Dr Yogeshwar Makanji
Honorary Research Associate
Centre for Genetic Diseases
Hudson Institute of Medical Research
Australia
Biography
Dr Yogeshwar Makanji joined Hudson Institute of Medical Research in November 2014. Prior to this appointment, Dr Makanji most recently held the position of Visiting Research Scholar at the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA. After finishing his Honours degree in inhibin biology at RMIT University in 2002, Dr Makanji completed his PhD titled ‘The biological characterisation of inhibin A and inhibin B’ at Monash University in 2009. In 2010, Dr Makanji received an NHMRC CJ Martin Fellowship and joined Professor Teresa Woodruff’s Oncofertility Consortium Laboratory at Northwestern University, USA, 2011-2013. During his overseas fellowship, Dr Makanji gained expertise in three-dimensional ex vivo ovarian culture systems. In addition, he developed systems to study the role of oxygen tension and related carbohydrate metabolism.
Research Interest
His current research focuses on defining the roles of oxygen tension during early follicle development, the stage-dependent roles of TGF-β superfamily members (activins, inhibins, anti-mullerian hormone, growth and differentiation factor-9, and bone morphogenetic protein-15) and the underlying energy metabolism required for follicle maturation. The overall aim of his research is to recreate the ovarian microenvironment using three-dimensional ex vivo culture systems. Outcomes from his research could result in long-term ovarian cultures of human primordial follicles for fertility restoration in cancer survivors with cryopreserved ovarian tissue.
