From 12 to 14 November, Barcelona hosted for the first time the Congress of the Spanish Association for the Study of Reproductive Biology (ASEBIR). This 13th edition was chaired by Dr Montse Boada Palà, Head of the Biology Department at the Dexeus Mujer Group and member of the Bioethics Committee of Catalonia. This year, the event broke records in both attendance and scientific contributions, with more than 600 professionals registered and over 220 studies presented.

Among the presentations, several innovative studies carried out by researchers from the Dexeus Group stood out, such a: “Can human sperm lyophilisation be considered a real option for its cryopreservation in extreme environments?”, led by Dr M. Boada. This study, conducted in collaboration with the Department of Cell Biology at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, demonstrates that lyophilisation does not eliminate the fertilising capacity of sperm, as sperm DNA transcription is observed once injected into the oocytes. The results open up the possibility of considering the use of this technique in extreme situations or remote locations, such as desert areas or outer space. This study received the “Innovation Award” granted by ASEBIR.

Other notable studies presented by the Dexeus Mujer Group included:

“More than a decade preserving fertility for non-medical reasons: our experience”, a translational study led by Miquel Solé, Head of the Cryobiology Laboratory at Dexeus Mujer Barcelona, which analysed the effectiveness of fertility preservation treatments carried out for social reasons at the centre over the past ten years (2012–2023).

“Together or separate: individual vs. group culture”, led by researcher Gemma Arroyo, which evaluates whether individual or group culture of embryos from the same cohort—both in IVF cycles with patients’ own oocytes and in egg donation treatments—has a beneficial or detrimental effect on their development and clinical outcomes.

“Donor sperm cryopreservation: does the method matter?”, led by Laura Bogunyà, which analyses embryological and clinical outcomes in more than 600 in vitro fertilisation (IVF) cycles in which donor semen samples cryopreserved using two different methods were used: the conventional slow-freezing technique and vitrification.

“Blastocyst quality: does it impact obstetric and perinatal outcomes when assessed objectively?”, led by Beatriz Carrasco, which examines the extent to which objective assessment of embryo quality—using a set of quantitative measurements—is related to obstetric and perinatal outcomes in assisted reproduction treatments.

“Incidental findings in expanded carrier screening: clinical assessment and reproductive implications”, led by Gabriela Palacios, Head of the Genetics Unit, which analyses the results of genetic screening carried out on assisted reproduction patients and on gamete and embryo donors. Such screening may sometimes reveal unexpected diagnoses requiring genetic counselling, as they may indicate susceptibility to developing clinically relevant genetic conditions, such as breast cancer, haemophilia or cystic fibrosis, either in the patient or their offspring.