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The Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Science at Saint Barnabas Medical Center Receives Grant for Oocyte Freezing Clinical Trial Livingston, N.J. -- Physicians and scientists at Saint Barnabas Medical Center’s Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Science invite volunteers to participate in an innovative clinical trial that will examine a new approach to freezing oocytes (eggs) as a result of oocyte retrieval. The Institute has been given a $30,000 grant from Organon Inc., to help conduct a clinical trial of a newly developed method of freezing and thawing oocytes. While sperm and embryo cryopreservation are routinely used today and can safety yield high pregnancy rates, oocyte freezing remains unreliable. Pregnancy rates using previously frozen oocytes have been extremely poor. “We are very excited about our preliminary results and feel confident that our technology will make a difference,” says Serena Chen, M.D., Associate Director of the Institute. “There are many groups who could benefit from a reliable method of egg freezing. For example, female cancer survivors would have a chance to conceive after therapy. Currently the only option for young, single women with cancer is embryo cryopreservation, which requires the use of donor sperm. Also, successful oocyte freezing could be an option for women who postpone childbearing but still want the option to conceive.” Participants—who should be between the ages of 21 and 34, with normal ovarian reserve and who require in vitro fertilization (IVF) to conceive—will receive a significant discount in the cost of IVF for participation in the study. The pilot study, which will consist of 10 patients and has already begun, involves oocyte retrieval from all participants. Half of the eggs will be immediately frozen using the new techniques, while the remaining eggs will be combined with sperm and frozen as embryos using standard techniques. The frozen eggs will then be thawed, fertilized and the resulting embryos will be transferred to the uterus. If a pregnancy does not result from the frozen eggs, then a routine cycle will be performed using the embryos frozen with standard techniques. . As one of the nations leading fertility centers, the Institute maintains pregnancy rates that are among the highest in the world and treats patients from 43 states and 17 foreign countries. World-renowned embryologist Dr. Cohen and his research team have accomplished numerous major medical breakthroughs in the field of reproductive medicine. If you are interested in participating, please call the Institute at (973) 322-8286, or speak with your obstetrician about a referral to the Institute.
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