Robert Gilchrist

Qualifications: B.Rur.Sc. (Hons), M.Sc.Agr, D.Sc.Agr.(Gott), FSRB

Professor Robert Gilchrist is an NHMRC Senior Research Fellow and
Director of Research in the School of Women's & Children's Health. He is a
translational research scientist, specialising in oocyte and reproductive
biology and is an international leader in oocyte-somatic cell communication,
with prominent clinical and commercial activities.

Background: Dr Gilchrist completed his D.Sc.Agr. (Magna cum

laude) in 1996 on oocyte maturation at the University of Göttingen
in Germany, and then returned to Australia to take up a post-
doctoral position at the University of Adelaide.  In 2014 he was
recruited to UNSW through the Vice Chancellor’s Strategic Priority
Fund (SPF01) and is currently the Director of the Oocyte Biology
Research Unit.

Discovery Research: Prof Gilchrist’s research underpins a new

paradigm in ovarian biology: the oocyte is not passive, but instead
actively regulates the differentiation of its neighbouring somatic
cells through the secretion of paracrine growth factors; GDF9 and
BMP15. These growth factors are unusual within the TGFb
superfamily and Dr Gilchrist has pioneered the cell biology of this
paracrine signalling axis. This axis impacts on oocyte
developmental competence and later embryo/fetal growth, ovarian
disease and fertility. His second major area of discovery research
relates to somatic (cumulus) cell control of oocyte function. This
encompasses understanding cumulus cell-oocyte gap junctional
communication and somatic cell control of oocyte function through
the exchange of small regulatory molecules such as cAMP. This
profoundly impacts oocyte meiosis and subsequent embryo
developmental potential.

Translational Research: Dr Gilchrist is passionate about translating

his research into clinical practice and industry. He is recognised
internationally for novel approaches to the treatment of infertility,
particularly in the area of oocyte in vitro maturation (IVM), which is
an approach that reduces/eliminates drugs from IVF. Prof Gilchrist
has generated considerable know-how and intellectual property;
notably he is a lead inventor on a family of patents that have been
awarded or are in final examination phase in 23 countries, and
which have been licensed to Cook Medical, an international
manufacturer of products for human assisted reproduction. One of
these inventions is undergoing submission to the FDA in August
2014 and other patented technologies are in current international
 pre-clinical trials which he leads scientifically.  In 2009 he co-
established a business unit: Prof Gilchrist was the Co-Director
of IVF Vet Solutions, a University of Adelaide business unit
servicing the human and animal assisted reproductive technology
sectors. He was also contracted by the NZ Ministry of Health to
report on “The Safety & Efficacy of IVM”.

Publications: Prof Gilchrist currently has 113 peer-reviewed

publications, including 21 invited reviews/chapters, plus 1
government commissioned report and 151 abstracts. He currently
has an H-index of 39 [Scopus] or 46 [Google Scholar] with >5,200
[Scopus] or >7,700 [Google Scholar] total citations. He has a Field
weighted citation impact (FWCI) of 2.35 (SciVal). He publishes in
the top-ranking journals in the disciplines of Reproductive Biology
and Reproductive Medicine; Human Reproduction Update (3
reviews), Biology of Reproduction (20 papers), Human
Reproduction (8 papers), as well as in cross-discipline journals
such as in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (1
paper), Endocrinology group (9 papers), Journal of Cell Science (3
papers) and Developmental Biology (4 papers), Journal of
Biological Chemistry (1 paper).

International & National Profile: Dr Gilchrist is a prominent

international and national speaker having received 60 invitations to
give plenary/symposia/keynote presentations; at 21 national and 39
international conferences. In addition he has given 22 conference
oral presentations (11 overseas, 11 Australia) and 17 guest
lectures at institutes (10 overseas, 7 Australia). In 2006 he won the
European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology’s
Established Scientist Award and in 2009 the Award for Excellence
in Reproductive Biology from the Society for Reproductive Biology.
In 2013 he was made a Fellow of the Society for Reproductive
Biology.

Funding: Prof Gilchrist has a strong track record of category 1

competitive grant funding: $4.6 million as CIA, plus commercial
funding worth $1.4 million as CIA/B. These include: five NHMRC
Project Grants as CIA, two NHMRC Development Project Grants
as CIA, six Project Grants as Co-CI, an investigator on two
NHMRC Program Grants and a NIH Grant, and an ARC Linkage
Grant as CIA. As an early career researcher, Prof Gilchrist was
awarded the University of Adelaide’s FTT Fricker Medical Research
Associateship and then a NHMRC Career Development Award (RD
Wright Fellowship). Current grants:
1.
1. NHMRC Senior Research Fellowship APP1023210; RB
Gilchrist. Oocyte biology informing new clinical practice.
2012-16.
 
