27 Sep 2011

Death of in-vitro pioneer

11:00 am on 27 September 2011

A pioneer of in-vitro fertilisation, Professor Carl Wood of Australia, has died.

Professor Wood and a team from Monash University, Melbourne, pioneered IVF as an option for infertile couples in the 1970s.

In 1973, his team developed the world's first IVF pregnancy and Australia's first test tube baby was born in 1980.

More than 45,000 babies have been born worldwide with the assistance of IVF.

Professor Wood, 82, died last Friday. He had Alzheimer's disease.