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Andrology Research

The Andrology group pursues basic, applied, clinical and public health research in male reproductive health, medicine, and biology.

Andrology is the medical and scientific discipline defined as the study of male reproductive health, medicine and biology. Male Reproductive Health involves the overlapping domains of Fertility, Sexuality and Androgenisation which overlap with male general health, especially regarding androgen (male hormonal) effects.

The Andrology group focuses on both the biological and clinical effects of androgens on male health, in particular men's reproductive and general health across all ages. Androgens (male hormones), the main one being testosterone, occur naturally in the body and play far-reaching roles in many body systems, particularly in male reproduction, fertility, and sexuality. They exert important influence on most non-reproductive tissues especially the prostate, cardiovascular system, bone and the brain, throughout the entire male lifespan and may also influence women's health.

The Andrology group is a collaboration of the:

  • Andrology Research Laboratory at the ANZAC Research Institute where the focus is on the physiology and pharmacology of androgens in males and females, by undertaking research using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, laboratory bench research and experimental animal models.
  • Andrology Department of Concord Hospital/Sydney Local Health District, where patient and community centred research is carried out and translated into improvements in patient care. The focus is on the therapeutic use of androgens such as to treat hormone deficiency states in adolescence and adulthood, in certain chronic diseases, for ageing men. In addition, we also study the relatively widespread misuse/overuse and abuse of androgens for many wishful or harmful non-medical reasons as well as in sports doping.
  • Clinical Andrology Laboratory of Concord Hospital and NSW Health Pathology which provides semen analysis and elective sperm cryostorage services. The sperm cryostorage facility is the oldest and longest running sperm bank in Australia. It provides storage of frozen sperm for men about to undergo medical treatment (usually for cancer) which may result in temporary or permanent male infertility.

Our Research Team

Dr Veena Jayadev Head of Department
Professor David Handelsman Clinical Academic
Reena Desai Research Staff
Melissa McMartin Research Staff
Dr Nandini Shankara-Narayana Clinical Staff
Dr Ann Conway Clinical Staff
Amanda Idan Clinical Staff
Sasha Savkovic Clinical Staff
Raquel Hermosilla Clinical Staff

Our Research Projects

Physiology & Pharmacology of Androgens

Clinical Pharmacology of Testosterone
AJ Conway, V Jayadev, N Shankara-Narayana, A Idan, S Savkovic, DJ Handelsman
Androgen Abuse Recovery Study
N Shankara-Narayana, A Idan, V Jayadev, DJ Handelsman with E Hibbert, E Jackson (Nepean Hospital)
Randomised controlled trial of testosterone vs placebo to prevent diabetes (T4DM study)
G Fraser, AJ Conway, V Jayadev, DJ Handelsman
Randomised controlled trial of recovery of serum testosterone after 2 years of exogenous testosterone treatment (T4DM Run-Off study)
G Fraser, AJ Conway, V Jayadev, DJ Handelsman

Randomised controlled trial of testosterone vs placebo with choice extension phase for androgen deficiency symptoms (T4ADS study)

SF Mok, C Fennell, G Fraser, L Turner, AJ Conway, V Jayadev, DJ Handelsman

Randomised control trial of estradiol for men with advanced prostate cancer for impact on cognition, bone and fat

N Russell, M Grossmann, DJ Handelsman

Impact and reversibility of non-prescribed androgen use on cardiac and male reproductive function

N Narayana-Shankara, A Conway, V Jayadev, S Savkovic, C Fennell with C Yu, C Naoum, A Ng, L Kritharides (Cardiology, Concord Hospital), L Ridley (Radiology, Concord Hospital)

Urine and Serum Sex Steroid and Gonadotrophin Profiles in Testosterone-Treated Transgender and Hypogonadal and Healthy Control Men

S Savkovic, S Lim, L Turner, C Fennell, G Fraser, V Jayadev, AJ Conway, DJ Handelsman

Detection of Testosterone Microdosing (Doping) in Women

S Savkovic, DJ Handelsman in collaboration with Daniel Eichner (Salt Lake City Anti-Doping Lab)

Detection of Testosterone Microdosing (Doping) in Men

S Savkovic, DJ Handelsman in collaboration with Catrin Goebel, J Grainger (Australian Sports Drug Testing Laboratory, National Measurement Institute)

