Where Virology Meets Women’s Health: Reproductive Health Innovation Summit in Tübingen

From September 16–18, Tübingen became a meeting point for scientists and clinicians exploring some of the most pressing questions in women’s health. The 5th Women’s Reproductive Health Innovation Summit, held at the Hotel Krone, was co-organized by Daniel Sauter from the Institute for Medical Virology, together with Madhuri Salker and Yogesh Singh. Six sessions covered a broad range of topics, including infection and immunology, sex differences in brain and behaviour, development and pregnancy, personalised medicine and technology, global health and fertility diseases, as well as novel disease models and platforms. A central theme of the meeting was the intersection of infection biology, immunology and reproductive health. Seven keynote speakers and researchers from Canada, China, South Africa, Gabon and Germany shared insights spanning topics such as the impact of climate change on pregnancy, sex-specific immune and DNA damage responses, maternal brain changes and placental parasites. The breadth of the programme highlighted how questions traditionally studied within virology and infection biology are closely connected to pregnancy, fertility and women's health. The summit also celebrated early-career research. Master student Hong Fu received the Best Presentation Award for her work “Matrine alleviates endometriosis by inhibiting MDSC and M2 macrophages.” The meeting provided a valuable opportunity to bring together scientific communities that do not always meet in the same room and to explore what can emerge when infection biology and women’s health are considered together.