Serono Symposia International Foundation (SSIF) "Treating the Ovary to Obtain Better Eggs"

Montreal, Canada - November 26, 2010

ROME, November 26, 2010 - Serono Symposia International Foundation will gather a team
of leading international experts meeting on November 26th in Montreal in
order to review the different options currently available to optimize ART
(Assisted Reproductive Technologies) outcomes during the event "Treating the
Ovary to Obtain Better Eggs".

(Logo:
www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100629/397361 )

Participants in the Symposium will discuss how to improve the
quality of oocytes used for fertilization procedures and will be updated on
the range of available approaches. Besides, they will acknowledge the most
reliable markers of infertility profile and will discuss the best criteria in
order to evaluate oocyte quality.

The meeting is divided into three sessions. The first one will
focus its attention on the fundamentals of the ovarian physiology, and will
give an overview on how and why ovarian stimulation modifies physiological
mechanisms. Key aspects of follicular growth and ovulation that must be
emulated by ovarian stimulation protocols will be described, as well as the
consequences that may arise when the response of patients to ovarian
stimulation deviates from the expected one, in particular regarding oocyte
quality.

"The greatest aim for experts is to understand the way in
which ovarian stimulation protocols work and the risks related to hyper and
hypo-response - said the scientist professor Marc Andre Sirard from
University Laval, Quebec and Scientific Organizer of the event - and to learn
about new lines of research in ovarian stimulation protocols. Moreover, we
will discuss on how treatment can be identified in practice, by observing the
alteration in infertile women and considering the predictability of ovarian
stimulation protocols".

The second session will analyze the clinical applications of
the ovarian physiology. Speakers will describe mild stimulation approaches
related to the different protocols proposed and will define the criteria to
describe infertility profile of patients in whom mild stimulation may achieve
optimal results and in line with expectations. In the same session the roles
of FSH (Follicle Stimulating Hormone) and LH (Luteinizing Hormone) in the
initiation and continuation of folliculogenesis in the natural menstrual
cycle will be defined. Lastly, the reasons of the current debate on the
optimization of LH use in combination with FSH in stimulation protocols will
be explained.

Therefore, the final session of this scientific Symposium will
include a panel discussion in order to stimulate debate on optimizing ovarian
stimulation to improve oocyte quality.

"As Continuing Medical Education Partner, Serono Symposia
International Foundation is committed to offer its know-how in the
International scenario - said Jean Daniel Baki, Board Member and Secretary of
the Board of Serono Symposia International Foundation - and more even so in
Canada in order to support the local efforts in organizing scientific
educational panels and events tailored for Canadian Health care professionals
and clinicians".

Serono Symposia International Foundation is a non-profit
organization based in Geneva (Switzerland). It was founded to disseminate the
most innovative achievements and potential developments of medical and
scientific research through conferences, training courses, online courses and
publications. In particular, it provides Continuing Medical Education for
doctors and healthcare professionals by organizing high-level scientific
programs. Over the past four decades Serono Symposia International Foundation
has organized more than 1500 international scientific congresses and
published more than 500 proceedings with the most important international
publishers.

Photo:
www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100629/397361

Ufficio stampa, GAS Communication, Chiara Ippoliti, Tel. +39-0668134260 - fax +39-0668134876
c.ippoliti at gascommunication.com