Business trip report, United Kingdom, Kholodnyy

From 29 July to 2 August 2026, Vitaliy Kholodnyy from the Laboratory of Reproductive Physiology participated in the XVth International Symposium on Spermatology, held at the University of Birmingham (United Kingdom).

The symposium is one of the leading international meetings in the field of sperm biology and reproductive research, bringing together scientists working on the physiology, cell biology, molecular biology and evolution of sperm across a wide range of animal species. The scientific programme included invited lectures, oral presentations and poster sessions covering current topics in reproductive biology.

During the poster session, Vitaliy presented the contribution "Context-dependent sperm motility: Environmental shaping of sperm behavior across reproductive modes in fishes," summarizing recent results on the effects of ovarian fluid on sperm behaviour and fertilization in freshwater fish species with different reproductive strategies.

The symposium provided an opportunity to discuss the presented results with colleagues from around the world, establish new scientific contacts and gain inspiration for the future research activities. Several presentations also introduced new methodological approaches and research directions that may be applied in future studies at the laboratory.