The European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) has invited the National Laboratory Director of the IVF-Life group, Dr. Llanos Medrano, to give a lecture at the ESHRE Campus Event “Essentials of vitrification”, held in Zurich (Switzerland). Her presentation, titled “Vitrification of sperm: to whom it may concern?”, addressed the most recent advances in sperm cryopreservation techniques and their clinical implications in assisted reproduction treatments.
During her talk, Dr. Medrano reviewed the evolution of sperm freezing methods, highlighting the limitations of conventional freezing, where ice crystal formation and osmotic injuries can cause cellular damage, membrane alterations, and DNA impairment. In contrast, she explained how vitrification, an ultra-rapid freezing technique, emerges as a promising alternative by avoiding ice formation and reducing cellular damage.

Unlike vitrification applied to oocytes and embryos, sperm presents low tolerance to permeable cryoprotectants (such as glycerol or DMSO), so new protocols focus on avoiding their use and employing very small volumes, along with proteins and sugars that protect the cells during the process. Dr. Llanos Medrano also presented the results of various studies and clinical trials, including cycles of vitrification applied to oocytes and clinical cases with vitrified sperm, showing that this technique offers comparable results in fertilization and embryo development compared to traditional methods, with the advantage of being faster and less damaging to sperm cells.
Although there is not yet a universally established protocol, sperm vitrification is considered a safe and effective alternative within assisted reproduction treatments.
The participation of the IVF-Life Laboratory Director in this event reinforces the group's commitment to scientific research and innovation.