Session 144: RBMO LIVE 10
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Session 144: RBMO LIVE 10
3pm ET/ 8pm UK/ 9pm CET, Tuesday 10th Dec 2024
Synopsis:
The webinar, hosted by Dr. Mina Alikani and co-chaired by Dr. Basak Balaban and Dr. Thomas Ebner, offered an engaging and comprehensive 90-minute session focused on cutting-edge advancements and challenges in reproductive health and IVF technologies. The event featured four expert speakers who delved into diverse yet interconnected topics.
Dr. Michael Collins opened the discussion by addressing the challenges and efforts involved in the manual operation of cryostorage facilities in reproductive health, highlighting operational intricacies and potential areas for improvement in storage practices. Dr. Lucie Delaroche followed with a detailed assessment of bisphenol accumulation in disposable devices used sequentially during IVF routines, emphasizing its implications on both procedural integrity and patient outcomes.
Dr. Sarah Martins da Silva presented on artificial oocyte activation as a means to improve ICSI outcomes in cases of unexplained fertilization abnormalities, offering insights into the mechanisms and clinical applications of this technique. Dr. Mitchel Schiewe concluded the presentations with a two-part exploration of ultra-fast vitrification and rapid elution of human oocytes. Part I focused on germinal vesicle model validation, while Part II examined the verification of blastocyst development from mature oocytes, shedding light on the efficacy and safety of these advanced cryopreservation methods.
The webinar concluded with a dynamic Q&A session, allowing the audience to engage directly with the speakers and further explore the scientific and practical implications of the presented topics. This session provided attendees with a deeper understanding of the evolving landscape of reproductive health technologies and their impact on clinical outcomes.
Host: Dr. Mina Alikani
Co-chairs: Dr. Basak Balaban & Dr. Thomas Ebner
Speakers:
Dr. Michael Collins: Effort in manual operation of
reproductive health cryostorage facilities
Dr. Lucie Delaroche: Assessment of bisphenol accumulation
from disposable devices used sequentially in IVF routine procedures
Dr. Sarah Martins da Silva: Artificial oocyte activation
improves ICSI outcomes following unexplained fertilisation abnormalities
Dr. Mitchel Schiewe: Ultra-fast vitrification
and rapid elution of human oocytes
Part I. Germinal vesicle model validation
Part II. Verification of blastocyst development from mature oocytes
Q and A
Q and A
Dr. Mina Alikani
Mina Alikani is a Clinical Consultant and a Board-Certified High Complexity Laboratory Director in assisted human reproduction, with many years of experience in the field.
She is an Editor of Reproductive Biomedicine Online, a leading journal in the field. Mina has authored and co-authored more than 80 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters and lectured around the world on various topics related to assisted reproduction.
She currently holds a position as Director of Scientific Affairs with Conceivable Life Sciences and serves on the Scientific Advisory Boards of TMRW and Conceivable Life Sciences. She was recently appointed Adjunct Assistant Professor in Reproductive Clinical Sciences, at EVMS School of Health Professions at Old Dominion University. Since 2022, she has proudly served as the president of Alpha Scientists in Reproductive Medicine.
Dr. Basak Balaban
Following her clinical embryology training in Turkiye and Belgium, Basak Balaban became the head of the IVF laboratory in German Hospital , Istanbul, Turkiye as a certified embryologist by the Ministry of Health, Turkiye in 1996. She moved to her current working place in the same year and became the head of IVF Laboratory in the American Hospital of Istanbul, Assisted Reproduction Unit as the head of IVF. She’s also the scientific advisor of the affiliated university hospital IVF department; Koc University Hospital, Assisted Reproduction Unit. Her major interest areas are embryo selection and in-vitro culture techniques, cryopreservation, and blastocyst culture. She has published and lectured extensively in these fields. She has been a member of the ESHRE executive committee from 2015-2019. She acted as the chair of the Alpha society ; an International Society of Scientists in Reproductive Medicine from 2008 till 2012 for two terms. She’s one of the founders and was the chair of the Turkish Society of Clinical Embryologists (KED) from 2011 till 2015. She’s also a board member of the Turkish Society of Reproductive Medicine since 2017, co-ordinating the special interest groups.
