Patients struggling to conceive despite repeated in vitro fertilization (IVF) attempts or experiencing recurrent miscarriages will have an opportunity to meet leading reproductive immunology experts from around the world. International and South Korean specialists will gather in Busan to discuss the causes and treatment of infertility and share the latest research and treatment approaches with patients and their families.
The International Society for Immunology of Reproduction (ISIR) will hold its 16th World Congress at BEXCO in Busan over four days, from the 5th to the 8th, the organization said on the 2nd.
Held under the theme “A Global Dialogue on Population Balance and Women’s Health Through Reproductive Immunology,” the congress will feature keynote presentations by Young-hee Kwak, president of ISIR, and Kwang Yul Cha, director of the Global Research Institute at CHA Medical Center and CHA Biotech Group.
Kwak is a professor at the Chicago Medical School of Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in the United States and an authority on recurrent pregnancy loss and recurrent implantation failure. Cha has contributed to advances in infertility treatment, including developing the world’s first rapid egg-freezing method and establishing an egg bank.
Other reproductive immunology experts from South Korea and abroad will also attend and share their latest research, including Gil Mor of Wayne State University in the United States, Surendra Sharma of the University of Texas Medical Branch and In-soo Kang of CHA University and CHA Medical Center.
The congress will host three public forums designed to give patients struggling with infertility and their families the opportunity to ask leading international experts questions directly and discuss their treatment concerns. The forums will focus on explaining the latest research in accessible terms and addressing questions that patients may not have been able to resolve during medical consultations.
The public forums will take place over three days, from the 6th to the 8th. Participants will include Kwak, Dr. George Ndukwe of a fertility clinic on London’s Harley Street in the United Kingdom, and Dr. Ricardo Barini of the State University of Campinas in Brazil.
The topics will include: “Infertility Treatment and Reproductive Immunology: When and How Can Immunotherapy Help?”; “Repeated IVF Failures: Finding Solutions Together, Patients and Doctors”; and “Recurrent Pregnancy Loss and Recurrent Implantation Failure: Accurate Diagnosis and Personalized Treatment.”
Based on actual patient cases, experts will explain the causes and diagnostic approaches for infertility, recurrent implantation failure and recurrent pregnancy loss. They will also discuss when immunotherapy may be appropriate and what treatment options can be considered after repeated IVF failures. Patients and family members can attend free of charge by registering in advance.
Reproductive immunology is the field that studies how a woman’s immune system affects embryo implantation and the maintenance of pregnancy. During pregnancy, the mother’s immune system must be regulated so that it does not attack the developing fetus. Problems with this process can affect pregnancy, prompting continued research into the underlying mechanisms and potential treatments.
The scientific program will feature the latest research on the immune system’s role in reproduction and pregnancy, as well as reproductive aging and women’s health. Participants will broadly discuss the potential of immunological approaches to improve pregnancy success rates and treatment strategies to address reproductive aging, including declining ovarian function.
Kwak will discuss immune dysregulation in the ovarian inflammatory spectrum, focusing on inflammatory changes in the ovaries and abnormalities in immune regulation. Cha will present research findings and the potential of cell therapy in a session titled “Managing Reproductive Aging Using K Cells.” Mor will discuss how fetal sex influences the regulation of immune cell differentiation at the maternal-fetal interface. Sharma will examine the relationship between preeclampsia, a hypertensive disorder during pregnancy, and brain health, and share research related to the mechanisms behind Alzheimer’s disease in younger populations.
Kwak said, “I hope the findings of reproductive immunology research will provide practical help to patients struggling with infertility through these public forums. I hope this will be an opportunity for patients and their families to ask experts questions and better understand the treatment process, while experts listen to patients’ difficulties and work together to find better treatment approaches.”
Founded in 1975, ISIR is an international academic organization co-founded by Robert G. Edwards, who received the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his contributions to the birth of the world’s first IVF baby. Reproductive immunology developed from research into maternal immune tolerance of the fetus.