2. NHMRC Project Grant GNT1062762; RB Gilchrist, J
Smitz, JG Thompson, DG Mottershead. EGF peptide
signalling improves oocyte maturation and quality. 2014-
16.
 
3. NHMRC Development Grant GNT1076004; RB Gilchrist, J
Smitz, JG Thompson, DG Mottershead. Integration of IVM
technologies for hormone-free infertility treatment. 2014-
16.
 
4. NHMRC Project Grant APP1024358; C Harrison, D
Robertson, KP McNatty, RB Gilchrist. Activation of GDF9
regulates human folliculogenesis. 2012-14.
 
5. NHMRC Project Grant GNT1067079; DL Russell, RB
Gilchrist, Robker R. Manipulating ovarian follicle-oocyte
communication to control reproductive outcomes. 2014-16
6. NHMRC Project Grant APP1078134; H Homer, RB
Gilchrist, J Carroll, WL Ledger. A BubR1-centred network
for non-invasively measuring human oocyte quality. 2015-
2017

Training: Over his career he has supervised; 14 research Honours

students, 16 PhD/Masters students to completion, and 15
early/senior research fellows. In 2012 he was awarded the School
of Paediatrics and Reproductive Health’s (University of Adelaide)
Excellence in Post-Graduate Supervision (HDR/Honours) Award.

Professional Contributions: Prof Gilchrist currently sits on the

NHMRC Career Development Fellowship Peer Review Panel. He
was on the Scientific Advisory Board (2004-10) of the ARC Centre
of Excellence in Biotechnology and Development, the Repromed
Scientific Advisory Board (2007-12), the Scientific Advisory Board
for Fertility SA (2012-13), the executive of the Australian Centre for
Perinatal Science (2014-15), and is currently on the Scientific
Advisory Board for IVF Australia (2015-curr). Prof Gilchrist was an
Associate Editor of Molecular Human Reproduction in 2012. He is
a past Council member and Secretary of the Society for
Reproductive Biology, and was Chair of the society’s Local
 Organising Committee for the annual national scientific conference
(2009).

Student and Visiting Scientist Mentoring : Prof Gilchrist and his

team of scientists welcome Honours, ILP, PhD and overseas
Visiting Scholars and will supervise projects in the following areas:

1. Oocyte-Cumulus Cell Interactions

A principal interest is understanding the dynamic cellular

interactions between the oocyte and its neighbouring somatic
cells the cumulus cells, and the significance of this
interaction on the quality of the oocyte and resultant embryo. 
His research has contributed significantly to the concept that
the oocyte actively regulates the differentiation and function
of cumulus cells through the secretion of soluble paracrine
factors.  Conversely, cumulus cells nurture the growth and
maturation of the oocyte by various means including via gap-
junctions.  He is interested in mechanisms regulating oocyte-
cumulus cell gap-junctional communication.
 

2. Oocyte GDF9 and BMP15 Paracrine Signalling

Dr Gilchrist’s group investigates the molecular nature of the

key oocyte paracrine signalling molecules GDF9 and
BMP15. This includes; production of novel forms of
recombinant GDF9/BMP15, cellular mechanism regulating
oocyte secretion of these growth factors, and intracellular
consequences in cumulus cells (SMAD and MAPK
signalling).
 

3. Regulation of Oocyte Meiosis

His group is actively investigating the cellular mechanisms

regulating oocyte meiotic arrest and resumption.  This work
focuses on the roles of cAMP and phosphodiesterases in the
oocyte and cumulus cells and their regulation of oocyte
maturation, particularly in an in vitro maturation (IVM)
context.
 

4. Oocyte In Vitro Maturation (IVM) Systems for Novel

Reproductive Technologies
 Dr Gilchrist is particularly active in the application of
knowledge of cumulus-oocyte biology in the development of
new oocyte IVM systems.  The objective of this applied
research program is to improve the developmental potential
of IVM oocytes to provide new opportunities in human
infertility treatment and in domestic animal advanced artificial
breeding programs.  New IVM systems in development
include the use of exogenous GDF9/BMP15 during IVM and
the on-going refinement of a new approach to IVM called
SPOM (Simulated Physiological Oocyte Maturation). Human
and veterinary pre-clinical trials are currently being
conducted with end-user partners.