Meet our Scientists

Offering you the best chance of having a baby

The IVFAustralia science team includes more than 50 scientists working in embryology, andrology and pathology. Our in-house laboratories provide embryology and andrology diagnostic services, so you can receive almost all your treatments and testing in one convenient location.

 

Prof David Gardner

Group Director of ART, Scientific Innovation and Research of Virtus Health

Professor David Gardner is Group Director of ART, Scientific Innovation and Research of Virtus Health.
Simon Cooke Headshot

B.Sc. Agr. PhD

Scientific Director of IVFAustralia

Meet the Scientific Director of IVFAustralia, Simon Cooke. His expert knowledge ensures new and emerging techniques are applied to our labs.

Managing the science behind our success rates

Simon Cooke is the Scientific Director of IVF Australia and is responsible for all of our laboratories in NSW.

He has worked in and managed andrology and embryology laboratories for 20 years, and ensures new and emerging techniques are applied to our clinical embryology and andrology services to continually improve outcomes for our patients.

Embryology

We have four specialist embryology laboratories in Sydney, all accredited by the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee (RTAC) and operating seven days a week.

Our network of embryology laboratories provides a full range of advanced services, including:

Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis

Preimplantation Genetic Testing, or PGT, is a method of testing embryos for specific genetic and chromosomal variations, so we can select unaffected embryos prior to implantation and pregnancy. Since its introduction, IVFAustralia’s PGT program has helped hundreds of couples conceive healthy babies through IVF treatment. By only transferring an embryo that has been diagnosed as unaffected or free of a specific disorder, we can maximise the chance of a healthy baby.

At IVFAustralia we can test the embryos in a number of different ways, depending on the particular circumstances. Advanced Embryo Selection is used to screen embryos for chromosomal variations and Karyomapping for known single gene disorders.

Andrology

Sperm defects are the most common cause of failure of fertilisation in clinical IVF treatment.

All of our andrology laboratories are NATA and ISO accredited, and provide a full range of analytical services, including semen analysis, sperm antibody testing, and SCSA testing of sperm to determine the DNA integrity.

All andrology laboratories also provide freezing of sperm for use in future ART treatment cycles. They also freeze semen prior to surgery, prior to deployment overseas, or before chemotherapy or radiotherapy. IVFAustralia also has a large donor sperm programme, where we recruit and manage sperm donors.

Endocrinology

Virtus Health Specialist Diagnostics currently performs over 250,000 analyses each year. 

This is where we analyse hormone, serology and virology blood tests for all our patients, and with dedicated scientists using the very latest equipment, we are able to return results to your fertility specialist highly efficiently.

Our laboratory provides the following tests, and new tests are being added to the service all the time:

  • Hormones: FSH, LH, Estradiol, ProgesteroneHCG, Testosterone, Sex Hormone Binding Globulin, FAI, DHEAS, Prolactin, Vitamin D, Free T4 and TSH and more...
  • Serological testing: Hepatitis BsAg, HCV, HIV, Rubella, Varicella, Syphilis, Anti-sperm Antibodies, Chlamydia tr.
  • Nucleic acid tests: Chlamydia tr. RNA, N. gonorrhoea RNA
  • Tumour Marker: CA125
  • Specialist tests: AMH blood test, activated Natural Killer cells

We also refer specimens to major international laboratories for genetic testing in early pregnancy (NIPT) and endometrial receptivity testing (ERA). Our sister labs interstate also handle testing for karyotyping, cystic fibrosis, AZF/DAZ gene deletions and Fragile X.