Session 172: New Rules

Session 172: New Rules Tuesday, 16th June 2026, at 3pm EST/ 8pm UK/9pm CET. Moderators: Edel Rocher, Dr. Jordan Abdi and Dr. Lodovico Parmegiani Presenters: Dr. Nasser Al-Asmar Piñar, MSc., Ph.D. : How to Make Smarter IVF Decisions: PGT and PGdon’T Kindly sponsored by CENTOGENE A/Prof Hassan Bakos PhD MBA : The New Rules of Sperm Selection: Moving Beyond Motility Kindly sponsored by Memphasys Reproductive Biotechnology Q and A REGISTER HERE Synopsis: TBA Edel Rocher Edel Rocher is the Director of Business Development Europe at CENTOGENE, where she leads strategic partnerships and expansion across the reproductive genetics and rare disease landscape. With over 10 years of experience as an embryologist and laboratory director, she brings deep technical and clinical expertise in IVF and genetic testing. Throughout her career, she has worked closely with fertility clinics to optimize laboratory performance, implement advanced technologies, and improve patient outcomes. Her unique combination of scientific knowledge and commercial acumen allows her to effectively bridge the gap between cutting-edge genomic innovation and real-world clinical application. She is actively engaged in international collaborations and is passionate about advancing precision medicine in reproductive health through scalable, high-quality genetic solutions. Dr. Jordan Abdi Jordan Abdi is Co-Founder and CEO of U-Ploid Biotechnologies, a clinical-stage reproductive biotech company based at the Oxford BioEscalator. U-Ploid is developing Lyvanta (UP-085), a first-in-class engineered fusion protein designed to reduce meiotic aneuploidy in human oocytes, with the goal of improving live birth rates and reducing miscarriage in IVF. The company is currently running a human translational study at CARE Fertility and engaging regulators across the FDA, MHRA, EMA, TGA, and PMDA. Jordan trained as a physician at Imperial College London and was a Schwarzman Scholar at Tsinghua University. Before co-founding U-Ploid in 2024, he held commercial and operational leadership roles in real-world evidence companies, including Head of Europe Business Development at PicnicHealth and Director of Growth Operations at Holmusk. He has also served as a Governor at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. Dr. Lodovico Parmegiani Lodovico (aka Lodo) is Head of Embryology for NextClinics International (a network of ART centres), IVF Laboratory Director at the Next Fertility GynePro in Bologna, Italy and advisor for biotech companies. He has invented, developed and optimized devices and methods for human clinical embryology, and published almost 100 papers and book chapters in this field. He also acts as editor for numerous international scientific journals. Lodo is a TED speaker, a Key Opinion Leader in Assisted Reproduction (AR) and a highly sought-after tutor for hands-on workshops and has organized and chaired many congresses Dr. Nasser Al-Asmar Piñar Nasser Al-Asmar received his Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy, is Graduated in Specialization in Genetic Counselling and Clinical Genomics, has a Master’s degree in Biotechnology of Human Assisted Reproduction, and hold a PhD in Biomedicine and Biotechnology at Valencia University, Spain. He was Laboratory Manager at Igenomix USA (Miami, FL) from its opening in 2012 until January 2016, when he became Scientific Advisor first in the USA and then for Spain and Latam. He is a member of the permanent board of the Genetics Interest Group of ASEBIR (Association for the Study of the Biology of Reproduction) and Professor at the Master of Biology and Technology of Mammal Reproduction at the University of Murcia (UMU), Spain. Nasser Al-Asmar has over 15 years of clinical and research laboratory experience, first at IVI-Valencia Clinic (Valencia, Spain) at the Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis Laboratory, after that at Igenomix (Valencia, Spain) at the Preimplantation Genetic Screening Laboratory and then at Igenomix USA (Miami, FL). In 2025 Nasser Al-Asmar gave lectures at International Congresses for several countries including Mexico, Brazil, USA, Guatemala, Chile, Spain... on all the different topics of Reproductive Genetics. Currently, he is VP Scientific & Medical Affairs – Reproductive Health in Centogene, Valencia, Spain. . A/Prof Hassan Bakos A/Prof Hassan Bakos is Director of Operations, Clinical Partnerships & Growth at Memphasys Ltd, and Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Newcastle, Australia. He holds a Bachelor of Health Sciences with Honours, a Doctor of Philosophy in Reproductive Medicine, and a Master of Business Administration. He has extensive experience in reproductive biology, ART laboratory operations, clinical partnerships and the commercial translation of reproductive technologies. Hassan has held senior scientific and operational leadership roles across ART laboratories in Australia and has published in leading reproductive science journals. His current work focuses on advancing the global clinical adoption of the Felix™ System, an electrophoresis-based sperm selection technology designed to support efficient, high-quality sperm preparation for assisted reproduction.