The sound of cheering that we heard yesterday when the Nobel committee chose Professor Robert Edwards to receive the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was that of the 4 million children conceived through IVF and the many millions of parents. The birth of Louise Brown in 1978 ushered in an era in reproductive medicine that forever changed the fate of millions of infertile people by offering them the hope that someday they would become parents. Edwards, along with his partner, were responsible for the first IVF baby in the world, born in 1978. Some of the basic science research that ultimately lead to Professor Edwards success came from animal research done by ACFS laboratory director, Robert W. McGaughey, Ph.D.
This well-deserved accolade is overdue. Not only did Professor Robert Edwards usher in an era of wonderful treatments for countless infertile couples, this technology has also paved the way for stem cell research, that may provide new cures for millions of people with debilitating diseases.
