Institute of Reproduction and Development (including the Centre for Early Human Development)

Director: Professor D M de Kretser

Deputy Director: Professor A O Trounson

Associate directors: Associate Professor A M Walker and Dr I Kola

Address: Institute of Reproduction and Development, Block E, Levels 3 and 5, Monash Medical Centre, 246 Clayton Road, Clayton, 3168

Phone: (03) 9550 3576

Testicular physiology Physiology of inhibin, activin and follistatin in relation to their control of FSH and their potential actions as paracrine regulators within the testis; the role of inhibin and activin in the control of the fetal pituitary-gonadal axis and their sites of production within the foetus; hormonal control of spermatogenesis with particular reference to the sites of action of FSH and testosterone and the manner in which these hormones control Sertoli cell function; factors controlling the division of Sertoli cells in the developing testis; the role of growth factors and their receptors in spermatogenesis; the role of microtubule associated proteins in spermatogenesis; development of the outer dense fibres and fibrous sheath of spermatozoa; immunological aspects of male reproduction including the role of cytokines and growth factor in the modulation of the immune status of the testis.
Prostate biology Interaction between steroids and growth factors in the regulation of cell-cell interactions in normal and diseased tissue. Prostate: role of TGFb/activin superfamily in the growth of human prostate cancer cells. Localisation of growth factor expression in BPH (benign prostatic hypertrophy). PIN and prostate cancer tissues and correlation with progression of prostate disease. Development of markers for monitoring prostate cell function in seminal plasma. Testis: development and maturation of Leydig cells from stem cell precursors. Paracrine/autocrine mechanisms of regulating testicular steroidogenesis.
Endometrial physiology and angiogenesis Research areas currently investigated - Angiogenesis (human and animal models, endometrial and ovarian); menorrhagia (dysfunctional and perimenopausal - investigations include evaluations of new clinical treatment methods and of patient satisfaction with outcome); embryo implantation (human IVF related studies and animal models); basic aspects of menstruation (including studies on cell-cell and cell-substrate adhesion molecules); contraception (the effects of longterm progestin-only contraceptives on endometrial function and bleeding patterns); endometriosis (clinically related studies on different aspects of the biology of endometriotic implants); ovarian cancer, control of new blood vessel growth and relevance to clinical outcome.
Human and animal reproductive biology Human infertility including IVF and other reproductive technologies in human medicine; fertilisation using micromanipulation techniques; the aetiology of polycystic ovarian disease, human oocyte maturation in vitro; embryo culture; embryo transfer; endometrial reception for developing embryos and implantation; ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation; diagnosis for genetic disease by embryo biopsy and molecular genetics techniques; the ultrastructure of fertilisation events and early embryonic development; and legal, ethical and social issues arising from the new reproductive technologies. Embryo physiology including the metabolic requirements for mammalian oocyte maturation, fertilisation and embryo development; formulation of embryo culture requirements; determination of embryo viability, functioning enzyme systems in preimplantation embryos; peroxidation and embryo development and embryo cryopreservation. Embryo biotechnology involving the in vitro maturation of immature oocytes to provide material for investigations into in vitro fertilisation, embryo culture, oocyte and embryo cryopreservation and the role of growth factors in pre and peri-implantation bovine embryo development. These techniques are also used for multiplication of genetically identical embryos that include oocyte enucleation, embryo disaggregation and culture of embryonic cells, cell cycle control and electrofusion. Further studies involve embryo stage specific gene expression and nuclear reprogramming after nuclear transfer as controlled by genetic imprinting and DNA methylation. Gene vectors and embryonic stem cells including the manipulation of gene function by innovative molecular strategies for the determination of gene function in development and production of transgenic animals. Animal research including genomic storage for endangered species; reproductive technologies for species at risk of extinction; reduction of generation intervals in cattle breeding; embryo recovery and transfer in domestic and wild captive animals; equine reproductive physiology; lactation and dairy product productions in sheep and goats; development of semen collection techniques across species; cryopreservation of semen in dogs and zoo species; production of genetically identical offspring; reproductive studies in farmed deer species and embryo transfer in cameloids.
Developmental biology Role of the extracellular matrix in embryogenesis; cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions in specification of cell types in the developing brain; genetic and biochemical basis for embryo losses at implantation; analysis of fetal growth retardation in mice; analysis of molecular aspects of genomic imprinting in androgenetic and parthenogenetic embryonic stem cells.
Molecular genetics and development Molecular biology of Down syndrome; molecular biology of aging and cellular senescence; molecular biology of cancer; genes regulation and function during differentiation and development; the ETS family of transcription factors - functional analysis; the role of antioxidant genes in cellular processes; the role of SODI gene in aging and Down syndromes; transcription factors and their role in development and disease; the interferon a receptor gene - its biological function and role in disease; transcription factors in spermatogenesis; gene regulation; use of transgenic mice for animal models of human disease; embryonic stem cells and homologous recombination for evaluating the biological role of specific genes.
Fetal physiology Initiation and control of ventilation in the newborn lamb; metabolic cost of breathing in the fetus and the newborn; influence of caesarean section on the establishment of breathing at birth; development of the respiratory system in the fetus from very early in gestation; structure of respiratory areas in the hindbrain; metabolic properties of respiratory muscles and heart.
Neonatal physiology Development of the fetal heart and circulation from mid-gestation; development, physiology and pharmacology of the cerebral circulation; circulatory adaptation at birth; cardiac structure and function after preterm birth; thermal and cardio-respiratory physiology in sleep in infants - understanding the mechanism of Sudden Infant Death.

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