October 4, 2010

scientists react to the awarding of the Nobel Prize for Medicine

This year’s prize was awarded to British physiologist Bob Edwards for his work on the development of in-vitro fertilisation, which led to the birth of the world’s fist test tube baby in 1978.

Professor Sir Ian Wilmut, Director of the MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Edinburgh, said:

“This is very good news indeed. His contribution was very important not only for the treatment of some causes of infertility, but also for the opportunities it created for research and treatment of human inherited diseases. The work of Edwards and Steptoe made it possible to select those embryos that have not inherited mutations known to cause serious diseases such as Cystic fibrosis or Huntington’s disease. Selecting and implanting healthy embryos has avoided the suffering of thousands of children who would have been affected by these diseases.

“Research with human embryo stem cells has provided revolutionary opportunities to study human development, both in health and disease.

“Research with stem cells from those human embryos that have the mutations, and are thus not selected for implantation, is making it possible to study inherited diseases such as Motor Neuron Disease, for which there is no effective treatment at present and whose cause was not understood. The new knowledge obtained in this way has made it possible to establish methods to search for the first drugs that are able to prevent the abnormal function of the cells that ultimately lead to the symptoms of the disease.

“IVF technology has also provided opportunities to advance our understanding of early human development.”

Sarah Norcross, Director of the Progress Educational Trust, said:

“The award of a Nobel Prize to Bob Edwards is long overdue, coming some 32 years after the birth of the first ‘test tube’ baby Louise Brown and after the birth of over four million children via IVF worldwide. In the early days, this revolutionary treatment saw people flocking to the UK for IVF.

“Now that the treatment is routine, people in the UK are travelling overseas to access cheaper treatment. It is ironic that Bob Edwards’ work finally receives its due at a time when more and more Primary Care Trusts in the UK are cutting funding for IVF treatment.”

Dr Alan Thornhill, Scientific Director, The London Bridge Fertility, Gynaecology and Genetics Centre, said:

“Bob Edwards changed the way we think about having babies.

“The IVF technique pioneered by Professor Edwards has and will continue to accelerate developments in many other areas of medicine.”

Martin Johnson, Professor of Reproductive Sciences at the University of Cambridge, said:

“I am absolutely delighted. This is long overdue. We nominated him for the Lasker award 10 years ago and he got it immediately so we couldn’t understand why the Nobel has come so late but he is delighted – this is the cherry on the cake for him.

“Bob’s work has always been controversial but he has never shrunk from confronting that controversy. He was a real visionary, and always ahead of his time on so many issues – not just IVF – also on PGD in the 60s, stem cells in the 70s, and the whole process of thinking ethically. He wrote a paper in Nature in 1971 where he basically fore-saw the setting up of the HFEA. He is also an amazing human being – warm and generous. He was shocked when the MRC accused him of behaving unethically because everything he has done was based on a very clear set of humanist and ethical principles. It has taken 20 or 30 years form some people to catch up with him.”

Dr Allan Pacey, senior lecturer in andrology at University of Sheffield, said:

“I am absolutely delighted and overwhelmed to hear this news and it is long long overdue. Bob was a visionary and worked hard to develop IVF in a time when so many were against him. It is a tribute to his tenacity that he persevered in his research and as a consequence has changed the lives of millions across the world. My only sadness is that Bob’s failing health may mean that he is less able to enjoy this award than he once was. This is a great day for him.”

Professor Basil Tarlatzis, immediate past president of the International Federation of Fertility Societies, said:

“This is a well deserved honour. IVF has opened new avenues of hope for millions of couples throughout the world. It has also had an immense impact on our understanding of medicine, leading directly to such developments as stem cell research, PGD, and many other fields. Edwards and Steptoe were real pioneers, and the award of the Nobel Prize honours not just their work, but the whole field of reproductive science. After their breakthrough work, Robert went on to nurture the development of the assisted reproduction. No-one deserves this award more, and we congratulate him on his award.”

Dr Luca Gianaroli, Chairman, European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE), said:

“Without Bob there would be no ESHRE and no Human Reproduction [journal] and all of us working in reproductive medicine would be the poorer for that. There can be few embryologists or IVF specialists today whose career and expertise have not been shaped in some way by ESHRE’s training and journals – and this is something we all owe ultimately to Bob.

“This is a proud day for ESHRE, and just reward for Bob whose pioneering work, often in the face of huge opposition, has brought fulfilment to so many families.”

Professor Peter Braude, Head of Department of Women’s Health, King’s College London, School of Medicine leading IVF doctor at Kings College London, said:

“At last! This prize is long overdue. We are all so proud that his outstanding achievement has been so publicly and internationally recognised. He dogged persistence against huge opposition allowed not only infertilty to be beaten for many couples, but also genetic disease to be overcome through PGD. He has brought so much joy to so many couples, and for them, truly has made the world a better place.”