Dr Gary Harton, currently Group Senior Vice President of Commercial Development at PROGYNY has recently been appointed as Honorary Senior Lecturer.

Gary Harton is a distinguished scientist in the field of reproductive medicine, particularly preimplantation genetic diagnosis and screening (PGD and PGS). He has helped steer a number of graduate students currently enrolled in the University to the PhD by distance program and has hence, with Professor Griffin, been a Pioneer in setting up this program. Dr Harton has worked both in diagnostic labs and in industry, is highly published in the field and brings a unique understanding of the various stages of the program and can thus help and guide students towards many career options. He has also worked with individual research students to help them progress through their graduate work.

Gary has previously held posts as Associate Director for Market Development at BlueGnome and Laboratory Director at Reprogenetics in New Jersey and the Genetics & IVF Institute in Fairfax Virginia. He has been an Associate Editor of the journal Human Reproduction and Chair of the ESHRE PGD Consortium, and “PGD Guideline” Task Force. He has published over 50 full length, peer-reviewed, original articles and five book chapters on Developmental Biology, Assisted Reproduction and Reproductive Genetics and has presented at over 100 international forums.

Gary will contribute to the MSc in Reproductive Medicine as well as help develop an international programme for PhD students studying overseas but registered in Kent.

Dr Helen Tempest, a former post-doctoral researcher in the School of Biosciences, was the runner up in the recent BritWeek awards.

BritWeek was initiated in 2007 (by Nigel Lythgoe and the then Consul General Bob Peirce) to highlight creative fusion between the UK and the USA. BritWeek’s stated mission is to generate greater awareness of the multitude of ways in which the UK and the US work closely together, and further build this relationship to advance business, the arts, and philanthropy. Every Spring, BritWeek hosts a program of events that promotes British creativity, innovation and excellence in California across multiple categories including, film & television, music, art, fashion, design, retail, sport, philanthropy, business, and science. The events attract support from thousands of people, including international celebrities as well as business and political leaders; Helen travelled to Hollywood in April to receive her award.

Helen did her BSc in Applied Biology Brunel University and, under the supervision of Professor Darren Griffin, did her PhD thesis on chromosome abnormality in human sperm. He current research focuses on the genetic aspects of infertility and toxicants in humans utilizing molecular technologies. She moved to the University of Kent in 2004 to work on avian genomics; there she became interested in combining nanotechnology with conventional genetic techniques. In 2006, she joined the University of Calgary where she investigated the effect of chemotherapy on sperm genetics, and genetic recombination. During 2008-2009 she returned to the UK to devote her efforts to genetic diagnosis of IVF embryos working at the London Bridge Centre with the world’s leading group in this area. She has published ~30 manuscripts in the top reproduction and cytogenetic journals, and was recipient of 2006 and 2007 Petro Canada Young Innovators Awards as well as the 2006 Champion Technologies Award. She has successfully raised research funding of the equivalent of over £1.6 million and is currently Secretary General of the International Chromosome and Genome Society. In 2009 she was appointed to the Faculty as Assistant Professor at Florida International University (FIU) and established a reference reproductive genetics laboratory that became a pivotal component of joint efforts between the College of Medicine and College of Engineering to develop novel, robust, and sensitive methods for monitoring exposure to chemical toxins. She has also pioneered teaching programs for medical students at FIU and has been session chair and invited speaker at numerous international conferences.

Dr Tempest also gives regular, enthusiastically received “general science talks” to the public, medics and schools including: “Genome Sequencing: The Dawn of Personalized Medicine” “Semen assessments: are there better ways to predict male fertility?” “The Genetic basis of Male Infertility” and “To Err Meiotically is Human”. In 2007 she was Invited to present and participate in the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research. A Workshop for High school Science Teachers and students to experience hands-on research and learn about the latest developments in healthcare

Her work on Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis has benefitted hundreds of couples seeking to avoid having children with gross genetic abnormalities while her work on biosensors capable of detecting unspecified DNA damage by exposure to genotoxic agents has benefitted military personnel in the US.

