About SORB
Our history, mission, and organizing committee
About the Conference
The Southern Ontario Reproductive Biology (SORB) Conference is an annual, one-day scientific meeting that brings together researchers, clinicians, and trainees to share the latest advances in reproductive biology.
Now in its 53rd year, SORB provides a welcoming and collegial environment for undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and early career faculty members to present their work through oral and poster presentations. The conference rotates among host universities each year, fostering collaboration across institutions.
SORB 2026 is proudly hosted by Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. We look forward to continuing this tradition of scientific excellence and community.
Organizing Committee
SORB 2026 is organized by a dedicated group of faculty and trainees from Queen's University.
Faculty
Dr. David Natale
Faculty
Dr. Natale is a faculty member in the Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences at Queen's University. His laboratory investigates the development of the placenta in pregnancies complicated by fetal growth restriction, including those affected by maternal disease such as pre-eclampsia and diabetes, or by maternal exposure to substances such as cannabis. His work focuses on placenta-specific trophoblast cells from their stem cell state through differentiation and their interactions with other placental cell types, using mouse and rat models alongside human placental tissue.
Dr. Tiziana Cotechini
Faculty
Dr. Cotechini is a faculty member at Queen's University whose research spans cancer immunology, tumour microenvironment biology, and reproductive biology. Her work explores how inflammation and immune cell populations influence pregnancy outcomes and tumour progression, with a focus on macrophage biology in both the placental and tumour microenvironment. She has published extensively on the role of aberrant maternal inflammation in pregnancy complications including fetal growth restriction and pre-eclampsia.
Undergraduate Students
Ruslan Amruddin
Undergraduate Student
Bio coming soon.
TBA
Undergraduate Student
TBA
Undergraduate Student