Pre-Conference Workshops - FRM 2019 Conference

2:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.

Workshop A The “forgotten” male in infertility practice: I. The basic science Chair: John McCarrey, PhD Though not adequately communicated to clinicians in fertility practice yet, considerable progress in recent years in a small number of research laboratories has greatly advanced our knowledge about male infertility and potential treatment modalities. In this workshop, some of the leading investigators in the field will describe the dramatic strides recently accomplished in the laboratory and how this progress has the potential to prevent male infertility and affect treatments. Workshop C will continue the discussion of the subject by addressing contemporary clinical issue affecting male infertility.
2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.	What is the origin of the spermatogonial stem cell? John McCarrey, PhD
2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.	Single cell analysis and characterization of spermatogonial stem cells Brian P. Hermann, PhD
3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.	Effects on offspring from small RNAs, gained by sperm during epididymal transit Oliver J. Rando, MD, PhD
3:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.	Panel discussion

Workshop B Shining some light into the black box of implantation Chair: Norbert Gleicher, MD Mostly because of the lack of experimental in vivo access in humans, the implantation process has still largely remained a black box. Recent in vitro studies, however, are starting to shine some light into this black box. This workshop will explore three recently proposed paradigms.
2:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.	Is implantation primarily an immunologic rather than endocrine process? Norbert Gleicher, MD
2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.	Can the window for implantation be diagnostically defined in individual patients? Andrea Weghofer, MD, PhD, MS, MBA
3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.	Does the endometrium select embryos for implantation? Jan J. Brosens, MD, PhD
3:30 p.m.– 3:45 p.m.	Panel discussion

Coffee Break – 3:45 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.

4:15 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Workshop C The “forgotten” male in infertility practice: II. Treatments Chair: Pasquale Patrizio, MD, MS Though in cases of impending loss of gametes, even female fertility preservation is clinically still underused, in males, underutilization is even more pronounced. This is only one, among many examples, demonstrating that the male has, indeed, to a significant degree been forgotten in contemporary infertility practice. This workshop will address the clinical aspects of this shortcoming.
4:15 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.	Why is fertility preservation underutilized in males and what are the solutions? Pasquale Patrizio, MD, MS
4:45 p.m. – 5:15 p.m.	Is there still a place for vasectomy reversals and varicocelectomies? Peter N. Schlegel, MD
5:15 p.m. – 5:45 p.m	When and how to resort to testicular sperm retrieval? Bobak Berookhim, MD, MBA
5:45 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.	Panel discussion

Workshop D The physiology of human embryonic aneuploidy at preimplantation stages: A guide to the understanding of chromosomal testing of preimplantation-stage human embryos (PGT-A) Chair: Rajiv C. McCoy, PhD The value of chromosomal testing of human embryos in association with in vitro fertilization (IVF) has likely become the most controversial issue in assisted reproduction. This workshop will discuss the embryology of human preimplantation stage embryos, with emphasis on the processes leading to meiotic and mitotic aneuploidies at different developmental stages that, ultimately, affect quantity, quality and clinical relevance of chromosomal findings in human embryos (PGT-A) at blastocyst stage via a single trophectoderm biopsy.
4:15 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.	The timing and significance of meiotic and mitotic aneuploidies Rajiv C. McCoy, PhD
4:45 p.m.– 5:15 p.m.	How human embryos are currently technically assessed in PGT-A Raoul Orvieto, MD
5:15 p.m. – 5:45 p.m.	Single cell RNA-seq bioinformatics to determine prevalence of aneuploid cells in trophectoderm of human embryos Min Yang, PhD
5:45 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.	Discussion

Please note that 2 workshops are always running in parallel. You may therefore register maximally for only 2 consecutive workshops.

In order to register for the workshops, please click here.