Reza Soleimani. PhD

Reza Soleimani, PhD

Requested certification: Reproductive Embryologist (EMB)

Azaleastraat 48,

B-9840 De Pinte, Belgium

rsoleima@yahoo.com

Nationality: Belgian

Date of Birth: 29 July 1974

Tel: +32 485054329

Work experience

01/04/2011 – to date 01/10/2011 - 30/1032012	Clinical Embryologist/ In charge of PGD Unit. Tizro IVF Clinic. Urmia (Iran) Project Manager/ Reproductive Biologist. Sol Scientifics. De Pinte (Belgium)
01/03/2009 - 29/08/2011	Joint Post-doc Fellowship program (Lab for Molecular Reproduction & Fertility Preservation). Gent University & New York Medical College. Valhalla, NY (USA)
01/01/2007 - 31/12/2010	PhD Researcher/ Embryologist. Gent University. Gent (Belgium)
18/04/2005 - 31/12/2006	Project assistant/Trainee Embryologist/Researcher. Gent University. Gent (Belgium)
20/12/1999 - 05/07/2001	Technical Manager of Veterinary Pharmacy. Maroufi Veterinary Pharmacy. Mahabad (Iran)

Educations

03/10/2005 - 29/10/2009	PhD in Medical Sciences (Reproductive Biology)	Gent University. Gent (Belgium)
	Accredited as PhD in Reproductive Biology by Iranian Ministry of Health, Treatment and Medical Educations Thesis: Ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation as a new hope for young cancer patients.
01/10/2006 - 01/06/2009	Master of Laboratory Animal Sciences Accredited as FELASA Category D diploma	Gent University. Gent (Belgium)
	Thesis: Cloning of cat embryos.
01/10/1992 - 29/12/1999	Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) UK NARIK certificate of compatibility with British Bachelor	Urmia Azad University. Urmia (Iran)
	Thesis: Study of ovary and uterus of rabbits in Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome followed by administration of hCG and hMG.

Personal skills and competences

Micromanipulation and embryology skills

Extensive experience in various aspects of clinical and research embryology and assisted reproductive technology laboratory such as:

-Oocyte retrieval, preparation and maturation assessment, IVM, ICSI, IVF, assisted oocyte activation, embryo assessment, scoring, handling, culture and transfer, assisted hatching and blastocyst culture.

-Cryopreservation (slow freezing, vitrification) and banking of oocyte, zygote, ovarian tissue, sperm and testicular tissue.

-Semen analysis and preparation of sperm, IMSI, sperm retrieval after TESE.

-Embryo biopsy, blastocyst biopsy, PGD, micro array.

-Laboratory management in accordance with ESHRE and ASRM guidelines, IVF lab quality control.

-Mouse embryonic stem cell development biology.

-Reproductive cloning of mouse, cat and cattle (conventional and hand-made) embryos.

- Embryonic stem cells derivation and differentiation.

Technical skills and competences

-Good command of laboratory management, quality control processes in laboratory and industry.

-Extensive knowledge of managing and operation in tissue and cryo-bank according to FDA and NHI regulations.

-Extensive knowledge of human and animal ovarian tissue allo- and xenotransplantation techniques and application.

-In dept knowledge of various aspects (operation, techniques and management) of cell and tissue culture and histo/pathology laboratories.

-Excellent data presentation skills, academic writing and scientific reporting, grant-writing and application.

-In vitro and in vivo drugs testing, toxicity tests (mouse embryo-, sperm and cell lines- assay).

-Training and technology- and knowledge-transfer, students and staff training.

-Laboratory animal’s facility managing, surgery, handling and research techniques, developing transgenic animals, working with immunocompromised animals, animal models for translational studies.

-Modern and conventional microscopy techniques: electron, light, confocal, two-photon laser scanning, fluorescent, laser capture.

-Immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, PCR, ELISA, micro array, flow-cytometry, gel electrophoresis, western blotting.

Computer skills and competences

-Good command of IT and Microsoft Office tools (Word, Excel and PowerPoint).

-Basic knowledge of graphic design applications (Photoshop) and web designing.

-Good knowledge of statistical software.

