Macarena Bermudez Gonzalez

Research Interests

Animal Reproduction Obstetrics & Reproductive Medicine Paediatrics and Reproductive Medicine Reproduction Reproductive Biology Early Origins of Health Fertility and Conception Innovative Therapeutics Men's Health

Ms Macarena Bermudez Gonzalez

Int Grant-Funded Researcher A

School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Science

College of Health

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD (as Co-Supervisor) - email supervisor to discuss availability.

Dr. Macarena Gonzalez is part of the Sperm and Embryo Biology Laboratory within the Robinson Research Institute and the School of Biomedicine. Macarena is interested in exploring the ways in which our lifestyle and environment influence pre-implantation embryo development, and how these early life events determine offspring health trajectory. An overlapping area of interest is the development of new therapies to improve reproductive success in humans and the agriculture industry, by leveraging nutrition, novel compounds and traditional medicines.Her current research revolves around the impact of aging on gamete quality and embryo development. Since the father’s contribution to these events has been largely overlooked, aiming to uncover the biological mechanisms by which paternal lifestyle and environment affects sperm quality, and the subsequent embryo development during pregnancy, as well as assessing the potential of drugs and biocompounds to improve male fertility.Current projects available for prospective students: - New strategies to improve semen cryopreservation in men and livestock.- Analysis of Fetal development and organogenesis in a mouse model of advanced paternal age.- Current use of complementary medicines and over-the-counter supplements for conception.- Native foods and other foodstuff to improve fertility.- Epigenetic determinants of fetal programming in mice.- Male health in later life.

Date Position Institution name
2022 - 2023 Postdoctoral researcher University of Adelaide
2019 - 2021 NHMRC Postdoctoral researcher University of Adelaide

Date Type Title Institution Name Country Amount
2024 Award 2024 Robinson Research Institute Travel grant Robinson Research Institute Australia $2000
2024 Award Lalor Foundation Merit Award Society for the Study of Reproduction United States USD$500
2017 Award Lalor Foundation Merit Fellowship The Lalor Foundation - Advancing Research and Innovation in Reproductive Health United States $500.00
2016 Scholarship NHMRC PhD scholarship National Health and Medical Research Council Australia -
2015 Scholarship Centre for Research Excellence on the origins, outcomes and optimal management of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome PhD top-up scholarship. Centre for Research Excellence on the origins, outcomes and optimal management of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Australia AUD 6000.00
2013 Scholarship Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences Divisional PhD scholarship Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide Australia -
2008 Scholarship Undergraduate Student International Exchange program Full-fee scholarship from the University of Granada Universidad de Granada Spain -

Language Competency
English Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review
French Can read and understand spoken
Italian Can read, speak and understand spoken
Spanish; Castilian Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review

Date Institution name Country Title
University of Adelaide Australia PhD in Medicine
University of Granada Spain Bsc (Hons) in Biology

