Ace/aba Liquid Nitrogen Training Course, 21st May 2014,

Transcript

ACE/ABA Liquid Nitrogen Training Course, 21st May 2014, ABA Logbook Supervisors Training 21st May 2014 & 9th ABA Annual General Meeting, 22nd May 2014 Portsmouth Marriott Hotel, Portsmouth PROGRAMME 21st May 08:30 Coffee and Registration 09:10 Welcome and Introduction - Bryan Woodward, ABA Executive Committee 09.15 Liquid Nitrogen Health & Safety (David Cooke, Thames Cryogenic) 10:30 Coffee Break & Trade Exhibition 11.00 Setting up a Cryostorage Facility (Stephen Harbottle, Cambridge IVF) 11.30 Cryostorage; Best Practice & Legal Requirements (Jason Kasraie, Shropshire & Mid Wales Fertility Centre) 12.00 Buffet Lunch & Trade Exhibition 13.00 Basic Cryobiology in the Embryology Laboratory (Prof. Barry Fuller, UCL London) 14.00 Freezing & Storage of Sperm (Shona Harrison, Bristol Centre for Reproductive Medicine) 14.30 Cryobank Audits & Patient Recall (David Sanders, Wales Fertility Institute, Cardiff) 15.00 Coffee Break 15.15 Setting up a Liquid Nitrogen User Group for your Facility (Peter Goddard, St Mary’s Hospital, Manchester) 15.45 Adverse Incidents (Mathew Tomlinson, Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham) 16.30 Summary and Question Time 17.00 Close of Meeting 13.30 to 16.30 ABA Logbook Supervisors Training (Eileen Mathers, Aberdeen Fertility Centre) This new venture is open to current supervisors and those about to start in that role. The aim of the session is to clarify the role of supervising an ABA module and to provide support to those in that position. There will be a presentation outlining the aims of the ABA modules, the expected standards and assessment methods, and advice on managing the training. This will be followed by an opportunity for open discussion on issues that have been raised by previous supervisors as well as those attending the session. 22nd May 09:00 Coffee and Registration 09.50 Welcome and Introduction - Stephen Harbottle, ABA Chair ‘Andrology update – applied andrology in the spotlight’ Chairs: Bryan Woodward & Stephen Harbottle 10:00 Fertility Preservation for the Armed Forces (Jackson Kirkman-Brown MBE, University of Birmingham) 10.30 Post Vasectomy Semen Analysis 2014 ABA/BAS Review (Paul Hancock, ABA Committee Member) 11.00 Coffee & Trade Exhibition 11.20 ‘Gone in 60 Minutes’ - Best practice semen production to ensure a high quality semen analysis (Prof. Chris Barratt, University of Dundee) 11.50 Sperm factors affecting the outcome of Assisted Reproduction Treatment (Nicolás Garrido-Puchalt, IVI Valencia) 12.20 Buffet lunch & Trade Exibition 13.20 ABA AGM and election of officers ‘Laboratory Accreditation update’ – Introducing UKAS and ISO15189 Chairs: Karla Biddick & Eileen Mathers 13.50 Transition to ISO 15189: key changes and issues so far (Ben Courtney, UKAS) 14.10 Debate: ‘This house believes that it is impossible to reliably accredit an andrology service against ISO 15189’ Proposing: Bryan Woodward Opposing: Stephen Harbottle 14.45 ‘A compendium of unfortunate events in the andrology laboratory’ (Sue Kenworthy, Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust) 15.15 Andrology Question Time 16:00 Close of Meeting ACE / ABA Liquid Nitrogen Training Course 21st May 2014, Portsmouth Marriott Hotel Liquid Nitrogen Health & Safety - David Cooke, Thames Cryogenic David started working for the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority back in 1986 just as the Chernobyl incident happened and he spent the next 2 years working on the fallout from that disaster (literally). During this time he qualified with an HND from what is now Oxford Brookes University. After several years working at the sharp end of science David left for the totally unrelated field of sales to the building and civil engineering industry, providing everything from road cones to portable buildings. In 1996 bringing together the two strands of science and sales David moved to Thames Cryogenics and has spent the last 18 years selling cryogenic plumbing to industry throughout the UK and beyond. He also runs the Marketing Division of the British Cryogenic Cluster. Liquid Nitrogen Safety Liquid Nitrogen is one of those marmite things, you either love it or hate it. This presentation will go through what liquid nitrogen is and how to use it safely. In the same way that electricity can and does cause fatalities if misused but we couldn’t live without it, so liquid nitrogen, if mistreated, can injure or kill, but with a bit of common sense and some planning and training, it can be a very useful tool that can be utilised day in, day out, without harm to users. Some liquid nitrogen safety elements can be built in to the design and layout of your facility, whilst others are about Safe Operating Procedures and staff awareness and training. Whilst not intended to replace on site liquid nitrogen safety training, hopefully this presentation should prompt a fresh look at your own sites and how they might be improved from a safety perspective. Setting up a Cryostorage Facility - Stephen Harbottle, Cambridge IVF Stephen is the Lead Clinical Scientist at Cambridge IVF; a purpose-built NHS fertility centre. He joined the Cambridge IVF team in 2009 to design and oversee the construction, validation and licensing of the facilities encompassing a "state of the art" laboratory cleanroom suite. Since opening in 2011, Cambridge IVF has established a reputation as a provider of high quality individualised care with a commitment to patient safety and clinical excellence. Stephen has 20 years of relevant clinical experience, is current Chair of ABA and ACE, and is an Andrology Peer Assessor for UKAS to the ISO 15189 International Standard. Setting up a Cryostorage Facility Working with liquid nitrogen is inherently dangerous. A well-designed and wellequipped storage facility is a critical element in reducing risk and improving efficiency in any assisted conception unit intending to store cryopreserved gametes or embryos in a safe and compliant environment. There are a multitude of challenges to overcome when establishing a new cryostore and each project will present its own unique set of issues and limitations. A robust design will focus on optimising the location, elevation, accessibility and ventilation of the cryostore whilst allowing for careful consideration of the internal layout and design. A well-designed cryostore will seamlessly integrate with both the services it requires and the services it supports to facilitate working practices which are safe, reliable and efficient. Careful consideration should be given to selecting storage containers, inventory systems, labelling of devices and facility monitoring systems to ensure the resultant cryostore is not only fit for purpose but is also straightforward to audit and compliant with relevant local, national and international guidance and legislation. This lecture will consider the processes involved in the design of a safe and effective cryostore. We will consider the elements described above in detail using "real world" examples of challenges that may be encountered within the limitations of existing buildings and locations and suggest how best the impact of such issues can be overcome in situations where a "blank canvas" is not an option. ACE / ABA Liquid Nitrogen Training Course 21st May 2014, Portsmouth Marriott Hotel Cryostorage: Best Practice & Legal Requirements - Jason Kasraie, Shropshire & Mid Wales Fertility Centre Cryogenic Jason Kasraie is Consultant Clinical Embryologist and HFEA Person Responsible at the Shropshire & Mid-Wales Fertility Centre in Shrewsbury. He has twenty years experience in the field, having begun his career in Andrology. He has been a member of the Association of Clinical Embryologists training committee and is currently a member of the ACE executive committee. Cryostorage, Best Practice & Legal Requirements There are many issues relating to best practice and legal requirements of cryostorage. Legal cases relating to these issues are regularly hitting the press and cryostorage carries a high risk of litigation if incidents do occur. This talk details the current guidelines that are available from both ACE and the ABA as well as regulations and their interpretation by the HFEA and HTA and the legal requirements for use of liquid nitrogen. The theoretical risk of transmission of infective agents through liquid nitrogen and the recommendations and best practice for amelioration of these risks will also be discussed. Basic Cryobiology in the Embryology Laboratory - Barry Fuller, PhD; DSc, Professor in Surgical Sciences and Low Temperature Medicine, UCL Medical School & Royal Free Hospital, London NW3 2QG, UK. E-mail : [email protected] Barry Fuller is Professor of Surgical Sciences and Low Temperature Medicine in UCL Medical School, London, based at the Royal Free Hospital. He completed his PhD in the former MRC Unit of Medical Cryobiology, and has followed a career in basic and applied cryobiology, studying low temperature phenomena and their delivery into clinical services. He has worked across the range of low temperatures from hypothermia in transplant organ preservation to deep cryogenic preservation of cells and tissues, including work on embryos, oocytes and ovarian tissues. He was awarded a DSc degree in 2000, and made a Fellow of the Society of Cryobiology in 2010 Life in the Freezer – Cryobiology and the Lazarus factor (life back from the edge) The ability to hold life in suspended animation has found growing importance across a range of fields in medicine, and especially in reproductive biology and infertility services. The different approaches came to be known as cryobiology. Early advances in cryobiology were made in studies on sperm preservation, quickly followed by research into embryo and oocyte cryopreservation. The biophysical effects of the ice-water transition and ways to mitigate the resulting injury to living cells gradually, became clearer. Cryobiology has historically developed on a pragmatic basis, in order to achieve good functional recoveries of cells and tissue from ultra-low temperature storage. The power to ‘freeze time’ was soon understood where management of patients, treatments and living cells could be matched to improve outcomes. This talk will look at a brief history of applied cryobiology, the ‘pinch points’ which have been identified, and how these have been addressed to deliver a useful technology , with examples from reproductive biology and elsewhere, mostly at the level of single cells in small samples . Moving forward, the issues surrounding cryopreservation of more complex tissues were also investigated as requirements arose for preservation in areas such as ovarian tissue cryo-banking. Over the past decade, new approaches such as ‘ice-free’ vitrification have been introduced, bringing their own successes and challenges. Finally, the discussion will touch on new areas of cryobiology being investigated to achieve better control the essential cooling and warming profiles, improve functional survival and deliver regulatory compliant technologies as required by modern health services. ACE / ABA Liquid Nitrogen Training Course 21st May 2014, Portsmouth Marriott Hotel Freezing and Storage of Sperm - Shona Harrison, Bristol Centre for Reproductive Medicine Shona has worked as a Research Scientist and Andrologist in fertility clinics in Bristol since 1989; she helped develop diagnostic tests and sperm research tests to try to improve the chances of success for fertility patients. She is now the Senior Andrologist at the Bristol Centre for Reproductive Medicine; a large NHS fertility unit. She is responsible for providing diagnostic semen analysis services to BCRM and the Bristol area CCG GP services, ensuring that current best practice and WHO standards are adhered to, including training new members of staff. She ensures a supply of donor sperm and has years of experience in donor recruitment. She was instrumental in setting up a pre-chemotherapy sperm freeze service. She has also taught on the University of Bristol’s MSc in Reproduction and Development course for many years. She has been a member of the ABA Education Committee for several years and helped shape the ABA logbooks; she also acts as supervisor, mentor, marker and examiner for Andrologists undertaking the ABA logbooks. She is now the ABA log book coordinator. Freezing and Storage of Sperm The learning objective is to offer an introduction to aspects of a service to offer sperm freezing and storage for treatment use and will include ejaculated and surgically retrieved sperm and testicular tissue. Providing an effective best practice service requires preparation and attention to detail. The aim should be to ensure that the men, whether they are fertility clients, pre-chemotherapy patients or donors, have a pathway that ensures their needs are met especially those with anxiety problems, and those who are unwell. The men should be counselled to obtain effective consents covering sample storage and future treatment use, screened to meet current regulations, educated to produce the best samples, advised of treatment types their sample will be suitable for and the need for sufficient sperm to be stored. This lecture will cover aspects of laboratory work including procuring the best sample, effective witnessing and labelling, sample appropriate processing and preparation, freezing and thawing techniques to retain fertility potential, awareness of possible causes of cell damage, information regarding the various packaging plastics, culture and freeze media and freeze systems available to process and store sperm highlighting the advantages and disadvantages that need to be considered. Cryobank Audits and Patient Recall - David Sanders, Wales Fertility Institute, Cardiff & Aneurin Bevan University Health Board My current role as Lead Andrologist includes secondment to Cardiff to provide technical expertise for their Andrology department. This has required me to provide training for staff in the methods described in WHO 2010. I was also required to carry out a full audit of the Andrology cryostore including re-cataloguing all of the dewars and cross referencing back to the patient storage records and consents. I have been involved with the development of All-Wales Andrology SOPs and the configuration of the All-Wales LIMS. In addition I am a member of the ABA Executive Committee and an Andrology assessor for ISO 15189. Conducting a Cryobank Audit and Patient Recall The HFEA requires:  A documented procedure to review stored embryos and gametes at least once every two years  A bring-forward system in order to ensure sufficient advance notice of the end of consent period.  No centre may keep embryos or gametes after expiry of consent.  The centre should make efforts to stay in contact with patients who have embryos or gametes in storage. The system of procurement, storage, use or disposal should allow traceability of the process. Where appropriate stages should be witnessed. Each individual unit will have their own methods to achieve the required outcome. The aim is to share my experience with audit and recall, to provide an insight into how one unit achieves the HFEA requirements. ACE / ABA Liquid Nitrogen Training Course 21st May 2014, Portsmouth Marriott Hotel Setting up a Liquid Nitrogen User Group for your Facility - Peter Goddard, St Mary’s Hospital, Manchester Peter has 26 years of experience in working in NHS hospital laboratories, initially working as a microbiologist and then an andrologist in several hospitals in the UK. He has worked as a Senior Biomedical Scientist in the Andrology laboratory at St. Mary’s Hospital in Manchester for the last 12 years. He is the Health and Safety Advisor to the laboratory and has been Chair of the Trust’s Liquid Nitrogen Users’ Group since its inception nine years ago. Peter has been a member of the ABA Executive for six years and is co-editor of the ‘Andrologist’ newsletter. Setting up a Liquid Nitrogen User Group for your Facility In 2003 several incidents involving Liquid Nitrogen occurred at Central Manchester Foundation Trust. Following investigation it was decided that a forum should be set up assist departments with investigation of incidents, training and liaison with the medical gas team and the gas supplier. Ten years later and the group meets regularly to discuss situations common to all users of Liquid Nitrogen across the site. A code of practice has been implemented that covers many of the concerns faced by the users. This has helped to standardise the storage, transport and use of Liquid Nitrogen. This talk will take you through the experience of setting up such a group and discuss the successes and lessons learnt from the experience. Adverse Incidents - Mathew Tomlinson, Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham Matt Tomlinson is clinical scientist in andrology at the University Hospital Nottingham. He began his career in andrology with a PhD at the old Jessop hospital in Sheffield and the University Dept of Ob/Gyn. He began his NHS career at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital spending 5 years there learning the ropes in a DGH setting. He then moved to Birmingham Women’s Hospital to develop region-wide andrology services in a more academic setting and during this time began to develop a special interest in cryopreservation services and in developing training for laboratory andrologists. A move in 2004 to Nottingham University Hospital saw him take these interests a step further becoming a founding member of the Association of Biomedical Andrologists (ABA). He was a major player in writing and launching the ABA education certificates and guidelines for good practice (editions 1, 2 and 3). He continues to develop services in Nottingham, achieving CPA accreditation in 2006, re-awakening its formerly successful sperm donor bank and expanding the regional fertility preservation services. He has also had a role in innovation which has led to the successful commercialisation of the Sperminator™, a simple computer assisted semen analysis system. More recently he has taken a greater role in managing the fertility service and as a lecturer on the MSc course in assisted reproduction at the University of Nottingham. His publication record is varied with over 50 publications on topics from basic semen analysis, sperm DNA damage, risk associated with cryopreservation and published a book on sperm banking with former ABA colleague Allan Pacey. He has been both speaker and organiser for a number of national and international meetings and remains active with academic societies and professional bodies. Adverse incidents Cryopreservation, whether it is of sperm, embryos, oocytes or patient tissue is arguably the highest area of risk within an andrology/fertility unit. There are potential hazards related to the safety of both staff and patient material. If not carefully controlled the consequence of a serious incident could be serious injury (even fatality), threat of legal action and possibly a threat to the future of the service related. Using real incidents as examples this lecture concentrates on high priority risk within a cryopreservation service and how specific controls may be implemented in order to mitigate that risk. 9th ABA Annual General Meeting 22nd May 2014, Portsmouth Marriott Hotel Fertility Preservation for the Armed Forces - Jackson Kirkman-Brown MBE, University of Birmingham Dr. Jackson Kirkman-Brown MBE is Science Lead at Birmingham Women's Fertility Centre; a Reader in Human Reproductive Biology at the University of Birmingham and the Secretary of the British Andrology Society. As Director of the Centre for Human Reproductive Science (ChRS) in Birmingham he also leads a strong interdisciplinary research group in Reproduction. Jackson is actively engaged in communicating andrology to the public regularly having been involved with BBC World Service documentaries and various television projects including most recently Embarrassing Bodies. Jackson was awarded an MBE in the Queen's New Year Honours for Services to Clinical Reproductive Medicine particularly focused on work with testicular trauma in injured servicemen and then recently had the accolade of being named Healthcare Scientist 2014 by the Chief Scientific Officer Professor Sue Hill. Fertility Preservation for the Armed Forces Military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have resulted in a small but significant number of military personnel suffering severe perineal injuries. The devastating use of improvised explosive devices (IED) can result in the combination of high level lower limb amputation, pelvic fracture and severe perineal injury. This injury complex is now described as the ‘signature injury’ of the current conflict in Afghanistan. The nature and complexity of these injuries are of a magnitude such that there was little prior experience, and no strong evidence with which to guide management. During the conflict an outstanding level of acute management of severely injured military casualties has developed, the role for and novel methods of preserving fertility within this will be discussed. The role for consideration of fertility preservation within the surgical trauma area in civilian practice will also be highlighted. Post Vasectomy Semen Analysis 2014 ABA/BAS Review - Paul Hancock, ABA Committee Member Before retirement in 2012 I was employed as head of andrology in the Somerset Pathology Services, however, I still remain active in the andrology world both as a locum & invited lecturer. I joined the British Andrology Society education committee in the mid 1990s which lead to the first full review of post vasectomy testing in 2002, an interest that continues to the present day. Whilst on the BAS education committee I was one of the founding members of the ABA & became the Associations Treasurer. Over the years I have been involved in the andrology field as a CPA peer assessor, plus since 2009 as the Specialist Advisor for Andrology on the CPA Professional Advisory Committee. I am also now a UKAS peer assessor for andrology & a member NEQAS Reproductive Sciences Steering Committee. 9th ABA Annual General Meeting 22nd May 2014, Portsmouth Marriott Hotel ‘Gone in 60 minutes’ - Best Practice Semen Production to Ensure a High Quality Semen Analysis - Professor Chris Barratt, University of Dundee Professor Barratt is Head of the Reproductive Medicine Group at the University of Dundee as well as a clinical scientist (Hon) with NHS Tayside. He graduated with an Honours degree in Zoology and then completed a Post Graduate Certificate in Education (University of Wales, Swansea). His PhD, also in Zoology, was under the supervision of Jack Cohen (sperm selection fame) at the University of Birmingham. His formative post-doctoral studies and IVF experience was gained at the University of Sheffield [with Ian Cooke] where they specialized in natural cycle IVF. From 1997-2005 he was the Scientific Director of the ART Centre at the Birmingham Women’s Hospital. In 2002 he was awarded Young Andrologist of the Year (American Andrology Society) for outstanding contributions to the discipline. He is a regularly invited speaker at national and international scientific conferences/workshops. He was a member of the WHO Male Fertility Semen Analysis Taskforce (for both the 4th and 5th editions) and is now director of the new WHO (2012-2014) Male Fertility Expert Working Group which is devising a new system for the diagnosis and treatment of the infertile male. He was a member of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority for 6 years. He has been on the Editorial Board of Human Reproduction, Human Fertility, Biology of Reproduction, Human Reproduction Update and Journal of Andrology. Currently he is Editor-in-Chief of Molecular Human Reproduction (Impact factor 4.5). His life’s ambition is to see live - Wales comprehensively beat the All Blacks. Sperm Factors Affecting the Outcome of Assisted Reproduction Treatment - Nicolás Garrido-Puchalt, IVI Valencia Dr Nicolás Garrido received his Biological Sciences Degree in 1997 from the University of Valencia in Spain. He did a pre-doctoral fellowship at the Frauenklinik, Düsseldorf, Germany. He received his PhD Degree in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in 2001 from the University of Valencia, Spain, and the Extraordinary Prize for his thesis work in 2002. He also has a Masters degree in Research Methods, Design and Statistics from Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona. He is the Director of the Andrology Laboratory and Sperm Bank at the Instituto Valenciano de Infertilidad (IVI). The primary areas of his research are the molecular markers of male infertility and assisted reproduction. He has published over 100 articles and 40 reviews or book chapters, and made almost 250 presentations at national and international congresses. Sperm properties that affect ART results. Fertility problems affect about 15-20% of couples being male factor (ability of a man to impregnate a healthy, fertile woman) responsible for 50% of them. It requires the production of adequate numbers of normal, mature and physiologically ideal sperm with sufficient mobility and the ability to undergo capacitation and the acrosome reaction to bind and penetrate the zona pellucida for fertilization, to ultimately create an embryo able to implant and develop. Defects in any of these necessary characteristics can lead to infertility. This chain is as weak as the weakest point. Its diagnosis is extremely difficult, given that this status can vary in short periods of time and also with different partners. Many causes of male infertility remain unexplained when sperm basic analysis is performed, showing normal results under the classic WHO criteria subsequently being diagnosed as idiopathic infertility (25%). This fact clearly points to the need to discover and define more precise and robust fertility markers in sperm to predict a successful pregnancy, those occult or hidden beyond the basic sperm analysis based on microscopic and visible traits of the sperm cells. However, this is a complicated issue, given that the markers studied in one of the partners aim to predict the results obtained by the interaction of both gametes’ result and the endometrium. All these facts lead to the conclusion that it is necessary to develop new diagnostic tools allowing the assessment of male fertility potential, to enable a better diagnose, define molecular deficiencies and, if possible, use them to develop techniques permitting to separate abnormal from normal sperm able to fertilize and result in an embryo and a term pregnancy. In this lecture, an overview of the molecular markers recently described as involved in sperm physiology and reproductive success, based mainly on microarray analysis data and DNA fragmentation will be given. 9th ABA Annual General Meeting 22nd May 2014, Portsmouth Marriott Hotel Transition to ISO 15189: key changes and issues so far - Ben Courtney, UKAS Transition to ISO 15189: Key changes and issues so far The gap analysis between CPA Standards and assessments and ISO 15189 and UKAS assessments suggested that laboratories will notice increased focus on internal verification and validation, measurement uncertainty and traceability. As assessments have been rolled out, these gaps have been confirmed but assessment of a laboratory’s assurance of the quality of the test as well as clinical staff competence have also proved to be issues where a more consistent depth to assessment is required. UKAS will assess the full scope of a laboratory’s activities and this will require increased assessment activity over the course of a cycle of accreditation. Across other areas of activity within UKAS, this has always been the case to comply with requirements for Accreditation Bodies and this change is also consistent with the recommendations of the Barnes Review. This will include extra preparation time and an expectation that laboratories provide more documentation prior to the visit. It remains the laboratory’s responsibility to perform their own gap analysis between their management system and ISO 15189 requirements. Laboratories will propose improvement actions to clear findings and these will be discussed on the day of the visit. This has the benefit of the laboratory representative and assessor being absolutely clear at the end of the assessment on the evidence that can be expected. On grant of accreditation, UKAS is required to clearly document the scope of a laboratory’s accreditation on a publicly available schedule. A compendium of unfortunate events in the andrology laboratory - Sue Kenworthy, Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust Sue has worked as a Biomedical Scientist in both the NHS and private sector for 30 years. She originally trained in Haematology and Blood Transfusion in Lewisham but became multidisciplinary in 1987, and went on to manage two private hospital laboratories in Portsmouth and Southampton as well as managing health & safety in both hospitals. Sue trained in basic and advanced andrology in 1992 (Manchester and Bourn Hall, Cambridge) and has been the Lead Andrologist at Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust since 2006. She has developed a patient-centred andrology service which helps men to participate more fully in their fertility journeys and address their current and future lifestyles, creating a healthier population in a previously untapped patient demographic. The service has recently won her the runner up award in the Chief Scientific Officer’s Award for Clinical Leadership in the Advancing Healthcare Awards. As well as working full-time, Sue is also part way through a doctorate with the University of Portsmouth. Sue sits on the andrology Steering Committee for the NEQAS Reproductive Science Scheme and is in her second year as a member of the ABA Executive Committee. A compendium of unfortunate events Every laboratory must have a strange or funny story to tell. This talk takes a light-hearted look at various laboratories’ unusual and bizarre occurrences, which are quite often a result of misunderstanding, poor communication and management of expectations. Behind every unfortunate event there must be reflection and action to be able to engineer out of these types of problems in the future. The take-home message is that by developing more helpful engagement with our clinicians and patients, we can help to reduce uncertainty in more ways than just for ISO 15189. ACE / ABA Liquid Nitrogen Training Course & 9th ABA Annual General Meeting 21st & 22nd May 2014, Portsmouth Marriott Hotel OUR TRADE SUPPORTERS Procreative diagnostics www.procreative-diagnostics.com Procreative diagnostics is a startup company which has emerged from a collaboration at Nottingham University Hospital in order to market and further develop the Sperminator™. Computer assisted semen analysis (CASA) has existed more than 25 years but has never been widely accepted by either the Pathology or Reproductive Medicine communities. With previous experience of CASA, the scientists behind PCD believe that the key reasons for this lack of interest in automation have been: High cost; a lack of Trust (clear validation) and finally a need for simplification. Many systems have been developed with basic research in mind and therefore offer features which are not necessarily required in the routine pathology or assisted conception laboratory. With over 20 years’ experience in diagnostic and treatment-related semen analysis, those developing the Sperminator™ have therefore aimed to provide a rapid yet accurate estimate of sperm concentration and motility (and velocity) which is at least as reliable as the best manual method. PCD are continuing to develop and refine the system and this year will be launching an EQA scheme to support its current users. The eventual aim is to automate other aspects of the semen analysis and not only reduce manpower requirements but also the error associated with human intervention. Origio Ltd www.origio.com 7 Castlefield Road, Reigate, Surrey RH2 0SA Tel: 01737 243869 Fax: 01737 242957 Email: [email protected] ORIGIO is the leading global company solely dedicated to meeting the needs of ART professionals. We offer a wide range of high quality andrology, culture media, cryopreservation and vitrification products, micro-pipettes and capital equipment to help clinical teams achieve and maintain the highest standards of success in IVF, ICSI and related procedures. Our increasingly-broad product portfolio is supported by an extensive R&D programme and by state–of–the art manufacturing facilities in Denmark and the USA, while our reputation for excellent customer service and support remains second to none. Linkam Scientific Instruments www.linkam.co.uk 8 Epsom Downs Metro Centre, Waterfield, Tadworth, Surrey, KT20 5LR Tel: 01737 363476 Ext 601 Fax: 01737 363480 Blog: http://www.linkam.co.uk/linkam-blog/ Linkam Scientific Instruments have been supplying heating and cooling stage for over 30 years. These stages are found in thousands of laboratories, hospitals and universities worldwide with the most successful heating/cooling stage, the THMS600, selling over 4000 units. Linkam develops and manufactures a broad range of heating/ cooling stages for biological applications, to visualize and assess sample properties. The instruments can be used in conjunction with light microscopes, Raman, IR, other forms of spectroscopy and X-ray. Linkam Scientific Instruments’ product range now includes stages designed specifically for Embryology, Andrology and biological assessment and research. ACE / ABA Liquid Nitrogen Training Course & 9th ABA Annual General Meeting 21st & 22nd May 2014, Portsmouth Marriott Hotel European Sperm Bank www.europeanspermbank.com European Sperm Bank ApS, Falkoner Allé 63, 2 floor, 2000 Frederiksberg, Denmark Direct: +45 69 88 00 55 Phone: +45 38 34 36 00, Fax: +45 38 34 36 46 The European Sperm Bank is one of the leading sperm banks in Europe. We offer patients a wide choice of anonymous and open donor sperm from highly screened donors. Our staff will help patients and clinics select and our website offers much additional donor information like profile, audio interviews, baby photos etc., so patients can make an informed choice. Our company complies with the EU Cells and Tissue Directives and has been inspected multiple times and found in full compliance with these Directives. Feel free to contact us for further details. Cryolab Ltd www.cryolab.co.uk 19 Station Road, Bognor Regis, West Sussex PO21 1QD Telephone: 01243 837177 Mobile: 07738 123048 Cryolab will Cryodiffusion be representing both Cryobiosystems and Cryobiosystems is worldwide recognised for its HSV High Security Vitrification Straw, a reliable, fast and secure device for oocyte and embryo vitrification. New product lines for ART and Biobanking include new CBSTM High Security Tube and its opening equipment: SYSO, and the CRF Nano-Digitcool. Cryodiffusion offers a complete range of cryo-biological sample storage containers for all biological samples, in liquid / vapour and dry storage systems, containers are CE marked and fully Medical Device Compliant. In particular the LO series of dry storage vessels (with controllers) are ideally suited for Andrology. Hunter Scientific www.hunterscientific.com Unit 1, Priors Hall, Widdington, Saffron Walden, Essex CB11 3SB As well as manufacturing and distributing our own well established range of Pasteur Pipettes and Micro Tools, Hunter Scientific are the UK distributors for Nidacon andrology products, Noblegen Nitrogen