We are happy to welcome You to the XXVI Nordic Fertility Society (NFS) meeting in August 18th to 20th 2022 in Helsinki Finland.

Pre-Congress Workshops organized by Nordic IVF Laboratory Society (NILS) will take place the 18th of August, 2022, 9.00-12.00, at Scandic Marina Congress Center, Helsinki, Finland.

Registration

To register for the workshops, conference and to make an accommodation reservation, please complete the on-line registration form.

Prices for workshops (booked with the registration form):

Early registration fee EUR 50, until 31st of May, 2022.
Late registration fee  EUR 75, starting 1st of June, 2022.

Pre-Congress Workshops; 18th of August, 2022, 9.00-12.00

Workshop 1: Blastocyst Biopsy Workshop

The workshop is organized in collaboration with Cooper Surgical and focus will be on practical aspects of blastocyst biopsy and tubing.

A maximum of 10 participants can be accepted for the workshop so it is important to register early to secure your place.

• The workshop will start with a presentation on practical aspects, methods, tips and tricks regarding biopsy and tubing.
• Then each participant will have the opportunity to perform a blastocyst biopsy and tubing of the material under guidance of an experienced instructor.
• This workshop will be a unique opportunity for embryologists who are interested in learning how to biopsy blastocysts and will also be suitable for seasoned embryologists who wish to update themselves on current best practice, techniques and equipment.

Evaluation of the Workshop

PGT (Blastocyst Biopsy) – workshop NILS Helsinki 18th of august 2022

In cooperation with Cooper Surgical and The University of Helsinki, we organized a PGT – workshop with 10 participants.

Training supervisor was Olga De Silva, Clinical Application Scientist at Cooper Surgical.

The workshop had a theoretical part with a presentation of practical aspects, methods, tips and tricks regarding biopsy and tubing, followed up with a practical part.

In the practical part, the participants were able to do biopsy training under guidance of an experienced instructor on three working stations with two fully equipped microscopes for biopsy training at mouse embryos, and a stereomicroscope for tubing the material.

This workshop was an excellent opportunity for embryologists who were interested in learning how to biopsy blastocysts and for seasoned embryologists who wanted to update themselves on current best practice, techniques and equipment.

Workshop 2: Oocyte vitrification: Tips, Tricks and Traps 

The workshop is organized in collaboration with Novivitae and Irvine Scientific.

This short hands-on training course will provide core knowledge for vitrification of human oocytes. It will focus on the technical skills required to successfully perform vitrification.

Maximum 15 participants can be accepted for the workshop, so it is important to register early to secure your place.

Applicants should have the pre-requisite of embryo handling skills.

• Theoretical knowledge will be provided on selection of consumables, protocols and vitrification media
• Consideration and hands on training in the use of open and closed systems
• Key performance indicators for cryopreservation and sample storage
• Hands-on training in oocyte vitrification and warming

Speaker and Hands-on workshop: Dr. Joe Conaghan, USA. https://www.pacificfertilitycenter.com/fertility-specialists/joseph-conaghan-phd

Evaluation of the Workshop

Oocyte vitrification workshop NILS Helsinki 18th of august 2022

In cooperation with Novivitae and Irvine Scientific – workshop with 15 participants.

What could have been improved about today´s event?

• Today´s workshop was excellent; I will take some good advice and new information to apply it at our clinic. So, for me, the event has no points to improve, if so, it would be more time for some topics to discuss.
• Note taking equipment (pen, paper) at the meeting room and at the beginning the information that the lecture will be received afterwards.
• Set-up of the microscopes.

Which topics are you interested in the next workshops?

• Sperm cell freezing, especially after PESA/TESA.
• Blastocyst biopsy.
• ET techniques.
• Sperm freezing.
• Improve ICSI results.
• Timelapse embryo evaluation.
• AI in Timelapse.
• Sperm freezing and thawing.
• New faster protocol that is in progress.

Workshop 3: Quality Management in ART

The workshop is organized in collaboration with Vitrolife and focus will be on practical aspects of Quality Management.

A maximum of 25 participants can be accepted for the workshop so it is important to register early to secure your place.

The aim of this hands-on workshop is to educate embryologists in developing and sustaining top quality fertility care and support them who wish to update themselves on new and current best practice, techniques and equipment.

Quality management is an integrative philosophy of management for continuously improving the quality of services and processes. Through the years, this concept has become fundamental in assisted reproduction, a field in which a high standard of treatment should constantly be pursued.

The workshop will start with a presentation on practical aspects, methods, tips and tricks, then each participant will have the opportunity to visit 4 stops:

Stop 1: Composition and quality control of media products for clinical IVF making informed choices. Learn how deviations in temperature, pH and osmolality may affect your embryos and how to correctly measure and monitor these.

Stop 2: Quality control: Maintaining stability in the laboratory – Log and Guard and B:safe. Automated monitoring of all critical parameters in embryo culture and cryostorage.

Stop 3: Future possibilities for Time-lapse as a QC and KPI tool.

Time-lapse using AI based tools are being developed to objectively annotate and/or rank embryos according to likelihood of implantation.  This may offer new possibilities to use Time-lapse technology to monitor embryo development linked to laboratory process quality.

Stop 4: Laser Assisted Hatching, zona thinning, laser collapse before vitrification and – Laser Assisted Immotile Sperm Selection

Evaluation of the Workshop

Quality Management in ART - workshop NILS Helsinki 18th of august 2022

In cooperation with Vitrolife – workshop with 25 participants.

What could have been improved about today´s event?

• More time for topics to discuss. 
• More spots, so all lab-people can attend.
• Information that the lecture will be received afterwards.
• The room was not optimal. Noisy with 4 speakers in the same room.

Which topics are you interested in the next workshops?

• AI
• Witnesses systems
• ICSI
• ET techniques
• Spermpreperation/ Sperm freezing/ andrology/ DNA fragmentation
• Add-on
• Basic Training Courses for new staff and for up-date for ”old” staf
• Blastocyst biopsy.
• Timelapse embryo evaluation.