Asia Pacific 1: The Digital Lab

Asia Pacific 1: The Digital Lab

Moderators: Dr. Keshav Malhotra and Dr. Serena H. Chen

"Making Babies, The Internet of Things & The Digital Lab"
Dr. Jacques Cohen

“AI Enhanced Fertility: Solving Global IVF Challenges Through Collaboration “
Dr. Michelle Perugini (Life Whisperer)

"Using AI to Reduce Human Bias in Donor Selection"
Josh Rackstraw (Fenomatch)

DR. JACQUES COHEN

Jacques Cohen is a reproductive biologist, laboratory product developer and high complexity laboratory director (HCLD). He is director and founder of the ART Institute of Washington, which runs the joint National Institute of Health and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center IVF program in Bethesda Maryland (USA). He is product developer and co-founder of IVFqc/Althea Science, which develops software solutions for laboratories and clinics. He was co-founder of Reprogenetics, a PGD service, now continuing as Cooper Genomics. He was a co-founder and product developer of Life-Global/IVF-Online. He has (co-)authored more than 300 publications, several textbooks and 12 patents. He is Emeritus Chief Editor of Reproductive Biomedicine Online. He was one of the founders of Alpha – Scientists in Reproductive Medicine and one of the founders of Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis International Society - PGDIS. He is a founding member of the International IVF Initiative.

Jacques Cohen was born in The Hague, The Netherlands and graduated in Biology of Reproductive Science in 1978 at Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands. He has a Ph.D. from Erasmus University in Rotterdam (supervisor Prof. Gerard Zeilmaker), in aspects of in vitro fertilization and male factor infertility. His postdoctoral studies (1982-1985) were performed at Cambridge University (UK) and Bourn Hall Clinic (supervisor Prof Robert Edwards). Jacques Cohen has (co-)developed a number of embryological methodologies and devices: blastocyst cryopreservation, assisted fertilization, assisted hatching, preimplantation genetic testing, ooplasmic donation, single sperm freezing, CODA filtration, Global media, and GPS dishes. He currently serves on Advisory Boards of biotech startups TMRW, Kindbody, DADI and Phosphorus.

DR. MICHELLE PERUGINI 

Dr. Michelle Perugini is an academic and entrepreneur with extensive experience in health and medical research, and advanced AI technologies. Dr Perugini has a PhD in Medicine and spent over a decade as a stem cell biologist specialising in predictive genetics and translational medicine. In 2007, Dr Perugini Co-Founded a global technology company, ISD Analytics, using AI to predict human behaviour of whole populations to assist with strategic and social policy planning. ISD was acquired by Ernst and Young {EY) in 2015.

Dr Perugini is now the Co-Founder and CEO of Presagen, an AI company that connects clinics globally to build scalable AI medical products. Presagen’s first product is Life Whisperer, a web-based application that uses AI to assist clinicians with embryo selection during the IVF process to improve pregnancy success rates and shorten the time to pregnancy for patients. Life Whisperer is commercially available globally. The company now has a global clinical collaborative project open for its second AI product for non-invasive embryo assessment during IVF.

This presentation is sponsored by Life Whisperer 

JOSH RACKSTRAW 

Joshua Rackstraw is the Product Owner of Fenomatch, a platform that uses AI to rank potential donors by their facial resemblance to the recipient (or the recipient's partner). He's also an AI ambassador with an interest in ethics and #TechnologyForGood, and is one of the authors of the Zaragoza Declaration, a treaty on AI principles written earlier this year. In his talk, we'll see how facial matching technology can be used to help provide scientific criteria for donor selection that goes above and beyond the industry-standard phenotypic traits like eye colour and complexion.

This presentation is sponsored by FENOMATCH

DR. KESHAV MALHOTRA

Dr. Keshav Malhotra is the Lab Director of Rainbow IVF and now the Director of Malhotra Embryology Training Academy. He holds a masters degree in Clinical Embryology from Monash university Australia and is one of the few ESHRE certified Clinical Embryologists in INDIA. Dr. Malhotra is on the executive board of ISAR(Indian Society of Assisted Reproduction) and ISPAT(Indian Society for Prenatal Diagnosis and Therapy) and and has worked of Key projects pertaining to Embryology in the country like the Occupational Standard for Embryologists (Healthcare Sector Skill Council India- 2018) and the ISAR - Embryology Consensus 2019. Dr. Malhotra was recognised as Budding Embryologist of the Year by Economic Times INDIA -2019. Dr. Malhotra is passionate about training and actively conducts various online and Hands on Training courses at his flagship center in Agra, INDIA, for standardising embryology services in the developing world

DR.  SERENA H CHEN

Serena H. Chen MD serves as Director of Reproductive Medicine at the Saint Barnabas Medical Center, and IRMS, the Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Science in New Jersey, and Clinical Associate Professor at both Rutgers Medical Schools. Dr Chen feels privileged to be trusted with the reproductive health of people in so many different situations and is dedicated to improving access to reproductive care by breaking down barriers to care and raising public awareness. She is amazed and grateful every day at the explosion in reproductive technology that is happening today, but feels that physicians and scientists must advocate for better support for providers and patients that continue to be the biggest barrier between the promise of these new technologies and their actual delivery.