The Progress Educational Trust podcast

This episode of the Progress Educational Trust (PET) podcast discusses the genetics and genomics of infertility, including arguments for – and against – genetic diagnosis of infertility becoming a standard part of care at fertility clinics.The discussion is chaired by Sarah Norcross (Director of PET), with contributions from:⚫ Professor Willem Verpoest (Professor of Reproductive Medicine at Utrecht University Medical Centre)⚫ Professor Stéphane Viville (Founder of the Genetics of Infertility Unit at the University Hospitals of Strasbourg)⚫ Professor Joris Veltman (Director of the Institute of Genetics and Cancer at the University of Edinburgh)⚫ Professor Micheline Misrahi (Emeritus Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Paris-Saclay University)The World Health Organisation estimates that one in six people worldwide have experienced infertility, while some researchers estimate that half of all cases of infertility may have a genetic component.In this podcast, an international panel of experts in the genetics and genomics of (in)fertility explore questions including:⚫ What reproductive options are available to people whose infertility has a genetic cause? How might these options be improved in future?⚫ What is the risk of transmitting a genetic form of infertility to one's (biological) child? Can this risk be reduced?⚫ Should genetic diagnosis of infertility become a standard part of care at fertility clinics? What would this entail?PET is grateful to the Association of Reproductive and Clinical Scientists, the British Fertility Society, Esco Medical, Allwin Medical Devices and Gedeon Richter for supporting this discussion.PET is also grateful to Jon Nicoll, who created the opening and closing music for its podcast.Register at https://www.progress.org.uk/events/upcoming-events/ for upcoming PET events.

This episode of the Progress Educational Trust (PET) podcast examines the case of a donor whose sperm was used to conceive at least 197 children in at least 14 countries, when he (unknowingly) carried a genetic mutation that causes cancer.The discussion is chaired by Sarah Norcross (Director of PET), with contributions from:⚫ Professor Allan Pacey (Professor of Andrology at the University of Manchester)⚫ Dr Edwige Kasper (Cancer Geneticist at Rouen University Hospital, first brought the case of donor 7069 to professional and public attention)⚫ Allan Toft Jacobsen (Chief Operating Officer at the European Sperm Bank)⚫ Nanna Humle (Head of Quality at Born Donor Bank)⚫ Rachel Cutting (Director of Compliance and Information at the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority)⚫ Professor Lucy Frith (Professor of Bioethics and Health Research at the University of Manchester, and Principal Investigator at the ConnecteDNA project)⚫ Nina Barnsley (Director of the Donor Conception Network, and contributor to information leaflets produced as part of the ConnecteDNA project)The case of Donor 7069 involves a cancer-causing mutation that is present in some, but not all, of the cells of the donor's body. When this happens, it means that a mutation may not be detectable via standard tests, of the sort that are usually used to check people's suitability to be donors of sperm or eggs.Some of the children who were conceived from this donor's sperm are already known to have developed cancer. Some of these children have died.The case raises many issues, including:⚫ How donors of sperm and eggs are (and should be) tested.⚫ What steps should be taken, if an incident such as this is discovered, and who should be held responsible for taking these steps.⚫ What limits are (and should be) placed, nationally and internationally, on the number of children that can be conceived from the sperm of a single donor.In this podcast, experts and practitioners – including the cancer geneticist who first brought the case of donor 7069 to professional and public attention – explore the questions above, discussing how such cases should be dealt with once they come to light and how to reduce the risk of them occurring in the first place.PET is grateful to the Association of Reproductive and Clinical Scientists, the British Fertility Society, CooperSurgical and Theramex for supporting this discussion.PET is also grateful to Jon Nicoll, who created the opening and closing music for its podcast.Register at https://www.progress.org.uk/events/upcoming-events/ for upcoming PET events.

This episode of the Progress Educational Trust (PET) podcast explores legal, practical and other challenges faced by LGBTQ+ people seeking fertility treatment and how these might be overcome.Is the evidence reassuring? Or are there reasons to be concerned?The discussion is chaired by Sarah Norcross (Director of PET), with contributions from:⚫ Kate Osborne MP (Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Fertility)⚫ Dr Carolyn Wilson-Nash (Senior Lecturer in Marketing and Retail at the University of Stirling)⚫ Dr Jennifer Takhar (Associate Professor of Consumer Culture at Côte d'Azur University)⚫ Michael Johnson-Ellis (Cofounder of My Surrogacy Journey and of Ethica Fertility)⚫ Dr Susie Bower-Brown (Principal Investigator at the 'Family Beyond the Binary' research project)⚫ Dr Chloe He (Honorary Senior Research Fellow at University College London)⚫ Natalie Gamble (Director of NGA Law and Founder of Brilliant Beginnings)PET is grateful to Born Donor Bank, Care Fertility, CooperSurgical, IBSA and the Senior Infertility Nurse Group for supporting this discussion.PET is also grateful to Jon Nicoll, who created the opening and closing music for its podcast.Register at https://www.progress.org.uk/events/upcoming-events/ for upcoming PET events.

This episode of the Progress Educational Trust (PET) podcast discusses what is known about the short-term and long-term health – both physical and psychological – of people who were conceived via IVF and related reproductive technologies.Is the evidence reassuring? Or are there reasons to be concerned?The discussion is chaired by Sarah Norcross (Director of PET), with contributions from:⚫ Professor Barbara Luke (Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Michigan State University)⚫ Professor Alastair Sutcliffe (Professor of General Paediatrics at University College London)⚫ Dr Faiza Afzal (Senior Research Fellow at University College London)⚫ Professor Vasanti Jadva (Leader of the Reproduction and the Family Research Group at City St George's, University of London)PET is grateful to the Scottish Government for supporting this discussion.PET is also grateful to Jon Nicoll, who created the opening and closing music for its podcast.Register at https://www.progress.org.uk/events/upcoming-events/ for upcoming PET events.

This episode of the Progress Educational Trust (PET) podcast discusses what is known about the impact of IVF – and assisted conception more broadly – on the physical and psychological health of patients.Is the evidence reassuring? Or are there reasons to be concerned?The discussion is chaired by Sarah Norcross (Director of PET), with contributions from:⚫ Dr Alina Pelikh (Senior Research Fellow in Demography at University College London)⚫ Dr Jen Barcroft (Clinical Fellow in Reproductive Medicine at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust)⚫ Dr Alice Domar (Chief Compassion Officer at Inception Fertility)PET is grateful to the Scottish Government for supporting this discussion.PET is also grateful to Jon Nicoll, who created the opening and closing music for its podcast.Register at https://www.progress.org.uk/events/upcoming-events/ for upcoming PET events.