2018 CVM News: Cornell veterinarian to represent United States in international standards organization

Abstract

This news item from the Cornell Chronicle is about: In March of this year, two separate fertility clinics lost the frozen eggs and embryos of approximately 1,500 patients in one weekend. A failure in the liquid nitrogen storage tanks at both the Pacific Fertility Center in San Francisco and the University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center allowed eggs and embryos to warm to unsafe levels, rendering them inviable. The biobanking community was left stunned by the tragedy. “Everything about biobanking has to do with our investment in the future, but unfortunately, there were no standardized requirements to protect this investment,” said Dr. Marta Castelhano, senior research associate with the College of Veterinary Medicine and director of the Cornell Veterinary Biobank.