …
We are happy to present our interview with Dr. Sara di Persio, a faculty member in first NYRA School in Omics of Male Germ Cells. Sara is a a postdoc at the Centre of Reproductive Medicine and Andrology in Münster, Germany where she works on characterization of different human spermatogonial stem cell subpopulations in men …
We are proud to present Dr. Chloé Mayere from the University of Geneva as a faculty member and trainer of the first NYRA-EAA-Andronet School in Omics of male germ cells. Her expertise includes Single cell sequencing, sex differentiation and spermatogenesis. Her research focus lies on investigating gonadal sex differentiation by single cell transcriptomics in mice …
We are delighted to introduce Dr. Lena Arevaló as a faculty member in first NYRA School in Omics of Male Germ Cells. Lena is a young PI who recently founded her lab at the Department of Animal Reproduction INIA-CSIC in Madrid, Spain. Her research focuses on molecular processes of mammalian reproduction in an interdisciplinary approach at …
Get to know Prof. Nina Neuhaus, one of the invited speakers to the upcoming 16th NYRA Meeting in Brussels (May 27th-29th), through this interview. Prof. Neuhaus is the group leader of the Germline Stem Cells Group at CeRA, Münster. Her research focuses on male infertility and fertility preservation of immature testicular tissue. When and why did you …
Nowadays, most children with cancer survive, but many experience long-term effects from their cancer treatment. Treatments like conditioning therapy for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, high cumulative doses of alkylating agents and radiation can damage the gonads, leading to problems such as infertility and delayed puberty in males. Identifying and addressing these issues in follow-up care …
Meet Aurore Roland, our guide into the science behind good sleep at the upcoming 16th NYRA Meeting in Brussels (May 27th-29th). Dra. Aurore Roland obtained her master’s degree in clinical psychology from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) in 2021. The same year she became a European Sleep Research Society-certified expert in behavioural sleep medicine. She …
Dr Sarah Martins da Silva is a Consultant Gynaecologist based at Ninewells Assisted Conception Unit, Ninewells Hospital Dundee. She is experienced in all aspects of subfertility investigation and management. Dr Martins da Silva qualified in 1995. During her specialist training she completed MD investigating various aspects of ovarian development and egg maturation (University of Edinburgh …
Get to know Dr Herman Tournaye, one of the invited speakers to the upcoming 16th NYRA Meeting in Brussels (May 27th-29th), through this interview. Prof. Tournaye is the Medical and Scientific Director of Brussels IVF and a Professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). His research focuses on spermatogenesis and testicular stem cells. When and why …
Portrait by Martijn Gijsbertsen. Get to know Dr Callista Mulder, one of the invited speakers to the upcoming 16th NYRA Meeting in Brussels (May 27th-29th), through this interview. Dr Callista Mulder is based at Amsterdam UMC in the Netherlands. Her research focuses on the development of safe and effective reproductive therapies for individuals facing challenges …
In recent years, our knowledge about male reproductive health has made big advances. However, two main questions still remain unanswered: ‘When will we have an effective male contraceptive pill?’ and ‘Can we cure patients with abnormal spermiogram parameters?’ A recent study by Gruber et al. (https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0297666) brings us a step closer to answering both questions. …
Get to know Eoghan Cunnane, one of the invited speakers to the upcoming 16th NYRA Meeting in Brussels (May 27th-29th), through this interview. Dr Cunnane is a lecturer in Biomedical Engineering and Principal Investigator on an ERC Starting Grant at the University of Limerick. His research focuses on translational biomedical technology. When and why did you …
In fact, the only time I really decided to work in the field of reproductive biology was when I had to find an internship for my Master’s studies in Biomedical Sciences. I felt honored and privileged to be taught embryology by Prof. Van Steirteghem, the ‘inventor’ of ICSI. I enjoyed his course a lot as …
While cannabis is the most widely used recreational drug in the world, the effects of phytocannabinoids on semen parameters and reproductive hormones remain controversial. It is composed of more than 400 chemicals, out of which approximately 100 are cannabinoids. A recent study by Dr. Zufferey and colleagues, published in Andrology, evaluated the impact of the …
In a most recent study, Hua and colleagues have identified a rare homozygous nonsense mutation in the ACR gene as a causative factor for male infertility, specifically leading to Total Fertilization Failure (TFF) during in vitro fertilization (IVF) attempts. The findings, published in Human Reproduction, shed light on the genetic basis of TFF, offering new …
Over the last decades, mobile phones have become ubiquitously used regardless of people’s age, cultural background, gender, or geographical location. However, little is known about the impact on general fertility of the radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF) emitted by these devices, which can be absorbed by the human body. Specifically in the case of male fertility, …
Through this interview, get the opportunity to meet the most international speaker of our next meeting, coming straight from Australia! Professor Brett Nixon is a Senior Research Fellow of the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia and a Professor of Biology at The University of Newcastle, Australia. In this position, he serves as …
You can now get a better knowledge on one of our speakers to the upcoming 15th NYRA Meeting in Caux (June 17th – 18th) through this ´tête-à-tête´. Prof. Christophe Arnoult obtained his PhD at the University of Grenoble Alpes where he is currently a head researcher at the Institute of Advanced Biosciences INSERM&CNRS (IAB). In …
