Melbourne IVF has established four main specialised scientific departments: embryology, andrology, preimplantation genetics and endocrinology.
Embryology
The specialist Embryology Laboratories at Melbourne IVF are located in East Melbourne and at the Royal Women’s Hospital in Parkville, and are accredited by the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee (RTAC).
The laboratories provide the full range of techniques associated with Assisted Reproductive Technology. Services performed within the laboratories include In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF), Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI), embryo culture and assessment, embryo cryopreservation, embryo biopsy for Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) and preparation of surgically collected sperm when necessary.
The laboratories operate seven days a week by experienced embryologists, ensuring the highest standard of knowledge. Ongoing research and development is an intrinsic component of our philosophy and the analysis of information generated in our laboratories has led to a number of significant improvements in methodology. Much of this work has been presented at major scientific meetings resulting in a number of awards and has also been published in leading scientific books and journals in the field. We believe that this approach is essential to help optimise treatment outcomes.
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Dr David Edgar 
Scientific Director
David has been involved in human IVF since 1985 when he moved from the field of cancer research to establish one of the first IVF laboratories in Scotland. He moved to Melbourne in 1994 to take up his present position and has maintained a focus on improving our understanding of the factors, which lead to increased success rates in IVF. This has led to the introduction of improved methods for growing embryos in the laboratory, selecting the best embryo for transfer and optimising the ability of embryos to survive cryopreservation.
David is an Honorary Senior Lecturer in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Melbourne and holds an appointment as a member of the Infertility Treatment Authority (ITA), the statutory body which oversees A.R.T. in Victoria. He also served for many years as a member of RTAC, which is responsible for accrediting all IVF units throughout Australia and New Zealand.
David is a regular speaker at national and international conferences and a regular author of scientific papers in leading books and journals in the field. He is committed to the rigorous application of scientific analysis and knowledge to improve clinical outcomes from IVF treatments.
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Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis
Melbourne IVF provides a world-class genetic testing Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) program, lad by Dr Leeanda Wilton, Scientific Director, Preimplantation Genetics.
Dr Wilton is a pioneering scientist in the area of PGD and 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.
Since then, many Melbourne IVF patients have directly benefited from the PGD program and delivered healthy babies.
To date, PGD has been used primarily by couples who carry a serious genetic disease. However, at Melbourne IVF we believe that similar technology could be used to make significant improvements to our IVF program for patients who suffer infertility. One of our major areas of research will be the use of PGD to identify which embryos are the most viable. This should improve pregnancy rates and increase patients' chances of having a healthy baby.
Read more about PGD Genetic Testing at Melbourne IVF.
Dr Leeanda Wilton
Scientific Director
Preimplantation Genetics
Dr. Wilton obtained a Ph.D from Monash University in 1985 and completed a post-doctoral position at the Centre for Early Human Development at Monash University developing techniques to biopsy single cells from embryos.
From 1989-1992 she was a Research Fellow at the Institute of Zoology at London Zoo applying ART to endangered New World primates. She collaborated with the Hammersmith Hospital IVF unit in London to develop FISH technology for PGD and was an integral part of the team responsible for the world’s first cases of PGD.
In 1992, Leeanda returned to Australia to become the Director of Embryology at Monash IVF. She established the PGD program there and was responsible for Australia’s first cases of PGD.
In 1996 she was appointed Head of the Genetic and Molecular Research at Melbourne IVF and established a large, successful PGD program, training many scientists in embryo biopsy and FISH. She has been actively involved in PGD research, developing molecular techniques such as comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) to look at all chromosomes in human embryos. In 2001 she reported the world’s first births of babies from embryos that had been fully karyotyped prior to transfer.
Leeanda has numerous peer-reviewed publications in reproductive biology and embryology, has written several book chapters and presented many invited lectures at major international conferences. She was an inaugural member of the ESHRE PGD Consortium Steering Committee and remained on that committee for 10 years. She has been awarded a number of scientific prizes including a Churchill Fellowship, the ESHRE PCRS Exchange Award and the ESHRE Established Scientist Award. She was an inaugural member of the Victorian Infertility Treatment Authority and served as a board member on that authority for 8 years. She is currently an associate editor of Human Reproduction, the premier journal in reproductive biology. |
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Andrology
Melbourne IVF's andrology laboratory is a newly established service located in East Melbourne. The laboratory will begin operations in January 2010, is led by Dr De-Yi Liu, an internationally recognised sperm research expert who has been studying human sperm functions and fertilisation in vitro for over 20 years.
The andrology laboratory provides the full range of andrology services, including routine semen analysis, sperm antibody, and other specific sperm functional tests and cryopreservation storage of sperm.
