Preimplantation Embryo Development

This volume contains the proceedings of the Serono Symposium on Preimplantation Embryo Development, held in Newton, Massachusetts in 1991. A recent resurgence of interest has occurred in this fundamental phase of embryogenesis and its relevance to basic research and applied fertility studies in both humans and animals. In particular, these proceedings focus on the regulation of cellular and molecular events underlying blastocyst formation, which is the culmination of preimplantation development. The papers herein present the considerable advances made in understanding regulatory mechanisms such as oocyte maturation and the genetic control of embryo development as well as the differentiation of the embryo and embryo-maternal interactions.