Jacques Cohen, Ph.D., is the Scientific Director of IVFonline/genX. He is also one of the founders of Reprogenetics, an independent PGD service based in the USA and director of Tyho-Galileo Research Laboratories – an organization that promotes and conducts human fertilization and preimplantation research. He was trained in the 70s at Erasmus University in Rotterdam, Holland as a Reproductive Scientist specialized in vitro fertilization and cryobiology. In 1982, after earning a Ph.D. in Reproductive Physiology from the Erasmus University of Rotterdam, he went to England and joined the team of Dr. Edwards and Steptoe, who were responsible for the first ever IVF birth. He moved to USA in 1985 and worked as laboratory director in several successful IVF clinics. He was the first to culture human embryos on a layer media and oil and was the first to apply micromanipulation techniques on eggs, sperm, and embryos. This led to the development and application of several methods that are now routine procedures worldwide.
Dr. Cohen has authored more than 200 publications and several textbooks. He is the senior adjunct editor of Reproductive Biomedicine Online and the North-American editor of Zygote. He is associated with several laboratories involved in IVF and PGD both in Europe and the USA. His interests are embryonic viability, cryopreservation and developing tests and tools for IVF laboratories.
Galileo Research Laboratories is an organization created by world-renowned specialists in reproductive science and molecular genetics. In founding the Galileo laboratories, these individuals have joined together to stimulate progress in medical research, particularly in the areas of reproductive medicine, gametogenesis, human pre-implantation embryology and genetics. The research that Galileo promotes will enhance the understanding of human reproduction and the origin of human disease and facilitate development of treatment modalities that can lead to the eradication of infertility and certain genetic diseases.
The advancement of assisted reproductive technology (ART), including preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) not only benefits the treatment of infertility and genetic disease. This research also shows great promise in elucidating fundamental aspects of biology with much wider clinical and scientific significance. Since government funding, and philanthropic and other support for research in these areas is limited, Galileo serves as a particularly important source of financial and scientific support for these efforts.
Galileo operates a number of research laboratories and supports affiliated Galileo Centers worldwide working towards the common goals of achieving excellence, promoting the exchange of information, advancing reproductive science and assisting infertile patients. Galileo strives to attract outstanding scientists and provide support wherever it can to clinical teams in order to optimize performance and introduce new cutting edge technology.