Simon FISHEL (UK)
Simon Fishel is theFounder and President of the CARE Fertility Group– the UK’s largest independent provider of fertility services. He began his research career at the University of Cambridge in 1975 with Bob Edwards, who was responsible with Patrick Steptoe for the birth of the first IVF baby in 1978. During the 1978-1980 he was the first to publish on the metabolic responsiveness of embryos to their environment, and he also published on demonstrating the presence of specific uterine glycoproteins suggesting bidirectional signalling. Simon joined Patrick and Bob at Bourn Hall, world first dedicated IVF clinic, as Deputy Scientific Director when it opened in 1980, where he was part of the “original” clinical team of four undertaking IVF (the other member being John Webster). In 1979 he was appointed a Research Fellow at Churchill College, and on the same night as Bob Edwards was appointed a Fellow of the same college. In 1980 he was awarded the prestigious Beit Memorial Fellowship and in1984 Simon was the first to publish on the secretion of HCG by the human embryo. He has published over 200 scientific papers and three books and, with Alison Campbell, the first atlas of time-lapse images of the human embryo. His pioneering work in the field of IVF has resulted in many honorary awards from countries such as Japan, Austria, Italy, South Africa and the US, amongst others. In 1992 he founded the world first degree course in IVF and he has advised several international Government committees reviewing policy and legislation on IVF, including advisors to the Vatican. In 1997 he was awarded a Personal Professional Chair in Human Reproduction, is an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology and in 2009 was honoured by the Liverpool John Moores University with their highest award of ‘University Fellow’ for “outstanding contribution to science and to humanity”. He Founded the Rachel Foundation, a charity for research to help children rendered infertile due to medical treatment, and also to help raise awareness for secondary infertility. Simon’s professional interests span all elements of human reproduction, fertility and embryology, and IVF technologies in particular.
Abstract
How Can We Improve Outcome (Embryology)
2018 is the 40th anniversary of the birth of the first IVF baby and, despite the residual disbelief, ethical concerns, social and professional antagonism, and a pitifully low success rate1 it heralded a new era for the treatment of childlessness. This unique event was the culmination of decades of scientific effort and moral debate about the potential for IVF, but over the 4 decades IVF technology has moved into areas of human health as well as infertility; and shall play a role in social wellbeing in general – from aiding countries with declining birth rates, improving national health economics with regard to the passage of monogenic disease and redefining family life. And although much of the modern technology of IVF and its impact on society is still to be advanced, the innovation in practice at the clinic level, particularly in terms of embryology and genetics has revolutionised success rates, with the UK, for example, seeing more than a two-fold increase in live birth rates since 1991 when government audited records first began. However, we are fast learning that a generalised approach to medical treatment can be materially improved upon by diminishing subjectivity and improving our awareness of distinctiveness in an individual. The former can be helped by technology, both in hardware and software systems and the use of AI on large data sets, use of machine technologies such as time-lapse imaging, and the use of advanced genetics abetting an individualised approach to patient therapy. We shall discuss inchoative examples of this and opportunities for future strategies.
1. Fishel, S. First in vitro fertilization baby—this is how it happened. 2018, Fertility and Sterility;110:5–11.