Publications

• Fragouli E, Escalona A, Gutierrez-Mateo C, Tomasi S, Alfarawati S, Sepulveda S, Wells D, and Munne S (In Press ) Comparative Genome Hybirdization of oocytes and first polar bodies from young donors Unpublished.

• Poulton J, Kennedy S, Oakeshott P, and Wells D (In Press ) Nuclear transfer shows promise but reimplantation genetic diagnosis, oocyte donation and estimation of recurrence risks based on oocyte sampling are available now. Unpublished.

• Fragouli E, Katz-Jaffe M, Alfarawati S, Schoolcraft W, Munne S, and Wells D (In Press) Clinical application of comparative genomic hybirdization for the analysis of polar bodies and basltocysts from couples experiencing repeated implantation failure Unpublished.

• Gutierrez-Mateo C, Sanchez-Garcia J, Fischer J, Tormasi S, Cohen J, Munne S, and Wells D (In Press) Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) of single gene disorders: expereince with over 200 cycles conductied by a reference laboratory in the United States Unpublished.

• Munne S, Fragouli E, and Wells D (In Press) PGD results with CGH indicate that an appropriately designed 12-chromosome FISH test would correctly diagnose aneuploidy in 91% of chromosomally abnormal blastocysts Unpublished.

Dr Dagan Wells

Dr Wells’ current research programme is focused on increasing understanding of the molecular genetic processes underlying gametogenesis and preimplantation development. His laboratory has a strong translational emphasis and is actively involved in the development of new PGD methods that are more comprehensive and more reliable than those in current use. Dr Wells’ research also aims to create novel techniques for improving the success rates of IVF treatment.

Dagan Wells has been involved in preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and the study of human gametes and embryos for almost two decades. He began his career at the University College London, where he supervised molecular diagnostics at the UCL Centre for PGD. During his time in London, Dr Wells was responsible for the first application of whole genome amplification to human embryonic cells and was involved in the first PGD case for a cancer predisposition syndrome. He was also responsible for developing the first method for reliably screening the entire chromosome complement in embryos and oocytes.

In 2000 Dr Wells moved to the United States and joined Reprogenetics LLC, one of the largest providers of PGD services in the USA. Shortly after his arrival he initiated Reprogenetics’ highly successful single gene PGD program, which has grown exponentially since its inception.

In 2003, Dr Wells’ moved to Yale University, where he spent four years as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. While at Yale Dr Wells and his group began clinical trials of comparative genomic hybridization (CGH), a comprehensive chromosome screening method, aimed at revealing which of the embryos produced during an in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment cycle has the greatest potential for producing a child. The clinical application of this approach has been associated with some of the highest IVF pregnancy rates ever recorded and, in the form of microarray-CGH, is now widely practiced worldwide.

Dr Wells’ relocated to the Nuffield Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Oxford at the end of 2007 and became a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists the following year. The current focus of his research team is increasing understanding of the molecular genetic processes underlying gametogenesis and preimplantation development. The group has attracted funding from multiple private enterprises and public bodies, including the National Institutes of Health (USA) and Medical Research Council (UK). Additionally, their work has been recognized with the award of many prizes, including the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) General Program Prize, European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) Basic Science Prize and the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technologies (SART) Prize.

Dr Wells research work has been noted for its novelty and has frequently produced advances that have been translated from the research lab into clinical practice. The research has led to the publication of more than 100 peer-review papers and book chapters and has generated a great deal of media interest, frequently receiving coverage in print, online and broadcast media. Dr Wells has a keen interest in the promotion of science and medical education and has assisted on the faculties or organizing committees of many congresses and conferences around the World. He currently serves on the Editorial Boards of several international medical journals, including Molecular Human Reproduction, Reproductive Biomedicine Online and Prenatal Diagnosis.