Scientists meet to discuss latest in how sex matters

WHAT: "Sex Begins in the Womb," a conference of leading scientists who will report how the environment and genetics influence fetal development. The meeting, part of a "Sex Matters" campaign to educate the research, medical and lay communities about sex biology differences, will explore current research ranging from the influence of sex hormones on brain development to unlocking the mystery behind recurrent miscarriages. Berlex Laboratories, Inc., an affiliate of Schering AG, is providing a grant for the conference.

WHEN: Conference runs 8:15 am to 6:00 pm.
Interviews with key speakers are available throughout the day by appointment, and media are invited to attend any portion of the conference.

WHERE: The Crown Plaza Cabana
4290 El Camino Real
Palo Alto, Calif. 94306

WHY: The Society for Women's Health Research, founded in 1990, is the nation's only nonprofit organization whose sole mission is to improve the health of women through research. The Society advocates increasing funding for research on women's health, encourages the study of sex differences that may affect the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease and promotes the inclusion of women in medical research studies.

Berlex Laboratories, a U.S. affiliate of Shering AG, Germany, is a major supporter of the "Sex Matters" medical and public education campaign being conducted independently by the Society. The company is both a research pharmaceutical company focusing on female health care, neurology, cancer, heart disease, dermatology, diagnostics and radiopharmaceuticals and a biotechnology company that conducts research from its Richmond, CA facility.

BACKGROUND

Many Factors Influence Fetal Development

By the time a tiny embryo attaches to the uterine lining, it has already received important genetic instructions on how it will develop. If a male embryo is conceived, the genes provided by the maternal X chromosome are essential. Mutations on the X chromosome may lead to muscular dystrophy and in rare cases, can cause the embryo to be miscarried. As early as the first trimester, the embryo is subjected to significant factors that can contribute to sex differences and create long lasting changes in the developing fetus.

The embryo is also washed in sex hormones--estrogen, testosterone and progesterone--that influence whether the embryo may develop a physical or mental disease. Also affecting early development is the mother's mental and physical health, which, if jeopardized, increases the risks of certain diseases following birth.

The presenters will cover a variety of topics at the day long conference including:

� Charles Epstein, MD, University of California San Francisco School of Medicine will discuss why boys and girls develop different types and severity of mental retardation. He will also address the link between Down syndrome and Alzheimer's disease.

� Andrew Hoffman, MD, Stanford University School of Medicine, will examine the potential of gene therapy and other therapeutic approaches to turn a gene off or on to prevent serious disease. Some genes are inherited differently from the mother than from the father. Although both the maternal and paternal contributions are required, some genes need to be turned off by the mother or the father to function properly in the embryo. When the process, called genetic imprinting, is disrupted, certain serious diseases, such as Beckwith-Weideman and Angelman's syndromes, can result. In addition, changes in imprinting may lead to cancer in adults. Hoffman contends that if we can better understand why these genes are turned on or off, we may be closer to preventing and treating certain genetic diseases.

� Frederick vom Saal, Ph.D., University of Missouri-Columbia, will report on animal studies that suggest exposure to both natural and man-made estrogen-like chemicals during fetal development can irreversibly alter development. He will discuss how embryos are very sensitive to natural and environmental steroids.

� Cheryl Scacheri, a researcher and genetics counselor at Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC, found a family plagued with recurrent miscarriages. This family carries a rare mutation on the X chromosome which, when passed on to a male embryo, is incompatible with life. She will report on a new blood test being investigated that may be able to identify underlying genetic abnormalities on the X-chromosome, providing prospective parents with important information.

� Sheri Berenbaum, Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University, will present her research showing that hormones present during fetal development likely affect behavior. Females with congenital adrenal hyperplasia, who are exposed to moderately elevated androgens during fetal development, were found to be more interested in boys' toys and less interested in playing with baby dolls and had higher spatial ability. However, girls with this condition were found to identify happily as females and were not confused about their gender.

Additional Chris Fillip 202-479-7144