Professor Robert Edwards, Fellow ad eundem of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), has been awarded the Nobel prize for medicine for the development of in vitro fertilisation, it was announced yesterday.
His work through the 1950s, 60s and 70s led to the birth of the world’s first test tube baby in 1978. Together with his colleague Dr Patrick Steptoe, a gynaecologist, they created the technique of fertilising human eggs outside the body before implanting in the womb. Dr Steptoe died in 1988.
His achievements have made it possible to treat infertility, a medical condition affecting a large proportion of people including more than 10% of all couples worldwide. Since then nearly four million babies have been born following IVF treatment.
Professor Edwards’ pioneering work also founded the principles behind stem cell research, cloning and techniques that would allow couples to prevent passing on inheritable diseases to their children.
Fellow of the RCOG, Adam Balen, Professor of Reproductive Medicine and Surgery at the Leeds Centre for Reproductive Medicine, paid tribute to his work:
“It is highly appropriate that Bob Edwards should be recognised for his pioneering work that has changed the face of modern reproductive medicine. In the UK 2-3% of all babies born are conceived through IVF and worldwide the number exceeds 4 million.
“IVF therapies not only revolutionised the treatment of infertility but has also had a number of other spin offs, for example by improving our understanding of human reproduction and with preimplantation diagnosis of genetic diseases.
“Bob Edwards is a world class academic and founder of ESHRE, the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. His legacy to the world of reproductive medicine is immense.”
William Ledger, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Sheffield, said: “Bob Edwards and his friend and colleague Patrick Steptoe achieved a World 'first' with the birth of Louise Brown. They pioneered technology that has led to the birth of over three million children and brought happiness to many families who otherwise would have been denied the joys of parenthood.
“Bob was a great teacher and founded many glittering academic and clinical careers through the Bourn Hall clinic. He was also prescient in his writing, forecasting many of the developments that followed from his work but which only became possible years later. This was, to me, his most impressive achievement, namely the ability to look over the horizon and foresee developments in reproductive science that were a decade or more away.
“His Nobel prize comes towards the end of his life, and, sadly, too late for Patrick Steptoe. We should be proud that this country gave a home to this innovation, and of our more recent support for embryonic stem cell research and other areas of reproductive science. We stand on the shoulders of giants, one of whom is Bob.”
Dr Tony Falconer, President of the RCOG added: “This Nobel prize recognises Robert Edwards’ extraordinary contribution to the welfare of parents globally. The RCOG is extremely proud that his work has been so acknowledged.”
Professor Edwards was born in 1925 in Manchester, England. After military service in the Second World War, he studied biology at the University of Wales in Bangor and a PhD at Edinburgh University.
He became a staff scientist at the National Institute for Medical Research in London in 1958 and initiated his research on the human fertilization process.
Edwards made a number of fundamental discoveries. He clarified how human eggs mature, how different hormones regulate their maturation, and at which time point the eggs are susceptible to the fertilizing sperm. He also determined the conditions under which sperm is activated and has the capacity to fertilize the egg.
From 1963, Edwards worked in Cambridge, first at its university and later at Bourn Hall Clinic, the world's first IVF centre, which he founded together with Patrick Steptoe. In 1969, his efforts met with success when, for the first time, a human egg was fertilized in a test tube.
Robert Edwards is currently professor emeritus at the University of Cambridge. In addition, he was made a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1984.
