Session 139: Non-Invasive genetic sampling
3pm ET/ 8pm UK/ 9pm CET, Tuesday 17th Sept, 2024.
This webinar is kindly sponsored by Thermo Fisher Scientific
Synopsis:
TBA
Moderators:
Dr. Catherine Welch, Dr. Berthe Youness and Prof. Joanne Traeger- Synodinos
Presenters:
Dr. Gary Nakhuda: "Current status of niPGT"
Dr. Anil Biricik: Recommendations for IVF Laboratory for the most effective cfDNA analysis during non-invasive PGT-
Dr. Evrim Unsal: "Practical experiences on PGT, tubing and genetic sampling of the Blastocoel"
Q and A
Dr. Catherine Welch
Catherine Welch brings over 20 years of expertise as a clinical embryologist, collaborating with leading IVF centers across the United States. Throughout her career, she has focused on enhancing fertility outcomes and expanding patient access to care. Catherine consults on diverse aspects of clinic operations, specializing in laboratory design and management. She also leads Fertility Tomorrow, a per diem embryology group.
In 2017, Catherine founded Sequence46, a preimplantation genetic testing laboratory based in Los Angeles, CA. She also currently serves as VP of Clinical Sales and Customer Success at Hamilton Thorne Inc, rounding out her extensive professional profile.
Certified by the American Board of Bioanalysis as a Technical Supervisor in Embryology and Andrology, Catherine is an active member of key professional organizations such as the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and the Pacific Coast Reproductive Society. She frequently contributes as a speaker instructor at industry conferences and workshops, fostering collaboration and knowledge-sharing in embryology.
Beyond her professional pursuits, Catherine resides on California's Central Coast with her husband and four children, actively managing Windrose Farm, a regenerative organic produce farm.
Dr. Berthe Youness
Dr. Berthe Youness holds a PhD in molecular reproductive biology from Heidelberg University, where her thesis, titled “Molecular Genetic Analysis of Functional FMR1/FMRP Expression on Human Folliculogenesis and Ovarian Reserve,” aimed to investigate various possible mechanisms involved in FMR1 gene epigenetic expression control in human granulosa cells.
Following the completion of her PhD, Dr. Youness transitioned to a sales-focused role as an account manager in the bioscience division of Thermo Fisher Scientific, where she developed strong expertise in client relations and business development.
Currently, Dr. Youness serves as the EMEA Market Development Manager for the reproductive health portfolio at Thermo Fisher Scientific, where she drives the EMEA marketing strategy and supports visionary life science organizations in expanding their lab genetic testing capabilities.
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Prof. Joanne Traeger- Synodinos
Jan is a Professor of Genetics, and Director of the Laboratory of Medical Genetics, Athens University. Originally from the UK, following completion of a Doctorate (DPhil) at Oxford University, in 1982 she moved to Greece and subsequently worked in the university clinics of the St. Sophia’s Children’s Hospital in Athens. From 2005 she holds a faculty position in Athens University Medical School. She has a demonstrated history of working with genetics in public health care and university-level teaching. Specialized in Preimplantation Genetic Testing, Molecular genetics and related translational research, she is also internationally recognized for contributions to the field of haemoglobinopathies. Her research activities, several supported by EU grants, have produced >185 peer-reviewed publications, and chapters in several books, with >8300 citations (GoogleScholar). Jan is an EMBG Registered Clinical Laboratory Geneticist (ErCLG) and a long-term member of the ESHG and ESHRE, serving on the Steering Committee (SC) of the ESHRE PGD Consortium between 2004-2016, (2012-2014 as Chair). She is a member of the EQA Special Advisory Group for PGT (GenQA, UK), the ClinGen Haemoglobinopathy Expert Panel, (NHGRI, USA), on the Supervisory Board of the Greek National Authority for Medically Assisted Reproduction and Associate Editor or Editorial Board member of several journals.t.
Dr. Gary Nakhuda
Gary is the Founder and Co-Director of the Olive Fertility Centre, and an Associate Clinical Professor at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. They are one of the largest IVF programs in Canada, with two laboratories and four satellite clinics. Prior to moving to BC in 2011, he was at Columbia University where he completed his residency, fellowship, and served on faculty for five years.
Gary's clinical research interests include PGT-A and more recently niPGT-A. He was a co-author on the STAR study, and lead author on the recently published results on the NICEST trial, which was recognized as seminal contribution in Fertility & Sterility.
Dr. Anil Biricik
Dr. Anıl Biricik received his bachelor's degree and master’s degree in medical biology and genetics. He received his PhD from Sapienza University of Rome in 2011 with his work on genetics of endometriosis. Dr. Biricik has published more than thirty peer-reviewed articles as author and co-author in molecular biology and reproductive genetics field. He is a member of ESHRE, PGDIS and GenQA special advisory group. He is scientific director of the IVF-PGT business unit at Eurofins Genoma Group Italia and his main research areas are the genetics of female and male infertility, and novel application methods in pre-implantation genetic testing.
Dr. Evrim Unsal:
Evrim Unsal, an Embryologist since 1997, received her Ph.D. in Biotechnology. Specializing in reproductive genetics, she became an Associate Professor in 2016, lecturing in Medical Genetics. As a Molecular Biologist, she directed the Mikrogen Genetic Diagnostic Lab, focusing on PGT. Currently, she's an Associate Research Scientist at Yale University Fertility Clinic between August 2023-August 2024. Nowadays, she continues her position in Molecular Genetics Department of Mikrogen Genetic Diagnosis Center.