For the first time in the history of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE), a single institution has received both top scientific oral presentation awards at its annual meeting.
The Carlos Simon Foundation has been honored with the Basic Science Award and the Clinical Science Award at the 41st Annual ESHRE Meeting, held in Paris.
Sofia Zaragozano, predoctoral researcher at the Carlos Simon Foundation and INCLIVA, received the Basic Science Award for her work on a microfluidic endometrium-on-a-chip model. This biomimetic platform accurately reproduces the physiological environment of the human endometrium and allows the study of human embryo implantation. The system was validated by introducing human embryos and observing key steps of early implantation, including trophoblast adhesion, inner cell mass relocation, lineage differentiation, and secretion of human chorionic gonadotropin.
Dr. Nerea Castillo was awarded the Clinical Science Award for her research on the early prediction of preeclampsia through cfRNA analysis in maternal blood. In a clinical study involving more than 9,000 pregnant women across 14 hospitals in Spain, the team identified molecular signals that predicted both early- and late-onset preeclampsia up to five months before symptoms appeared.
This double recognition highlights the quality of our research and our ongoing commitment to improving women’s reproductive health through science.