Alan O. Trounson

lan was President of Californian Institute for Regenerative Medicine (2007-2014) the Californian state’s $3 billion stem cell agency driving research in stem cell biology and facilitating the translation of stem cell discoveries into clinical therapies.
He was the founding Director of the Monash Immunology and Stem Cell Laboratories at Monash University (2004-07). He founded seven for-profit life science companies and the National Biotechnology Centre of Excellence - ‘Australian Stem Cell Centre’ (2002-03). He held a Chair in Paediatrics/Obstetrics and Gynaecology, and also a Chair in Stem Cell Science at Monash University. He was Director of the Monash Centre for Early Human Development 1985-2002 and founding Deputy Director/Director of the Institute for Reproductive Biology 1990- 2002.
He was a pioneer of human in vitro fertilisation (IVF), introducing fertility drugs for controlling ovulation, embryo freezing techniques, egg and embryo donation methods, early sperm microinjection methods, initiated embryo biopsy, developing in vitro oocyte maturation methods and the vitrification of eggs and embryos. He led the Australian team for the discovery of human embryonic stem cells in the late 1990’s.