Social skills and competences

Developed interpersonal skills and teamwork, ability to maintain professional attitude at all times, multicultural, social, communicative, patient, caring, respectful and honest.

Organizational skills and competences

High organizational skills and ability to coordinate and communicate through multiple mediums, ability to independently manage dissemination and implementation of necessary strategies, team player, multi-tasking, communicative, strength in analyzing and problem solving, problem solving, coordinating, decision making, focus oriented, prioritization, timelines driven, good eye for detail and focused in coordinating, sharp learner and successful in mastering new skills, hard working.

Extracurricular Activities

Complementary courses participation

GMO directives, IP regulations, basic bio-informatics, bio-pharmacy, advanced bio-imaging, animal developmental biology, human molecular genetics, medical cell biology, molecular medical immunology, and signal transduction in health and disease, academic writing, digital imaging microscopy, pre-implantation genetics, microinjection of the probes, embryo cloning and many others.

Complementary Educations in Management

Business management, time management, project management, laboratory management, quality assurance, team leadership I & II, and report writing, assertive working.

Grants and awards

Research award of American Society for Reproductive Medicine	Orlando (USA)	2011
Best oral presentation prize of Royan Twin Congress	Tehran (Iran)	2007
Special doctoral research grant (BOF) of Gent University	Gent (Belgium)	2007- 2010
Burroughs Wellcome Fund research travel fellows of Society for the Study of Reproduction	Ottawa (Canada)	2001

International workshops

Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis	Center for PGD. University College London (UK)	12-16 Mar 2012
Vitrification of oocyte and embryo Quality Control in ART lab Clinical Embryology Cancer and Fertility	Shahid Sadughi University. Yazd (Iran) Shahid Sadughi University. Yazd (Iran) Shahid Sadughi University. Yazd (Iran) European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. Heidelberg (Germany)	2008 5-6 Aug 2008 22-23 Nov, 2008 14-15 Nov 2008
Cryopreservation of human oocytes, ovarian tissues and in-vitro maturation	Serono Symposium. Buenos Aires (Argentina)	13-15 Mar 2008
Microinjection and detection of probes in cells	European Molecular Biology Laboratory. Heidelberg (Germany)	25 Jun - 2 Jul 2006
Mammalian oogenesis	European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. Paris, (France)	31 Mar - 2 Apr, 2005
Digital imaging microscopy	European molecular biotechnology organization. Delft University of Technology. Delft ( the Netherlands)	3-7 Jun 2002

Language skills

English: Fluent

Dutch: Good

Azeri: Mother tongue

Persian: Mother tongue

Turkish: Fluent

German: Beginner

List of Publications

A. Publications in journals with peer review

Soleimani R, W. De Vos, P. Van Oostveldt, S. Lierman, R. Van den Broecke, P. De Sutter, M.Dhont and J. Van der Elst. Two novel techniques to detect follicles in human ovarian cortical tissue. Hum Reprod. 2006 Jul, 21(7):1720-4.
Soleimani R, Van der Elst J, Heytens E, Van den Broecke R, Gerris J, Dhont M, Cuvelier C and De Sutter P, Back muscle as a promising site for ovarian tissue transplantation, an animal model, Hum Reprod 2008 Mar;23(3):619-26.
Heytens E, Soleimani R, Lierman S, De Meester S, Gerris J, Dhont M, Van der Elst J and De Sutter P, Effect of ionomycin on oocyte activation and embryo development in mouse, RBMOnline 2008, December; 17 (6): 764-771 .
Heytens E, Soleimani R and De Sutter P, Oocyte activation: The impact of calcium signals on fertilization, Iranian Journal of Reproductive Medicine, 2008, 6(4): 171-174.
Heytens E, Parrington J, Coward K, Young C, Lambrecht S, Yoon SY, Fissore RA, Hamer R, Deane CM, Ruas M, Grasa P, Soleimani R, Cuvelier CA, Gerris J, Dhont M, Deforce D, Leybaert L and De Sutter P, Reduced amounts and abnormal forms of phospholipase C in spermatozoa from infertile men, Hum Reprod 2009, October; 24 (10): 2417-28.
Soleimani R, Heytens E, Van den Broecke R, Rottiers I, Dhont M, Cuvelier CA and De Sutter P, Xenotransplantation of cryopreserved human ovarian tissue into murine back muscle, Hum Reprod 2010, June; 25 (6): 1458-70.
Heytens E, Schmitt-John T, Moser JM, Mandøe Jensen N, Soleimani R, Young C, Coward K, Parrington J and De Sutter P, Reduced fertilization after ICSI and abnormal PLCzeta presence in sperm from the wobbler mouse, RBM Online 2010 21 (6); 742-9.
Soleimani R and De Sutter P. In situ identification of follicles in ovarian cortex as a tool for quantifying follicle density, viability and developmental potential in strategies to preserve female fertility. Letter to the editor. Hum Reprod. deq395 first published online January 28, 2011. doi:10.1093/humrep/deq395.
Soleimani R, Heytens E and Oktay K, Enhancement of neo-angiogenesis and follicle survival by sphingosine-1-phosphate in human ovarian tissue transplants, PLoS One, May 6 2011, 6 (4): e19475.
Soleimani R, Heytens E, Darzynkiewicz Z, Oktay K. Mechanisms of chemotherapy-induced human ovarian aging: double strand DNA breaks and microvascular compromise. Aging . 2011 Aug;3(8):782-93.