Helen said “I am honoured to receive a BritWeek Innovation in Academia Award. It is especially rewarding that my scientific and educational contribution have been recognized by my peers. Pursuing research and educating future physicians in the rapidly evolving field of medical genetics has been, and continues to be extremely rewarding career.”

In choosing her for the award in the category of science and technology, BritWeek noted that Helen’s professional accomplishments “have made a lasting impact in the field of higher education [and] have earned the respect and admiration of [her] professional colleagues.”

The award ceremony took place April 30 in Los Angeles and was presented by Professor Dame Julia Goodfellow, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Kent.

CISoR members have been successful in winning two Public Engagement with Research Fund grants. The first initiative (Lab rejects) will be headed by Dan Lloyd and the second (Café Scientifique: Science, Law and Bioethics – Unmasked) by Pamela White

Lab rejects (Dan Lloyd, Rebekah Higgitt, Darren Griffin)

As technologies advance, once-valuable equipment becomes redundant. The fast-evolving nature of biological research means that once essential equipment begins to gather dust as newer models emerge. And yet this equipment can reveal so much about the culture of research, the contribution of technology to knowledge and training, and the rapid evolution of the “state-of-the-art”, while providing insight into world-leading biological research at Kent. Lab Rejects is stimulated by a recent collaborative project with the School of History, entitled Chain Reaction!, which used interdisciplinary approaches to explore biological technologies. This extended art-science residency in the School of Biosciences culminated in an exhibition in the Sidney Cooper Gallery marking the 30^th anniversary of the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). The success of this event, based on a rather humble and unassuming piece of machinery, illustrated how technological resources within the School of Biosciences can be harnessed for public engagement and informal learning, particularly when viewed from different disciplines and perspectives. Lab Rejects will build upon this approach to engage the public and encourage informal learning, through an exhibition of decommissioned research equipment. The aim of the exhibition will be to explore the evolution “state-of-the-art” technologies within the biological sciences by interrogating specific artifacts that form part of a collection anchored within a specific biological research context. It is hoped that the exhibition will form a blueprint that would leave a legacy for future use of the equipment archive in different research contexts and venues,

Café Scientifique: Science, Law and Bioethics – Unmasked (Pamela White, Sally Sheldon, Ellie Lee, Darren Griffin)

Café Scientifique seeks to democratize academic research by taking it out of the domain of the expert and enabling everyone to voice an opinion. A Café Scientifique pulls scholarly academic research away from its usual habitats of the classroom and the laboratory and into pubs, bars, and restaurants, demystifying new developments and opening them up for public debate. This new set of 6 Cafés will provide an opportunity to bring together researchers and members of the public to spark a discussion about some of the most interesting, and sometimes contentious, research currently underway at the University of Kent in genetics, reproduction and the family. The aim in hosting the proposed series of 6 Cafés is to inform, interest and engage people outside of the university in the research being undertaken by Kent staff and students. The Cafés will appeal to those interested in the social, legal and bioethical implications of reproductive science, but who generally don’t have the opportunity to discuss their views with and to ask questions of lawyers, social scientists, bioethicists and geneticists. By holding the Cafés in a an off-campus location (at Ye Olde Beverlie) and featuring a sustained program of research on topics of high social importance we plan to break down barriers between the university and the community, foster idea exchange and enable both groups to contribute to learning and knowledge sharing.

Tentative programme (subject to change)

1. October 13, 2015. ‘Designer babies – one step further on the slippery slope?’   Professor Darren Griffin (School of Biosciences), Professor Simon Kirchin (Philosophy). Moderator, Professor Sally Sheldon (KLS).
2. November 10, 2015. ‘Reproductive labours: surrogacy, egg sharing and reproduction in the 21^st century?’ Kirsty Horsey, Katia Neofytou. Moderator Dr. Karen Devine (KLS).
3. December 08, 2015: ‘Maintaining the reproductive edge: Should UK companies pay for employee social egg freezing?’  Antony Blackburn-Starza (KLS), Dr. Emily Grabben (KLS), Bridge Fertility Clinic physician. Moderator, Dr. Pamela White (KLS).
4. February 9, 2016. “Anti-vaccine conspiracy theories and vaccination behaviour’, Karen Douglas, Moderator Professor Robbie Sutton (Psychology).
5. March 8, 2016. ‘Should the state define what makes a good parent?’ Ellie Lee (SPSSR), Moderator Dr. Ruth Cain (KLS).
6. April 12, 2016 ‘Learning about stress from our early ancestors’, Sarah Johns (Anthropology), Moderator Darren Griffin.

