Editors-in-Chief
Catherine Racowsky - Harvard Medical School, USA
Dr. Catherine Racowsky is Professor Emerita of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Harvard Medical School, and was director of the IVF laboratory at Brigham and Women’s Hospital for over 20 years. She is currently a University Consultant in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Medicine at the Foch Hospital, Suresnes, France. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Zoology at the University of Oxford, her Ph.D. in Reproductive Physiology from the University of Cambridge and undertook her post-doctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Racowsky is a Past President of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). Her major research interests include investigating maternal and environmental factors affecting oocyte quality, studying the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying oocyte maturation and expanding methodologies for assessing human embryo developmental competency.
Jonathan Van Blerkom - University of Colorado Boulder, USA
Jonathan Van Blerkom is a Professor in the Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder and Director of the IVF Laboratory at Colorado Reproductive Endocrinology in Denver. He has been engaged in research focused on mammalian reproduction and early development and has published widely in the areas of the ovary, oogenesis, fertilization and preimplantation embryogenesis. His recent focus has been on the regulation of the functional organization of the oocyte plasma membrane at the molecular level and the role of mitochondrial bioenergetics in the establishment of developmental competence.
Editorial Board
David Albertini - The Center for Human Reproduction, USA
Amir Arav - Fertile Safe LTD, Israel
Dr. Arav has received his bachelor's degree (B.Sc) in Animal Science from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M) degree from the University of Bologna, Italy. His PhD degree in neuroscience physiology and biomedical engineering was a combined project of the University of Bologna and the University of California at Berkeley. His post doctorate was done at the Center for Bio-stabilization, University of California at Davis. Dr. Arav is a leading scientist in the field of cryobiology and reproduction with over 150 related publications and 300 patents.
Giovanni Coticchio - IVIRMA Global Research Alliance, Italy
Giovanni Coticchio holds a PhD in Cell and Developmental Biology and a qualification of full professor. He is Science and Research Manager of IVIRMA Global Research Alliance, IVIRMA Italia. He has published over 120 papers, numerous book chapters and two books. Since June 2021, he has served as member of the Executive Committee of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE).
Alberto Darszon - Universidad Nacional Autonoma, Mexico
Dr. Alberto Darszon, a Full Professor at the Instituto de Biotecnología of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Méxco, is part of the consortium of sperm physiology in the Department of Developmental Genetics and Molecular Physiology. The consortium combines strategies of biochemistry, cell physiology, electrophysiology and advanced fluorescence imaging, to understand the regulation of ionic sperm permeability. Ionic channels, membrane proteins that efficiently transport ions, are importantly involved in the motility, maturation and induction of an exocytotic process called the acrosomal reaction that prepares the sperm to fuse with the egg and fertilize it. These processes and the participation of the ion sperm channels and transporters in them, is very important in the generation of a new individual.
Rafael Fissore - University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA
Antony Galione was elected to the Statutory Professorship of Pharmacology at the University of Oxford and was Head of the Department of Pharmacology from 2006-2015.
He received the 2001 Novartis Prize of the British Pharmacological Society for his scientific contributions to pharmacology of calcium signalling. He was elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2010 for his contributions to the advancement of medical science, and in 2016 as a Fellow of The Royal Society for his work on calcium.
Antony Galione was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, and received a BA in Natural Sciences (pharmacology part 2) in 1985 and his PhD (zoology) in 1989, having worked on the role of calcium oscillations in cell activation in Sir Michael Berridge's laboratory.
His work, often initially in sea urchin eggs, has helped discover new calcium signalling pathways. He has contributed to the establishment of the concept of multiple calcium mobilizing messengers which link cell surface stimuli to release of internal calcium stores, and identified their target channels and organelles. This has enhanced our understanding of how calcium as a ubiquitous cellular regulator may control a myriad of cellular processes with precision.
Nicolás Garrido - IVI RMA Global, Spain
Dr Garrido is the Director of IVI Foundation, and Director of Research Administration at IVI RMA Global, B.Sc. in Biology in 1997, and pHC from the University of Valencia in 2001, Extraordinary Prize in 2002, and a Master’s in Research Methodology: Design and Statistics in Health Sciences (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelon)) in 2009, in Science and Innovation Management in 2018 and in Project Management in 2020, (Universidad Politécnica de Valencia). Director of the Andrology Laboratory and Sperm Bank at the IVI University Institute in Valencia from 2000 until 2016, and lead the IVI Teaching Program (2004-2017). Adjunct Professor at the University of Valencia, heading numerous research projects funded on male infertility, sperm physiology, sperm selection techniques, biomarkers of fertility, and stats to measure ART success. He authored over 440 abstracts, wrote more than 80 chapters, and 230 papers. Section Editor at RBM Online, past Associate Editor for Fertility and Sterility, and Ad Hoc Reviewer in the field, Currently he was also Coordinator for ESHRE of the Special Interest Group for Andrology.
