Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine
Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine (RI-RB) tries to increase the fertility success rate alongside improving the embryo health within doing researches in different aspects of infertility and its treatment, with the vision of improving the population’s health. The main focus of research in the six departments of RI-RB includes: improving ovarian stimulation protocols; improving embryo implantation conditions; etiological diagnosing of embryo implantation failures and spontaneous abortions; improving sperm quality, count, selection and isolation methods; evaluating the side effects of cancer treatments on gametes; studying the ovarian tissue cryopreservation and in vitro culture of follicles; early diagnosing of fetal anomalies; epigenetic study of sperm, oocytes and embryos pre-implantation genetic diagnosis; evaluating the environmental and occupational factors affecting reproduction; studying the effect of quality of life parameters on treatment.
The vision of this institute is to achieve the accurate diagnosis and treatment of infertility based on modern reproductive knowledge, which will lead to healthy newborns in a short period of time. This Institute mission is to research on fertility improvement and increase the pregnancy rate resulted in healthy live births.
RI-RB Departments
The vision of this institute is to achieve the accurate diagnosis and treatment of infertility based on modern reproductive knowledge, which will lead to healthy newborns in a short period of time. This Institute mission is to research on fertility improvement and increase the pregnancy rate resulted in healthy live births.
RI-RB Departments
● Endocrinology and Female Infertility
● Andrology
● Embryology
● Reproductive Genetics
● Medical Ethics and Law
● Reproductive Imaging
For more communication between basic sciences and clinics, there are also five innovative groups:
● Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
● Recurrent Implantation Failure (RIF)
● Premature Ovarian Failure (POF)
● Oncofertility
● Azospermia
Endocrinology and Female Infertility Department
This department was established in 1994 to research on new strategies for diagnosis and treatment of female infertility and recurrent abortion with the intent of increasing the implantation rates.
Goals
- Improving IVF outcomes
- Providing appropriate clinical guidelines for treatment of women suffering from endometriosis, recurrent implantation failure and oncofertility
- Improving methods for oocyte pick up and embryo implantation
- Increasing pregnancy and live birth rate to more than 50% in ART (Assisted Reproductive Techniques) cycles for patients with good prognosis
Main Activities
- Evaluation and treatment of infertile women
- Achieving new strategies for diagnosing female infertility causes
- Prenatal evaluation
- Planning educational seminars annually for patients and adolescent girls to raise the level of knowledge and awareness of society and prevention of complications and infertility problems related to endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome
- Arranging training classes for couples to improve their quality of life and reduce their stresses
Andrology Department
This department was established in 2006 and started to research on male infertility that accounts for approximately 50% of all infertility cases. Thus it is necessary to use appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic techniques in order to study the different aspects of male infertility.
Goals
- Achieving new strategies and techniques for male infertility diagnosis and treatment
- Improving new screening methods for preventing male infertility
Main Activities
- Evaluation and treatment of infertile men
- Determining the etiology of spermatogenesis failures, sperm dis-function and ejaculation disorders
- Studying the etiology of abnormal semen parameters
Embryology Department
The Department of Embryology, founded in 1997, is a part of Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine. During the preceding decade, a fundamental description of animal and human experimental studies has emerged in the field of embryology.
Goals
- Increasing the quality of gametes and embryos
- Establishing in vitro human follicle culture following ovarian tissue cryopreservation
Main Activities
- Evaluation of the molecular aspects of gamete maturation, embryo development
- Performing embryo co-culture with various types of somatic cells
- In vitro maturation of animal and human gametes
- Evaluating molecular and cellular events of embryo implantation
- Three-dimensional culture of cells to design an endometrial biomodel
- Three-dimensional culture of follicles in order to acquire good quality oocytes
- Performing nuclear transfers
- Finding the best method for preserving gametes, ovarian, and testicular tissues
Reproductive Genetic Department
Department of Reproductive Genetics was established in 2003. The major research interests in this department are genetic and epigenetic factors that may influence fertility, embryo development, and implantation, and bringing these research results to the clinical setting. Genetic factors leading to azoospermia, mutations leading to congenital agenesis of the vas deferens, preimplantation genetic testing (PGT), pharmacogenetics plus epigenetic and gene expression profiles of early embryogenesis are studied in this department.
Goals
- Improving implantation rates by PGT
- Assisting physicians with prescribing medicine for controlled ovarian stimulation via pharmacogenetics
- Genetic following up the newborns conceived by ART (Assisted Reproductive Techniques)
- Evaluating of candidate genes related to recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) in the Iranian population
Main Activities
- Genetic counseling
- Lymphocyte karyotyping
- Karyotyping the stem cell lines following various manipulations
- PGT
- Producing recombinant proteins in collaboration with Royan Biotechnology Center
- Molecular diagnostic tests including Y chromosomal micro deletions, certain mutations in candidate genes which may be related to the causes of abortions or failed ART (Assisted Reproductive Techniques)
Department of Medical Ethics and Law
Department of Medical Ethics and law was established in 2019. Previously the activities of this department were set up in Ethics group, but recently they are extended to the following subjects of researches: ethical issues in Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ARTs), ethical issues in Regenerative Medicine, cloning, ethical issues in Genetic researches and interventions, physician-patient relation, civil responsibilities toward patients and religious issues in medical diagnosis and treatments in both infertility and cell therapy cases.
Goals
- Improving and releasing the guidelines and propose new law and legislations in new era of ART (Assisted Reproductive Techniques), Stem Cell and Biotechnology
- Solving current ethical dilemma in reproductive medicine and cell therapy
- Investigating the religious (specially Islamic) issues in clinical practice of infertility and cell therapy, and biomedical researches
- Evaluating the research proposal ethically and approve the justifiable projects in Royan Institute fields of interest
Main Activities
- Legal counseling and solving ethical cases in ART (Assisted Reproductive Techniques), Stem Cell and Biotechnology fields
- Consent design
- Conducting ethical committee
- Performing ethical and legal researches in the interested fields of Royan Institute
Reproductive Imaging Department
Reproductive Imaging Department was established in 2012 to focus on infertility assessment and obstetric care as well as evaluation of pregnancies. Imaging techniques such as hysterosalpingography and three-dimensional hysonosterography which are performed in this department, have been significant breakthroughs in the diagnosis and management of infertility.
Goals
- Expanding clinical and fundamental research in reproductive imaging
- Providing modern strategies and improving clinical services for infertile couples
Main Activities
- Making Diagnostic accuracy investigation of imaging modalities (hysterosalpingography, hysterosonography and three-dimensional ultrasound)
- Fetal screening
- Defining standards for ultrasound measurement charts appropriate to Iranian fetuses
- Giving the educational courses in diagnostic ultrasound techniques including transvaginal, color Doppler; power Doppler; 3D/4D imaging, and radiology in infertile couples for andrology and endocrinology- infertility fellowships
