Contact for Journalists Only:
Jennifer Choi
Assistant Director, Media Relations
NYU Medical Center Public Affairs
212-404-3555
jennifer.choi@nyumc.org

NEW YORK, May 17, 2005 – The Developmental Genetics Program at NYU Skirball Institute will present “The Biology of Sex: From Genes to Behavior” on June 17, 2005. This year’s symposium will provide a forum for discussion of the molecular, cellular, and behavioral mechanisms underlying sexual reproduction. It will examine the genetic basis for sex determination, as well as the factors responsible for maintaining germ cells (the ultimate stem cells) in a niche that safeguards the genetic material from generation to generation. The event will also explore the attractants, rituals, and neural circuits that create relationships, shape societies, and promote species survival. New insights into the origins of sexual diversity and procreation will be provided.

Schedule:

10:00 am – 10:15 am
Introduction

10:15 am – 11:00 am
Genes, Gender, and Germ Cells
Dr. David Page

11:00 am – 11:45am
Stem Cells Searching for a Meaningful Relationship
Dr. Allan Spradling

11:45 am – 12:30 pm
The Neurobiology of the Pair Bond
Dr. Larry Young

12:30 pm -2:00 pm
LUNCH

2:00 pm -2:45 pm
The Neurobiology of Sexual Reward
Dr. Lique Coolen

2:45 pm – 3:30 pm
The Modularity of Behavior: Genetics and the Patterns of
Aggression in Male and Female Fruit Flies
Dr. Ed Kravitz

3:30 pm – 4:00 pm
COFFEE BREAK

4:00 pm – 4:45 pm
Sex and Repression
Dr. Barbara Meyer

4:45 pm – 5:30 pm
Molecular Architecture of Pheromone Sensing in Mammals
Dr. Catherine Dulac

The 2005 Skirball Institute Seventh Annual Symposium is organized by Alex Joyner & Debbie Yelon.

Direct all inquiries to: Ralph Maldari at (212) 263-6184 or ralph.maldari@med.nyu.edu.

###