Sex as a Biological Variable

Sex as a Biological Variable Workshop

Workshop Background

In 2015, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced policy changes to ensure sex as a biological variable is considered in vertebrate animal and human studies. The 2017 Sex as a Biological Variable (SABV) Workshop took place October 26-27, 2017, at the NIH campus in Bethesda, MD. This one and one-half day workshop addressed the advantages of incorporating SABV into biomedical research.

The workshop highlighted the scientific insights from a select number of researchers who received supplemental funding through the NIH Office of Strategic Coordination (Common Fund) and the Office of Research on Women's Health to address sex differences in brain function and behavior, sex effects/interactions with external influences, sex differences in animal models, and sex differences in gene expression. Researchers presented their scientific results. They also shared challenges and approaches to inclusion of SABV in research design spanning the continuum from basic through translational to clinical research analyses and reporting. The workshop included a panel discussion on accounting for SABV in biomedical research. Workshop materials and video recordings are below.

Workshop Summary

Please view a summary of the SABV workshop which includes research findings from the speakers and key conclusions that were developed

Program Booklet

Please download a copy of the Sex as a Biological Variable program booklet from the workshop. This booklet includes:

• Meeting Agenda
• Speaker and Moderator Biographies
• Oral Presentation and Poster Abstracts 
• Participant List 

Videocast of Workshop Sessions

Introduction and Keynote Address

• Opening remarks by Dr. Elizabeth Wilder, Director of the Office of Strategic Coordination
• Opening remarks by Dr. Janice Clayton, Director of the Office of Research on Women's Health
• Keynote address by Dr. Virginia Miller, Professor at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MD

Session 1- Sex Differences in Brain Function and Behavior

• Moderator - Paul Barrett, OSC
• Speaker 1- Kyle Burghardt, Wayne State University
• Speaker 2- Eugenia Trushina, Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN
• Speaker 3- Emerman Mayer, UCLA
• Speaker 4 - Margart McCarthy, University of Maryland

Session 2- How Sex Impacts Our Interaction with External Influences

• Moderator - Jennifer Troyer, NHGRI
• Speaker 1- Michele Ramsay, University of the Witwatersrand
• Speaker 2- Anne Murphy, Georgia State University
• Speaker 3- Nicole Basta, University of Minnesota
• Speaker 4- Kathryn Argue, University of Maryland

Session 3 - Sex Differences in Animal Models

• Moderator - Colin Fletcher, NHGRI
• Speaker 1- Anna Penn, Children's National Medical Center
• Speaker 2- Jayne Danska, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto
• Speaker 3- Brian Nieman, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto
• Speaker 4 - Aleksander& Keselman, Johns Hopkins University

Session 4- Poster Session

Please refer to the program booklet for poster abstracts.

Session 5- Sex Differences in Gene Expression 

• Moderator- Rajeev Agarwal, ORWH
• Speaker 1- Scott Hultgren (presented by David Hunstad), Washington University School of Medicine
• Speaker 2- David Hunstad, Washington University School of Medicine
• Speaker 3- Lauren Weiss, UCSF
• Speaker 4- Barbara Stranger, University of Chicago

Session 6- Open Panel Discussion

• Moderator- Judy Hewitt, NIAID
• Panel Members
  • Emeran Mayer
  • Margaret McCarthy
  • Virginia Miller
  • Brian Nieman
  • Michele Ramsay
• Closing remarks by Dr. James Anderson, Director of the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives