If there is a “craziest” month in the year for CHR, then for the last three years November clearly qualified. It is now the third year in a row that CHR co-sponsors with the Foundation for Reproductive Medicine (and this year for the first time also with the New Hope Fertility Center in NYC) an international conference on Translational Reproductive Biology and Clinical Reproductive Endocrinology in that month (this year November 15-18), which in only a few short years among an ever-increasing number of conferences, still, succeeded in developing a remarkable following because of its unique concentration on innovative translational ideas.
The first two weeks of November, therefore, are hectic because of last minute organizational preparation for welcoming over 30 speakers from all over the world and making sure that the hotel venue is well prepared for all contingencies. Most of the third and fourth weeks of the month are taken up by the conference and hosting a large number of visitors from all over the world who attend the conference and want to take the opportunity to visit CHR.
The basic concept of the FRMC from the very beginning was that by bringing together in one room leading basic scientists and clinicians, who in the preceding year produced interesting and innovative new research, the audience will not only be informed about where the cutting edge of knowledge in the field currently lies but, often, significantly before these materials appear in peer reviewed medical journals.
Such early knowledge then opens a number of rather unique opportunities: For clinicians it offers a chance to be among the first to benefit from new treatment ideas for their patients (and there will be a good number of those at this year’s conference), while for basic scientists any new knowledge leads to more questions that must be answered as quickly as possible. But probably most importantly, the Foundation for Reproductive Medicine Conference (FRMC) offers a truly unique opportunity for clinicians and basic scientists to ponder over three intensive days of interactions how to advance reproductive medicine in all aspects by translating new knowledge obtained by basic scientists as quickly as possible into clinical products that serve the betterment of patient care.
FRMC is, however, by no means an “industry conference.” Very much to the contrary: Not only does the conference mandate detailed disclosures of potential economic conflicts from speakers but does, in contrast to many other medical conferences, not accept program sponsorships and/or sponsored speakers by industry. The conference, indeed, in its first two years obtained a strong reputation of intellectual independence and for “speaking the truth.”
From the beginning, the FRMC attempted to differentiate itself from other conferences by following two distinct mottoes: The first, “think differently,” not only encourages critical thinking but often strongly challenges commercial interests, which in many areas of medical practice (unfortunately including reproductive medicine) in recent years have gained undue influence on clinical practice, and even on what is presented in medical conferences and in medical journals after alleged peer review. The _New York Times _just recently reported on a quickly developing scandal, involving seemingly nefarious influence of “industry” (in this case, of companies that buy up private dermatology practices and then gouge prices) on specialty societies as well medical journals in Dermatology (New York Times October 27, 2018, page B1).
In fertility practice, as we discussed in these pages repeatedly, similar nefarious influences, unfortunately, also to significant degrees influence practice in many different ways and, at times, control publication processes mostly through selection of conflicted peer reviewers. The **FRMC** sees it as one of the core functions of this conference to refuse such biases. Practically this means that this conference does not strive to be “politically correct” and does not try to be “popular.” What it does attempt as a core value is to present best current knowledge without the usual commercial influences.
To pursue such a policy is tough at a time when traditional commercial sponsors of scientific conferences have greatly cut back on support, whether for budgetary reasons or because federal laws have greatly restricted such support. When companies do spend money on support, one, therefore, cannot blame them for wanting the greatest possible influence on what transpires in their fields of commercial interests at a conference. FRMC will, however, not compromise on this point, and the conference is, therefore, mostly dependent on registration fees to cover its substantial (New York City) costs. Since the financially responsible party is the Foundation for Reproductive Medicine, CHR, therefore, is grateful for any financial support given to this not-for-profit research foundation. Donations are, of course, tax-deductible according to the law, and can be sent to the FRM online or by mail to:
Foundation for Reproductive Medicine
21 E 69th Street, New York, NY, 10021, USA
The FRMC’s second motto is to learn about "paradigm changes you may not hear about elsewhere.” This second motto is a clear consequence of trying to present the newest of the new in the field, often even before publication. This, of course, requires the necessary connections with leading research centers to become aware of important development at such early stages. A good example is Prof. Evelyn Telfer’s talk on in vitro oocyte maturation from primordial follicle stages at this year’s conference. We were aware of this work since CHR’s David Albertini, PhD, has been collaborating with Prof. Telfer on this project for years. She, therefore, was invited to give a talk even before her group’s paper was a few months ago published in Human Reproduction and discussed in these pages. On a side note, Prof. Telfer just recently received a very prestigious award for this publication, which we discuss in more detail elsewhere in this issue of the VOICE).
In order to present the most important developments in the field at the conference, the final speaker schedule is filled progressively over a full year. As important subjects are published or as the Program Chairs of the conference become aware of such work even if unpublished, invitations go out to the investigators for next year’s conference. In practical terms this means that the Program Chairs in advance never know what the main topics of next year’s conference will be. But main topics universally evolve, usually representing the areas where most progress has been made over the preceding year.
This year is no exception: Though a bigger than ever diversity of subjects is addressed, two subjects are repeatedly represented in multiple sessions. They are the fragile X mental retardation 1 (FMR1) gene and preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A), until recently called PGS (preimplantation genetic screening). Research on both of these subjects over the last year has greatly advanced the current understanding of the importance of the FMR1 gene in ovarian recruitment and follicle maturation and our understanding of what PGT-A/PGS can and cannot do in helping in the process of best embryo selection. Both of these subjects have also in previous years received attention at the FRMC but never as much as this year. Interestingly, CHR investigators have been on the forefront of research in both of these areas but will this year defer to colleagues from all over the world to provide most updates on these two “hot” subjects.
The FRMC was always open to laypeople but, understandably, was only rarely attended by patients or other interested lay-parties. The conference organizers, therefore, this year for the first time added a full half day of lectures to the program, specifically geared at lay people, and addressing many of what the Program Chairs felt were the most important clinical subjects for the public. Upon completion of the scientific meeting on Sunday, November 18, starting at 2:00 pm, leading experts will, therefore, in short sessions address these clinical subjects before giving the public the chance to ask questions and/or present factual cases to a panel of experts. If successful, this “Clinical Fertility Day for the Public” will become a constant feature in coming years. For registration, please visit the conference website.
We are looking forward to seeing colleagues, friends and patients at the conference! We promise it will be worthwhile your time.
Norbert Gleicher, MD, leads CHR’s clinical and research efforts as Medical Director and Chief Scientist. A world-renowned specialist in reproductive endocrinology, Dr. Gleicher has published hundreds of peer-reviewed papers and lectured globally while keeping an active clinical career focused on ovarian aging, immunological issues and other difficult cases of infertility.
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