Optimal Injection Interval for Testosterone Undecanoate Treatment of Hypogonadal and

Transgender Men

N Shankara Narayana, Lam P Ly, V Jayadev, C Fennell, S Savkovic, AJ Conway, DJ Handelsman

Pharmacokinetics of Recombinant and Urinary Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin in Men

S Savkovic, DJ Handelsman in collaboration with Catrin Goebel, J Grainger (Australian Sports Drug Testing Laboratory, National Measurement Institute)

Skin Changes Following Testosterone Treatment In Adult Transgender Men: A Pilot Study With Controls

S MacDonald, S Smith, V Jayadev, S Lim, A Conway, DJ Handelsman

Laboratory Research

Development of LCMS measurements for Vitamin D and its phase I and II metabolites

Carl Jenkinson (EU Marie Curie Research Fellow), R Desai, DJ Handelsman

Steroid Mass Spectrometry: measuring steroid profiles in serum and biological samples

R Desai, M McMartin (Edwards), DJ Handelsman

Urine and serum urine profiles in human puberty (Archer study)

G Singh, R Desai, DJ Handelsman with K Steinbeck (CHW)

Experimental Studies of Androgen Action

Development of Objective Laboratory-based Method for Androgen Sensitivity

K McGrath (UTS), A Heather (Univ Otago), DJ Handelsman

Androgens and Female Reproductive Physiology

K Walters, DJ Handelsman

Role of Androgens in the Origin and Pathogenesis of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

K Walters, DJ Handelsman

Measurement of Testosterone Effects on Erythrocyte Lifespan (Humans, Mice)

L Seccombe (Respiratory Medicine, Concord Hospital), M McMartin, DJ Handelsman

Public Health Andrology

Hormonal Epidemiology of Male Ageing: The Concord Health in Ageing Men Project CHAMP)

B Hsu, R Cumming, D Le Couteur, MJ Seibel, DJ Handelsman and others

Pharmacoepidemiology of testosterone prescribing and overuse

LP Ly, DJ Handelsman

Global Trends in Human Sperm Output: Re-analysis of Levine meta-analysis and meta-regression

S Rezapour, A Azar, DJ Handelsman

Reproductive Effects of Novel Non-Cytotoxic and Immunotherapy Anti-cancer Drugs

A Idan, C Fennell, S Savkovic, V Jayadev, N Shankara Narayana, AJ Conway, DJ Handelsman with G Long, A Menzies (Melanoma Institute of Australia) and A Anazodo (PoW Hospital)

Donor Colonisation of Non-Marrow Epithelia After Allogenic Bone Marrow Transplant

N Shankara-Narayana, A Idan, S Savkovic, V Jayadev, AJ Conway, DJ Handelsman

Raine Birth Cohort: Reproductive Function at 30 years of age

R Hart, DJ Handelsman

Selected Grants

Amount awarded Grant and project details
$3,164,215 National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), 2021-25
“Overcoming Androgen Misuse and Abuse”
Investigator: Handelsman