Dr. Thomas Ebner
Thomas Ebner, PhD, graduated from the University of Salzburg, Austria, in 1992. Completing his doctorate and post-doctoral thesis, he became a university professor in Linz, Salzburg and Graz. He has published more than 165 papers and book chapters as first and co-author. Research interests include time-lapse imaging, artificial gamete activation, non-invasive IVF selection processes and culture media. He has been certified as a senior clinical embryologist by ESHRE in 2008. He was Executive Board Member of both ALPHA - Scientists in Reproductive Medicine and ESHRE. Currently he is active in the “ESHRE Certification of Clinical Embryologists” and “ESHRE ART Center Certification for Good Clinical Practice”. His main fields of interests are artificial gamete activation, time-lapse imaging, non-invasive gamete and embryo selection, as well as culture media.
Dr. Michael Collins
Michael has 25 years of reproductive health experience spanning medical affairs, clinical development, drug discovery, scientific communication, regulatory affairs, and managed markets and business development. He has also played an important role in the expansion of the reproductive health business units at both Ferring Pharmaceuticals and Organon Inc.
While at Ferring, Michael held various positions, including Director of Scientific Training, before moving to Director of Strategic Accounts, a role in which he built and led a strategic account team in the successful execution of several high-profile programs and projects.
Michael holds a Master of Science and a Doctor of Philosophy in Reproductive Physiology from Louisiana State University and has published work on many different levels within scientific literature. He is a member of ASRM, The Endocrine Society, and the Society for the Study of Reproduction, where he was appointed to the Annual Meeting Industry Relations Committee in 2013.
He is Managing Director, Scientific Affairs at TMRW Life Sciences.
At TMRW, Michael spearheads the development, design, and execution of laboratory studies, and then helps to communicate the findings. As a non-clinical scientist, his primary goal is to continue to scientifically define the TMRW platform. He’s passionate about bringing the advancements of cryogenic technology to reproduction.
Dr. Lucie Delaroche
Lucie Delaroche is the Head of the Biogroup - Parly 2 Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) and Andrology Center, based at the Ramsay Santé Parly 2 Private Hospital in Le Chesnay-Rocquencourt, France. She began her career at the In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Laboratory of Bichat-Claude Bernard Hospital in Paris, France, from 2009 to 2012. Subsequently, she served as Director of the ART Center Eylau-Unilabs at the Cherest Private Clinic in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, from 2012 to 2018. She is an active member of the French ART society (BLEFCO). Dr. Delaroche's research focuses on the impact of disposable devices on embryo development. Her publications also span a wide range of topics, including Intra-uterine Insemination, SARS-CoV-2, polycystic ovary syndrome, and X-inactivation… She gives talks at national and international conferences such as ESHRE, SMMR, and KLEM.
Dr. Sarah Martins da Silva
Dr. Sarah Martins da Silva is a Clinical Reader in Reproductive Medicine leading a translational research program focused on male infertility, the investigation of normal and abnormal sperm function, and drug discovery. Sarah also serves as an Honorary Consultant Gynaecologist, Clinical Lead for NHS Tayside fertility services, and HFEA Person Responsible for the Ninewells Assisted Conception Unit. Additionally, she directs the Scottish Sperm Studies research clinic, supporting couples affected by low or total failed fertilization following IVF/ICSI.
Dr. Mitchel Schiewe
Mitch Schiewe, attained his BS degree at UC Davis in Animal Science, his Master’s in Animal Reproductive Physiology at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA and his PhD in Physiology at the Uniformed University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) in Bethesda, MD. During his doctoral work he was a fellow at Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park and the National Institute’s of Health Embryo Cryobanking lab, being mentored by Drs. David Wildt and Bill Rall. Subsequently, he a post-doctoral NSF Associateship at the NIH/NCRR before matriculating into Human IVF in 1992. He has applied ART research in animal models, conservation biology and human IVF for over 4 decades, specializing in cryobiology.