One Ovation study to be presented at ASRM supported NASA’s Micro-11 study, the first test of how human sperm function in the weightlessness of space.

Ovation Fertility™ is once again proving its reputation as a prolific producer of research in the field of reproductive medicine, with 10 abstracts accepted for presentation at the ASRM 2018 Scientific Congress and Expo. Ovation’s leading scientists and affiliated physicians will present eight posters and two oral presentations at the premier conference for reproductive experts, slated for October 6-10, 2018 in Denver.

In line with ASRM’s theme “The Next Generation,” Ovation participated in research that has significance to the future of the human race. Preliminary sperm freeze research was performed in support of NASA-sponsored research on the International Space Station into the biology of human reproduction in micro-gravity conditions. The NASA-sponsored study, Spaceflight-Altered Motility Activation and Fertility-Dependent Responses in Sperm (Micro-11), is the first to test the functioning of human sperm in space.

In collaboration with California Cryobank (CCB) Life Sciences, Ovation’s Research Director Mitchel C. Schiewe, PhD, supported the Micro-11 study with a separate study relating to cryopreservation of large volumes of sperm in specialized syringes for interstellar in-flight experimentation, helping the researchers understand how fluid volume and surface area influence post-thaw sperm motility. Based on the Ovation team’s findings, the NASA research team was able to send frozen samples of human and bull sperm in April 2018 aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station.

“For these experiments to be successfully attempted in space, we needed to make sure that good post-thaw motility could be attained under different experimental conditions involving semen freezing in syringes loaded with varying volumes and surface areas, which ultimately affect cooling rates,” Dr. Schiewe says. “The results of this study, specifically the failure of 5 mL syringes, led the NASA team to redesign specialized 3 mL syringes with a removable plunger. Highly concentrated sperm samples from 12 donors with good motility were packaged and cryopreserved by CCB in September 2017, to be thawed and used in experiments on the Space Station this summer. The good news is that excellent post-thaw motility was available for those ongoing studies.”

The complete list of Ovation Fertility abstracts accepted for presentation at ASRM 2018 covers a wide range of topics relevant to IVF scientists worldwide.

• Poster Presentation: Prospective observational, comparative and validation study using a time-lapse morphometry Miri® imaging incubator. Picou¹, K. Culter¹, K. Silverberg², M. D. VerMilyea^{1 (1}Ovation Fertility, Austin; ²Texas Fertility Center, Austin)
• Poster Presentation: Stress relief: Can continuous culture in a low lactate culture media reduce numerical chromosomal abnormalities and therefore improve euploidy rates? D. VerMilyea^1,3,5, C. Rios², A. Abu Maizar³, R.M. James⁴, A. Picou¹, H. Werland¹, R. Marrs³, K. Silverberg^{1,5 (1}Ovation Fertility, Austin; ²Ovation Genetics, Henderson, Nevada; ³California Fertility Partners, Los Angeles; ⁴Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan; ⁵Texas Fertility Center, Austin)
• Oral Presentation: Transfer of completely hatched euploid blastocysts results in significantly lower pregnancy outcomes compared to euploid expanded or hatching blastocysts. M. James¹, A. Picou², L. Hansard ^2,3, H. Werland², M.D. VerMilyea^2,3 (¹Texas A&M Health Science Center, Bryan; ²Ovation Fertility, Austin; ³Texas Fertility Center, Austin)
• Poster Presentation: Blastocyst morphometry is predicted by the diameter of the originating ovarian follicle. Shapiro, A. Raman, F. Garner, M. Aguirre, C. Morrison, S. Thomas, A. Bill, C. Bedient (Fertility Center of Las Vegas, University of Nevada Medical School, Ovation Fertility, Las Vegas)
• Poster Presentation: Blastocyst aneuploidy as a function of the diameter of the originating ovarian follicle. Bedient, A. Raman, F. Garner, M. Aguirre, C. Morrison, S. Thomas, A. Bill, B. Shapiro (Fertility Center of Las Vegas, University of Nevada Medical School, Ovation Fertility, Las Vegas)
• Poster Presentation: The effect of ovarian follicle size on the formation of good quality blastocysts. Shapiro, A. Raman, F. Garner, M. Aguirre, C. Morrison, S. Thomas, A. Bill, C. Bedient (Fertility Center of Las Vegas, University of Nevada Medical School, Ovation Fertility, Las Vegas)
• Oral Presentation: Novel cryopreservation of human sperm in syringe containers: an experimental model for applied research in space. C. Schiewe¹, K. Domagala², N. Nugent¹, J. Shamonki³ (¹Ovation Fertility, Newport Beach; ²University of Illinois-Champane-Urbana;³California Cryobank Life Sciences)
• Poster Presentation: Variable aspects of oocyte freeze preservation outcomes warrant continued investigation. vanTol, J.B. Whitney, S. Zozula, R.E. Anderson, M.C. Schiewe (Ovation Fertility, Newport Beach)
• Poster Presentation: High sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI) on the day of oocyte retrieval is correlated with lower fertilization and slower development to the blastocyst stage for trophectoderm biopsy. Broussard¹, B. Leader¹, E. Tirado¹, H. Russell², H. Beydoun², R. Colver³, L. Reuter³, B. Bopp³, M. Will³, E. Anspach Will³, G. Adaniya⁴ (¹Reprosource, Woburn, Massachusetts; ²Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk; ³Midwest Fertility Specialists, Carmel, Indiana; ⁴Ovation Fertility, Indianapolis)
• Poster Presentation: Sperm DNA fragmentation index via gradient centrifugation correlated with significantly high fertilization and blastocysts available for trophectoderm biopsy. Broussard¹, B. Leader¹, E. Tirado¹, H. Russell², H. Beydoun², R. Colver³, L. Reuter³, B. Bopp³, M. Will³, E. Anspach Will³, G. Adaniya⁴ (¹Reprosource, Woburn, Massachusetts; ²Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk; ³Midwest Fertility Specialists, Carmel, Indiana; ⁴Ovation Fertility, Indianapolis)

All Ovation research presented at ASRM 2018 will be available at www.OvationFertility.com/research.

In addition to the presentations listed above, Erica Behnke, PhD, HCLD, Ovation Fertility Cincinnati laboratory director, will present CAP Reproductive Laboratory Accreditation Program Inspector Training Seminar at ASRM on October 6, 2018.

About Ovation Fertility™ 

Ovation Fertility is a national network of reproductive endocrinologists and scientific thought leaders focused on reducing the cost of live birth through more efficient and effective fertility care. Ovation Fertility’s IVF and genetics laboratories and affiliated practices work collaboratively to raise the bar with state-of-the-art, evidence-based fertility services that give hopeful parents the best chance of a successful pregnancy. Physicians partner with Ovation Fertility to offer their patients advanced preimplantation genetic testing. Ovation Fertility also provides donor eggs that come with the world’s first Euploid Embryo Guarantee™, as well as secure frozen egg, embryo and sperm storage; consultative services to help IVF laboratories improve quality and performance; and fertility preservation programs that enable more women to freeze their eggs and build future families. Learn more about Ovation Fertility’s vision of a world without infertility at www.OvationFertility.com.

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