Session 90: RBMO LIVE V

Session 90: RBMO LIVE V

Tuesday, 1st March, 2022. 3pm EST/ 8pm UK/ 9pm CET

Moderators:

Professor Richard Anderson and Dr. Mina Alikani with Dr. Marcos Meseguer

Interviews, discussion and showcase articles

Counter current paper
“The way to improve ART outcomes is to introduce more technologies in the lab”
Prof. David Gardner

Selected articles:
“The closer the knit, the tighter the fit: conceptual and ethical issues of human embryo modelling”
Ana Pereira Daoud

“Focus on time-lapse analysis: blastocyst collapse and morphometric assessment as new features of embryo viability”.
Romualdo Sciorio

“Will the introduction of automated ART laboratory systems render the majority of embryologists redundant?”
Lorena Bori Arnal

Panel discussion and Q and A.

PROFESSOR DAVID K. GARDNER, FAA

David is the Scientific Director of Melbourne IVF and a Distinguished Professor in the School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne.

David completed his PhD (1987) at the University of York, with Henry Leese. In 1988 he moved to Harvard Medical School to work with John Biggers, after which he moved to Monash, Australia, in 1989 to work with Alan Trounson. In 1997 became the Scientific Director of the Colorado Centre for Reproductive Medicine in Denver, where his work on human embryo culture conditions revolutionised how human IVF is performed today with the introduction of blastocyst transfer.

In 2007 he was appointed Professor and Chair of Department at the University of Melbourne and promoted to the level of Distinguished Professor in 2018.

In 2017 he became the Scientific Director of Melbourne IVF. He has published over 300 papers and chapters and has edited 15 books, culminating in over 30,000 citations and an H index of 99.

In 2017 in recognition of his many significant contributions to reproductive sciences he was elected as a Fellow into the Australian Academy of Science (FAA) and further was the recipient of the Distinguished Researcher Award from the American Society of Reproductive Medicine.

DR. MARCOS MESEGUER

Dr. Marcos Meseguer received his Biological Sciences Degree from the University of Valencia in Spain. He performed a pre-doctoral fellowship in St Mary´s Hospital, Manchester University, United Kingdom. He received his Ph.D. Degree in Obstetrics and Gynecoloy and the European Doctor Degree from the University of Valencia, Spain. He has also a master degree in Research Methods; Design and Statistics from Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, Spain.
He is Scientific Supervisor and Senior Embriologist in the IVF unit of IVIRMA Valencia. Dr. Meseguer has received and nominated twice the prize paper of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), five times the Star Award from ASRM. Three times the Lalor Foundation International Award from the American Society of Andrology, three times the research award from the Spanish Society of Fertility and 6 times the research award from the Spanish Society of Embriology. He received the Robert Edwards prize paper award from RBM on line and was ASRM star award winner. The primary areas of his research are embryology and male infertility.
As Principal Investigator, his work has been funded through 25 projects sponsored by the Spanish Government, including 10 EUREKA. Horizon 2020 EUROSTAR projects (granted to high quality technological projects) supported by the European Community). He has two international patents.
He is part of the group of researchers most cited in the world according to Standford University has published over 200 scientific articles, with 9860 citations and h-index of 55, including the most cited paper in Human Reproduction. Additionally published 70 reviews or book chapters, edited the first time-lapse book and made more than 700 presentations at national and international congresses. He has been the Director of 16 Doctoral Thesis all qualified with "Cum Laude", and  is directing 7 PhD candidates.
He is also Statistics Advisor of Equipo IVI and Associate Professor of the Master in Biotechnology from Valencia University.

ANA PEREIRA DAOUD 

Ana M. Pereira Daoud received her Master degree in Applied Ethics in 2018 and is since pursuing a PhD at Maastricht University under supervision of prof. dr. Guido de Wert and prof. dr. Wybo Dondorp, prof. dr. Annelien Bredenoord, and dr. Stefan Giselbrecht.

Her research focusses on investigating the ethical ramifications of research with 3D (human) embryo-like structures and aims to contribute to the development of tangible guidelines capable of harnessing the potential of ELS as valuable research tools whilst remaining conscientious of morally and legally acceptable practices. A first explorative review on the topic was published in Human Reproduction Update in 2020, followed by a Viewpoint article in Reproductive BioMedicine Online in 2021. Her two articles produced based on fieldwork are currently undergoing peer-review.

