Genetics and IVF Institute
Encyclopedia
The Genetics & IVF Institute (GIVF) is a provider of infertility
and genetics
services, and also engages in biomedical research in these fields. The Institute was founded in 1984 by Dr. Joseph D. Schulman
and associates. GIVF headquarters are in Fairfax, VA, USA, and its facilities include locations in Pennsylvania, Minnesota, California, and Texas in the United States, as well as in China.
Genetics & IVF Institute has been responsible for numerous key innovations to help couples have healthy babies and to improve the reproductive health of women. These include:
First U.S. medical center to introduce non-surgical ultrasound guided egg retrieval (transvaginal oocyte retrieval
) for IVF;
achieved America's first frozen embryo
twin birth;
first American team to publicly report pregnancies using ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection
);
first to offer clinical laboratory testing for certain mutations in the BRCA1
and BRCA2
genes which cause hereditary breast cancer
;
developed the important technique of non-surgical sperm aspiration for improved treatment of male infertility
;
first in the world to initiate ovarian cryopreservation
for storage of oocytes for women with cancer;
discovered a method (non-disclosing preimplantation genetic testing) for the effective prevention of Huntington disease;
developed MicroSort, an important flow-cytometric human sperm separation technique for preconceptual gender selection, which has already produced over 1,000 births.
The services and research activities at Genetics & IVF have been the subject of many articles in major newspapers, such as the New York Times, and on numerous television and radio news shows.
In 1998, the Institute opened a branch facility in Shanghai
, China, becoming the first modern infertility treatment and medical genetics center in that country.
The Institute's American activities involve a large donor egg program, one of the world's major group of sperm bank
s, one of America's most active preimplantation genetics testing centers, and oocyte cryopreservation
via vitrification in addition to more conventional IVF, infertility, and genetic services.
Infertility
Infertility primarily refers to the biological inability of a person to contribute to conception. Infertility may also refer to the state of a woman who is unable to carry a pregnancy to full term...
and genetics
Genetics
Genetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
services, and also engages in biomedical research in these fields. The Institute was founded in 1984 by Dr. Joseph D. Schulman
Joseph D. Schulman
Joseph D. Schulman is a physician, medical researcher, and biomedical entrepreneur in the fields of genetics diseases and human reproduction....
and associates. GIVF headquarters are in Fairfax, VA, USA, and its facilities include locations in Pennsylvania, Minnesota, California, and Texas in the United States, as well as in China.
Genetics & IVF Institute has been responsible for numerous key innovations to help couples have healthy babies and to improve the reproductive health of women. These include:
First U.S. medical center to introduce non-surgical ultrasound guided egg retrieval (transvaginal oocyte retrieval
Transvaginal oocyte retrieval
Transvaginal oocyte retrieval , also referred to as oocyte retrieval or even simply egg collection, is a technique used in in vitro fertilization in order to remove oocytes from the ovary of the female, enabling fertilization outside the body...
) for IVF;
achieved America's first frozen embryo
Embryo
An embryo is a multicellular diploid eukaryote in its earliest stage of development, from the time of first cell division until birth, hatching, or germination...
twin birth;
first American team to publicly report pregnancies using ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection
Intracytoplasmic sperm injection is an in vitro fertilization procedure in which a single sperm is injected directly into an egg.-Indications:...
);
first to offer clinical laboratory testing for certain mutations in the BRCA1
BRCA1
BRCA1 is a human caretaker gene that produces a protein called breast cancer type 1 susceptibility protein, responsible for repairing DNA. The first evidence for the existence of the gene was provided by the King laboratory at UC Berkeley in 1990...
and BRCA2
BRCA2
BRCA2 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the BRCA2 gene.BRCA2 orthologs have been identified in most mammals for which complete genome data are available....
genes which cause hereditary breast cancer
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
;
developed the important technique of non-surgical sperm aspiration for improved treatment of male infertility
Male infertility
Male infertility refers to the inability of a male to achieve a pregnancy in a fertile female. In humans it accounts for 40-50% of infertility. Male infertility is commonly due to deficiencies in the semen, and semen quality is used as a surrogate measure of male fecundity.-Pre-testicular...
;
first in the world to initiate ovarian cryopreservation
Cryopreservation
Cryopreservation is a process where cells or whole tissues are preserved by cooling to low sub-zero temperatures, such as 77 K or −196 °C . At these low temperatures, any biological activity, including the biochemical reactions that would lead to cell death, is effectively stopped...
for storage of oocytes for women with cancer;
discovered a method (non-disclosing preimplantation genetic testing) for the effective prevention of Huntington disease;
developed MicroSort, an important flow-cytometric human sperm separation technique for preconceptual gender selection, which has already produced over 1,000 births.
The services and research activities at Genetics & IVF have been the subject of many articles in major newspapers, such as the New York Times, and on numerous television and radio news shows.
In 1998, the Institute opened a branch facility in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, China, becoming the first modern infertility treatment and medical genetics center in that country.
The Institute's American activities involve a large donor egg program, one of the world's major group of sperm bank
Sperm bank
A sperm bank, semen bank or cryobank is a facility that collects and stores human sperm mainly from sperm donors, primarily for the purpose of achieving pregnancies through third party reproduction, notably by artificial insemination...
s, one of America's most active preimplantation genetics testing centers, and oocyte cryopreservation
Cryopreservation
Cryopreservation is a process where cells or whole tissues are preserved by cooling to low sub-zero temperatures, such as 77 K or −196 °C . At these low temperatures, any biological activity, including the biochemical reactions that would lead to cell death, is effectively stopped...
via vitrification in addition to more conventional IVF, infertility, and genetic services.