March 12, 2012, from the Male Reproductive Health Alliance - Steve Waxman, M.D., J.D. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past decade have resulted in over 50,000 United States combat related injuries. Genitourinary (GU) trauma accounted for roughly one in twenty of all these injuries. The vast majority of these injuries were puncturing (penetrating) in nature and most were as a result of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). A breakdown of the genito-urinary injuries to the external genitalia was as follows: scrotum in 29%, testis in 9%, and penis in 14%.[1] The aftermath of all these injuries from both [Read More...]
ReproTech, Ltd. has agreed to facilitate collaboration between fertility and cancer centers within its network of facilities and the National Disease Research Interchange (NDRI), to provide surgical tissue for use in studies to understand human disease. Staff at participating medical facilities will be provided with NDRI information and consent forms to distribute to their patients who are interested in donating tissues recovered from surgeries that would otherwise be discarded. These patients, through NDRI's Private Donor Program, will have the opportunity to register as tissue donors for medical research. NDRI will work to maximize all researchers' access and opportunity to [Read More...]
Cryostorage facility offers peace of mind to its clients in hurricane-prone areas May 25, 2012 - ReproTech, Ltd., the leading cryobank specializing in long-term storage of human reproductive tissue (sperm, eggs, embryos, and ovarian and testicular tissue), relocated its Florida cryostorage facility and added an EF-5 Tornado Safe Room in preparation for the upcoming Hurricane Season. The Safe Room, designed by structural engineers, is manufactured by F-5 Storm Shelters & Safe Rooms. A Category 5 Hurricane Safe Room can sustain winds greater than 155 mile per hour. F-5's Safe Room is designed and certified to withstand 330 mile per hour [Read More...]
August 24, 2012 - World Record for Birth through Cryopreserved Sperm is Broken As a world record is broken, hope comes alive. Late in August, twin girls were born to a couple who used in vitro fertilization (IVF) to achieve pregnancy. On the surface, this may look like just another of the increasingly common success stories for the IVF industry. But this story has its own unique twist that makes it different from every other IVF pregnancy—the sperm used to fertilize the egg was frozen over 40 years ago, shattering the existing record of 28 years for a successful [Read More...]
November 27, 2012 - ReproTech, Ltd.'s established three facilities have again been awarded the prestigious accreditation of the American Association of Tissue Banks (AATB), it was announced today by Russell Bierbaum, President. AATB accreditation follows an intensive nine-month process, and ensures that the processed tissue is of high quality and that tissue banking activities are performed in a professional manner consistent with or exceeding the AATB's Standards. Tissue banks also undergo an independent review of their standard operating procedures (SOPs) and an on-site inspection of their facilities and operations. AATB inspectors examine tissue banks for compliance with all aspects of [Read More...]
May 2, 2013 - World Record for Birth through Cryopreserved Sperm is Broken As a world record is broken, hope comes alive. Late in August, twin girls were born to a couple who used in vitro fertilization (IVF) to achieve pregnancy. On the surface, this may look like just another of the increasingly common success stories for the IVF industry. But this story has its own unique twist that makes it different from every other IVF pregnancy—the sperm used to fertilize the egg was frozen over 40 years ago, shattering the existing record of 28 years for a successful [Read More...]
Source: Reproductive Science Center of the Bay Area SAN RAMON, Calif., Aug. 20, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kelly Burke – a 45-year-old NASA research scientist – looks upon her babbling baby and ponders the unique reality that his biological siblings, created from the same embryo cycle and born to another family 2,500 miles away, will be of voting age at the time of his first birthday this November. This story could, possibly, only be conceived by a rocket scientist. Kelly gave birth to Liam James using what her doctor believes to be the second oldest cryopreserved human embryo in history. [Read More...]
October 4, 2013 - The American Association of Tissue Banks recognized Russell Bierbaum, ReproTech, Ltd. founder and former President, for his contributions to the tissue banking industry this week at its annual meeting. The American Association of Tissue Banks' Jeanne Mowe Distinguished Service Award is given annually to an individual who has made a significant contribution to tissue banking or transplantation, whether in research, education, or laboratory improvement, or who has served the Association or the field of tissue banking. The individual has demonstrated leadership qualities and a consistent willingness to lend his or her expertise to the Association [Read More...]
SOURCE: Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics April 2014, Volume 31, Issue 4, pp 471-475 A recent article in the Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics concluded that storage time did not influence the survival and pregnancy outcomes of slow-frozen early cleavage human embryos. The developmental potential of cryopreserved human embryos with different storage times does not appear to have a negative influence on further development. Access the article on SpringerLink