Gas & Liquid Nitrogen generators. We also offer a range of Sterilin collection pots which are Human Sperm Survival Assayed and CE Marked. We are the UK distributors for Cryologic, IVFonline, K-Systems, MTG, Thermo Scientific, NUNC, Kitazato and Labotect and our Service Team are accredited to work on laboratory equipment from a large range of suppliers. For Sales enquiries please contact: [email protected] and for Service enquiries please contact [email protected] ACE / ABA Liquid Nitrogen Training Course & 9th ABA Annual General Meeting 21st & 22nd May 2014, Portsmouth Marriott Hotel Air Products www.airproducts.co.uk 9 Air Products PLC, 2 Millennium Gate, Westmere Drive, Crewe. CW1 6AP 0800 389 0202 [email protected] Protect your investment for the future with safe and secure samples Air Products CryoEase® Services has developed a fully comprehensive project management solution for the storage of your samples. From gas supply, laboratory design, installation, sample storage and training through to ongoing maintenance and support. With our strong knowledge of liquid nitrogen and class-leading range of Chart freezers, we are able to provide the optimum turnkey solution to meet your needs. Liquid Nitrogen is naturally used for Cryopreservation. Here are a few examples of why:  More reliable than mechanical freezers  Low energy requirements  Liquid nitrogen boiling point of -196oc makes it an ideal cryogen The Chart range of vessels offers a range of benefits to your sample storage needs, including: • Efficiency – Lowest liquid nitrogen consumption in the industry • Sample security –temperatures maintained for up to 23 days without liquid nitrogen supply • Improved Safety – Nitrogen vapour storage considerably reduces the risk of liquid nitrogen “drag-out” when removing samples from the freezer • Reduced Carbon Footprint – The low power consumption of the freezers means that the energy requirement is less than 1% of that for mechanical –150°C freezers. In addition, you won’t require expensive air conditioning, so as to minimize your carbon footprint. Microm UK Ltd www.microm.co.uk Commerce House, Telford Road, Bicester, Oxon OX26 4LD Tel: 01869 255760 Fax: 01869 321640 Microm - your partner in semen analysis and ART Microm specialise in the supply of consumable diagnostic and media products for clinical laboratories & research units involved in human and veterinary infertility and reproduction toxicology. Our products are used by leading NHS and private fertility clinics and research institutes. J P Medical Ltd www.jpmedpub.com 83 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0HW JP Medical Ltd is publishing Male Infertility: Sperm Diagnosis, Management and Delivery, edited by internationally recognised consultants Jayant Mehta and Bryan Woodward. The book provides a comprehensive understanding of various aspects of male infertility and its treatment. Beginning with an introduction to basic anatomy and physiology, subsequent chapters include the causes and effects of poor semen quality, guidance on how to perform semen analysis, cryo-banking and oncology, ethical and regulatory requirements of using male gametes for fertility treatment, and future technologies. Click here for more information. JP Medical Ltd is offering a 15% discount plus free shipping to ABA members on this or any other related books. Simply quote code ABA14 when you place your order. Click here for more information. ACE / ABA Liquid Nitrogen Training Course & 9th ABA Annual General Meeting 21st & 22nd May 2014, Portsmouth Marriott Hotel Wessington Cryogenics Limited www.wessingtoncryogenics.com 2 Gadwall Road Rainton Bridge South Houghton le Spring Tyne & Wear DH4 5NL Tel: +44 (0)191 512 0677 www.wessingtonsafetytraining.com Thames Cryogenics Ltd www.thamescryogenics.com Gooch Drive Didcot Oxon OX11 7PR Tel: +44 (0)1235 815777 Fax: +44 (0)1235 815333 Cryogatt Systems Ltd www.cryogatt.com The Folly Etchingwood Lane Buxted, East Sussex TN22 4PT Tel: 0203 582 5257 Email: [email protected] Validair (Euro) Limited www.validair.com Unit 3 Invicta Business Park London Road Wrotham Kent TN15 7RJ Tel: +44(0) 1732 882984 Parallabs Ltd Fax: +44(0) 1732 882644 Email: [email protected] www.parallabs.com parallabs is a specialist supplier of systems and consumables to IVF, Andrology, Transgenic, Cell Biology and Stem Cell laboratories. We offer leading edge technologies from world class manufacturers to provide solutions that benefit research and increase efficiency and workflow in busy environments. Irvine Scientific www.irvinesci.com Unit 31, Newtown Business & Enterprise Park, Newtownmountkennedy, Co. Wicklow, Ireland Phone: +3 53 1 281 9920 Fax: +3 53 1 281 9928 ACE / ABA Liquid Nitrogen Training Course & 9th ABA Annual General Meeting 21st & 22nd May 2014, Portsmouth Marriott Hotel Cosmos Biomedical Ltd www.cosmosbiomedical.com PO Box 6654 Swadlincote Derbyshire DE12 7XB Email: [email protected] Tel/Fax: +44 (0)1530 272 738 Mobile: +44 (0)7970 907 977 Vision Source Ltd The Vineyard Axbridge Somerset BS26 2AN Tel: 01934 733680 Email: [email protected] www.visionsource.co.uk