Description: Production of high-quality gametes is essential for sexual reproduction. In females, this process takes place within the follicle, a supporting structure and functional unit of the ovary. This process is highly error prone, affected by aging, exposure to reproductive toxicants and many disease states. Students will learn about the latest technological advances that clinicians use to select quality eggs, developments in contraception and in fertility preservation.
Objective: The purpose of this course is to provide students with a basic understanding of ovarian biology, molecular control of folliculogenesis and oogenesis, how aging, diseases, and xenobiotic exposure impact ovarian functions and egg quality, and the significance of these processes in reproductive medicine.
Outcome: After taking this course, students will have a working knowledge of the ovarian processes involved in generating meiotically and developmentally competent eggs, understand the impacts that age have on these processes, and identify reproductive toxicant exposures and disease states that impact egg quality. They will be able to synthesize biomedical findings to communicate the implications of these findings in writing to an audience with broad scientific knowledge.
Grading: Students will be graded on attendance and participation (10%) and production of a “Graphical Abstract” assignment (90%). The graphical abstract assignment instructions will be posted in Canvas. Participation will involve describing figures of manuscripts to the class.
Course Materials: Lecture slides and primary literature reading assignments. These materials will be posted on Canvas prior to the scheduled lecture for the specific topic. All students registered for this course will be able to access the course when logged into Canvas with your Rutgers NetID and password.