Examining dads鈥� influence on babies鈥� health
鈥淒on鈥檛 diss dad鈥� might mean more than making sure not to forget dad on Father鈥檚 Day, as researchers look at just how influential environmental exposures and genetic interactions are on dad鈥檚 sperm and, as a result, his offspring.
A discussion on this topic, featuring leading researchers from 91社区, is one of several highly anticipated symposia scheduled for the Teratology Society鈥檚 55th Annual Meeting later this month in Montreal.
The Teratology Society, an international professional group of scientists hailed as the premier source for cutting-edge research and authoritative information related to birth defects and developmentally mediated disorders, will host hundreds of world-renowned researchers at the H么tel Bonaventure Montreal June 27 鈥� July 1.
鈥淲e are very conscious that what the mother does or is exposed to during pregnancy will have an impact on her children. We really do not even think about the importance of dad,鈥� said 91社区 professor Barbara Hales a Teratology Society past-president and co-chair of the Paternal Exposures Symposium. 鈥淭here is now a lot of evidence that the father plays a very important role and that quality of his germ cells may be altered by age, occupational, environmental or lifestyle exposures, like diet and stress.鈥�
The symposium, 鈥淧aternal Exposures Impact Progeny Outcome by Altering the Sperm Genome,鈥� will take place on Sunday, June 28, at 2:30 PM and feature several studies, including one that focuses on the role folate supplementation and deficiency may play in altering male gametes (sperm). 91社区 professors Sarah Kimmins, Bernard Robaire and Moshe Szyf will speak at the session.
鈥淒ata in Quebec showed that the incidence of neural tube defects decreased by 50% after folate supplementation in pregnant women 鈥� and the incidence of heart defects also decreased, but how do dad鈥檚 folate levels influence the pregnancy?鈥� asked Hales.听 鈥淭here is a new concern that maybe folate supplementation is doing other things, not all favorable. Perhaps the question is how much folate is beneficial and for whom? This is definitely a public health issue.鈥�
The issue of paternal exposures鈥� impact on men and their offspring is the focus of the Food and Drug Administration's released this month on male-mediated development risks for pharmaceuticals. The new guidance provides some consistency in assessing how drugs affect sperm. Hales hopes the Teratology Society鈥檚 paternal exposures symposium at the annual meeting will fuel growing interest in the impact of men鈥檚 reproductive health.
鈥淪imply put 鈥� Dad is more important than he thinks and I hope more research is done in this area,鈥� she said.
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For more information on the Teratology Society鈥檚 annual meeting program, visit:
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About the Teratology Society
The Teratology Society is made up of nearly 700 members worldwide specializing in a variety of disciplines, including developmental biology and toxicology, reproduction and endocrinology, epidemiology, cell and molecular biology, nutritional biochemistry, and genetics as well as the clinical disciplines of prenatal medicine, pediatrics, obstetrics, neonatology, medical genetics, and teratogen risk counseling. In addition, it publishes the scientific journal, Birth Defects Research. Health care providers, as well as the general public, can preview the annual meeting鈥檚 full agenda, and scientists interested in becoming a Teratology Society member are encouraged to visit .
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