Alan Trounson

Professor

Alan Trounson AO
MSc PhD LLD FRCOG FATSE FAHMS
CEO, Cartherics Pty Ltd
Emeritus Professor, Monash University
Distinguished Scientist, Hudson Institute of Medical Research
Adjunct Appointment, Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute
cartherics.com
alan.trounson@monash.edu

Alan Trounson is Emeritus Professor, Monash University and Distinguished Scientist, Hudson Institute of Medical Research. He is the past President of the Californian Institute for Regenerative Medicine (2007-2014), the Californian state’s $3 billion stem cell agency driving research in stem cell biology and facilitating the translation of stem cell discoveries into clinical therapies.
He was a pioneer of human in vitro fertilisation (IVF) (1977-1996), introducing fertility drugs for controlling ovulation, embryo freezing techniques, egg and embryo donation methods, early sperm microinjection methods, initiated embryo biopsy, developing in vitro oocyte maturation methods, and the vitrification of eggs and embryos.
He was appointed Director of the Centre for Early Human Development at Monash University in 1986 and Deputy Director/Director of the Monash Institute for Reproduction and Development (1990-2003).
He led the Australian team for the discovery of human embryonic stem cells in the late 1990s and was awarded the first Australian Biotechnology of Excellence and was the founding CEO of the Australian Stem Cell Centre. He founded the Monash Immunology and Stem Cell Laboratories (MISCL) at Monash University (2004-2007).
He is presently the founding CEO/President of the start-up company Cartherics Pty Ltd, Cartherics is a biotechnology company focused on developing innovative cancer therapies. We have developed CAR-T cells that are derived from the blood of cancer patients that are genetically modified and expanded for their therapy for blood (cutaneous T cell lymphoma) and solid tumours (ovarian and gastric cancers). Our primary focus is now on therapies that involve gene editing stem cells made from donor umbilical cord blood and the manufacturing of immune killer cells that can be available to cancer patients “off-the-shelf”.