Year Citation
2025 Gonzalez, M. B., McPherson, N. O., Connaughton, H. S., Winstanley, Y. E., Kennedy, D. T., Campugan, C. A., . . . Robker, R. L. (2025). Mitochondrial activator BGP-15 protects sperm quality against oxidative damage and improves embryo developmental competence. F&S Science, 6(1), 42-54.
DOI Scopus2 WoS2 Europe PMC2
2025 Gonzalez, M. B., Rose, R. D., Connaughton, H. S., Mackintosh, G., Bugeja, C., Barry, M., . . . Robker, R. L. (2025). Sperm oxidative damage acquired during seminal plasma removal for assisted reproductive technology is reduced by BGP-15. JOURNAL OF ASSISTED REPRODUCTION AND GENETICS, 42(4), 10 pages.
DOI
2025 Gonzalez, M. B., Andreas, E., Winstanley, Y. E., Connaughton, H. S., Loring, K. E., Shoubridge, C., & Robker, R. L. (2025). Maternal aging reduces female fecundity and alters offspring phenotype in a sex-specific manner. Reproduction Fertility and Development, 37(5), RD24164-1-RD24164-11.
DOI Scopus2 WoS2 Europe PMC1
2025 Lyons, H. E., Peel, A., Gonzalez, M., Deluao, J., Olatunji, O., Nikitaras, V., & McPherson, N. O. (2025). Unlocking the power of semen analysis in primary health care - a path to men's health and lifestyle transformation.. Nature Reviews Urology, 22(10), 687-702.
DOI WoS1
2024 Winstanley, Y. E., Liu, J., Adhikari, D., Gonzalez, M. B., Russell, D. L., Carroll, J., & Robker, R. L. (2024). Dynamics of Mitochondrial DNA Copy Number and Membrane Potential in Mouse Pre-Implantation Embryos: Responses to Diverse Types of Oxidative Stress. Genes, 15(3), 15030367-1-15030367-18.
DOI Scopus7 WoS7 Europe PMC5
2024 Gonzalez, M. B., Campugan, C. A., Connaughton, H. S., Andreas, E., Winstanley, Y. E., Williams, E. J., . . . Robker, R. L. (2024). BGP-15 mitigates adverse impacts of aging on sperm quality, fertility, and offspring health in male mice. Reproduction, 168(3), e240105 -1-e240105-13.
DOI Scopus6 WoS6 Europe PMC4
2024 Winstanley, Y. E., Gonzalez, M. B., Andreas, E., Connaughton, H., Bergen, J., Ween, M., . . . Robker, R. L. (2024). Drinking water quality impacts oocyte viability and embryo development. Frontiers in Reproductive Health, 6, 1-14.
DOI Scopus1 WoS1
2024 Winstanley, Y. E., Stables, J. S., Gonzalez, M. B., Umehara, T., Norman, R. J., & Robker, R. L. (2024). Emerging therapeutic strategies to mitigate female and male reproductive aging. Nature Aging, 4(12), 1682-1696.
DOI Scopus5 WoS5 Europe PMC6
2022 Gonzalez, M., Prashar, T., Connaughton, H., Barry, M., Robker, R., & Rose, R. (2022). Restoring Sperm Quality Post-Cryopreservation Using Mitochondrial-Targeted Compounds. Antioxidants, 11(9), 1808-1-1808-14.
DOI Scopus29 WoS28 Europe PMC21
2022 Deluao, J. C., Winstanley, Y., Robker, R. L., Pacella Ince, L., Gonzalez, M., & McPherson, N. O. (2022). Reactive oxygen species in the mammalian pre-implantation embryo. Reproduction, 164(6), F95-F108.
DOI Scopus68 WoS59 Europe PMC53
2021 Foot, N. J., Gonzalez, M. B., Gembus, K., Fonseka, P., Sandow, J. J., Nguyen, T. T., . . . Kumar, S. (2021). Arrdc4‐dependent extracellular vesicle biogenesis is required for sperm maturation. Journal of Extracellular Vesicles, 10(8), e12113-1-e12113-21.
DOI Scopus22 WoS23 Europe PMC21
2021 Bermudez Gonzalez, M., Robker, R. L., & Rose, R. D. (2021). Obesity and oocyte quality: Significant implications for ART and Emerging mechanistic insights.. Biology of reproduction, 106(2), 338-350.
DOI Scopus48 WoS41 Europe PMC34
2020 Winship, A., Donoghue, J., Houston, B., Martin, J., Lord, T., Adwal, A., . . . Bromfield, E. (2020). Reproductive health research in Australia and New Zealand: Highlights from the Annual Meeting of the Society for Reproductive Biology, 2019. Reproduction, Fertility and Development, 32(7), 637-647.
DOI Scopus1 WoS2 Europe PMC2
2019 Breed, W. G., Hassan, H., Bermudez Gonzalez, M., McLennan, H. J., Leigh, C. M., & Heaney, L. R. (2019). Interspecific diversity of testes mass and sperm morphology in the Philippine chrotomyine rodents: Implications for differences in breeding systems across the species. Reproduction, Fertility and Development, 31(4), 705-711.
DOI Scopus6 WoS6 Europe PMC3
2019 Bertoldo, M. J., Caldwell, A. S. L., Riepsamen, A. H., Lin, D., Gonzalez, M. B., Robker, R. L., . . . Walters, K. A. (2019). A hyperandrogenic environment causes intrinsic defects that are detrimental to follicular dynamics in a PCOS mouse model. Endocrinology, 160(3), 699-715.
DOI Scopus42 WoS34 Europe PMC31
2018 Brown, H., Green, E., Tan, T., Gonzalez, M., Rumbold, A., Hull, M., . . . Thompson, J. (2018). Periconception onset diabetes is associated with embryopathy and fetal growth retardation, reproductive tract hyperglycosylation and impaired immune adaptation to pregnancy. Scientific reports, 8(1), 2114-1-2114-13.
DOI Scopus37 WoS34 Europe PMC26
2018 Akison, L., Robertson, S., Gonzalez, M., Richards, J., Smith, C., Russell, D., & Robker, R. (2018). Regulation of the ovarian inflammatory response at ovulation by nuclear progesterone receptor. American Journal of Reproductive Immunology, 79(6), e12835-1-e12835-12.
DOI Scopus32 WoS33 Europe PMC22
2018 Bermudez Gonzalez, M., Lane, M., Knight, E., & Robker, R. (2018). Inflammatory markers in human follicular fluid correlate with lipid levels and Body Mass Index. Journal of Reproductive Immunology, 130, 25-29.
DOI Scopus49 WoS43 Europe PMC37

