The award of the International Congress of Animal Reproduction (ICAR) recognizes an active, research scientist for outstanding basic and applied research in the area of Assisted Reproduction of Animals. The Simmet Prize is awarded every four years at the ICAR meeting and comes with a prize of 50.000 Euro. The Simmet Prize is sponsored by the Simmet Family in honor of Dr. Ludwig Simmet, founder of Minitube.
The 2012 recipient of the Simmet Prize for Assisted Reproduction is Dr. R. John Aitken. Dr. Aitken made significant contributions to male infertility in domestic livestock and humans that have been of great practical value to producers with an interest in male genetics. His numerous landmark studies have influenced laboratories and allied industries around the world, and he is one of the most prolific of active reproductive biologists.
Dr. Aitken pioneered the development of objective methods for measuring sperm movement, beginning with time lapse photography and culminating in CASA systems that are now commonplace in modern-day theriogenology. He also developed a novel technique for monitoring the acrosome reaction in live cells, which has subsequently been used in several domestic species including recent flow cytometric assays in bulls. He was instrumental in developing heterologous in vitro fertilization assays of sperm function that are used to monitor male fertility in large domestic animals. He subsequently developed biochemical parameters to predict male infertility. In the course of these studies he pioneered the fundamental concept that oxidative stress is a major determinant of sperm function and DNA damage and developed fluorometry/flow cytometry based assays that are now widely used in diagnosing male infertility in a range of mammalian species. These visionary approaches have allowed veterinary and livestock scientists to explore aspects of cryobiology and storage that would have otherwise taken a number of years to develop. Such technological advancements have led to the developmental potential of antioxidant therapy to enhance the fertilizing potential of mammalian spermatozoa in vivo and in vitro.
Dr. Aitken’s research expertise has taken reproductive and gamete biology into new areas such as understanding the fundamental processes of sperm capacitation. His research accomplishments have provided valuable insight and been emulated by numerous livestock research groups worldwide in studies regarding cellular and biochemical processes including apoptosis, cell signalling, and pathophysiological mechanisms surrounding the mysteries of spermatogenesis, sperm maturation, capacitation, and fertilization.
Dr. Aitken is an exceptional scientist who has developed a legacy of PhD students and post doctoral fellows who he has trained and mentored in an interdisciplinary environment surrounded by his immediate and world-wide colleagues in science. Dr. R. John Aitken truly personifies the intent of the Simmet Prize in Animal Reproduction.
For more information please visit: www.icar2012.com