Grand Round: Inside IVF - How science cares for patients
- Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2018, 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm
- Location: Level 1 lecture theatre, Queen Victoria Building, Women’s and Children’s Hospital, North Adelaide
- Cost: Free
- Contact: Anne Jurisevic 8313 8222
- Email: anne.jurisevic@adelaide.edu.au
- Dr Deirdre Zander-Fox Regional Scientific Director, Repromed and Visiting Research Fellow, University of Adelaide
Women's and Children's Health Network Grand Round
In conjunction with Healthy Development Adelaide.
Chaired by Dr Jenny Fereday, Executive Director, Nursing and Midwifery, Women's and Children's Health Network.
Inside IVF: How science cares for patients
Since the culture of the first human embryo in 1970, the embryology laboratory has undergone a dramatic transition from being a research style laboratory situated in the corner of a hospital to the state of the art facilities housed in IVF clinics today. Embryology laboratories are now filled with high tech equipment (automated semen analysis machines, automated micromanipulation and vitrification machines, timelapse incubators and vapour storage tanks) which is coupled with a high level of emphasis on quality control and quality assurance. Every day scientists in these laboratories handle the most precious material in the world, caring for eggs and sperm, creating embryos for transfer biopsy and genetic testing and cryopreserving embryos for future use. The optimal outcome of IVF is providing patients with a healthy live singleton term baby and the goal of the embryology laboratory is to try and ensure this happens by providing the highest level of quality science possible.
About the speaker
Dr Deirdre Zander-Fox completed her PhD studies in 2010 through the University of Adelaide’s School of Paediatrics and Reproductive Health and is currently the Monash IVF Group Regional Scientific Director overseeing Repromed, MyIVF, MonashIVF Queensland and KL Fertility encompassing embryology, endocrine, andrology and genetics services across all laboratories. In addition, Dr Zander-Fox is also a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Adelaide’s School of Paediatrics and Reproductive Health where she supervises Honours and PhD student research and is also a lecturer for Human Reproductive Health III at the University of Adelaide. She has authored 28 peer reviewed journal articles and book chapters and her research focuses on improving laboratory technology that will directly benefit infertile patients including cryopreservation, culture media design and metabolic screening of embryo culture media.