A young Narre Warren scientist is one of only six Australians to be selected for the prestigious 2006 Serono SRB New Investigator Award for her research into male fertility.

One in 20 Australian men suffers fertility problems, the causes of which are largely unknown. Couples are often forced to resort to IVF to overcome their difficulties conceiving due to a lack of targeted treatments.

However Saleela Ruwanpura is working to change these alarming statistics and develop a potential therapy for male infertility.

Ms Ruwanpura, a PhD student at Prince Henry’s Institute in Clayton, has spent the past two years investigating the complex role of hormones in sperm development and survival.

“Most of my days and weekends are spent looking down a microscope at sperm!” she said.

“We have found that if men don’t have the correct balance of hormones, their sperm cells die. We are trying to identify what proteins are causing these cells to be killed off in a bid to develop potential therapeutic outcomes for male infertility.

“A basic understanding of how sperm cells survive could also lead to the development of an effective, reliable and reversible male contraceptive, for which there are currently none available.”

Ms Ruwanpura said it was exciting to be recognised for her hard work, which she hoped would one day lead to men being able to regulate their own fertility.

“It is really empowering to study the hormones that affect male fertility, because at the moment it is regarded as a female health issue.

“Medical research is a labour of love but I am very committed to my work. I just hope all my research will pay off. Men will be the real winners out of this research,” she said.

The winner of the Serono New Investigator Award will be announced at the Society for Reproductive Biology Conference on the Gold Coast 20-23 August.

For further information contact: Ian Muchamore (03) 9594 4049

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