Protege of Nobel Prize Winner Robert Edwards Carries on his IVF Legacy

Dr. Geoffrey Sher Received IVF Training at Bourn Hall with Edwards

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Sher Institute for Reproductive Medicine

Oct 04, 2010, 08:38 ET

LAS VEGAS, Oct. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Geoffrey Sher of the Sher Institute for Reproductive Medicine (SIRM) applauded the selection of Britain's Robert Edwards, recipient of this year's Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine. Edwards' work led to the first "test-tube" or IVF baby, Louise Brown, born in July 1978 in Britain. Since her birth, more than 3 million children have been conceived worldwide with the aid of in vitro fertilization.

"For the Nobel Prize to go to the founder of IVF, albeit 30 years later, shows how far we have come as a society to accept this alternative as a treatment for those struggling with infertility," said Dr. Sher, who trained with Edwards and his partner Dr. Patrick Steptoe at England's Bourn Hall Clinic in the early 1980s.

Sher, the longest active practitioner of IVF in the U.S., credits Edwards and Steptoe for sharing the technology with him and helping him establish the first private In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) clinic in the U.S. in 1982. "This recognition will hopefully open doors and offer hope to the millions out there still struggling to conceive." It is reported that infertility affects more than one in six couples worldwide.

On a personal level, Sher expressed his gratitude for the guidance Edwards and Steptoe gave him to help him launch his own career. "He is truly an innovator and a brilliant scientist. I am thankful to him and to his partner, the late Dr. Patrick Steptoe, for sharing their insights with me when I was first starting in the field." Dr. Sher gives additional insights into his relationship with Edwards and Steptoe in a blog entry posted at: http://www.ivfauthority.com/2010/10/congratulations-on-receiving-nobel.html

Patrick Steptoe passed away in 1988. It is assumed that he would have shared the award if he were alive today.

About the Sher Institute for Reproductive Medicine® (SIRM®):

The Sher Institute for Reproductive Medicine is a national network of fertility clinics specializing in cutting-edge technology, personalized treatment and compassionate care. SIRM Founder Dr. Geoffrey Sher established the first private In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) program in the United States. Dr. Sher and his colleagues have been influential in the development of dozens of important breakthroughs in the field of reproductive care.

Further information about the Sher Institute for Reproductive Medicine can be found on the SIRM website at www.haveababy.com.