Dr. Keith Jarvi — The Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute

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Dr. Keith Jarvi
ASSOCIATE MEMBER

An estimated 19 per cent of couples in Canada have trouble conceiving, and male-factor infertility contributes in approximately half of all cases. Yet fertility is still largely viewed as a women’s health concern.

Researchers and clinicians at Mount Sinai Hospital are on the verge of groundbreaking advances in improving male fertility. Dr. Keith Jarvi, a Lunenfeld Associate Scientist, Head of Urology at Mount Sinai Hospital and Director of the Murray Koffler Urologic Wellness Centre—the largest male infertility clinic in Canada—is working to develop less invasive ways to identify and treat male infertility.

Traditionally, invasive surgery and testicular biopsy are required to assess a man’s fertility issues. The surgery is painful, and comes with inherent risk and substantial recovery time. In a bid to avoid biopsies, Dr. Jarvi is collaborating with Mount Sinai Hospital researcher and clinical biochemist Dr. Eleftherios Diamandis, in a project to identify biomarkers for the causes of the infertility in semen. It’s a highly effective diagnostic test for male infertility—the first project of its kind in Canada—and so far the Jarvi-Diamandis duo has found markers that are highly sensitive in predicting ejaculation sperm levels. This work is now patented by the Mount Sinai Hospital for potential commercialization.

The technique will potentially be used by millions of people across North America, with a significant impact expected on the way clinicians treat men with infertility.

Dr. Jarvi has also pioneered the use of high-resolution ultrasound techniques to assess testicular function in men and identify potential causes of infertility, versus onerous operations that are traditionally required. Harvested sperm is then used with in vitro fertilization. Dr. Jarvi’s other main clinical interests are microsurgical reconstruction techniques, sperm retrieval techniques and genetic abnormalities associated with male infertility.

Dr. Jarvi is also a Professor of Surgery, Division of Urology, Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto. He helped to establish the fertility program in Urology at the University, which has become a well-recognized Canadian centre of excellence for the treatment of male infertility.

Samuel Lunenfeld
Research Institute
Mount Sinai Hospital
Joseph and Wolf Lebovic Health Complex
60 Murray St, Box 42
Toronto ON M5T 3L9

Tel.: 416-586-8867

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Jun 12, 2009 05:05 PM

At a Glance

Dr. Jarvi is an Associate Scientist at the Lunenfeld, Head of Urology at Mount Sinai Hospital and Director of the Murray Koffler Urologic Wellness Centre.
He has published over 80 articles in peer reviewed journals, has been an invited speaker in North and South America, Europe and the Middle East and acts as an advisor to the Government of Canada on issues related to male infertility.
Dr. Jarvi has been at the forefront of the use of new and innovative surgical techniques in Canada. He was the first in Canada to perform sperm aspiration for in vitro fertilization and to use a minimally invasive technique for retrieving sperm.
He has also developed innovative techniques of surgery that are now used across Canada. These include a minimally invasive technique to perform a vasectomy reversal, and techniques to surgically bridge gaps in the reproductive tract.

Major Research Activities

Dr. Jarvi’s research interests include genetic alterations associated with male infertility, the use of proteomics to identify biomarkers in semen, and the role of infection in male infertility, prostate cancer and prostatitis. His research activity has been supported by the CIHR, NIH, CCSRI (Canadian Cancer Society Research Institute), Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, MaRS Innovation, Physician’s Services Incorporated, Canadian Urology Association, industrial support and private donations.

Recent Publications

1. Jarvi K, Chityat D:The genetics you never knew: a genetics primer. Urologic Clinics of North America: 2008: 35: pp 243-256.

2. Heshmat SM, Mullen JB, Soosaipillai A, Jarvi K, Diamandis E, Lo K:Seminal plasma lipocalin-type prostaglandin D synthase: a potential new marker for the diagnosis of obstructive azoospermia. Journal of Urology: 2008: 179: pp 1077-80.

3. Lee J, Binsaleh S, Lo K, Jarvi K: Varicocelectomy may benefit men with a sertoli cell-only pattern on microscopic testicular sperm extraction: a case report. Urology: 2008: 71: pp 1226e17-8.

4. Jarvi K, Patry G, Lo K, Grober E:Use of the aromatase inhibitor Letrozole to treat male infertility. Fertility and Sterility: 2009: 92(2): pp 829e1-2.

5. Roberts M, Jarvi K: Steps in the investigation and management of low semen volume in the infertile man. Canadian Urological Association Journal (CUAJ): 2009: 3(6): pp 479-85.

6. Moskovtsev SI, Jarvi K, Mullen BM, Cadesky KI, Hannam T, Lo KC:Testicular spermatozoa have significantly lower DNA damage compared to ejaculated spermatozoa in patients with unsuccessful oral antioxidant treatment. Fertility and Sterility: 2010: 93(4): pp 1142-1146.

7. Moskovtsev SI, Mullen JB, Lecker I, Jarvi K, White J, Lo KC:Frequency and severity of sperm DNA damage in patients with different etiology of male factor infertility. Reproductive BioMedicine Online: 2010: Epub: pp 2010/03/06

8. Jarvi K, Lo K, Fischer A, Grantmyre J, Zini A, Chow V, Mak V:CUA Guideline: The workup of azoospermic males. Canadian Urological Association Journal: 2010: 4 (3): pp 163-7.

9. Batruch I, Lecker I, Kagedan D, Smith C, Mullen B, Grober E, Lo K, Diamandis EP, Jarvi K: Proteomic analysis of seminal plasma from normal volunteers and post-vascectomy patients identifies over 2000 proteins and candidate biomarkers of the urogenital system. Journal of Proteome Research: 2011 Mar 4;10(3):941-53. Epub 2011 Feb 14.

Jarvi K, Zielenski J, Wilschanski M, Durie P, Buckspan M, Tullis E, Markiewicz D, Tsui L-C:Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator and obstructive azoospermia. Lancet: 1995: 345: pp 1578

Wilschanski M, Bain J, Buckspan M, Tullis E, Jarvi K, Ginsburg B, Asch M, Durie P, Hartwick W, Tsui L-C, Zielenski J, Corey M:The diversity of reproductive tract abnormalities in males with cystic fibrosis. Journal of the American Medical Association: 1996: 276: pp 607-608.

(Just accepted) Saraon P, Jarvi K, Diamandis EP:Molecular alterations during progression of prostate cancer to androgen-independence. Clinical Chemistry.

Mak V, Durie P, Martins S, Longley T, Zini A, Tsui LC, Jarvi K: Proportion of cystic fibrosis gene mutations not detected by routine testing in men with obstructive azoospermia. Journal of the American Medical Association: 1999: 281: pp 2217-2224.

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