B. Publications in journals without peer review

Soleimani R, Sadrkhanloo R, Farshid A, Montazer SH. The pathological changes of Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome (OHSS) followed by administration of human exogenous gonadotropins in rabbits. SSR, 2001, Ottawa, Canada. BOR, 64, Suppl. 1: 305.
Soleimani R, Sadrkhanloo R, Farshid A, Alijanloo S. The effect of human serum albumin administration on controlling the Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome. SSR, 2002, Baltimore, Maryland. USA. BOR, 66, Suppl. 1: 284-285.
Soleimani R, Ansari MH, Sadrkhanlou R and Heytens E, Study the effects of hypothyroidism on congenital tract. An animal experimentation, SSR, 2003, Cincinatti, Ohio, USA. BOR, 68, Suppl. 1: 293-294.
R. Soleimani, J. Liu, B. Heindryckx, R. Van den Broecke, P. De Sutter, J. Gerris, M. Dhont, J. Van der Elst. Back muscle transplantation model for ovarian allo - and xenografts. ESHRE, July 2006, Prague, Czech Republic. Hum Reprod, 21, Suppl 1: i107-i108.
Soleimani R, Van der Elst J, Heytens E, Van den Broecke R, Gerris J, Dhont M, Cuvelier C and De Sutter P. Mouse back muscle as a promising site for human ovarian tissue xenotransplantation. ESHRE, July 2007, Lyon, France. Hum Reprod, 22, Suppl 1: i42.
Soleimani R, Heytens E, Van den Broecke R , Rottiers I, Dhont M ,Cuvelier CA and De Sutter P. An optimized method to obtain mature oocytes after xenotransplantation of cryopreserved human ovarian tissue into the back muscle of SCID mice, ESHRE, July 2008, Barcelona, Spain. Hum Reprod, 23, Suppl 1: i69-i70.
Heytens E, Parrington J, Lambrecht S, Young C, Coward K, Soleimani R, Gerris J, Dhont M, Deforce D and De Sutter P. Influence of sperm cryopreservation on the oocyte activating factor PLCζ, American Society of Andrology 2009, Philadelphia, USA, Journal of Andrology,2009, 51: 49-50.Heytens E, Soleimani R, Parrington J, Schmitt-John T, et al. A mouse model for globozoospermia and evaluation of embryo development after assisted oocyte activation, ESHRE June 2009. Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Hum Reprod, 24, Suppl 1: i95-i96.

