Major scientific prize awarded

A team of Melbourne scientists, headed by leading Australian fertility researcher Professor Lois Salamonsen from Prince Henry’s Institute (PHI), has received international praise for their fertility research as one of nine winners recognised in Merck Serono’s 2012 Grant for Fertility Innovation (GFI) awards in Istanbul this week. The awards, now in their third year, support innovative fertility research to improve take home baby rates for IVF.

The Prince Henry’s Institute and Monash IVF research team are the first non-European scientists to be honoured in the awards. The award will help fund the group’s collaborative investigation to identify endometrial receptivity markers.

IVF specialist and Director of Clinical Research at Monash IVF, Associate Professor Luk Rombauts, a key collaborator on the project along with Professor Salamonsen and senior scientist Dr Tracey Edgell, believes the investigation represents the final frontier of IVF research.

“During the past twenty years IVF has seen dramatic improvements. The final piece of the puzzle is determining how we can improve endometrial receptivity to the good embryos we are already creating, “Professor Rombauts said.

“If we can improve understanding of what is optimal endometrial receptivity, we may be able start looking at improving elements of IVF treatment including drugs in order to get better results, “ said Professor Rombauts.