Dr. Samir HAMAMAH - Professor in Reproductive Medicine and hospital Practitioner, Medical school and University-hospital Montpellier, France

Position:

• Professor in Reproductive Medicine and hospital Practitioner Medical school and University-hospital Montpellier, France.
• Head of ART/PGD Department at university-hospital of Montpellier.
• Head of INSERM U 1040 ‘Early embryo development and embryo stem cells’.
• Member of French national council of AIDS. 

Research Field:

Gene expression profiles of human cumulus–oocyte complexes and endometrial cells RNA profiles on the genomic scale, and identifying specific transcripts using DNA chips, protein expression under different stimulation protocols.

Embryo stem cells and hiPS.

Publications in refereed journals: total 150

Books chapters: 50

Books: 10

(Male Gametes: Production and Quality; Epididymis: its Role and Importance in Male Infertility, Male Infertility for Motility Disorders: etiological factors and treatment, Ovocyte et Embryon: de la Physiologie à la Pathologie, Médecine et Biologie de la Reproduction, Médecine et Biologie du Développement).

Invited speaker to scientific national and international meetings: 250

Project: Prospective study of the ‘Win Test’ (Window Implantation Test)

The appreciation of endometrial receptivity is a crucial step in ART as implantation failures are thought to result, in large part, from abnormal endometrial receptivity. Using emerging omics technologies (transcriptome), associated to a meta-analysis all published transcriptomic studies comparing the same endometrial dating during natural cycles (early vs. mid-secretory stages), we have previously defined a specific molecular signature of human endometrial receptivity, in which a set of genes have been selected to develop a diagnostic tool, using quantitative RT-PCR. These specific biomarkers of human endometrial receptivity under natural cycle allow the classification of an endometrial sample obtained during the implantation window as ‘receptive’ or ‘non-receptive’

On the other hand, by comparing the gene expression profiles from the same patients between a natural cycle and a subsequent controlled ovarian stimulation cycle, we previously reported that COS alters endometrial receptivity. Two endometrial profiles were identified and associated either with a moderately altered receptivity profile for the majority of the patients or strongly altered for a sub-category of patients. This information could open new perspectives, particularly in patients with multiple implantation failures. In this case, analysis of the endometrial profile could reveal a strongly altered profile during COS protocols. For these patients, the systematic transfer of fresh embryos should be reconsidered and canceled. With the implementation of the embryo vitrification procedure in the majority of IVF centers and the good results obtained after freezing–thawing by vitrification, choosing the best moment for embryo transfer becomes feasible. A prospective study to validate the relevance of our diagnostic test, called the ‘Win Test’ (Window Implantation Test), is an important step: this is what we offer to undertake in the proposed project. In this objective, two types of populations will be recruited within our ART center (CHRU Montpellier): patients with multiple implantation failures and fertile patients.

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