2000 - Monash researchers world leaders in stem cell research
Image by Lincon Stamp, Monash Institute for Medical Research; Australian Stem Cell Centre Premier Scholar and Joan Clark of Monash Micro Imaging. Courtesy of the Australian Stem Cell Centre.
In 2000, a team led by Professor Alan Trounson and Dr Martin Pera were the first in the world to demonstrate that human embryonic stem cells could generate specific types of body cells in the laboratory.
Today: The Monash team showed that human embryonic stem cells could develop into nerve cells, raising the revolutionary prospect of treating a range of diseases from Parkinson's through to Alzheimer's and diabetes.
They also have the potential to produce human tissues or organs in the laboratory.