Robert Edwards (physiologist)

For other people named Robert Edwards, see Robert Edwards (disambiguation).

Sir Robert Edwards
Born	Robert Geoffrey Edwards (1925-09-27)27 September 1925 Batley, England
Died	10 April 2013(2013-04-10) (aged 87) England
Nationality	British
Fields	Physiology and reproductive medicine
Institutions	University of Cambridge
Alma mater	Bangor University University of Edinburgh
Known for	Pioneer of in-vitro fertilisation
Notable awards	Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (2010)
Spouse	Ruth Fowler Edwards

Sir Robert Geoffrey Edwards, CBE, FRS (27 September 1925 – 10 April 2013) was a British physiologist and pioneer in reproductive medicine and in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) in particular. Along with surgeon Patrick Steptoe, Edwards successfully pioneered conception through IVF, which led to the birth of the first test-tube baby, Louise Brown, on 25 July 1978. This was achieved with the drug Pergonal which was already used for ovarian follicular stimulation in infertile women. It was developed by Serono, the global biotechnology business built by three generations of the Bertarelli family. He was awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for the development of in vitro fertilization".

Early career

Edwards was born in Batley, Yorkshire. After finishing Manchester Central High School on Whitworth Street in central Manchester, he served in the British Army, and then completed his undergraduate studies in biology at the Bangor University. He studied at the Institute of Animal Genetics and Embryology at Edinburgh University, where he took a doctorate in Genetics in 1955. After a year as a research fellow at the California Institute of Technology he joined the scientific staff of the National Institute for Medical Research at Mill Hill. After a further year at Glasgow University, in 1963 he moved to Cambridge University as Ford Foundation Research Fellow at the Department of Physiology, and a member of Churchill College. He was appointed Reader in physiology in 1969.

Human fertilisation

Further information: in vitro fertilisation

Circa 1960 Edwards started to study human fertilisation, and he continued his work at Cambridge, laying the groundwork for his later success. In 1968 he was able to achieve fertilisation of a human egg in the laboratory and started to collaborate with Patrick Steptoe, a gynecologic surgeon from Oldham. Edwards developed human culture media to allow the fertilisation and early embryo culture, while Steptoe utilized laparoscopy to recover ovocytes from patients with tubal infertility. Their attempts met significant hostility and opposition, including a refusal of the Medical Research Council to fund their research and a number of lawsuits. Additional historical information on this controversial era in the development of IVF has been published.

The birth of Louise Brown, the world's first 'test-tube baby', at 11:47 pm on 25 July 1978 at the Oldham General Hospital made medical history: in vitro fertilisation meant a new way to help infertile couples who formerly had no possibility of having a baby.

Bourn Hall Clinic

Refinements in technology have increased pregnancy rates and it is estimated that in 2010 about 4 million children have been born by IVF, with approximately 170,000 coming from donated oocyte and embryos. Their breakthrough laid the groundwork for further innovations such as intracytoplasmatic sperm injection ICSI, embryo biopsy (PGD), and stem cell research.

Edwards and Steptoe founded the Bourn Hall Clinic as a place to advance their work and train new specialists. Steptoe died in 1988. Edwards continued on in his career as a scientist and an editor of medical journals.

Honours

• In 1984, Edwards was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society.
• In 1994, Doctor Honoris Causa, University of Valencia (Spain).
• In 2001, he was awarded the Albert Lasker Clinical Medical Research Award by the Lasker Foundation "for the development of in vitro fertilization, a technological advance that has revolutionized the treatment of human infertility."
• In 2007, he was ranked 26th in The Daily Telegraph's list of 100 greatest living geniuses.
• In 2007, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Huddersfield.
• On 4 October 2010, it was announced that Edwards had been awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the development of in-vitro fertilization. The Nobel Committee praised him for advancing treatment of infertility and noted that IVF babies have similar health statuses to ordinary babies. Göran K. Hansson, secretary of the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, announced the news. The first child of IVF Louise Brown described the award as "fantastic news". A Vatican official condemned the move as "completely out of order".
• Edwards was knighted in the 2011 Birthday Honours for services to human reproductive biology.

Family

He married Ruth Fowler, the granddaughter of physicist Ernest Rutherford and daughter of physicist Ralph Fowler, in 1956. He had 5 daughters and 12 grandchildren.

Death

Edwards died on 10 April 2013 after a long lung illness. A spokesperson for the University of Cambridge said "He will be greatly missed by family, friends and colleagues." The Guardian reported that, as of Edwards' death, more than four million births had resulted from IVF. Louise Brown said "His work, along with Patrick Steptoe, has brought happiness and joy to millions of people all over the world by enabling them to have children." According to the BBC, his work was motivated by his belief that "the most important thing in life is having a child."

External links

• Nobel Prize
• Bourn Hall Clinic website
• Profile at Lasker Foundation