Yanhe Liu: Rewarding Few Days at The Fertility Society of Australia and New Zealand Conference

Yanhe Liu, National Scientific Director at City Fertility and Clinical Associate Professor at The University of Western Australia, shared on LinkedIn:

”A particularly rewarding few days at The Fertility Society of Australia and New Zealand Conference, where I had the opportunity to present 3 talks exploring different aspects of the science, technology and future of embryology.

The Yin and Yang of Zygotic Pronuclei: Morphology, Morphokinetics, and Morphometrics at the Dawn of Human Life

Exploring the dynamic interplay between the two pronuclei through morphology, morphokinetics and morphometrics – and what these early developmental patterns may tell us about the harmony between biological variation and viability at the earliest stage of human life.

Full texts of relevant publications:

Title: Alignment among the zygotic cleavage plane, pronuclear axis, and polar axis predicts live birth outcome of blastocyst

Authors: Yanhe Liu, Kelli Peirce, Jay Natalwala, Vincent Chapple

You can read the Full Article in Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics.

Title: Clinical implications of zygotes showing 2.1 pronuclei: an ASPIRE Embryology Special Interest Group committee opinion

Authors: Tammy Lee, Diana Tain, T. Arthur Chang, Ryan Rose, Krishna Chaitanya Mantravadi, Lan Thi Thu Nguyen, Mi Kyung Chung, Keshav Malhotra, Kenji Ezoe, Sweelian Liow, Yanhe Liu

You can read the Full Article in RBMO.

Title: To discard or not to discard 1PNs? A systematic review and meta-analysis on 291,474 embryos

Authors: T. Lee, F. Qi, K. Peirce, J. Natalwala, V. Chapple, P.J. Mark, K. Sanders, Y. Liu

You can read the Full Article in RBMO.

Title: Morphometric and morphokinetic differences in the sperm- and oocyte-originated pronuclei of male and female human zygotes: a time-lapse study

Authors: Lee-Sarose Orevich, Kate Watson, Kee Ong, Irving Korman, Ross Turner, David Shaker, Yanhe Liu

You can read the Full Article in the Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics.

AI-Augmented Embryology: Leveraging Black-box Models to Improve IVF Outcomes

A look at how AI can augment embryologist decision-making and laboratory procedural robustness, while critically considering data quality, interpretability, validation and the importance of responsible implementation in the IVF laboratory.

Full texts of relevant publications:

Title: A brief history of artificial intelligence embryo selection: from black-box to glass-box

Authors: Tammy Lee, Jay Natalwala, Vincent Chapple, Yanhe Liu

You can read the Full Article in Human Reproduction.

Title: Data solidarity for machine learning for embryo selection: a call for the creation of an open access repository of embryo data

Authors: Masoud Afnan, Michael Anis Mihdi Afnan, Yanhe Liu, Julian Savulescu, Abhishek Mishra, Vincent Conitzer, Cynthia Rudin

You can read the Full Article in RBMO.

Title: Interpretable, not black-box, artificial intelligence should be used for embryo selection

Authors: Michael Anis Mihdi Afnan, Yanhe Liu, Vincent Conitzer, Cynthia Rudin, Abhishek Mishra, Julian Savulescu, Masoud Afnan

You can read the Full Article in Human Reproduction Open.

Should Artificial Hatching be Performed on Day 3 or Immediately before Trophectoderm Biopsy? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Another evidence-based assessment of PGT-related laboratory practice, following our recent work on re-biopsy and re-vitrification. In this study, we examined the timing of assisted hatching before biopsy, highlighting both what the current evidence supports and where important uncertainties remain. The full article is coming out soon – watch this space!

Related publication:

Title: Impacts of double biopsy and double vitrification on the clinical outcomes following euploid blastocyst transfer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Authors: Kate Bickendorf, Fang Qi, Kelli Peirce, Rui Wang, Jay Natalwala, Vincent Chapple, Yanhe Liu

You can read the Full Article in Human Reproduction.

Although very different in subject, the three talks share a common theme:

How can we combine rigorous evidence, emerging technology and a deeper understanding of embryo biology to continuously improve embryology practice and IVF outcomes?

As our field continues to evolve, I believe we need to embrace innovation while remaining equally committed to critical evaluation, scientific rigour and evidence-based practice.

I’m grateful to The Fertility Society of Australia and New Zealand Scientists in Reproductive Technology organising committees, Petra Wale, Jayne Mullen, Jeanette M. Hema Sarna, colleagues, collaborators and everyone who contributed to the lively discussions throughout the conference.

I was also fortunate enough to learn, face-to-face, from pioneers like Prof. Laura Rienzi and Prof. Denny Sakkas. The questions and conversations were just as valuable as the presentations themselves.”

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