As sperm defects are most common cause of failure of fertilisation in clinical IVF, diagnosis of sperm defects before patients commence ART treatment will assist clinicians to recommend the most appropriate ART technique, including IUI, IVF or ICSI.
Cryopreservation (freezing) storage of semen is offered as an option to infertile couples with poor sperm quality for use in ART treatment in the future. Sperm can also be frozen for use in the donor program, or for men prior to chemotherapy or radiotherapies where their treatment may impact their sperm function.
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Dr De-Yi Liu
Scientific Director
Andrology Services
Dr Liu has joined Melbourne IVF from the University of Melbourne where he held a full time research position as a Senior Research Fellow. Dr Liu obtained his PhD thesis on “new tests of human sperm function and fertilisation in vitro” from the University of Melbourne in 1991. Since then he continues his research in the University associated with both Reproductive Services in Royal Women’s Hospital and Melbourne IVF over the last 18 years.
His main research interests are human sperm function, male infertility and clinical Assisted Reproductive Technology such as IVF/ICSI. Over the years, he has developed various new sperm function tests, particularly sperm-oocyte interaction tests for detecting sperm defects which cause failure of fertilisation and severe male infertility. These new tests are able to diagnose subtle sperm defects which can not be detected by routine semen analysis.
He has published extensively in this field with over 80 scientific papers, 6 book chapters and over 100 abstracts presented at national and international conferences. He has been frequently invited as speaker to international ART symposia and workshops. He was an Associate Editor for Human Reproduction (2003-2006) and a current an Editorial Board Member for the Asian Journal of Andrology and the Reproduction and Contraception. He is also a regular reviewer for several international reproductive medical journals.
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Dr Gordon Baker
Professor
Following Dr Gordon Baker's academic medical training at The University of Melbourne, he served as a resident at the Royal Melbourne Hospital and as a Registrar in the Clinical Research Unit, and later at the Monash University Department of Medicine, Prince Henry's Hospital. This was to form the basis for Dr Baker's continuing interest in male reproductive disorders and research.
Dr Baker gained experience and consolidated his knowledge in positions including Research Fellow and Assistant Physician in the Dept. of Endocrinology at Prince Henry's Hospital (Melbourne) and Research Fellow in the Howard Florey Institute of Experimental Physiology and Medicine at the University of Melbourne. He also spent two years overseas as a Visiting Scientist in the Division of Endocrinology, Milton S. Hershey Medical Centre, Pennslyvania.
In the late 70's Dr Baker was appointed as a Physician (Andrologist) at the Reproductive Biology Unit and Associate, at The Professorial Unit, Royal Women's Hospital. Since then he has become increasingly involved in research in Reproductive Medicine.
He is currently the Director of Clinical Research at Reproductive Services at the Royal Women's Hospital. He holds an MD and PhD and is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians. His research interests are the causes of male infertility, improving results of IVF, and automated semen analysis.
Contact:
University of Melbourne Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
Royal Women’s Hospital
Level 7, 20 Flemington Road
Parkville 3052
Phone: 03 8345 3724
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Endocrinology
This “boutique” Pathology Laboratory commenced testing in October 2009 to service the specialised requirements of Melbourne IVF specialists.
The laboratory uses state of the art equipment and operates 7 days per week with a team of dedicated scientists providing a specialised high quality service able to provide results within a few hours of specimen collection.
The range of tests includes Estradiol, Progesterone, LH, FSH and HCG. In addition tests are continually being evaluated and added to our reproductive hormone profile.
Serology testing consists of Hepatitis BsAg, HIV, HCV, Varicella and Syphilis.
The laboratory will be accredited against the highest standards of the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) ISO 15189.
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Gordon Kannemeyer 
BSc (Chemical Pathology)
Endocrinology Laboratory Manager
Gordon has been involved in pathology for over 20 years and brings a wealth of experience to Melbourne IVF.
His previous experience as Operations Director involves setting up an extensive Pathology network throughout South Africa gaining South African National Accreditation System (SANAS) as well as managing and developing specialised laboratories in New Zealand and Australia.
In his last role at a multinational diagnostic company he was responsible for diagnostic testing, introducing new assays as well as new instrumentation for fertility and serology testing.
Gordon was appointed to manage the Endocrinology laboratory within Melbourne IVF in August 2009. He retains a keen interest in Allergy, of which he was instrumental in being the first to introduce an automated allergy system. Quality management and evaluation of different methodologies specifically in the Endocrinology field remains on the forefront of his ideals.
Gordon remains an active member of both the New Zealand Institute of Medical Laboratory Society and the Australian Institute of Medical Scientists being involved in assisting to develop a training curriculum for 4th year Medical Scientists.
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