Dr. Keith Jarvi

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 woman'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-Tanenbaum Senior Clinician 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.