31st Symposium of Biology and Immunology of Reproduction
Chateau Liblice
4-6 October 2026
Conference scope
SBIR (Symposium of Biology and Immunology of Reproduction) has been running for over 30 years, under the management of doc. RNDr. Jana Pěknicová, CSc., and Prof. MUDr. Zdenka Ulčová-Gallová, DrSc. Since 2021 the conference is organized by doc. Dr. Kateřina Komrsková, Ph.D., head of the Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences. The goal of the SBIR conference is to build a platform for researchers, medical doctors, immunologists, andrologists, gynaecologist, and other scientists interested in reproduction, assisted reproduction, and reproduction related topics. We provide a forum, where everybody can share their research progress and ideas in a collaborative and inclusive atmosphere. This conference is opened to researchers, both senior and junior, clinicians, and students. We encourage both oral presentations and poster sessions, based on your preference. The goal of the SBIR conference is to broaden both our national and international communities and expand knowledge in the biology and immunology of reproduction. Feel free to share this information with your friends, students, and colleagues.
Previous conference 2025
Venue
Chateaux Liblice is a conference centre of the Academy of Science of the Czech Republic. The romantic setting of the chateaux is sure to stimulate your senses. A walk through our castle garden and meadow will certainly help revitalise your energy.
Chateaux rooms
Take advantage of the unique opportunity of accommodation in our chateaux where the rooms are furnished by original furniture from the 19th Century. In chateaux Liblice we will help you relax in privacy, with unforgettable moments, and a unique experience.
Depandance rooms
These are our standard rooms. They are located in the buildings next to the castle and they are furnished with modern furniture.
INVITED SPEAKERS SBIR 2026
Prof. Bruce D. Murphy, Ph.D.
Université de Montréal, Canada
Title of the lecture: Differential regulation of ovarian events by two orphan nuclear receptors
Prof. Bruce D. Murphy is a Senior Scientist at the Centre de recherche en reproduction et fertilité (CRRF), Université de Montréal, and a globally recognized leader in reproductive biology. Former Director of the CRRF and founder of the Quebec Reproduction Network (RQR), he has held visiting appointments at Cornell University, the University of Melbourne, and the Louis Pasteur University. His research on embryo implantation and ovarian function has been continuously funded throughout his distinguished career. Dr. Murphy has authored more than 270 scientific publications, served as President of the Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR), and received numerous prestigious awards, including the Marshall Medal of the Society for Reproduction and Fertility (SRF, 2025), the SSR Carl Hartman Award and the SSR Distinguished Service Award. A Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and Distinguished Fellow of the SSR, he has trained over 60 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows and remains an influential figure in reproductive science worldwide.
Prof. Udo Markert, Ph.D.
Jena University Hospital, Germany
Title of the lecture: Endometrial immune cells
Udo R. Markert, immunologist, is Professor at Jena University Hospital, Germany, where he leads the Placenta Laboratory and coordinates the BMBF-funded Center for Early Pregnancy and Reproductive Health (CEPRE). Following medical training in Düsseldorf and research fellowships in France, Canada, Spain, Italy, and the USA, he established an internationally recognized research program in reproductive immunology and placental biology. His work focuses on implantation, maternal-fetal immune interactions, extracellular vesicles, and placental function in health and disease. Prof. Markert has received several international awards, including the John Christian Herr Award of the American Society for Reproductive Immunology and the American Journal of Reproductive Immunology Award. He has served as President of both the American and the European Societies of Reproductive Immunology and is currently President of the German Society of Reproductive Medicine. He is European & African Editor of Placenta and has published 185 peer reviewed papers and has supervised more than 100 doctoral and PhD theses.
A/Prof. Tzviya Zeev-Ben-Mordehai, Ph.D.
Utrecht University, Netherlands
Title of the lecture: Reproductive Structural Biology: from discovery to the clinic
Dr. Tzviya Zeev-Ben-Mordehai is an associate professor at Bijvoet Centre for Biomolecular Research of Utrecht University in the Netherlands. An expert in cellular structural biology of mammalian gametes. Zeev-Ben-Mordehai received her PhD from the Weizmann Institute of Science in 2008. In 2015, she established her group in the Division of Structural Biology of Oxford University. Since 2017, her group has been part of the Bijvoet Centre for Biomolecular Research of Utrecht University. Her group combines biochemistry, biophysics, and advanced cryo-electron microscopy to unravel the molecular basis of reproduction. Among her group's achievements are the first in-cell structures of mammalian sperm flagella (EMBO J 2021 PMID 33694216) and the structure of conserved protein arrays that tether mitochondria to the underlying cytoskeleton (PNAS 2021 PMID 34737233). Recently, her group resolved the native axonemal doublet microtubule structure from sperm (Cell 2023 PMID 37327785, Nature 2025 PMID 39743588) and the SUN5 lattice reinforcing the sperm head–tail junction (PNAS 2026 PMID). Zeev-Ben-Mordehai is a recipient of a Wellcome Trust and The Royal Society Sir Henry Dale Fellowship (2015), NWO START-UP (2018), ERC-consolidator grant (2023) and an NWO-Vici grant (2025).
Program
Sunday, 4. 10. 2026
Lecture room
Bruce D. Murphy: Differential regulation of ovarian events by two orphan nuclear receptors
Monday, 5. 10. 2026
Lecture room
Tzviya Zeev-Ben-Mordehai: Reproductive Structural Biology: from discovery to the clinic
Marble room
Lecture room
Udo Markert: Endometrial immune cells
Marble room
Tuesday, 6. 10. 2026
Lecture room
Preliminary conference schedule. Final timetable may be updated closer to the event.
Sponsors
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Organizers
A/Prof. Dr. Kateřina Komrsková, Ph.D.
Institute of Biotechnology, Czech Academy of Sciences
Dr. Dominik Filipp, Ph.D.
Institute of Molecular Genetics, Czech Academy of Sciences
Conference details
Date: 4 October 2026 - 6 October 2026
Location: Chateau Liblice, Czech Republic
The presentation type is on you. You can choose which type of presentation suits you the best. This year, we will have three types of presentations:
- Oral presentation (15 min presentation + 5 minutes discussion)
- Flash talk (3 minutes presentation + 2 minutes discussion)
- Poster presentation
Poster presentation details: Please prepare your poster in portrait format, size 100 x 70 cm. All posters will be briefly introduced at the beginning of the corresponding poster session. Please note that your poster will be part of the abstract book in the form of a mini poster (A4). Submit your mini posters in PNG or JPG format by 1 September 2026.
Submit your abstract together with your registration form or by email to conference@sbir.cz. Please follow the abstract template.
Accommodation:
Please book your accommodation at liskovar@zamek-liblice.cz
Accommodation is not included in the conference fee.
You can see the room details here: https://www.zamek-liblice.cz/en/rooms/
Deadlines summary:
16 August 2026 End of abstract submission
1 September 2026 End of mini poster submission
13 September 2026 Registration closes
Please note that participants must pay their registration fee by 1 October 2026 or their registration will be cancelled.
Cancellation policy:
Cancelling your registration before 1 September 2026 cancellation fee 0 %
Cancelling your registration before 20 September 2026 cancellation fee 50 %
Cancelling your registration from 21 September 2026 cancellation fee 100 %
