The Special Program of Assisted Reproduction (SPAR) is a program offered to

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

discordant couples (

serodiscordant A serodiscordant relationship, also known as mixed-status, is one where one partner is infected by HIV and the other is not. This contrasts with seroconcordant relationships, in which both partners are of the same HIV status. Serodiscordancy contri ...

) at the Bedford Research Foundation's clinical laboratory. The program takes advantage of ART ( assisted reproduction technology) procedures (including "

sperm washing Sperm washing is the process in which individual sperms are separated from the semen. Washed sperm is used in artificial insemination using the intrauterine insemination (IUI) technique and in in vitro fertilization (IVF). It may also be used to d ...

") to assist couples achieve a pregnancy who would otherwise risk transmitting the father's

infection to the mother and the child through intercourse. SPAR employs extremely stringent safety standards; samples will only be submitted for "sperm washing" and

cryopreservation Cryo-preservation or cryo-conservation is a process where organisms, organelles, cells, tissues, extracellular matrix, organs, or any other biological constructs susceptible to damage caused by unregulated chemical kinetics are preserved by co ...

that have first been screened for HIV

virus A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism. Viruses infect all life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea. Since Dmitri Ivanovsk ...

particles and infected cells by specialized

molecular biology Molecular biology is the branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactions. The study of chemical and physi ...

tests. Only samples that have been determined to have an undetectable HIV

viral burden Viral load, also known as viral burden, is a numerical expression of the quantity of virus in a given volume of fluid, including biological and environmental specimens. It is not to be confused with viral titre or viral titer, which depends on the ...

will be submitted for infertility procedures. Assisted reproductive technologies (ART), such as

in vitro fertilization In vitro fertilisation (IVF) is a process of fertilisation where an egg is combined with sperm in vitro ("in glass"). The process involves monitoring and stimulating an individual's ovulatory process, removing an ovum or ova (egg or eggs) f ...

(IVF), treat many disorders of the female, but until recent years, treatment options for male factor infertility were limited, and donor sperm was routinely recommended to achieve a pregnancy. Advances in ART, however, have created new possibilities for men with male factor infertility, including those whose sperm counts have been decreased by

cancer treatment Cancer can be treated by surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy, targeted therapy (including immunotherapy such as monoclonal antibody therapy) and synthetic lethality, most commonly as a series of separate treatments (e.g. ...

and other diseases, and men with incurable, sexually transmissible virus diseases. Infectious diseases transmissible by semen for which there is no cure include: * Hepatitis B * Human T Cell Leukemia Virus (HTLV-1) * Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)

History

SPAR began in 1994 at the New England Deaconess Hospital (now

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston, Massachusetts is a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. It was formed out of the 1996 merger of Beth Israel Hospital (founded in 1916) and New England Deaconess Hospital (founded ...

) as a support group for couples wishing to parent when one of them had an incurable

sexually transmitted disease Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), also referred to as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and the older term venereal diseases, are infections that are spread by sexual activity, especially vaginal intercourse, anal sex, and oral ...

. The patient couples began raising money to fund the research needed to develop the methods to improve the safety of attempting pregnancy. By 1996 sufficient funds were available to begin, but a merger between the Beth Israel Hospital and the New England Deaconess Hospital (now

) necessitated the creation of an independent

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

public charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ch ...

, the Assisted Reproduction Foundation (now the Bedford Stem Cell Research Foundation directed by Dr.

Ann Kiessling Ann A. Kiessling is an American reproductive biologist and a researcher in human parthenogenic stem cell research at The Bedford Research Foundation. She was an associate professor in teaching hospitals of Harvard Medical School (Brigham and Wome ...

), to continue the work. Within two years, the methods for reducing, and perhaps eliminating, the risks of infection to the mother and the child were developed and Baby Ryan was born in 1999. The goal of SPAR was to provide semen testing by experts that would ensure improved safety of sperm that could then be shipped to infertility clinics near the couple's home. In this way, couples could be cared for in the same manner as other couples in their community. Fortunately, a few clinics were willing to help with this effort, and by 2002, seven collaborating clinics around the country were caring for couples living with

disease. In the Spring of 2000 a ground breaking study was completed, giving significant insight to the role of semen producing organs in

anti-viral Antiviral drugs are a class of medication used for treating viral infections. Most antivirals target specific viruses, while a broad-spectrum antiviral is effective against a wide range of viruses. Unlike most antibiotics, antiviral drugs do ...

therapy. {{cite journal, title=HIV-1 in Semen: an isolated virus reservoir, journal=

The Lancet ''The Lancet'' is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal and one of the oldest of its kind. It is also the world's highest-impact academic journal. It was founded in England in 1823. The journal publishes original research articles, ...

, pmid=9343504, year=1997, last1=Byrn, first1=RA, last2=Zhang, first2=D, last3=Eyre, first3=R, last4=McGowan, first4=K, last5=Kiessling, first5=AA, volume=350, issue=9085, pages=1141, doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(97)24042-0, s2cid=2894601

References

External links

Special Program of Assisted Reproduction at the Bedford Research Foundation Clinical Laboratory

Bedford Research Foundation
HIV/AIDS organizations in the United States Human reproduction Medical and health organizations based in Massachusetts