Santiago Munne - PGD Director at The Institute for Reproductive Medicine and Science of Saint Barnabas New Jersey, NJ infertility clinic.

Laboratory and Research Directors

Santiago Munné, Ph.D.

Director of Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis, PGD

Santiago Munné, Ph.D. is Director of Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis at IRMS. In this role since 1995, Dr. Munné leads the program’s research efforts in the area of genetic disease and the identification of chromosomal abnormalities affecting the quality and viability of human sperm and embryos. He is a pioneer of preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), the technique for detecting genetic diseases in the cells of human embryos. Dr. Munné also shares his knowledge and expertise as an advisor to the Institute’s clinical team, in the delivery of progressive, comprehensive infertility treatment.

Although Dr. Munné’s research has touched on many areas of reproductive medicine, his focus most recently is on aneuploidy and translocation, genetic abnormalities of the human embryo that can be detected through the examination of a single cell. As a method for identifying these abnormalities, PGD can help avoid the transplantation of chromosomally abnormal embryos during an in vitro fertilization cycle and reduce the incidence of spontaneous abortion.

Dr. Munné earned a master’s degree in science in 1987 from the University of Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain. He received his Ph.D. in human genetics in 1991, from the University of Pittsburgh, in Pennsylvania. Prior to joining the Institute, Dr. Munné was an instructor of genetics in the field of obstetrics and gynecology at Cornell University Medical College, where he completed his post-doctoral training. While earning his Ph.D., he worked as a research assistant in the Department of Medical Genetics at The Western Pennsylvania Hospital.

Dr. Munné is a member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the American Society of Human Genetics and Alpha, an international organization for scientists in reproductive medicine. Distinguished in his field by many scientific honors, prizes and research grants, Dr. Munné has published nearly 100 articles on the subjects of genetics, as well as genetic risks and abnormalities affecting human gametes and the reproductive process.