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World-Class Embryology Team Makes Medical Breakthroughs
Since 1987, world-renowned embryologist Jacques Cohen, Ph.D., and his research team have accomplished almost every major medical breakthrough in the field of reproductive medicine. Despite these achievements, Dr. Cohen and his staff remain the unseen players behind millions of pregnancies because they never actually meet the countless patients they help. “There are few fields in medicine where you have another specialty involved to so large an extent in addition to the physician who treats the patient,” relates Dr. Cohen. “Our embryology laboratory is open seven days a week and is among the top five in the nation in terms of patient volume,” says Dr. Cohen.* “More importantly, we are on the forefront in terms of developing reproductive strategies for the future that will continue to give patients the best possible chance of having a baby.” Patients are familiar with the vital role of the reproductive endocrinologist who diagnoses and treats the cause of their infertility, and harvests eggs for those needing assisted reproductive technology. Once the eggs are removed, however, it is the embryologist who uses sophisticated techniques to unite the egg and sperm in the laboratory and helps to determine the success of the procedure. If the sperm fails to penetrate the egg during in vitro fertilization (IVF) or if the embryo fails to implant successfully, several other methods, known as micromanipulation techniques, may be used. The following methods were either invented or pioneered by Dr. Cohen and his team: assisted fertilization that later led to the development of ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection) that was fine-tuned by others, assisted hatching, fragment removal, embryo co-culture, preimplantation genetic diagnosis, blastocyst culture and cryopreservation, cytoplasmic transplantation and single sperm freezing. Dr. Cohen began working in clinical assisted reproduction over 20 years ago, making him one of only a handful of embryologists to have worked since the field was first developed. The Saint Barnabas embryology team, including accomplished embryologist and IVF Laboratory Director G. John Garrisi, Ph. D., has a combined total of 75 to 138 years of experience. All of the behind-the-scenes technology and dedication The Institute team brings together are focused on one far-reaching goal: making the dreams of infertile couples come true. “We try our very best every day to make people happy,” says Dr. Cohen. *As reported on the Clinical Specific Report by the Society of Assisted Reproductive Technology Article Terms Defined: Assisted Hatching: To facilitate hatching, a small breach in the outer layer of the membrane surrounding the egg is made before placing the embryo in the uterus. Cryopreservation: Couples may choose to freeze extra embryos for future implantation. Cytoplasmic Transplantation: Cellular material from the egg of a donor is transplanted to the egg of a woman whose embryos develop poorly. The recipient’s genetic material remains. Embryo Co-Culture: Embryos develop in culture dishes containing “helper cells” that optimize the development potential of the embryo. Fragment Removal: Removal of potentially growth-limiting fragments between cells in an embryo is performed before embryo transfer. ICSI (Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection): A single sperm is injected through the cytoplasm of the egg to fertilize it. Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis: Using biopsy, a single cell is removed from an embryo and assessed for chromosomal abnormality. Single Sperm Freezing: This method of freezing sperm cells allows them to be found after thaw in a predictable time scale for fertilization. Institute Welcomes New Physician Leadership
The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Saint Barnabas Medical Center welcomed new physician leadership at the Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Science as of October 1, 1999. David Sable, M.D., was named as the Director of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at The Institute. Margaret Graf Garrisi, M.D., comes to Saint Barnabas as the Medical Director of the Assisted Reproduction Program. Serena H. Chen, M.D., joins the Institute as the Associate Director of the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. The best physicians, scientists and infertility team, extensive support services and a compassionate staff help couples manage infertility and its treatment. For an appointment, please call (973) 322-8286 or visit www.saintbarnabas.com. [ top ] |
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Jacques Cohen, Ph.D., Scientific Director of Assisted Reproduction, G. John Garrisi, Ph.D., IVF Laboratory Director, and research team.
From Left, Margaret Graf Garrisi, M.D., David Sable, M.D., Serena Chen, M.D., and Jacques Cohen, Ph.D. 