Get to know another invited speaker to the upcoming 15th NYRA Meeting in Caux (June 17th-18th) through this interview. Dr. Pei-Hsuan Wu conducted her Ph.D. research with Richard Carthew at Northwestern University in Evanston (Illinois, U.S.). After receiving her Ph.D. degree in 2013, she joined Phillip Zamore’s laboratory at the RNA Therapeutics Institute at the …
Omics has been a hot topic in the 21st century; Genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, proteomics, lipidomics, etc. Nevertheless, omics hasn’t been without its challenges in terms of technical developments. For many scientists, the amount of data generated from most omics studies has been overwhelming. It has become indispensable in biology to have bioinformatic skills, which adds …
Sex chromosomes are important for the development of sperm and egg cells in mammals. In mice, reproductive cells start off as the same type of cell and then develop differently depending on the biological niche they are in. In the case of males (XY), primordial germ cells (PGCs) develop into sperm and in females (XX), …
For young boys with cancer or a non-malignant hematological disorder, conditioning therapy, abdominal/pelvic radiotherapy, and certain chemotherapies form a major risk for germ cell loss. Contradictory studies have investigated the direct effects of such diseases on the development of the prepubertal male gonad before mainline treatment. For health professionals to counsel pediatric patients in the …
Kodai Hirano, Yuta Nonami, Yoshiaki Nakamura, Toshiyuki Sato, Takuya Sato, Keiichiro Ishiguro, Takehiko Ogawa, *Shosei Yoshida Background Spermatogenesis in mammals is a temperature-sensitive developmental process that occurs at a few degrees below the core body temperature of 38 °C. Elevated testis temperatures disrupt spermatogenesis at various phases, leading to male infertility. Artificial cryptorchidism, which involves surgically …
Get to know our first invited speaker to the upcoming 15th NYRA Meeting in Caux (June 17th-18th) through this ‘tête-à-tête’. Dr Stukenborg obtained his PhD at the Centre of Reproductive Medicine and Andrology (CeRA) in Münster, Germany, after which he joined the Karolinska Institutet for as a post-doctoral researcher. Currently Dr Stukenborg is a senior …
During the differentiation phase at the spermiogenesis (the last phase of the spermatogenesis), haploid round spermatids undergo an extreme morphological remodelling of nuclear and cytoplasmic structures. Nonetheless, while testicular sperm are morphologically specialized cells, they are not functional and lack both the ability to swim and fertilize. Hence, sperm maturation in the epididymis is therefore …
Human semen quality is remarkably poor, with a reduced efficiency of spermatogenesis. Studies revealed that latter complex process has undergone rapid evolutionary changes. Male infertility is increasing which leads to a concomitant higher demand of assisted reproductive technologies. As other primates have not experienced the same decreasing fertility, a multicenter study sought to uncover the …
The 12th European Congress of Andrology took place from October 19th to October 21st in Barcelona, Spain, and once again NYRA hosted a session with talks from selected younger researchers. Under the expert moderation of Alberto and Daniel from the NYRA board, Yoni Baert (Belgium) introduced us to testicular organoids and their potential in i.e., …
Gamete fusion is the union of two haploid cells (sperm and egg) resulting in fertilisation and embryo development. In mice, this fundamental process is depended on the presence of the egg receptor on the sperm membrane (IZUMO1) and the sperm receptor on the egg membrane (JUNO). While the relevance of this sperm-egg receptors interaction is …
The 14th international NYRA meeting took place from September 20th to September 21st, 2022, in Norwich, United Kingdom. 31 participants from UK, Croatia, Spain, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, France, Poland, and Belgium joined this meeting at the University of East Anglia (UEA), which is a part of the Norwich Research Park, one of Europe’s biggest communities of researchers in …
After primordial germ cells (PGCs) have colonized the gonadal ridge at roughly 3–5 weeks post conception (WPC), two successive development stages are observed during male gonadogenesis: sex determination of the bipotential gonads and testis differentiation. At 6 WPC, the SRY gene becomes expressed in the bipotent supporting cells in the gonadal coelomic epithelium, ventral to …
To wrap up the ‘tête-à-tête’ series on speakers from the 14th NYRA Meeting in Norwich, we here present the tête-à-tête with Simone Immler. Simone Immler is a Professor of Genetics and Reproduction at the School of Biological Sciences at the University of East Anglia. Prof. Immler earned her MSc from the University of Basel, Switzerland, …
Get to know another invited speaker to the upcoming 14th NYRA Meeting in Norwich (September 19th-21st) through this ‘tête-à-tête’. Dr. Antoine Molaro studied Biology, did his Ph.D. at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (NY, USA), and moved to Seattle (WA, USA) as Postdoctoral Fellow at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Dr. Molaro is currently a …
We bring you the opportunity to get to know another invited speaker to the upcoming 14th NYRA Meeting in Norwich (September 19th-21st) through this ‘tête-à-tête’. Dr. Sandra Laurentino studied Biochemistry and did her PhD in Biomedicine at the University of Beira Interior in her native Portugal. Right afterwards she move to Germany to join the …
We bring you the opportunity to get to know another invited speaker to the upcoming 14th NYRA Meeting in Norwich (September 19th-21st) through this ‘tête-à-tête’. Andrea has over 20 years’ experience helping people build healthy mindsets and emotionally-intelligent relationships at work, home and school. She is a highly experienced trainer, a qualified Parent and Youth …
We bring you the opportunity to get to know another invited speaker to the upcoming 14th NYRA Meeting in Norwich (September 19th-21st) through this ‘tête-à-tête’. We bring you the opportunity to get to know another invited speaker to the upcoming 14th NYRA Meeting in Norwich (September 19th-21st) through this ‘tête-à-tête’.
