Prince Henry’s Institute

 

Sarah Meachem

 

Appointments

• Honorary Senior Lecturer, Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University

• President, Australian Society for Medical Research

• Ambassador, Victorian Tall Poppy Campaign, Australian Institute of Policy and Science

 

Profile

Dr Meachem undertook her PhD studies on the hormonal regulation of the testis (stem cell spermatogonia and the parent cell called the Sertoli cell) at PHI and was awarded her PhD 1999. She has over 10 years expertise in testicular physiology, specialising in Sertoli cell and spermatogonial morphology and biology.

Sarah is currently President of the Australian Society for Medical Research which includes a leading role in the promotion of community awareness of medical research, professional development programs days for medical researchers and advising government on issues of health and medical research.

 

Research Interests

Dr Meachem's area of research interest is the hormonal and genetic control of Somatic and germ cell biology in males.

Her work has revealed the distinct function of the reproductive hormone, follicle stimulating hormone, in the pre- and post-pubertal testis, in animal models and is currently being extended to clinical settings of hormonal suppression and in some syndromes of infertility. The work has defined the cellular and some of the genetic responses to FSH manipulation.

More recently her work has shown that the parent cell population to sperm, called the Sertoli cells doesn't necessary remain ‘mature' (or not terminally differentiated), as once thought, and that particular hormonal cues can control the maturational state of the adult Sertoli cells (revert to an immature state and back again). 

 

Expertise

Stereology (quantitative morphology), immunohistochemistry, in vivo models of hormonal manipulation, in vitro techniques specific to spermatogonial isolation and culture methods and hormone assay techniques. 

 

Recent Achievements

• 2007 - Career Development Award, PHI

• 2005 - Awarded Ian Potter Foundation Travel Award

Service to the Scientific Community

• 2007 - Recipient of the Victoria Tall Poppy Award, Australian Institute of Policy and Science

• 2007 - Promoted to President of the Australian Society of Medical Research

 

Current Research

• Regulation of somatic and germ cells in the testis

 

Selected Publications

Meachem SJ, Schlatt S, Ruwanpura SM & Stanton PG (2007) The effect of testosterone, dihydrotestosterone and estradiol on the re-initiation of spermatogenesis in the adult photoinhibited Djungarian hamster. J Endocrinol 192(3):553-61

Matthiesson KL, McLachlan RI, O'Donnell L, Frydenburg M, Robertson DM, Stanton PG & Meachem SJ (2006) The relative roles of FSH and LH in maintaining spermatogonial maturation and spermiation in normal men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 91: 3962-3969.

O'Donnell L, Meachem SJ, Stanton PG and McLachlan RI (2006). The endocrine regulation of spermatogenesis. In: Neill JD (ed), Knobil and Neill's Physiology of Reproduction (3rd ed). Elsevier, San Diego CA. pp. 1017-1069

Meachem SJ, Ruwanpura SM, Ziolkowski J, Ague JM, Skinner MK and Loveland KL (2005) Developmentally distinct in vivo effects of FSH on proliferation and apoptosis during testis maturation. J Endocrinol 186:429

Meachem SJ, Stanton, PG and Schlatt S (2005) Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) regulates both Sertoli cell and spermatogonial populations in the adult photoinihibited Djungarian hamster testis. Biol Reprod 72:1187

Meachem SJ, Robertson DM, Wreford NG, Mclachlan RI and Stanton PG (2005) Oestrogen does not affect the restoration of spermatogenesis in the gonadotrophin-releasing hormone-immunised adult rat. J Endocrinol 185:529

Matthiesson KL, Stanton PG, O'Donnell L, Meachem SJ, Amory JK, Berger R, Bremner WJ, McLachlan RI (2005) Effects of testosterone and levonorgestrel combined with a 5alpha-reductase inhibitor or gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonist on spermatogenesis and intratesticular steroid levels in normal men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 90:5647

Loveland KL, Hogarth C, Mendis S, Huebner A, Ly J, Itman C, Meachem S, Brown CW, Jans DA (2005) Drivers of germ cell maturation. Ann NY Acad Sci. 1061: 173-182

Meachem SJ, McLachlan RI (2003) Spermatogenesis, Hormonal control of. In: Encyclopedia of Hormones (Vol 3), Edited by Helen L. Henry and Anthony W. Norman, Elsevier, San Diego, pp 388-393

McLachlan RI, O'Donnell L, Meachem SJ, Stanton PG, de Kretser D, Pratis K & Robertson DM (2002).The hormonal regulation of spermatogenesis in primates and man: insights for the development of the male hormonal contraceptive. J. Androl 23:149-162.

McLachlan RI, O'Donnell L, Meachem SJ, Stanton PG, de Kretser DM, Pratis K & Robertson DM (2002) Identification of specific sites of hormonal regulation in spermatogenesis in rats, monkeys and man. Recent Progress in Hormone Research 57:149-179.