Associate Professor David Robertson

Associate Professor David Robertson is a member of the Centre for Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Biography

Associate Professor Robertson is an expert in reproductive endocrinology and the role of hormones in disease. Renowned for his role in the initial isolation of inhibin and characterisation of its role in reproduction, his work on inhibin including assays specific to its various forms, resulted in the development of a clinical test for the detection of ovarian cancer in serum of postmenopausal women. This is now being adapted for use in commercial diagnostic laboratories in the USA.

As well as his work on inhibin, Associate Professor Robertson’s other contributions include key discoveries in the isolation, characterisation and measurement of hormones including follistatin, gonadotrophins and the elucidation of their roles in reproduction and cancer. This has included the development of assay systems to measure various hormones and formed strategic collaborations to apply these assays to a variety of clinical situations, such as in menopausal women, women with ovarian cancer, and in men undergoing new forms of hormonal contraception.

Publication highlights