Michael Klymkowsky - University of Colorado Boulder, USA
Michael Klymkowsky is a Professor of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder. He has been focus on studying cytoskeletal and signaling systems, primarily in the context of early development in the clawed frog Xenopus. More recently he has been engaged in projects focussed on now core concepts in biology and supporting disciplines can be identified and effectively presented to students. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Guido Macchiarelli - University of L'Aquila, Italy
Prof. Guido Macchiarelli is full professor and Chair of Human Anatomy at the University of L’Aquila, where he also served as Director of the Department of Medicine, Director of the Center of Microscopy, and Deputy Pro-Rector. He trained at University of Rome La Sapienza and in several Anatomy labs in Ohio, USA and Japan. He is in charge of Courses of Human Anatomy and History of Medicine in Italy and aboard. He has nearly 40 years of experience in the study of the ultrastructure of mammalian cells and tissues, especially in the fields of Reproductive Biology and Cardiovascular Sciences. He is also an expert in Distant Learning and History of Medicine. He has authored more than 350 papers and edited several international volumes on these topics. He is a member of the Editorial Boards of relevant morphological and clinical international journals. He was President and Organizer of several International Congresses in the field of morphology. He has been the recipient of several national and international awards. In 2013, he received the Anatomist Excellence Award of the ICSMS.
Ronit Machtinger - Sheba Hospital and Tel Aviv University, Israel
Prof. Ronit Machtinger, M.D., is a senior physician in the IVF division at Sheba Hospital, Israel. She graduated from the Sackler Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University (1999), and specialized in gynecology, obstetrics and fertility at Sheba Medical Center. From 2009-2012 Prof. Machtinger completed a research fellow at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Back in Israel, she founded a new laboratory in Sheba Medical Center, studying the effect of the environment and BMI on reproduction and pregnancy outcome. She is an associate professor at the School of Medicine at Tel Aviv University and a Department Associated on behalf of Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, has published more than 80 peer review papers, and serves as an Associate editor of Human Reproduction.
Jim Meriano - TRIO Fertility, Canada
Dr. Jim Meriano’s international reputation as an outstanding embryologist is based on his numerous achievements and awards in the field of human embryology over the past 30 years. Working with Dr. Bob Casper, Dr. Meriano established the embryology lab at TCART in 1992-1993. In 2001-2002, he established the Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) program and in 2012-2013 the Egg Freezing/Vitrification program at LifeQuest Centre for Reproductive Medicine. Prior to TCART and LifeQuest, Dr. Meriano set up a blood lab for infertility and an embryo freezing lab at Toronto General Hospital. Today, as Lab Director at TRIO, Dr. Meriano and his team of embryologists are among the most experienced in the country; currently, they are actively engaged in innovative research initiatives, applying new and leading technologies, and looking for ways on an ongoing basis to continue to improve pregnancy rates for TRIO’s patients.
Toshiyuki Mori - Osaka University, Japan
Toshiyuki Mori is an assistant professor of Department of Molecular Protozoology, Research Center for Infectious Disease Control, Osaka University. His research interest is elucidating molecular mechanism of gamete fusion. Since he started his research, he has been interested in sexual reproduction of flowering plants. Indeed, he has succeeded in identification of several molecular factors controlling fusion of male and female gametes. Among his findings, a male gametic fertilization protein, designated GCS1 (GENERATIVE CELL SPECIFIC 1), has been known as a vital gamete fusion factor conserved in land plants, algae, unicellular protists and invertebrates. Now, he is trying to elucidate GCS1-based gamete fusion system of malaria parasites, seeking for new malaria-attacking targets.
