Patrick Western Annual Meetings of the Endocrine Society of Australia and Society for Reproductive Biology and Australia and New Zealand Bone and Mineral Society 2016

Patrick Western

A/Prof Patrick Western leads the Germ Cell Development and Epigenetics Group within the Centre for Reproductive Health at the Hudson Institute of Medical Research. Using genetic and pharmacological models, the Germ Cell Development and Epigenetics Group studies germline epigenetic programming, the impact of transmitted epigenetic information on the next generation and the role of epigenetic mechanisms in ovarian and testis function. Our work aims to further understand the functions of epigenetic mechanisms in reproductive disorders, disease inheritance and offspring health. A/Prof Western completed his doctoral studies on temperature dependent sex determination in the American alligator. He undertook post-doctoral research in epigenetic reprogramming and pluripotency in embryonic stem cells and germ cells with Professor Azim Surani at the Wellcome Trust Gurdon Institute, Cambridge University. He returned to Australia to work within the ARC Centre of Excellence in Biotechnology and Development before joining the Hudson Institute, where he established his laboratory to pursue his interest in germline biology, epigenetic programming and inheritance.