Australian Stem Cell Centre

The Australian Stem Cell Centre is Australia's medical research and development center, focusing on regenerative medicine through the use of stem cells. Established in 2003, it is a National Biotechnology Centre of Excellence and has received over $100 million in funding in recent years. It is Australia’s leading stem cell research organization.In June 2008, the center announced that it had commenced research on induced pluripotent (iPS) cells (human embryonic stem cells artificially created without eggs or embryos). [3] This was the first time such research was conducted in Australia and marked the first instance where scientists outside the U.S. or Japan investigated this type of stem cell.It is located in the Monash Science Technology Research and Innovation Precinct, established by nine of Australia’s top universities and medical research institutions.One of the founders of the center is Monash scientist Dr. Alan Trounson, who was part of the team that delivered Australia’s first IVF baby in 1980. Trounson has also made several groundbreaking discoveries in stem cell research. In 2000, Trounson led a team of scientists to be the first to report neural stem cells derived from embryonic stem cells, which led to a surge in interest in the potential of stem cell research.