Stefania Annarita Nottola - Sapienza University. Italy
Prof. Stefania Annarita Nottola currently serves as a Full Professor of Human Anatomy at the Department of Anatomy, Histology, Forensic Medicine and Orthopaedics, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy since 2019. Her main research area is the Biology of Reproduction, with particular regard to: ultrastructural morphology of the human oocyte subjected to different cryopreservation procedures; morphological features of oocytes of different mammals including human, immature and/or subjected to in vitro maturation; embryogenesis of the human female gonad; ultrastructure of the follicular-luteal complex, in human and other mammals, in normal, experimental (ovarian tissue cryopreservation and grafting, in vitro culture of ovarian follicles) and pathological conditions; ultrastructural morphology of human spermatozoa treated with different cryopreservation protocols; morphological features of mammalian female and male gonads and gametes subjected to environmental pollution (radiations, pesticides, heavy metals); ultrastructural studies on human placenta exposed to environmental pollution (microplastics).
Willem Ombelet - European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, Belgium
Willem Ombelet started his career researching infertility and IVF in 1984 in Pretoria, South Africa. In 1998, he obtained his PhD degree at the University of Leuven. From 2001 until 2004 he was the President of the Belgian Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. He was involved in 190 international peer-reviewed articles. Dr Ombelet is the founder of the Genk Institute for Fertility Technology and the Walking Egg non-profit organization. He is the editor-in-Chief of the international scientific journal “Facts, Views & Vision in ObGyn”. He was the coordinator of the ESHRE Special Interest Groups “Andrology” and Global and Sociocultural aspects of infertility”. Actually he is the chair of the ESHRE Special Interest Groups.
Nicolas Plachta - University of Pennsylvania, United States
Nicolas Plachta is the William Richard Gordon President’s Distinguished Professor in Genetics at the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. His lab has pioneered the use of live imaging approaches to study preimplantation embryonic development. Originally from Argentina, he studied biology at Tel-Aviv University, earned his Ph.D. in neurobiology from the University of Basel (Switzerland) and performed postdoctoral studies in biological imaging at Caltech. He was one of the first PIs for EMBL Australia, based at Monash University. In 2015, he moved to the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (ASTAR) in Singapore. In 2018, he became HHMI International Scholar and Chih-Ye Visiting Professor of the State Key Lab of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology in Beijing. In 2019, he joined the University of Pennsylvania.
Thomas B. Pool - Fertility Centre of San Antonio, United States
Thomas B. (Rusty) Pool, Ph.D., HCLD(ABB) is the former Scientific Director of the Fertility Center of San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, USA, a position he held for 38 years. He serves on the editorial boards of Fertility and Sterility, the Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics and Reproductive BioMedicine Online. He is a former Chairman of the College of Reproductive Biology of the American Association of Bioanalysts and was the recipient of the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award of the Society of Reproductive Biologists and Technologists of ASRM. His research interests include physiology of the preimplantation human embryo and improvements to embryo culture technology.
Laura Francesca Rienzi - IVI-RMA Global Research Alliance, Spain
Laura earned her Biology degree magna cum laude in 1993 from the University of Rome “La Sapienza” and completed a Post-graduate Research Fellowship at Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades in Paris. She obtained a Master’s degree in 2009 and a Specialization in Reproductive Medicine in 2015 from the University of Padua. Since 2016, she has been an Adjunct Professor at the University of Urbino “Carlo Bo,” becoming an Associate Professor in 2022. She has authored more than 250 articles and presented at over 300 scientific meetings (Scopus H-index =63). In 2008, she co-founded the GENERA IVF Centres in Italy. In 2021, she helped create the European IVF clinic network, now part of IVI-RMA Global Research Alliance, where she is on the Scientific Advisory Board and Head of Innovation in clinical embryology and data management.
Botros Rizk: Elite IVF, Houston, Texas, United States
Botros Rizk is Medical Director, Elite IVF in Houston, Texas and former Professor and Head of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility and Medical and Scientific Director of USA In vitro fertilization and assisted reproduction at the University of South Alabama for 25 years from 1993 to 2019. Dr Rizk currently leads Elite IVF, Houston, Texas a premier assisted reproductive technology center in Texas.
Hassan Sallam - University of Alexandria, Egypt
Hassan Sallam is the Professor Emeritus at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the University Alexandria Egypt. He is a founding member of the IVF units at King’s College Hospital London and St Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital at Columbia University alongside the Alexandria Fertility and IVF Centre. Hassan Sallam’s special interest and experiences are evidence-based medicine in the area of infertility management and assisted reproduction.
