Fertility Show 2013 workshop «Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PDG). 3d decade of PGD development: The modern overview of current issues, tendencies and future perspective» by Dr. Elena Zakharova, MAMA Clinic

Elena Zakharova — chief embryologist at MAMA Clinic presented her workshop at Fertility Show 2013 in Moscow. It was dedicated to the different aspects of modern PDG.

On April 13 and 14, 2013 the largest reproduction-devoted event in Russia, the Fertility Show, took place in Moscow. It hosted over 2000 visitors in two days and had the annual Russian National awards «The Crystal Tube» held as part of it as well as VESNA Family Health Festival.

The Fertility Show an informative and useful event for both professionals and outsiders. The reproduction specialists were involved in presentations and conferences held by guest speakers working with IVF from Israel, Italy, Germany and France.

Dr. Elena Zakharova — chief embryologist at MAMA Clinic — invited her colleagues embryologists, genetic specialists and molecular biologists to join her for her workshop titled «Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD). 3d decade of PGD development: The modern overview of current issues, tendencies and future perspective».

«It is common practice today for reproductive centers over the world to include PDG into their treatment programs. The range of PDG applied corresponding disorders discovered varies from exclusive monogenic disease diagnosis to routine screening for aneuploidies.»

The list of molecular-genetic analysis applied is enlarged by each year, yet some of those, invented 20 years ago and addressed to as classical are still widely used.

When speaking about the PDG features, the main topics for discussion are traditionally these two: preferable timing for screening and the definition of the most effective method for molecular-genetic analysis.

Over the last few years there have been several works published, which shed the light on the nature of chromosome mosaicism and instability of embryo genome during pre-implantation development, as well as to the applicable mechanisms of embryo genetic self-regulation. The data obtained through these research works undeniably results in some alterations to the modern approach to PDG.

One of the most significant contributions to PDG development was is being made by ESHRE PDG Consortium, established in 1997. The organization was created to serve two major purposes. It gathers the prospective and retrospective info on accuracy, liability and effectiveness of PDG and also to work out general principles of PDG and create corresponding recommendations for applying them.

The workshop was devoted to detailed treatment of major issues in modern approach to embryo genetic diagnosis such as: the fine points of technological process, method choice features, practical analysis of the effectiveness data.