Today, many parents are able to conceive and have children thanks largely to the pioneering efforts of one man – Robert Edwards. Professor Edwards was recently honored for his life’s work by being awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize in Medicine. It is a fitting tribute for a man who has made the possibility of having children a reality for millions of people around the globe.
Humble Beginnings and Education
Professor Robert Edwards completed his secondary school education at Manchester Central High School. After graduating, he enlisted in the British forces and served from 1944 to 1948. During this time, he was deployed in Iraq, Egypt, Jordan and Palestine. After being discharged from the military, Robert Edwards attended Bangor University in Wales where he completed his undergraduate degree in medicine. He graduated with a degree in Biology specializing in Zoology. Following his graduation, he went on to complete a post-graduate degree at the Institute of Animal Genetics and Embryology at Edinburgh University. He was awarded his PhD in 1955. During the late 1950s, Robert Edwards became a Population Council Research Fellow at the Institute of Technology in California, USA.
Research and Discoveries at Cambridge University
It was in 1960 that Professor Edwards first started doing research in human fertilization. In 1963, he moved to Cambridge University in the United Kingdom where he was to build the foundations for his scientific discoveries. Edwards started out by researching ways to culture a human embryo. In 1968, in his laboratory, he achieved his first successful fertilization of a human egg. This then led him to start collaborating with a well-known and respected gynaecological surgeon, Dr. Patrick Steptoe, who worked at Oldham General Hospital. Steptoe was able to harvest ovocytes from patients using a laparoscopy. Edwards then developed human culture material that would facilitate fertilization and the early culture of a human embryo. At the time, this was ground-breaking medicine and was met with staunch opposition from many sectors. They had to fend off several law suits and face the disappointment of the British government’s refusal to fund their research.
Making Medical History
The two men continued to work together, determined to create a way for couples suffering from infertility to have children. To this day, Edwards claims that there are few things that compare to be able to have a child of your own. What spurred him on in his studies amid all the vehement opposition was his belief that no one should stand in the way of making this a possibility for childless couples. In 1978, history was made when the world’s first test tube baby was born at 11:47 pm on the 25th of July. Louise Brown was the first child to be conceived through the in vitro fertilization method and carried to term. More than 30 years later, she is living proof that the efforts of Professor Edwards paid off. Following their success, Steptoe and Edwards together founded the Bourn Hall Clinic. It was here that they continued their research, looking for ways to advance their methods and train other professionals in the medical field. Steptoe died in 1988, ending their partnership, but Edwards continued in his scientific efforts. He has made many contributions to medical journals and scientific research relating to IVF over the years.
Advances and Benefits of In Vitro Fertilization Methods
Today, the use of IVF as a method to overcome infertility is used around the globe. It is believed that more than four million children have been conceived using in vitro fertilization. Advances in technology have seen the success rate increase over the years. Scientists continue to break new ground creating innovative methods to further enhance human fertility. The foundation laid by professor Edwards remains relevant today.
Awards and Accolades
Professor Edwards’ most recent award of the 2010 Nobel Prize for Medicine is an accolade that is certain to be the highlight of his career. In 2007, Professor Edwards was ranked by The Daily Telegraph’s list as being one of the 100 greatest living geniuses. In 2001, The Lasker Foundation awarded Edwards the Albert Lasker Clinical Medical Research Award for the development of in vitro fertilization. The foundation added that the award honored the fact that in vitro fertilization revolutionized the medical approach to and treatment of infertility. As early as 1984, Professor Edwards was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society. In 1989, he was appointed as an emeritus professor at Cambridge University.
European Sperm Bank USA, located in Seattle, Washington, was established to provide couples and individuals with the donor choices they need to make dreams of conception, pregnancy and childbirth a reality. European Sperm Bank USA is affiliated with Denmark-based European Sperm Bank, and are leading the way for sperm banks in Europe.