IVF pioneer to visit Churchill
Emeritus Professor Alan Trounson will visit Churchill in September to talk to students and give a public address.
Renowned international stem cell research and IVF pioneer, Professor Alan Trounson, will visit Gippsland next month to speak to Year A medical students at the School of Rural Health Churchill and give a public talk the same evening.
The visit on Monday 29 September is a collaboration between Federation University, and the School of Rural Health Churchill. Professor Trounson will speak on ’Stem cells and regenerative medicine: Australia’s place in the global revolution in treatment of cancer, diabetes, blindness, spinal cord repair and potential cure for HIV/AIDS”.
He will address medical students from 3-4.30pm and give his public address from 6-7.30pm in the Federation University Auditorium. RSVPs are essential by Friday 19 September to Sarah.j.russell@monash.edu or 5122 7445.
A long career in IVF and stem cell research
Professor Trounson was a pioneer of human in vitro fertilisation (IVF), introducing fertility drugs for controlling ovulation, embryo freezing techniques, egg and embryo donation methods, early sperm microinjection methods, initiated embryo biopsy, developing in vitro oocyte maturation methods and the vitrification of eggs and embryos. He led the Australian team for the discovery of human embryonic stem cells in the late 1990s.
With colleagues, he founded the not-for-profit foundations: Low Cost IVF and Friends of Low Cost IVF to enable wider access to assisted reproductive techology and fertility education for all people across the globe.
Professor Trounson held a Chair in Paediatrics/Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and also a Chair in Stem Cell Science at Monash University. Director of the Monash Centre for Early Human Development from, he was also founding Deputy Director/Director of the Institute for Reproductive Biology.
He was the founding Director of the Monash Immunology and Stem Cell Laboratories at Monash University. He founded seven for-profit life science companies and the National Biotechnology Centre of Excellence – Australian Stem Cell Centre’.
Professor Trounson, Emeritus Professor Monash University, is currently President of the Californian Institute for Regenerative Medicine. This is California’s $3 billion stem cell agency, driving research in stem cell biology and facilitating the translation of stem cell discoveries into clinical therapies.