Celebrating 10 Years of hESC Lines: An Interview with Alan Trounson

Abstract

About Dr. Trounson Dr. Alan Trounson received a B.Sc. in 1968 and an M.Sc. in 1971 from the School of Wool and Pastoral Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. He earned his Ph.D. in 1974 from the Faculty of Agriculture, Sydney University, for the thesis “Studies on the Development of Fertilized Sheep Ova.” He has also been awarded a Doctor Honoris Causa (2003) from Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium, and is an Emeritus Professor (2008) at Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. His previous appointments include Personal Chair in the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynaecology/Pediatrics at Monash University; Director of the Centre for Early Human Development, Faculty of Medicine, Monash University; Director of the Monash Institute of Reproduction and Development; and Director of the Monash Immunology and Stem Cell Laboratories (MISCL). He was also the founder and CEO of the Australian Stem Cell Centre, has held numerous government and advisory appointments, and has founded eight companies and one foundation, the latter of which delivers low cost in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments in Africa. His multitude of awards and distinctions include the Wellcome Australia Medal and Award (1991) for contributions to medical research, the Centenary Medal by the Governor-General of Australia (2003), and an appointment as a Fellow ad eundem of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, London (2007). He is currently President of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). As part of our continuing series celebrating 10 years since the development of the first human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines, STEM CELLS talked to Dr. Trounson about the past 10 years and about the future.