Page 5 - FSANZ UPDATE Spring 2022

our knowledge about poor semen quality
A bird's eye view of the Gold Coast destination for our FSANZ 2023 conference in June
FSANZ Annual General Meeting
With rescheduling of the FSANZ Sydney meeting this year, the Society’s Annual General Meeting had to be separated from the usual format.
The AGM will be presented via Zoom at 7.30pm AEDT on Saturday 26 November. It is an important aspect of the Society’s functions allowing members to have input into our roles and objectives, so I encourage you to go on-line and participate in the meeting.
For further information, go to the FSANZ website www.fertilitysociety.com.au
Research Grants
As reported in the Winter 2022 edition, the FSANZ has advanced research efforts through grants from supporting companies Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Merck and Organon.
The first round of grants were announced at the FSANZ meeting in Sydney. The next round has been finalised by the Society’s Research Grant Committee and, after being ratified by the Board, announcements will be made at the AGM in November.
Mitochondrial donation update
The Mitochondrial Donation Law Reform (Maeve’s Law) Bill passed through Federal Parliament earlier this year paving the way for the development of a framework and funding to advance the introduction of the technology.
It means that eligible Australian women with a genetic diagnosis of mitochondrial DNA disease will soon have access to mitochondrial donation under clinical trial conditions.
The technique involves removing the nuclear DNA from a patient’s egg containing faulty mitochondria and inserting it into a healthy donor egg, which has had its nuclear DNA removed. As the nuclear DNA is retained, the unique genetic information (that makes us who we are and determines what we look like) is passed on from mother to child, but the mitochondrial defects are not.
A number of high calibre research teams have made submissions to the government for the awarding of a licensing arrangement to be managed by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Embryo Research Licensing Committee. A pilot program and clinical trial will be introduced after detailed assessment of the submissions.
The FSANZ has supported the introduction of mitochondrial donation and it is pleasing to see progress with the introduction of this exciting technology that will provide reproductive options for women at risk of passing on mitochondrial disease to their offspring.
Luk Rombauts President
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