Laudatio Alan Trounson

Laudatio Alan Trounson

Professor Alan Trounson has been associated for most of his career with Monash University in Clayton, Victoria, Australia. He was for many years Director of the Institute of Reproduction and Development at Monash University. He is currently Head of the Monash branch of the newly formed Australian Biotechnology Center of Excellence - “The National Stem Cell Center”.

Professor Trounson graduated from the University of New South Wales in 1971 with a Master of Sciences in Wool and Pastoral Sciences. In 1974 he was awarded a PhD in animal embryology by Sydney University. From 1974-1976 he was Research Fellow at the ARC Institute of Animal Physiology and Biochemistry at Cambridge University. Since 1977 Alan has been at Monash University, first as a Senior Research Fellow, in 1984 as a Reader in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, in 1985 as Director of the Centre for Early Human Development and since 1991 he was awarded a Personal Chair in Obstetrics and Gynecology/Paediatrics at Monash University.

Professor Trounson has received numerous awards. His curriculum vitae is outstanding. PubMed today sites 286 peer-reviewed articles. These publications encompass Professor Trounson’s scientific interests and accomplishments. He and his team played for the past 25 years a major role in all new developments in reproductive medicine and science. He is certainly among the pioneers of human in-vitro fertilisation including the introduction of fertility drugs, embryo freezing, egg and embryo donation, sperm microinjection, embryo biopsy for preimplantation genetic diagnosis, oocyte maturation, embryo culture to blastocyst, vitrification of oocytes and gene expression in human eggs and embryos. I think it is not exaggerated to say that Alan Trounson and his group have taught many groups around the world, including the VUB Centre for Reproductive Medicine, how to do IVF. The links between our two universities have grown over the years. We have shared several new developments such as the introduction of intracytoplasmic sperm injection and preimplantation genetic diagnosis.

Alan Trounson has had a long association with sheep, beef and dairy industries and he is also presently the senior researcher directing the establishment of the Co-operative Research Centre for Innovative Dairy Products. He is Director of the Australian Wool Innovation and is on the Victorian Government’s Innovation Economy Advisory Board. His present research interests are mostly focused on human embryonic and adult stem cells and their directed differentiation into tissues suitable for transplantation, tissue engineering and transplantation biology.

The Vrije Universiteit Brussel is proud to have Professor Alan Trounson as one of his Honorary Doctors.