The research behind our success
Research and development is at the heart of our work, and we are continually advancing fertility treatment protocols to optimise treatment outcomes.
Melbourne IVF has four specialist scientific departments:
Embryology
Our specialist embryology laboratories in East Melbourne and the Royal Women’s Hospital are accredited by the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee (RTAC) and operate seven days a week.
Here you'll find a full range of associated services including:
- In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF)
- Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI)
- embryo culture and assessment
- embryo cryopreservation (freezing)
- embryo biopsy for Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD)
- preparation of surgically collected sperm
Leading the way in embryology research
Dr David Edgar
Dr David Edgar is our Scientific Director. He has been involved in IVF since 1985, when he moved from the field of cancer research to establish one of the first IVF laboratories in Scotland.
After relocating to Melbourne in 1994 he focused his work on a better understanding of the factors that lead to increased success rates in IVF, such as improved methods for growing embryos in the laboratory, selecting the best embryo for transfer and optimising the ability of embryos to survive cryopreservation.
David speaks regularly at national and international conferences and contributes to scientific papers and leading books and journals in the field.
Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis
Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis, or PGD is a method of testing embryos for specific genetic and chromosomal abnormalities, so we can select unaffected embryos prior to implantation and pregnancy.
Since its introduction, Melbourne IVF’s PGD program has helped hundreds of couples conceive healthy babies through IVF treatment. By only transferring an embryo that has been diagnosed as unaffected or free of a specific disorder, we can maximise the chance of a healthy baby.
At Melbourne IVF we can test the embryos in a number of different ways, depending on the particular circumstances. Our new technology, Advanced Embryo Selection, allows us to identify every one of the 23 pairs of chromosomes in a single cell, and is a significant advance on conventional PGD technology.
With Advanced Embryo Selection we can accurately select the strongest embryo with the greatest likelihood of pregnancy success. Over the past year, Advanced Embryo Selection has helped many of our patients conceive after years of unsuccessful IVF treatment.
Pioneering science in PGD
Dr Leeanda Wilton
The PGD program is led by Dr Leeanda Wilton. Leeanda was part of the team responsible for developing the first single cell FISH (Fluorescent In-Situ Hybridisation) technology in London the late 1980s, and in establishing the first PGD program in Australia in the 1990s.
She has long since been actively involved in PGD research, and has published numerous peer-reviewed papers, presented many invited lectures at major international conferences, and been awarded a number of scientific prizes. She was an inaugural member of the Victorian Infertility Treatment Authority, and is currently an associate editor of Human Reproduction, the premier journal in reproductive biology.
Andrology
Sperm defects are the most common cause of failure of fertilisation in clinical IVF, however with the use of the specialised technique intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) many of these sperm can achieve normal fertilisation. So sperm analysis and diagnosis before you begin Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) treatment is important to help your fertility specialist recommend the most appropriate ART technique (IVF or ICSI).
Our andrology laboratory provides a full range of analytical services, including routine semen analysis, sperm antibodies, and other specific sperm functional tests such as sperm-egg interaction and sperm DNA damage and storage of sperm.
We offer cryopreservation (frozen) storage for use in future ART treatment. We also freeze sperm for use in the donor program, or before chemotherapy or radiotherapy where a man's treatment may affect his sperm function or production in the future.
Making breakthroughs in male fertility diagnosis
Dr De-Yi Liu
The andrology service is led by Dr De-Yi Liu, an internationally recognised sperm research expert. De-Yi's main research interests are human sperm function, sperm-egg interaction, male infertility and clinical IVF/ICSI. Over the years, he has developed new tests, which are able to diagnose subtle sperm defects that cannot be detected by routine analysis. He has published extensively in this field and is frequently invited to speak at international ART conferences.
Professor Gordon Baker
Our Professor in the Andrology department is Dr Gordon Baker, whose wide-ranging experience in the field includes two years as a visiting scientist in the USA. He is a specialist in male reproductive disorders and his current research interests are the causes of male infertility, improving results of IVF, and computer aided analysis of sperm morphology.
Gordon retired from the University of Melbourne and the Royal Women's Hospital in 2010 but continues to see patients at Melbourne IVF East Melbourne. He holds an MD and PhD and is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians.
To contact Dr Baker, call (03) 9416 1614.
Endocrinology
Our dedicated pathology laboratory opened in October 2009 to provide a highly specialised service to Melbourne IVF. We strive to achieve excellence by our dedicated, highly qualified team, using the very latest equipment. Our laboratory is open seven days a week, to achieve fast turnaround times and a quality service on which we pride ourselves.
We provide the following tests on site, and new tests are being added to the service all the time:
- Hormones: FSH, LH, Estradiol, Progesterone, HCG, Testosterone, Sex Hormone Binding Globulin, Prolactin, Free T4 and TSH.
- Serological testing: Hepatitis BsAg, HCV, HIV, Rubella, Varicella and Syphilis.
- Miscellaneous: AMH and Inhibin B.
In-house pathology and diagnosis
Gordon Kannemeyer
The laboratory is managed by Gordon Kannemeyer, who has been involved in pathology for over 20 years. Gordon previously set up an extensive pathology network throughout South Africa, and has managed and developed specialised laboratories in New Zealand and elsewhere in Australia. He retains a keen interest in allergies, and was instrumental in being the first to introduce an automated allergy system.
> Contact us to find out more