Testicular cryopreservation is an experimental method used to preserve gonadal tissue of pre-pubertal boys or men whose fertility is likely to be compromised due to chemotherapy treatment. A recent study on rats shows that viable sperm can be produced from cryopreserved spermatogonial stem cells (SSC) after 23 years of storage – a discovery that offers …
This time we bring an interview to get to know another of our invited speakers at the 14th NYRA meeting, which will take place in Norwich from 19-21st of September 2022. Kristian Almstrup is a Senior Scientist at Copenhagen University Hospital – Rigshospitalet, where he serves as a research leader at the Department of Growth and Reproduction. …
Many thousands of genes are required for male fertility in mammals. In the testis, these genes govern the diverse individual processes of mitosis, meiosis and spermiogenesis, which are ultimately required to generate sperm. During this latter process of spermiogenesis, round spermatids undergo a complete remodelling to generate a sperm tail for motility, sculpt the nucleus …
This time we bring an interview to get to know our first invited speaker at the 14th NYRA meeting, which will take place in Norwich from 19-21st of September 2022. Dr. Raheleh Rahbari obtained her PhD in Medical Genetics at the University of Leicester, after which she joined the Wellcome Sanger Institute as a post-doctoral …
Sperm has classically been perceived as a vehicle of the male genome to the zygote. However, thanks to the application of high-throughput technologies to study the male gamete, it is now known that this small cell is much more complex than a simple DNA carrier. The sperm cell contains, besides the paternal genome, a great …
The general understanding of fertilization is the fusion of two haploid gametes, the spermatozoon, and the oocyte, to form a diploid cell that goes through the multiple cell division and cell differentiation events of embryo development. However, recent research has pushed this understanding. Parthenogenesis, also known as virgin births, is another way of embryo development …
Testis tissue is very complex and heterogeneous as it is made up of several somatic (Leydig, Sertoli, peritubular myoid cells and others) and germ cell types (spermatogonia, spermatocytes and spermatids). Due to the high number of different cell types, histological and molecular studies have always been challenging. As an example, the use of bulk RNA …
Prof. Ellen Goossens from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), in cooperation with the Universitair Ziekenhuis Brussel (UZ Brussel), received the ethical approval to re-implant previously frozen testicular tissue in male cancer survivors who lost their fertility because of childhood cancer treatments. If successful, sperm cells will develop in the implanted tissue to restorethe fertility ofthese patients. Childhood cancer survival rates …
ANDRONET, the biggest running European network in andrology, aims to increase research collaboration, education, and public awareness in male reproductive health. It was born within a social context of worst reproductive outcomes, tightly related with the male factor, in which establishing strong connections between clinicians and researchers is essential to tackle a problem with such …
We are delighted to invite you to join us in the 14th NYRA Meeting taking place on September 19th-21st 2022, at University of East Anglia in Norwich in the United Kingdom. This last year has been a challenging time. The coronavirus pandemic has caused severe disruptions and obstacles to research as well as affected all …
Registration Abstract submission 13th NYRA Meeting: REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN! Due to the COVID-19 worldwide situation, for the health and safety of the attendees, the 13th NYRA Meeting has been postponed to next May 29th-30th, 2021 and will take place as a Virtual Meeting. Don’t miss this opportunity to join the young researcher community! Submitting your …
Boys receiving gonadotoxic treatment (e.g. chemo- or radiotherapy) before puberty face the possibility of being infertile when they reach adulthood due to the loss of germ cells. As mature spermatozoa are not present, the only fertility preservation strategy currently offered involves the cryopreservation of immature testis tissue (ITT) containing spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs). Auto-transplantation of …
By CONSTANZE MARESCH It is our great pleasure to announce the 12th NYRA Meeting, that will be held in Giessen, Germany, on September 23rd – 24th 2019. This year the meeting will be held adjacent to the 6th International Workshop on Molecular Andrology (https://www.uni-giessen.de/fbz/fb11/institute/anatomie/molandrol2019) and the 50th Anniversary of the Department of Urology in Giessen. …
For the first time ever, NYRA – the Network for Young Researchers in Andrology – joined forces with the American Society of Andrology (ASA) Trainee Committee to organise a fully trainee-led symposium. This exciting session took place during the joint ASA & International Congress of Andrology (ICA) meeting in Washington, D.C., in March 2025. Held …