Professor Tamas Zakar trained in medicine at Semmelweis University, Budapest, and received his PhD in experimental endocrinology from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
His research area is reproductive physiology, focusing on the health problem of preterm birth.
He has published extensively on the molecular mechanisms that regulate the gestational tissues during pregnancy and are involved in disease processes leading to premature delivery. His work has contributed substantially to understanding the intrauterine actions of prostaglandins and progesterone, which are critical hormones controlling pregnancy maintenance and birth.
His current research is aimed at the regulation of genome architecture in the decidua and the fetal membranes and the role genomic changes play in defining gestational length and labour. The outcomes of these ongoing NHMRC-funded projects are expected to identify new therapeutic measures to prevent preterm birth and ensure the delivery of healthy babies.
