The eighth edition of the congress that IVI organizes biennially ends, and it does so by recognizing the scientific and journalistic work of great professionals who have marked the evolution of reproductive medicine in both specialties.
In the scientific area, the IVI Foundation has awarded international researchers Nuno Costa-Borges, Ashley Moffett and Manuel Tena-Sempere. On the other hand, in the journalistic area, the work of Sonsoles Echavarren and Pilar Arranz, both journalists from Spanish media, has been recognized, all awarded within the framework of the 8th International IVIRMA Congress by representatives of IVI and MSD -one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world-.
8th International IVIRMA Awards
The scientific award granted by the IVI Foundation consists of two categories: basic research and clinical research in reproductive medicine. The recognition, which is valued at € 50,000, part of the objective of highlighting the importance of the scientific contribution to assisted reproduction, recognizing the researchers and their teams for the help dedicated to broadening scientific and clinical horizons to improve future treatments and techniques used in the reproductive sector. The award is also a recognition of the professional career of the doctors and their contribution to research.
In this context, Professor Ashely Moffett has obtained the award for the best trajectory in clinical research from groups of excellence in reproductive medicine, while the Teachers Nuno Costa-Borges Y Manuel Tena-Sempere They have received the award for the best basic scientific research path of excellence in reproductive medicine.
For the occasion, the jury of the awards has been made up of prominent personalities from research and medicine, such as Prof. Empre Seli, scientific director of IVI, Prof. Antonio Pellicer, co-president of IVI and co-editor of the prestigious magazine Fertility & Sterility, Prof. Nicolás Garrido, director of the IVI Foundation, Dr. Hugh Taylor, Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yale-New Haven Hospital (USA), and Dr. Jacques Donnez, from the Catholic University of Louvain and the Society for Reproductive Research (SRI).
Regarding the winners, it should be noted that the Prof. Ashley Moffett has developed its research side focused on the cellular interactions that occur between maternal uterine cells, especially immune cells, and placental trophoblastic cells that invade the uterine mucosa in the first trimester of pregnancy. Dr. Moffett has been at the forefront of immunology research for more than 25 years and is currently focusing her studies on the interactions between KLA (killer cell immunoglobulin receptor) molecules and fetal HLA-C molecules, culture of human trophoblast cells and the link between KIR / HLA-C variants and puerperal preeclampsia, sepsis, and obstructed labor.
The Prof. Nuno Costa-Borges is a researcher and embryologist dedicated to research and clinical practice for more than 15 years, achieving the first successfully cloned animals in Spain in 2009. He has dedicated himself to the development and improvement of new reproductive techniques, such as the flicking method, that allows blastocyst biopsy, or meiotic spindle transfer to prevent the transmission of mitochondrial diseases or overcome infertility problems related to a low quality of oocytes. Recently, his research has focused on the development of new strategies to rescue chromosomal aneuploidies in elderly oocytes. The work of Dr. Costa-Borges has been reflected in numerous scientific publications and has earned him prestigious national and international awards, including the one he receives in the 8th International IVIRMA Congress.
For his part, Prof. Manuel Tena-Sempere He is a Doctor of Medicine and Professor of Physiology at the Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology at the University of Córdoba. His research experience focuses on the field of Neuroendocrinology of puberty, reproduction and metabolism. Specifically, he has recently focused on the hormonal and molecular mechanisms of control of puberty and the functioning of the reproductive system, with important findings in this field. He is the author of numerous publications in international journals and his work has earned him the recognition of much of the international scientific community.
IVIRMA Media Awards
The IVIRMA Media Awards on Assisted Reproduction and Maternal-Fetal Health have been delivered by Marián Garriga, Global Director of Marketing and Communication of IVI. In its second edition, the call for these awards has been extended to all the countries of the world, although finally the works selected as winners by an independent jury, made up of different journalism personalities, have been by Spanish authorship.
Journalist Sonsoles Echavarren, editor of Navarra newspaper, with its report entitled “About 30 babies die every year in Navarra in pregnancy, childbirth or the first month of life” has been awarded in the Maternal-Fetal Health category, and the journalist Pilar Arranz, from I donate, It has won the victory in the Assisted Reproduction category, with its report “Woman in distress looking for a baby.”
With an economic sum of 3,000 euros and an award consisting of a statuette representing the Venus of Willendorf as a symbol of fertility, the journalistic excellence of both professionals in the dissemination of information on reproductive medicine has been recognized.
