On October 12-15, 2023, the workshop for "Immunological Aspects in Andrology and their Impact on Infertility", funded by the Sino-German Center for Science, was held at the University of Bonn, Germany. Three scholars (Prof. Aihua Liao, Prof. Donghui Huang and A.P. Kai Zhao) from the Team of Reproductive Immunity at the Institute of Reproductive Health, Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) were invited to participate in this workshop.

   The workshop was co-chaired by Prof. Dr. Jean-Pierre Allam, the Director of Men's Department of Bonn University Hospital, Prof. Dr. William S.B. Yeung from the University of Hong Kong and Prof. Dr. Yonggang Duan from the Shenzhen Hospital of the University of Hong Kong. The scholars from the University of Giessen, the University of Jena and the University of Düsseldorf in Germany, and the other scholars from the Peking Union Medical College, the University of Hong Kong and HUST in China were invited to give more than 20 wonderful academic lectures and had a warm communication and discussion, sorting out the history of the development of the discipline of reproductive immunology and exploring the hot issues and the direction of the discipline's development.

Three scholars from HUST were invited to give lectures. Prof. Aihua Liao gave a lecture entitled "Tim-3⁺ Treg cells: the mechanisms accumulating at the maternal-fetal interface and regulating the immune tolerance", introducing the newly found Treg cell subset of Tim-3⁺Treg cells: their roles and mechanism at the maternal-fetal interface, and the potential therapeutic application in pregnancy-related disease as recurrent miscarriage.

Prof. Donghui Huang gave a lecture on "Immunological basis and progress of the epididymis", in which she introduced the immunological role of epididymis in male reproduction, and the function and mechanism of CNP protein in epididymis.

Associate Prof. Kai Zhao gave a lecture on "Testicular exosomes disturb the immunosuppressive phenotype of testicular macrophages mediated by miR-155-5p in UPEC-induced orchitis", introducing the role of testicular exosomes in regulating macrophage polarization and the mechanism of regulating the related pathway through miRNAs.

After the meeting, the participants visited the Medicine of the University of Bonn, learned about the development of Reproductive Immunology at the University of Bonn, and had an in-depth exchange on academic cooperation and joint training of students between the two sides. Finally, an agreement has been made on the next Workshop on the Reproductive Immunology, which will be hosted in HUST. (Reporter/ Kai Zhao)