Besides her research interests, Ana is keen on stimulating and facilitating broad bioethical debates as a board member of the Dutch Association for Bioethics.

ROMUALDO SCIORIO 

Romualdo Sciorio received his first Master degree in Science Biology “magna cum laude” in 1998 at University of Naples Federico II. In 2012 he obtained a Master degree of Science in Biotechnology at Edinburgh Napier University in Scotland. During the years 1996-2004 he worked within both research and clinical embryology in different places across Italy, France and UK. In 2005 Romualdo took a position as Clinical Scientist at Edinburgh Assisted Conception Programme, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh in Scotland. In 2008 he moved to Monash IVF in Melbourne, Australia and later to Canada. Between the years 2010-2013, Romualdo worked between London, Dubai, Philippines, Armenia, Switzerland and in India as Consultant Embryologist. In 2014 he moved back to Edinburgh, RIE where he works as Senior Clinical Embryologist. He is state registered clinical scientist (HCPC), holds an ICSI and embryo biopsy license, and has published 28 peer-reviewed papers.

LORENA BORI ARNAL

Lorena Bori is predoctoral PhD candidate researcher at IVIRMA Global Valencia under the supervision of Dr. Marcos Meseguer. She received her biological degree in 2016 and the Master degree in Biotechnology of Human Assisted Reproduction in 2018 at University of Valencia, Spain.

The primary field of her research is embryo evaluation and selection with non-invasive methodologies, especially through artificial intelligence. In her early career as a researcher, she has presented 5 oral communications at ASRM and ESHRE congresses and has participated in more than 45 communications in national and international meetings. She has authored/co-authored 6 scientific papers and wrote 3 book chapters.

DR. MINA ALIKANI

Mina obtained her PhD in 2006 from Monash University under the mentorship of Professor Alan Trounson. She is certified as a High Complexity Clinical Laboratory Director (HCLD) and Clinical Consultant (CC). During more than 35 years as a Clinical Embryologist, she has focused on improving IVF laboratory performance and outcomes via meticulous practice, detailed observation, embracing of new and bold technologies, and teaching and training of others to do the same.
Mina has lectured worldwide on ART topics and has authored and co-authored more than 80 articles and book chapters on laboratory aspects of assisted reproduction. She is an editor of RBMO and an Editorial Board member of Fertility and Sterility. She serves on the Executive Board of Alpha Scientists in Reproductive Medicine and the Scientific Advisory Board of TMRW Life Sciences.
Mina lives in New York, and since 2019 has held the position of Senior Director of Laboratories of Northwell Health Fertility, where she runs a state-of-the-art facility that she helped design and equip. She is now keenly providing mentorship to the next generation of ART laboratory professionals.

PROF. RICHARD ANDERSON 

Richard Anderson has been an Editor for RBMO since 2017. He is Elsie Inglis Professor of Clinical Reproductive Science and the University of Edinburgh and works clinically in Infertility and Reproductive Endocrinology, and provides a specialist endocrinology service to the Edinburgh Gender Identify Clinic. He has interests in both female and male fertility, with a long-standing activity in the development of hormonal male contraception. He has a major interest in fertility preservation and the effects of cancer treatments on fertility, and he has also conducted clinical studies developing our understanding of novel neuropeptides in human reproductive function in men and women. He is past Coordinator of the ESHRE Special Interest Group in Fertility Preservation, and is a member of the ESHRE Executive Committee and the HFEA Scientific and Clinical Advances Advisory Committee.
He previously held posts as a Fulbright scholar at the University of California, San Diego; visiting professorships at Stanford University School of Medicine (California, USA), Free University (Brussels, Belgium), University of Siena (Italy), University of Southampton (UK), and the University of Adelaide (Australia). He was a past chair of the World Health Organization (WHO) steering committee for infertility guidelines.
His major research interests include the pathophysiology of human ovarian function (including PCOS, and POI), ovarian stimulation, IVF and women’s health (including contraception, menopause and healthy aging). He has published close to 500 peer-reviewed articles (Hirsch factor > 100), is one of the most cited authors in reproductive medicine and his work has been widely covered in the national and international lay press.