Indian Society of Assisted Reproduction last year returned to the birthplace of the first Indian IVF success story, Kolkata. This year the annual ISAR symposium was held at Mumbai, the cradle of India’s second IVF baby!
The annual event, touted as one of the biggest gatherings associated with Gynecology and Reproductive medicine in India was a resounding success in terms of the number of participants, the ensuing academic feast and the glamour associated with the city of Mumbai. The event was held at Grand Hyatt from March 1st to 3rd and saw an inflowing intermix of seasoned veterans and promising beginners in the field of ART.
The 24th edition of the ISAR annual conference drew a decent crowd of about 1000 – 1500 delegates along with well renowned national and international faculty. In total, about 13 national and international bodies or organizations were involved in making it a success. Workshops organized by different associations were held on Friday, 1st March. This was followed by two days of the academic feast in the form of talks, deliberations and round table debates along with the grand exhibition filled with the biggest names in the IVF industry gracing the event all along.
Shivani Scientific Industries in association with the Academy of Clinical Embryologists (ACE) conducted a well-attended workshop on QA/QC on 1st March, which featured Dr. Priya Kannan and Dr. Swaminathan D. as conveners. The workshop was studded with three enlightening talks from EART (Embryology Academy for Research and Training) faculty. Dr. Kersi Avari, Scientific Director, EART, spoke about the importance of QA/QC from the embryologists’ perspective. Clinical Embryologist Mr. Mohit Karkal gave a talk on ‘Essentials of incubator management’ which encompassed the maintenance of incubator parameters including pH. In addition, Mr. Renesh Jacob, Head Service Department, Shivani Scientific spoke about ‘Monitoring systems and their gradual evolution down the line.’
Shivani’s participation in the glittering event continued full throttle on the 2nd and 3rd of March in the form of their stall at the exhibition, where a range of products was displayed. The products showcased included incubators like Astec Mini, EC-6S and the IVF cube, the Labcare range of monitoring systems and MiOxSYS, along with the Haloview kit for sperm DNA fragmentation and other consumables. Renowned IVF stalwarts such as Dr. Hrishikesh Pai, Dr. Rishma Pai, and many others graced the exhibition with their visit. The selfie zone at the stall, representing the Labcare motto of imbibing a ‘stress-free’ embryology environment was a huge draw and lots of dignitaries and delegates came forward to click their pictures!
The centerpiece of the event undoubtedly was the Labcare app (alarm and monitoring system for the incubators) launch on 2nd March at the banquet dinner, which received a thunderous response from the assembled crowd. The occasion was also graced by eminent Bollywood celebrities such as Raveena Tandon and Swara Bhaskar.
As the conference came to an end, the icing on the cake was the ‘Best Stall Award’ that was bestowed upon Shivani Scientific for their innovative and uniquely presented stall. Mr. Ashish Modi, MD, Shivani Scientific was privileged to receive the said award at the concluding valedictory function.
Thus, ISAR 2019 ended with much pomp and splendor, and we earnestly look forward to its silver jubilee edition next year at Hyderabad!