Soleimani R, Heytens E, Ozkavukcu S, Lee S, Wang X, Rottiers I, Cuvelier CA, De Sutter P and Oktay K. Impact of Doxorubicin on Human Ovarian Primordial Follicles and Ovarian Microvasculature. The 57th Annual Meeting of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation (SGI), March 2010,Orlando, FL. USA. Reprod Sci, 17 (3) Suppl S: 338A-339A.
Soleimani R, Heytens E, Rottiers I, Gojayev A, Oktay K, Cuvelier CA and De Sutter P. Investigation of ideal conditions for the transportation of human ovarian tissue. ESHRE, June 2010, Rome, Italy. Hum Reprod, 25, Suppl 1: i268.
Soleimani R, Heytens E and Oktay K. Prevention of chemotherapy induced apoptotic follicular death in human ovary by ceramid-induced death pathway inhibitor. ASRM, October 2010, Denver, CO, USA. Fertil Steril, 94 (4) Suppl 1: S11.
Soleimani R, Heytens E and Oktay K. S1P enhances neo-angiogenesis in human ovarian transplants in SCID mice. ASRM, October 2010, Denver, CO, USA. Fertil Steril, 94 (4) Suppl 1: S107.
Oktay K, Soleimani R, Lee S, Ozkavukcu S, Brito MM, Babayev S. Improving autologous ovarian transplantation with frozen-banked tissue: Robotic assistance and the utilization of a human regenerative matrix. ASRM, October 2010, Denver, CO, USA. Fertil Steril, 94 (4) Suppl 1: S107.
Soleimani R, Heytens E, Oktay K. Sphingosine-1-phosphate accelerates neoangiogenesis, reduces hypoxia, and improves primordial follicle survival in human ovarian xenografts: a prelude to improving ovarian transplantation outcomes. Fertility and Sterility Vol. 96, Issue 3, Supplement, Page S34.
Soleimani R, Heytens E, Oktay K. In vivo impact of doxorubicin on ovarian germ cell and non-germ cell population: double strand DNA breaks and microvascular damage. Fertility and Sterility Vol. 96, Issue 3, Supplement, Pages S96-S97
Soleimani R, Heytens E, Pourghorban R, et al., C.A. Cuvelier, P. De Sutter. Oxidative-stress induces double strand DNA breaks during ovarian tissue storage and cryopreservation for fertility preservation. Fertility and Sterility Vol. 96, Issue 3, Supplement, Page S77.
Gore SE, Heytens E, Karsy M, Cuadri M, Soleimani R et al. Long-term experience with ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation. Fertility and Sterility Vol. 96, Issue 3, Supplement, Page S31
Oktay K, Heytens E, Soleimani R, et al. Impaired DNA repair as the root cause of oocyte aging. Fertility and Sterility Vol. 96, Issue 3, Supplement, Page S239.

C. Other presentations

Soleimani R, Heytens E, Lierman S, Cuvelier C, Gerris J, Dhont M, Van der Elst J and De Sutter P, Mouse back muscle as a promising site for human ovarian tissue xenotransplantation, Royan International Twin Congress, September 2007, Tehran, Iran.
Soleimani R, Heytens E, Dhont M, Gerris J, Cuvelier C and De Sutter P, An optimized method to obtain mature oocytes after human ovarian tissue xenotransplantation into the back muscle of SCID mice, Royan 2008, Tehran, Iran.
Soleimani R, Van der Elst J, Van den Broecke R, De Sutter P, Dhont M, .Allografting of mouse hemi-ovaries under the kidney capsule versus back muscle. Joint European conference in Reproduction and Fertility, Society for Reproduction and Fertility (SRF). 2004, Gent University, Belgium.
Soleimani R, Van der Elst J, Van den Broecke R, De Sutter P, Dhont M, Live offspring from back muscle ovarian allografts in mice. Meeting of Mammalian oogenesis and folliculogenesis, March 2005, ESHRE Campus, Paris, France and FNRS (Fonds national de la Recherche scientifique de Belgique), May 2005, Mons, Belgium.
Soleimani R, De Vos W, Van Oostveldt P, Lierman S, Van den Broecke R, De Sutter P, Dhont M and Van der Elst J. Two new methods to detect follicles in ovarian cortical tissue strips. Society for study of fertility (VFS), March 2006, Antwerp, Belgium.
Soleimani R, Van der Elst J, Van den Broecke R, Gerris J, De Sutter P, Dhont M, Anatomo-pathological changes due to ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) following administration of human exogenous gonadotropins in the rabbit. 16th meeting of Belgian Society for Reproductive Medicine (BSRM). 0ct 2006. De Montile, Belgium.