Print this page 
Lalor Fellowship
Posted 12 June 2009
PHI researcher, Dr Ellen Menkhorst has been awarded one of only eight prestigious fellowships from the US based Lalor Foundation.
The Lalor Fellowship will support Ellen’s research on the regulation of human fertility and the development of novel contraceptives for women.
There is a significant unmet need for contraception worldwide. Of an estimated 210 million pregnancies worldwide each year, 40% are unplanned. More than half a million women die each year due to pregnancy and childbirth complications.
A single contraceptive method is unlikely to suit all men or women. Therefore, it is important to have a variety of contraceptive choices that meet the needs of a wide variety of people.
Ellen completed her PhD at The University of Melbourne and is now a member of the Embryo Implantation laboratory at PHI.
Ellen’s work focuses on two signaling molecules or cytokines, leukemia inhibitory factor and interleukin-11, which have been identified to have key roles in female fertility.
Her recent work, which suggests blocking these signals may be a route towards a new contraceptive approach was published earlier this year.