Our Publications

2024

Handelsman DJ. Muscle Memory: Gathering the Data, Lifting the Veil. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2024 Feb 20;109(3):e1305-e1306. doi: 10.1210/clinem/dgad489. PMID: 37595262.
Handelsman DJ, Idan A, Sleiman S, Bacha F, Long GV, Menzies AM, Vaishnav T, Litkouhi N, Volckmar X, Ledger W, Anazodo A. Testicular function after non-cytotoxic and immunotherapy drug treatment. Andrology. 2024 May;12(4):891-898. doi: 10.1111/andr.13546. Epub 2023 Oct 27. PMID: 37889046.
Handelsman DJ, Sartorius G, Desai R, Idan A, Turner L, Savkovic S, Ly LP, Forbes E, Allan CA, McLachlan R, Conway AJ. Sex steroids and androgen biomarkers in the healthy man study: within-person variability and impact of fasting. Eur J Endocrinol. 2024 Jan 3;190(1):54-61. doi: 10.1093/ejendo/lvad178. PMID: 38141148.
Nie T, Venkatesh VS, Golub S, Stok KS, Hemmatian H, Desai R, Handelsman DJ, Zajac JD, Grossmann M, Davey RA. Estradiol increases cortical and trabecular bone accrual and bone strength in an adolescent male-to-female mouse model of gender-affirming hormone therapy. Bone Res. 2024 Jan 11;12(1):1. doi: 10.1038/s41413-023-00308-2. PMID: 38212599; PMCID: PMC10784310.
Wizgier D, Meng Y, Das A, Naganathan V, Blyth F, Le Couteur DG, Handelsman DJ, Waite LM, Ribeiro RV, Shivappa N, Hébert JR, Hirani V. The association of dietary antioxidants and the inflammatory potential of the diet with poor physical function and disability in older Australian men: the Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project. Br J Nutr. 2024 May 14;131(9):1528-1539. doi: 10.1017/S0007114524000126. Epub 2024 Jan 15. PMID: 38220224; PMCID: PMC11043910.
Luong R, Ribeiro R, Naganathan V, Blyth F, Waite LM, Handelsman DJ, Le Couteur DG, Seibel MJ, Hirani V. Cross-sectional and longitudinal associations between empirically derived dietary patterns and frailty among older men: The Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project. J Nutr Health Aging. 2024 Jan;28(1):100021. doi: 10.1016/j.jnha.2023.100021. Epub 2024 Jan 1. PMID: 38267155.
Handelsman DJ. Letter to the Editor From Handelsman: "Clinical Utility of GnRH Analogues in Female Androgen Excess: Highlighting Diagnostic and Therapeutic Applications". JCEM Case Rep. 2024 Feb 6;2(2):luae012. doi: 10.1210/jcemcr/luae012. PMID: 38322546; PMCID: PMC10846465.
Yu C, Bakshi A, Bell RJ, Islam RM, Handelsman DJ, McNeil JJ, Lacaze P, Davis SR. Genome-wide association study identifies genetic regulation of oestrone concentrations and association with endometrial cancer risk in postmenopausal women. EBioMedicine. 2024 Mar;101:104997. doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2024.104997. Epub 2024 Feb 6. PMID: 38324981; PMCID: PMC10862393.
Grossmann M, Robledo KP, Daniel M, Handelsman DJ, Inder WJ, Stuckey BGA, Yeap BB, Ng Tang Fui M, Bracken K, Allan CA, Jesudason D, Zajac JD, Wittert GA. Testosterone Treatment, Weight Loss, and Health-related Quality of Life and Psychosocial Function in Men: A 2-year Randomized Controlled Trial. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2024 Jul 12;109(8):2019-2028. doi: 10.1210/clinem/dgae085. PMID: 38335137; PMCID: PMC11244181.
Handelsman DJ, Wittert GA. Testosterone and Depression Symptoms in Aging Men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2024 Aug 13;109(9):e1798-e1799. doi: 10.1210/clinem/dgae093. PMID: 38366772.
Luong R, Ribeiro R, Naganathan V, Blyth F, Waite LM, Handelsman DJ, Le Couteur DG, Seibel MJ, Hirani V. Empirically derived dietary patterns are associated with major adverse cardiovascular events, all-cause mortality, and congestive cardiac failure in older men: The Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project. J Nutr Health Aging. 2024 Feb;28(2):100020. doi: 10.1016/j.jnha.2023.100020. Epub 2024 Jan 1. PMID: 38388114.
Handelsman DJ, Idan A, Desai R, Grainger J, Goebel C, Sleiman S, Savkovic S, Kouzios D, Jayadev V, Conway AJ. Single and multi-dose pharmacology of recombinant and urinary human chorionic gonadotrophin in men. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2024 Jul;101(1):42-50. doi: 10.1111/cen.15040. Epub 2024 Mar 6. PMID: 38446525.
Desai R, Savkovic S, Handelsman DJ. Dried blood spot sampling of testosterone microdosing in healthy females. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2024 Jun;240:106496. doi: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2024.106496. Epub 2024 Mar 4. PMID: 38447904.
Handelsman DJ. Toward a Robust Definition of Sport Sex. Endocr Rev. 2024 Sep 12;45(5):709-736. doi: 10.1210/endrev/bnae013. PMID: 38578952.
Yeap BB, Marriott RJ, Dwivedi G, Adams RJ, Antonio L, Ballantyne CM, Bauer DC, Bhasin S, Biggs ML, Cawthon PM, Couper DJ, Dobs AS, Flicker L, Handelsman DJ, Hankey GJ, Hannemann A, Haring R, Hsu B, Martin SA, Matsumoto AM, Mellström D, Ohlsson C, O'Neill TW, Orwoll ES, Quartagno M, Shores MM, Steveling A, Tivesten Å, Travison TG, Vanderschueren D, Wittert GA, Wu FCW, Murray K. Associations of Testosterone and Related Hormones With All-Cause and Cardiovascular Mortality and Incident Cardiovascular Disease in Men : Individual Participant Data Meta-analyses. Ann Intern Med. 2024 Jun;177(6):768-781. doi: 10.7326/M23-2781. Epub 2024 May 14. PMID: 38739921.
Milledge K, Cumming RG, Wright FAC, Naganathan V, Blyth FM, Le Couteur DG, Waite LM, Handelsman DJ, Hirani V. Cross-Sectional Associations between Nutrient Intake and Tooth Decay in Older Australian Men: The Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project. Caries Res. 2024;58(5):488-501. doi: 10.1159/000531454. Epub 2024 May 13. PMID: 38740005.
Handelsman DJ, Davis SR. Measuring serum testosterone in women. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2024 Jul;12(7):437-439. doi: 10.1016/S2213-8587(24)00134-7. Epub 2024 May 22. PMID: 38795720.
Venkatesh VS, Nie T, Golub S, Stok KS, Hemmatian H, Desai R, Handelsman DJ, Zajac JD, Grossmann M, Davey RA. High circulating concentrations of estradiol are anabolic for bone mass and strength in an adult male to female transgender mouse model. Bone. 2024 Sep;186:117143. doi: 10.1016/j.bone.2024.117143. Epub 2024 Jun 10. PMID: 38866125.
McMartin MC, Savkovic S, Romano A, Lim S, Muir CA, Jayadev V, Conway AJ, Seccombe L, Handelsman DJ. Testosterone and Erythrocyte Lifespan. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2024 Dec 18;110(1):114-122. doi: 10.1210/clinem/dgae434. PMID: 38912796.
Sleiman S, Bacha F, Di Pierro I, Idan A, Savkovic S, Muir CA, Zhang T, Jayadev V, Conway AJ, Handelsman DJ. Natural history of autologous sperm cryostorage. Hum Reprod. 2024 Dec 1;39(12):2655-2662. doi: 10.1093/humrep/deae217. PMID: 39327236.
Shankara-Narayana N, Yu B, Qian J, Allen S, Reyes B, Cheong A, Daniele J, Sleiman S, Bacha F, Jayadev V, Handelsman DJ. Successful colonization of the testicular germinal epithelium by bone marrow stem cells producing spermatozoa of donor genotype is rare. Andrology. 2024 Nov 17. doi: 10.1111/andr.13799. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39551624.
Pandher R, Chang R, Chang Y, Hibbs DE, Du JJ, McGrath K, Heather A, Jayadev V, Handelsman DJ. Molecular mechanism of androgen receptor mutation in multigenerational mild androgen insensitivity syndrome. Endocr Connect. 2024 Dec 20;14(1):e240567. doi: 10.1530/EC-24-0567. PMID: 39555589; PMCID: PMC11728921.

