PGDIS Newsletter

12TH INTERNATIONAL PGD CONFERENCE - ISTANBUL, TURKEY

May 8-11, 2013 (IS IN LESS THAN 5 MONTHS)

Dear Colleague,

As you know from our previous announcements, the 12th International PGD Congress will be organized in Istanbul, Turkey, May 8-11, 2013 (www.pgdis.org), (www.pgdis2013.com).

The Scientific Program of the Conference is being finalized and will concentrate on the clinical and technical aspects of PGD, and the accuracy of the recently expanded application of microarray- based technologies for testing of oocytes and embryo. A special emphasis will be on controversial issues, involving the application of PGD to improve pregnancy rates in assisted reproductive technology (ART), especially in poor prognosis ART patients. Among other major issues to be explored will be the effect of controlled ovarian stimulation on aneuploidy rate and endomential receptivity, choice of appropriate biopsy procedures, advantages and disadvantages of microarray-based testing, and quality control issues. Presented will be also the first results of ongoing randomized controlled trials of the clinical outcomes of 24 chromosome aneuploidy testing, coupled with blastocyst biopsy.

Among a wide range of issues to be reviewed will be recent technological breakthroughs for genetic testing, including next-generation sequencing application to PGD, and the emerging clinical challenges with the application of this and other potential technological developments to PGD practice.

After a dozen years of clinical application of PGD for HLA typing, a few hundreds of HLA- matched children have now been born. However, no follow up data of the HLA-identical stem cells transplantation treatments are currently available, so this will be reviewed to provide the basis for a further expansion of this valuable cell therapy for congenital disorders and immunodeficiencies, for which still no available treatment is available. Expanding PGD application to common late-onset conditions will be also further reviewed and relevance of PGD in the community-based preventive programs for common genetic diseases of public health importance will be demonstrated by the reports from selected countries where such programs have been extremely successful.

To support the growing demand for blastocyst biopsy, which is steadily replacing the cleavage-stage embryo biopsy, a Post-Congress Hands-on Workshop will be organized, May 12-14, 2013.

Please check the Congress website (www.pgdis2013.com), and the website of PGDIS (www.pgdis.org), for the further developments in the planning of the 12th International PGD Conference in Istanbul, Turkey, May 8 -11, 2013.

Happy Holiday Season!

Anver Kuliev, MD, PhD	Renee Martin, PhD, FCCMG
Executive Director of PGDIS	President of PGDIS