Andrology Research Group
Head of laboratory:
Themes of Andrology Research Group are concerned with two significant issues of male health, namely prostate disease and environmental endocrine disruption of male fertility.
Prostate Disease
Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia, and is the second leading cause of cancer death in men. More than 2,700 men die of prostate cancer in Australia each year. It was estimated that in the year 2000, there were 513,000 new cases worldwide. Benign prostatic hyperplasia is the most common benign tumour in men, resulting in severe morbidity.
Our research is focused on:
- Understanding how the loss of structural proteins involved in organization of the cell cytoskeleton contribute to the development of prostate cancer phenotypes.
- Hormone regulation of prostate cell proliferation. In particular we are interested in how oxytocin, a hormone usually associated with females, regulates enzymes that are essential to growth of the prostate and to determine cell signal pathways involved.
Endocrine disruption of fertility
It is of increasing concern that human sperm quality is declining. Many environmental factors have been implicated in this decline. One possible factor is exposure to phytoestrogens. Phytoestrogens are plant-derived compounds that display estrogenicity. Since they were first associated with the disruption of mammalian fertility there has been considerable interest in their effects on sexual development and reproductive function. This is particularly pertinent given the increasing advocacy for the use of phytoestrogens as bioprotective agents against disease (eg. cardiovascular disease, prostate cancer). Our work has recently demonstrated that exposure to phytoestrogen in adulthood reduces fertility. Current research in this area is concerned with understanding the molecular mechanisms by which this disruption of reproductive function occurs.