Luigia Santella - Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Italy
Luigia Santella is a Research Director at the Department of Research Infrastructures for Marine Biological Resources, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Napoli, Italy. She has widely published in the areas of maturation and fertilization using starfish oocytes as animal models. Her extended work on sea urchin eggs has initially suggested a crucial role in the structural and dynamical changes of the actin cytoskeleton of the egg cortex in regulating the fertilization response. She is a member of the Academia Europaea.
Hitoshi Sawada - Nagoya University, Japan
Hitoshi Sawada is a Professor Emeritus of Nagoya University (Japan). He received his Ph.D. from Hokkaido University in 1982. He is focusing on the molecular mechanisms of fertilization in marine invertebrates, including ascidians and sea urchins. In particular, he is interested in sperm proteases involved in fertilization, and also in the self-sterility mechanisms in hermaphroditic ascidians. He has organized four international meetings in the field of reproductive biology and edited four books. He published more than 110 papers mainly about the fertilization mechanisms of ascidians. He is one of the leading scientists in reproductive biology and a recipient of Japanese Zoological Society Award in 2014.
Riccardo Talevi - Naples University Federico II, Italy
Riccardo Talevi Ph.D. is a Professor of Biology of Reproduction and director of postgraduate course in Biology and Technology of Assisted Reproduction at Naples University Federico II. In the last years, his research activity focused on the mechanisms involved in sperm selection inside the female reproductive tract and the enhancement of human oocyte and ovarian tissue cryopreservation. He presently leads research projects on innovative culture systems for in vitro folliculogenesis.
Gary M. Wessel - Brown University, USA
Gary Wessel is a Professor of Biology at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, USA and a Senior Scientist of the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole Massachusetts, USA. His major research interests are in fertilization, formation of primordial germ cells in embryos, and in gonad function. He uses a variety of research organisms for this purpose, including sea urchins, sea stars, and mice.
Mingtao Zhao - Nationwide Children’s Hospital/ The Ohio State University College of Medicine, USA
Mingtao Zhao, DVM, PhD, is a Principal Investigator in the Center for Cardiovascular Research at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. He is an Assistant Professor (tenure-track) in the Department of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. He received his Ph.D. degree in reproductive physiology with Dr. Randall Prather at the University of Missouri, Columbia, followed by a postdoc fellowship at Stanford University School of Medicine in Palo Alto, California, USA. His research areas include early embryonic development, pluripotent stem cells, somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), directed differentiation, and epigenomics. He has used the cutting-edge genome-sequencing technologies (RNA-seq, ChIP-seq, and Methyl-seq) to probe the nuclear reprogramming during early embryonic development and cellular differentiation.
Søren Ziebe - University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Søren Ziebe holds a DSc from the Medical Faculty and a MSc in biology both from of University of Copenhagen. He is currently Senior scientist at the Laboratory of Reproductive Biology and was Head of the Fertility Department, Rigshospitalet, University Hospital of Copenhagen and professor at University of Copenhagen for many years. He has been Chairman of the National Danish Fertility Society, President of the Nordic Fertility Society, Council of Europe expert - National board of Health representative in European Committee on Cell and Tissue directive, Member of the ESHRE Executive Committee, Coordinator for ESHRE SIG sub-committee, Chairman of the 21. ESHRE congress in Copenhagen, Member of ReproUnion Executive Steering Committee.
Editorial Office
Dr. Valentina Lodde - University of Milan, Italy
Dr. Valentina Lodde is an Associate Professor of Animal Anatomy and Physiology at the University of Milan's Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences. She earned her degree in Biotechnology in 2002 and a PhD in Biotechnology Applied to Veterinary Science in 2006, both from the University of Milan. She furthered her expertise through postdoctoral training at the University of Connecticut Health Center (USA). She was awarded with the LOREAL-UNESCO for women in Science National Award in 2006 and was the recipient of the Marie Curie Career Integration Grant (Individual Fellowship programme) in 2012. Dr. Lodde's research focuses on mammalian female fertility, with a particular emphasis on oocyte and preimplantation embryo development in bovine species. She has contributed to the characterization of the morphological and functional features of oocyte growth and development in the bovine model, significantly advancing the optimization of protocols for in vitro oocyte culture. Other major research topic include the study of Progesterone Receptor membrane component 1 (PGRMC1) function in ovarian somatic cells, oocytes and preimplantation embryos and the study of the role of reactive oxigen species in mammalian oogenesis and early embryogenesis.