Evelyn Telfer

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Professor Evelyn E Telfer CBE FRSE FRSB Evelyn Telfer.jpg
Professor Evelyn E Telfer CBE FRSE FRSB

Evelyn Elizabeth Telfer CBE is a reproductive biologist and professor at the University of Edinburgh. She leads a research team which has successfully grown immature human eggs to maturity in the lab, and discovered that human ovaries are capable of growing new eggs. In 2018, she was named one of Porter magazine's Incredible Women of 2018. In January 2019, she delivered the Anne McLaren Memorial Lecture at the Joint Fertility Societies Meeting in Birmingham: Fertility 2019. The Society of Reproduction and Fertility (SRF) presented her with their Distinguished Scientist award. Professor Telfer was presented with the Marshall Medal by SRF at Fertility 2023 in Belfast in recognition of her world leading contributions to the field of ovarian function and fertility preservation. The Marshall Medal is the Society’s premier award established in 1963 to commemorate the life and work of the eminent physiologist FHA Marshall. [1] She was elected as a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) in 2025.

Contents

Early life

Evelyn originates from Hurlford and was educated at Saint Joseph's Academy, Kilmarnock. She obtained a First class honours degree (BSc Hons) in Biology and Biometrics from Paisley College of Technology (now the University of the West of Scotland). At PCT, she was named the most distinguished student of the school of science in her graduating year. Following her first degree, she joined the University of Edinburgh to study for a PhD in ovarian development under the supervision of Professor Roger Gosden in the department of Physiology. She obtained her PhD from the University of Edinburgh in 1987. Her thesis investigated factors influencing the development of ovarian follicles in mammals. [2]

Career

Telfer is currently a reproductive biologist and Professor of Reproductive Biology at the University of Edinburgh. [3]

She is a former Associate Editor of Molecular Human Reproduction journal. [4] and a current Associate Editor for the Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics. [5]

From 1987-1989, Telfer worked in the Department of Physiology at the University of Edinburgh. Here, she worked with the physiologist Roger Gosden to develop a culture system to support murine follicle development, one of the first of its kind. [6] [7]

From 1989-1992, Telfer was a postdoctoral fellow in John Eppig's Laboratory at the Jackson Labs in Bar Harbor Maine working on in vitro growth systems [8] and oocyte secreted factors. [9] She was the recipient of a Rockefeller Foundation award.

She returned to the University of Edinburgh in 1992 as a lecturer and established a research group working on ovarian development.

She led research which, in 2016, found evidence that the human ovary may have the capability to grow new eggs in adulthood. However, Telfer warned against premature clinical applications in fertility treatments before the findings have been fully understood. [10] Telfer has established collaborations with clinicians working on ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation for fertility preservation [11] and was part of the team that reported the first pregnancy in the U.K. following ovarian transplantation. [12] [13]

In 2018, she was named as one of Porter magazine's Incredible Women of 2018, recognised for her research growing oocyte cells to maturity in the lab, to the point at which they can be fertilised. [14] The research was the first successful attempt to grow fully mature human eggs, where previously it had only been achieved for mouse eggs. [15] The technique has implications for fertility treatment, in particular in women undergoing in vitro fertilisation and women who had their ovaries removed before cancer treatment. [16] Telfer was the project leader, [17] and co-authored an article publishing the research in the medical journal Molecular Human Reproduction in March 2018. [3] [18]

Telfer was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2021 Birthday Honours for services to female reproductive biology. [19]

References

  1. ↑ https://srf-reproduction.org/grants-awards/awards/marshall-medal/
  2. ↑ Telfer, Evelyn Elizabeth (1988). "Factors influencing follicular development in mammalian ovaries". Edinburgh Research Archive. hdl:1842/26993.
  3. 1 2 "These lab-grown human eggs could combat infertility—if they prove healthy". Science | AAAS. 8 February 2018. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  4. ↑ "Editorial_Board | MHR: Basic science of reproductive medicine | Oxford Academic". academic.oup.com. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  5. ↑ https://www.springer.com/journal/10815/editors
  6. ↑ Torrance, C.; Telfer, E.; Gosden, R. G. (1989). "Quantitative study of the development of isolated mouse pre-antral follicles in collagen gel culture". Journal of Reproduction and Fertility. 87 (1): 367–374. doi: 10.1530/jrf.0.0870367 . PMID   2621708.
  7. ↑ Telfer, E.; Torrance, C.; Gosden, R. G. (1990). "Morphological study of cultured preantral ovarian follicles of mice after transplantation under the kidney capsule". Journal of Reproduction and Fertility. 89 (2): 565–571. doi: 10.1530/jrf.0.0890565 . PMID   2401983.
  8. ↑ Eppig, J. J.; Telfer, E. E. (1993). Isolation and culture of oocytes. Methods in Enzymology. Vol. 225. pp. 77–84. doi:10.1016/0076-6879(93)25008-p. ISBN   9780121821265. PMID   8231884.
  9. ↑ Vanderhyden, B. C.; Telfer, E. E.; Eppig, J. J. (1992). "Mouse oocytes promote proliferation of granulosa cells from preantral and antral follicles in vitro". Biology of Reproduction. 46 (6): 1196–1304. doi: 10.1095/biolreprod46.6.1196 . PMID   1391318. S2CID   1619935.
  10. ↑ Devlin, Hannah (7 October 2016). "Evidence suggests women's ovaries can grow new eggs". the Guardian. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  11. ↑ Anderson, R. A.; Wallace WHB; Telfer, E. E. (2017). "Ovarian tissue cryopreservation for fertility preservation: Clinical and research perspectives". Human Reproduction Open. 2017 (1): hox001. doi:10.1093/hropen/hox001. PMC   6276668 . PMID   30895221.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: article number as page number (link)
  12. ↑ Dunlop, C. E.; Brady, B. M.; McLaughlin, M.; Telfer, E. E.; White, J.; Cowie, F.; Zahra, S.; Wallace, W. H.; Anderson, R. A. (2016). "Re-implantation of cryopreserved ovarian cortex resulting in restoration of ovarian function, natural conception and successful pregnancy after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation for Wilms tumour". Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics. 33 (12): 1615–1620. doi:10.1007/s10815-016-0805-2. PMC   5171891 . PMID   27639996.
  13. ↑ https://www.ed.ac.uk/centre-reproductive-health/news/2017-news/edinburgh-baby-born-from-frozen-ovary-in-uk-first#:~:text=A%20cancer%20patient%20from%20Edinburgh,baby%20boy%20two%20weeks%20ago.
  14. ↑ "Fertility pioneer receives international award". The University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  15. ↑ Davis, Nicola (9 February 2018). "Breakthrough as human eggs developed in the lab for first time". the Guardian. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  16. ↑ Hamzelou, Jessica. "Primitive human eggs matured in the lab for the first time". New Scientist. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  17. ↑ Cookson, Clive (9 February 2018). "Mature human eggs grown for first time by scientists in UK". Financial Times. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  18. ↑ McLaughlin, M; Albertini, D F; Wallace, W H B; Anderson, R A; Telfer, E E (30 January 2018). "Metaphase II oocytes from human unilaminar follicles grown in a multi-step culture system". MHR: Basic Science of Reproductive Medicine. 24 (3): 135–142. doi: 10.1093/molehr/gay002 . hdl: 20.500.11820/55cbb793-3401-4172-80a9-44412ecdf216 . ISSN   1360-9947. PMID   29390119.
  19. ↑ "No. 63377". The London Gazette (Supplement). 12 June 2021. p. B10.
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