Dr Elena Kontogianni BSc, PhD, is an Embryologist-Geneticist specialised in infertility treatment and preimplantation genetics.
At Hammersmith Hospital, in the team of Prof. Winston and Prof. Handyside, she performed the first in the world Preimplantation Diagnosis. She was trained in the diagnosis and treatment of infertility, including Assisted Reproduction Technology, at the Hammersmith Hospital and the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children of London.
Dr. Kontogianni is also a pioneer in methods for male and female infertility treatment.
She is actively working on Preimplantation Diagnosis for chromosomal abnormalities and β-thalassaemia and was awarded by the Greek Medical Association for her research.
Scientific excellence and clear and caring communication defines Dr Kontogianni. She not only cares about the best scientific results, but she considers as her personal success, helping couples to create their own great family. Caring for future parents, counseling them about the best clinical method they should follow and building a confident, human environment, are some of the secrets that characterize her work. All the above motivate couples, who plan to have a baby, to fully trust her.
Current Owner/Director at IVF and Genetics Institute
Past Post – doctoral Researcher at Institute of Child Health, University of London.
Research Assistant at Hammersmith Hospital, RPMS, Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Education
Post – doctoral Researcher
Institute of Child Health, University of London
Royal Postgraduate Medical School, Hammersmith Hospital
Ph. D. in Genetics, Preimplantation Diagnosis of X – linked Disease
University of Thessaloniki, Aristotelian
B.Sc. in Biology
Papers
Handyside, A.H., Kontogianni, E.H., Hardy, K. and Winston, R.M.L. (1990). Pregnancies from biopsied human preimplantation embryos sexed by Y-specific DNA amplification. Nature, 344, pp 768-770.
Handyside, A.H., Kontogianni, E.H. (1991). DNA analysis of gametes and embryos. Workshop No II. In “Proceedings of the First Symposium on Preimplantation Genetics”, pp 142-145. Plenum, New York.
Kontogianni, E.H., Hardy, K. and Handyside, A.H. (1991). Co-amplification of X- and Y-specific sequences for sexing human preimplantation embryos. In “Proceedings of the First Symposium on Preimplantation Genetics”, pp 139-142. Plenum, New York.
Beis, A., Lazou, A. & Kontogianni, E.H. (1992). Changes in plasma membrane protein composition during early development of the frog Rana Ridibunda. Cell Mol Biol. 38: 513-523.
Verlinsky, Y., Handyside, A.H., Simpson, J.L., Edwards, R., Kulliev, A., Liedaers, I., Coonen, E., Plachot, M., Carson, S., Strom, C., Braude, P., Van Streirtenheim, A., Monk, M., Harper, J., Kontogianni, E.H., Mathews, C., and Wilton, L. (1993). Current progress in Preimplantation Genetic diagnosis. J. Ass. Repr. Genet., Vol. 10 No 5 pp 353-360.
Griffin, D.K., Handyside, A.H., Harper, J., Wilton, L., Atkison, G., Soussis, J., Wells, D., Kontogianni, E.H., Tarin, J., Geber, S., Ao, A., Winston, R.M.L. and Delhanty, J.D.A. (1994). Results of a clinical trial involving preimplantation diagnosis of sex by dual fluorescent in situ hybridization. J. Ass. Repr. Genet., Vol. 11, No 3, pp 132-143.
Verlinsky, Y., Handyside, A.H., Edwards, R., Kulliev, A., Liedaers, I., Coonen, E., Plachot, S., Strom, C., Braude, P., Van Streirtenheim, A., Monk, M., Harper, J., Kontogianni, E.H. & Wilton, L. (1994). Preimplantation Genetic diagnosis of genetic and chromosomal disorders. J. Ass. Repr. Genet., Vol. 11, pp 236-243.
Ao, A., Kontogianni, E.H., Taylor, D. and Handyside, A.H. (1995). Embryonic gene expression in the human preimplantation embryo. Development and Function of the Reproducted Organs, ch. 3, pp 68-95.
Kontogianni, E.H., Davies, D., Carey, N., Johnson, K. and Monk, M. (1995). Slippage and base misincorporation in vitro during PCR of the Myotonic dystrophy locus in single cells. Submitted to Human Molecular Genetics.
Soussis, J., Harper, J., Kontogianni, E.H., Parashos, T., Packam, D., Handyside, A.H. and Winston, R.M.L. (1996). Pregnancies resulting from embryos biopsied for preimplantation diagnosis genetic disease: Biochemical and ultrasound studies at the first trimester of pregnancy. J. Ass. Repr. Genet.; 13(3):254-8.
Kontogianni, E.H., Griffin, D.K. and Handyside, A.H. (1996). Identifying the sex of human preimplantation embryos in X-linked disease; amplification efficiency of a Y-specific alphoid repeat from single blastomeres with two lysis protocols. J. Ass. Repr. & Genet. Vol 13, 125-132.
Daniels, R., Holding, C. and Kontogianni, E.H. (1996). Single cell analysis of unstable genes. J. Ass. Repr. & Genet. Vol 13, No 2, 163-169.
Kontogianni, E. Male infertility and genetic consequences of ART (2001). Hellenic Urology, Vol 13, pp 322-330.
Sevinc, A., Yannoukakos, D., Konstantopoulou, I., Manguoglu, E., Luleci, G., Colak, T., Akyerli, C., Colakoglu, G., Tez, M., Sayek, I., Voutsinas, G., Nasioulas, G., Papadopoulou, E., Florentin, L., Kontogianni, E., Bozkurt, B., Kocabas, N.A., Karakaya, A.E., Yulug, I.G. and Ozcelik, T. (2004). Lack of Association Between RNASEL Arg462Gln Variant and the Risk of Breast Cancer. Anticancer Research 24, pp 3-5.
Kontogianni, E., Pikiou O. (2004). Cryopreservation of oocytes and ovarian tissue for fertility recovery after chemotherapy. Oncological Proceedings, Vol 6, No 3, pp 140-146.
Dasoula, A., Georgiou, I., Kontogianni, E., Sofikitis, N. and Syrrou, M. Methylation status of the SNRPN and HUMARA genes in testicular biopsy samples (2007). Fertility and Sterility Vol. 87, No. 4, pp 805-809.
Books
Kontogianni, E. (2004). Molecular Biology: Elements of the Urinary Tract System Cancer. Urologic Oncology;1: 3-16.
Kontogianni, E., Nikolaidis, P. (2004). Medical Genetics. Pasxalinos Editions.
Kontogianni, E. (2006). Basic Principles of the Cancer Therapy. Cancer Genetics; 5: 293-310.
Organizations
European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE)
European Society of Human Molecular Genetics (ESHMG)
American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM)
Hellenic Urological Association (HUA)
European Association of Urology (EAU)
