Awards and distinctions

Instituto de Fertilidad Clínicas Rincón has received numerous awards and distinctions in recognition of its excellence in reproductive medicine.

International recognition for Arturo Reyes Palomares

Arturo Reyes Palomares, who holds a degree in biology from the Universidad de Málaga and is currently part of the team at Instituto de Fertilidad de Clínicas Rincón, has been awarded at the 27th annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) held in Stockholm, for his presentation on the influence of genetic variants in the promoter of the serotonin transporter gene on pregnancy outcomes in women undergoing egg donation treatments.

The study is the result of a collaboration in applied medical research between Clínicas Rincón and the group directed by Professor Armando Reyes Engel, Head of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Faculty of Medicine of the Universidad de Málaga. This collaboration began several years ago, and its results have progressively gained greater significance, particularly in the field of reproductive medicine, to the point of winning the top award out of 1,500 papers submitted from around the world to the annual ESHRE congress. This meeting is the most important international event in assisted human reproduction, held this year in Stockholm, which typically sees very high attendance from professionals related to the field of reproductive medicine.

The work presented by Instituto de Fertilidad de Clínicas Rincón alongside the Universidad de Málaga falls within the area of reproductive medicine. Specifically, a strong association was found between the presence of a genetic variant in women who suffer early pregnancy loss after undergoing in vitro fertilisation treatment using donor eggs. The genetic variant studied, associated with the promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR), is common in the population and is known to affect serotonin regulation. Based on the results of the award-winning study, it appears that certain combinations could have significant effects on embryo implantation.

One of the most innovative aspects of the study is proposing a hypothetical incompatibility between the genetic load of the recipient and the egg donor, which could alter the availability of serotonin for the embryo. Serotonin appears to play an important role in the early events of gestation, as demonstrated by several studies supporting this research.

This finding opens up new avenues for studying the mechanism of embryo implantation, as well as exploring the possibility of using therapeutic targets to improve the efficiency of assisted reproduction treatments. Finding genetic combinations that may be incompatible between egg recipient and donor is another example of developing integrated clinical strategies within a personalised healthcare framework, which Clínicas Rincón has been promoting for several years.

Award for best paper at the biennial SEF 2012 meeting (Granada)

Instituto de Fertilidad de Clínicas Rincón won first prize for the best clinical communication presented at the congress of the Sociedad Española de Fertilidad (SEF 2012), which is held every two years and on this occasion took place on 16, 17 and 18 May at the conference centre in Granada.

This is the second award received in less than a year by our embryologist Arturo Reyes Palomares and his team, following the prestigious “Fertility Society Australian Exchange Award” at the last annual congress of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) in Stockholm.

The paper was initially submitted to the national congress of the SEF, and its scientific committee decided to upgrade it to a keynote presentation. The award was granted for presenting new results expanding on the research line regarding genetic variants influencing serotonin metabolism and their potential consequences for assisted reproduction treatments. Specifically, the research, conducted in collaboration with the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the Faculty of Medicine of the Universidad de Málaga, found a strong association between two genetic variants related to the rate of cellular serotonin internalization and very early pregnancy loss in women undergoing in vitro fertilisation procedures.

The president of the SEF, Federico Milán, announced the award decisions during the closing ceremony of the SEF 2012 congress; later, during the gala dinner, the chairman of the scientific committee, Alberto Romeu, together with Federico Milán himself, presented the award.