Year Citation
2018 Bermudez Gonzalez, M. (2018). Dietary interventions for improving fertility. (PhD Thesis, The University of Adelaide).

Title: Reversing fetal growth restriction for better pregnancy and child health.

Investigators: Bermudez Gonzalez M; Bianco-Miotto T; Habibi N; Robker R

Funding scheme: Channel 7 CRF - Research Grant

Description: We aim to demonstrate that fetal growth restriction and birth defects induced by paternal aging, are due to changes in gene expression and epigenetic markers. We have shown that the fetal growth restriction associated with older fathers is normalised by treatment with the novel therapeutic BGP-15. We will investigate gene expression and epigenetic patterns in fetal brain, heart, liver and kidney from pregnancies sired by male mice that are either young, old or old treated with BGP-15. This data will allow us to identify regulatory pathways and epigenetic markers of fetal growth restriction and organogenesis defects in pregnancies from old fathers; as well as uncovering potential therapeutic mechanisms targeted by BGP-15 treatment in reversing fetal growth restriction and hence reducing child morbidity and mortality.

Funder name: Channel 7 Children's Research Foundation of SA Inc

 

Lecturer and demonstrator - Assisted Reproduction Techniques Research Integrated Learning course

Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
2024 Co-Supervisor Understanding the contribution of sperm non-coding RNA in early embryogenesis. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Joshua Caryl Deluao
2024 Co-Supervisor Understanding the contribution of sperm non-coding RNA in early embryogenesis. Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Joshua Caryl Deluao

Date Role Research Topic Location Program Supervision Type Student Load Student Name
2021 - ongoing Principal Supervisor Restoring Sperm Quality after Cryopreservation using Mitochondrial Therapy The University of Adelaide, FertilitySA - Honours Full Time Tanisha Prashar
2020 - ongoing Co-Supervisor Therapeutic options to improve fertility and embryo development for obese females. University of Adelaide - Honours Full Time Elisha Williams
2017 - ongoing Co-Supervisor Oxidative stress during oocyte maturation and pre-implantation embryo development University of Adelaide - Honours Full Time Catherine Dimasi

Date Role Committee Institution Country
2020 - 2021 Chair Early & Middle Career Researcher Council Robinson Research Institute Australia
2019 - 2022 Representative Early & Middle Career Researcher Council Robinson Research Institute Australia
2019 - 2020 Co-Chair Early and Middle Career Researcher Council Robinson Research Institute Australia
2018 - 2018 Member Local organizing committee at the 50th Annual Meeting of the Society for Reproductive Biology The Society for Reproductive Biology Australia
2017 - ongoing Co-Chair The Robinson Research Institute Symposium The Robinson Research Institute Australia

Connect With Me

External Profiles

Other Links