Our Presentations

2024

Loveland KL, Hutchison C, Whiley PAF, Trim PJ, Handelsman DJ, Snel MF, Hobbs RM. Activin A Modulation of Reproductive Development and Pathology Through Impacts on Steroids and Lipids. Proceedings of the Society for the Study of Reproduction, Dublin, July 2024.
Lewis D, Handelsman DJ. Recovery of spermatogenesis after cessation of gender-affirming hormone therapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Proceeding of the Endocrine Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting, Adelaide, November 2024.
Sleiman S, Bacha F, Di Pierro I, Idan A, Savkovic S, Muir CA, Zhang T, Jayadev V, Conway AJ, Handelsman DJ. Natural History of Autologous Sperm Cryostorage. Proceeding of the Endocrine Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting, Adelaide, November 2024.
Marriott RJ, Murray K, Antonio L, Bhasin S, Dobs AS, Flicker L, Handelsman DJ, Hankey GJ, Haring R, Matsumoto AM, Ohlsson C, Orwoll ES, Vanderschueren D, Vesper H, Wittert GA, Wu FCW, Yeap BB. Associations of testosterone and sex hormone-binding globulin with risks of cancer death, incident cancer, and incident prostate cancer in men. Proceeding of the Endocrine Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting, Adelaide, November 2024.