Session 169: What’s Past Is Prologue: Precision Medicine in ART

Session 169: What’s Past Is Prologue: Precision Medicine in ART Tuesday, 31st March 2026, at 3pm EST/UK/9pm CET. Moderators: Dr Chris Venter, Dr Rhonda Zwingerman and Dr Diego Marin Presenters: Shaghayegh Moghimikandelousi: Wearable technologies for biomonitoring in assisted reproduction Dr Meir Olcha: Precision Medicine Presentation kindly sponsored by FertilAI Dr Aryeh Warmflash: Prediction of clinical pregnancy using endometrial organoid and blastoid systems Presentation kindly sponsored by Simbryo Technologies Q and A Synopsis The session brought together experts who explored how emerging technologies and scientific advances were reshaping assisted reproductive technologies (ART). Moderated by Dr Chris Venter, Dr Rhonda Zwingerman, and Dr Diego Martn, the discussion focused on innovation at the intersection of data, biology, and clinical practice. Shaghayegh Moghimikandelousi presented on wearable technologies for biomonitoring in assisted reproduction, highlighting their potential to track physiological and hormonal parameters in real time. She addressed key challenges such as the gap between technological innovation and clinical adoption, data integration into medical systems, validation of wearable-derived biomarkers, and concerns around regulation, cost, and data ownership. The discussion also explored future possibilities, including improved patient compliance, non-invasive hormone monitoring, and the concept of digital twins to personalize treatment. Dr Meir Olcha discussed the role of precision medicine in fertility care, emphasizing the use of AI-driven tools and predictive algorithms to individualize IVF protocols. He considered challenges such as ensuring data representativeness, communicating probabilistic outcomes to patients, avoiding bias in AI systems, and maintaining clinical nuance while scaling personalized approaches. The conversation also addressed patient perceptions of AI, validation of predictive models, and the evolving definition of success in fertility treatment. Dr Aryeh Warmflash presented on the use of endometrial organoid and blastoid systems to predict clinical pregnancy outcomes. He examined how well these models replicated implantation biology, their feasibility for patient-specific applications, and the limitations of current understanding. Questions focused on timelines, methodology, integration of biomarkers and imaging, and whether predictive tools risked outpacing biological insight. Broader discussions included distinguishing embryonic versus uterine factors in implantation failure and potential future directions for the technology. The session concluded with an interactive Q&A, where participants engaged with the speakers on practical, ethical, and scientific considerations. Overall, the webinar provided valuable insights into how wearable technology, artificial intelligence, and advanced laboratory models were beginning to transform reproductive medicine, while also highlighting the challenges that must be addressed before widespread clinical implementation. Dr. Chris Venter, Dr. Chris Venter is a distinguished fertility specialist at Vitalab, one of South Africa’s leading fertility clinics in Sandton, Gauteng. He completed his medical studies at the University of Pretoria (1994, 2002) and advanced training in Endoscopic Surgery at Leuven University, Belgium, under Prof. Phillippe Koninckx. After 12 years in private obstetric practice, he pursued subspecialization in Reproductive Medicine at Stellenbosch University with Prof. Thinus Kruger, focusing on pre-genetic screening in embryo selection. Since joining Vitalab in 2013, Dr. Venter has specialized in infertility care, with clinical interests in Recurrent Implantation Failure and Endometrial Receptivity. He is a passionate advocate for Oncofertility, providing hope and fertility preservation options for cancer patients, helping individuals and couples achieve parenthood. Dr. Rhonda Zwingerman Dr. Rhonda Zwingerman is an REI physician, as well as the Co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Twig Fertility, with IVF centres in Toronto and Vancouver, Canada. Founded in 2021, Twig set out to redefine what exceptional fertility care looks and feels like in Canada. Passionate about combining medical excellence, compassionate care, and innovative technologies, Dr. Zwingerman's vision now supports thousands of Canadians on their fertility journeys. An avid musical theatre buff, Dr. Zwingerman spent seven years on the board of the Musical Stage Company, Canada’s leading and largest non-profit dedicated to musical theatre. Dr. Diego Marin Diego Marín, PhD, HCLD(ABB), is a reproductive geneticist with extensive experience in clinical genomics, an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Human Genetics at Rutgers University, and a delegate of the Commonwealth Leadership Institute. He is currently Vice President of Scientific Affairs for Reproductive Health at Centogene. Trained at IVI Valencia, RMA New Jersey, and Thomas Jefferson University, he combines deep laboratory expertise with translational research. With over a decade of experience in high-complexity clinical laboratories, his work spans preimplantation genetic testing, embryonic aneuploidy, polygenic risk scoring, and the broader application of genomics in precision medicine, including emerging gene-editing technologies in early human development. Shaghayegh Moghimikandelousi Shaghayegh is a PhD candidate at McMaster University, working in the Didar Lab and the Hosseinidoust Lab. She is an engineer by training, with a BSc in chemical engineering and an MSc in biomedical engineering, both from Sharif University of Technology in Iran. Motivated by translational research with direct health impact, her work focuses on women’s health, an area she views as both under-served and highly consequential. Her research spans biomaterials and device-oriented development for menstrual and hygiene products, with an emphasis on improving performance, safety, and usability. A central direction of her work is integrating functional biomaterials with biosensing technologies to enable monitoring and diagnostic capabilities. Through this materials-to-systems approach, she aims to develop practical, clinically relevant platforms that address real needs in women’s health. Dr. Meir Olcha Dr. Meir Olcha is a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist and infertility specialist with nearly a decade of clinical experience in advanced reproductive medicine. He completed his fellowship training at Albert Einstein College of Medicine - Montefiore Medical Center in New York, followed by practice at two high-volume private fertility centers in New York City, where he developed extensive expertise in complex IVF management and procedural optimization. In 2022, he co-founded Sama Fertility, a venture-backed health technology company focused on developing home-based ultrasound systems to expand access and improve monitoring for patients undergoing IVF. He is also the owner and Medical Director of Perch Fertility, a boutique IVF practice in North Jersey featuring an on-site embryology laboratory and ambulatory surgery center, allowing for fully integrated patient care. He is well acquainted with cutting edge EMR systems, the use of AI in clinical workflows and patient interactions, and various technologies improving laboratory efficiency and safety. Dr. Aryeh Warmflash Dr. Aryeh Warmflash is Chief Scientific Officer at Simbryo Technologies, a company developing novel functional assays for improving IVF outcomes. At Simbryo, he has led an effort to combine patient-derived endometrial organoids with blastoids (stem cell-based embryo models) to predict the success of embryo transfer. This approach represents the first functional test of endometrial competence and has shown strong correlation with clinical outcomes in a study of over 100 patients. He is also a Professor in the Division of Developmental Biology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. He received his BA in Physics and Mathematics from the University of Pennsylvania, his PhD in Physics from the University of Chicago studying mathematical models of gene regulatory networks, and completed postdoctoral training at The Rockefeller University where he developed micropatterned systems to model early human development. He has published over 50 peer-reviewed papers and his lab has been funded by grants from NIH, NSF, CPRIT, and the Simons Foundation, among others.