The unusually named “Pig Breeders’ Round Table” (PBRT) was held at the University of Kent in April 2015 bringing together industrialists, scientists, students and farmers in a unique setting.

Despite the images that the title of this forum might conjure up, PBRT is a long standing, high quality scientific meeting that has built up an enviable reputation as one of the best international conferences in livestock genetics. Established as an influential industry and research discussion group in 1964, PBRT regularly discusses pig breeding, embryo technology, new genes affecting meat quality, infertility and the latest in modern genomics.

PBRT has, from its outset, been a small, friendly bi-annual meeting with interesting science and stimulating discussion. For the first 40+ years of its life finding a home at Wye College, it moved “up the road” in 2008 to the University of Kent under the chairmanship of Darren Griffin. This year’s programme included gems such as “Testicle size in relation to male fertility”; “Genomics of teat number”; “The genetics of maternal aggression” and the, now traditional, “Pig genome sequence update” delivered by Professor Alan Archibald of the Roslin Institute

The meeting provided an excellent opportunity to present and discuss new results with an informed and interested audience and University of Kent members, past and present were well represented. These included Dr Peter Ellis (new lecturer in the School of Biosciences), Dr Ben Skinner (Kent PhD 2009, now at the University of Cambridge) and Dr Katie Fowler (Kent PhD 2012, now lecturer at Canterbury Christchurch University).

Delegates from the UK, Netherlands, Denmark, Italy and Canada (amongst others) were well treated by the Kent Hospitality staff in Keynes College and completed proceedings at the Hotel Continental in Whitstable for Oysters and Fish and Chips (anything but pork!) and one of the best sunsets that the Kent coast had to offer.

Dr Kara Turner (Biosciences) gave the opening talk of the Neonatal Society meeting at Great Ormond Street hospital in March.

The second CISoR newsletter has just been published detailing our first two events, our contributions to national news and debate as well as the latest in research and outreach.

This and the previous newsletter can be found by following this link….

http://www.kent.ac.uk/cisor/Newsletters.html

Dr Kirsty Horsey of the Kent Law School comments on the recent case where a single man who had a child by surrogacy (where his mum was the surrogate) was allowed by the court to adopt the child, becoming its legal father: “A surrogacy conundrum that didn’t need to be” on the Bionews website, see link below…

http://www.bionews.org.uk/page_507198.asp

The Griffin lab in collaboration with the Bridge Centre (part of the London Women’s Clinic Group), the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford and the company Illumina Inc have taken a step closer to the full implementation of a universal test for the diagnosis of genetic disease in human embryos. The first paper (Natesan et al 2014) published in the Journal RBM Online described the clinical application of the approach (known as “Karyomapping”) for the detection of both gross genomic (chromosomal) abnormalities and the disease “Smith-Lemli-Opitz (SLO) syndrome.” SLO is a debilitating disease that affects many parts of the body e.g. a small head size, intellectual impairment, malformations of the heart, lungs, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, and genitalia are also common. SLO infants typically also have a weak muscle tone, problems with feeding, slow growth, fused toes and extra fingers. Current diagnostic methods have the drawback of time and cost related concerns associated with tailoring a specific test for each couple and/or disorder. The family in question underwent IVF followed by Karyomapping, which was used to confirm “gold standard” approaches for the detection of genetic disorders.

Karyomapping, unlike the standard approaches performed alongside it, required no a priori test development. A singleton pregnancy and live birth, unaffected with SLO syndrome and with no chromosome abnormality arose. The study demonstrated that Karyomapping is potentially capable of detecting a wide spectrum of disorders. The second study (Thornhill et al. 2015) published in the Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics established that Karyomapping could be used for the detection of Marfan Syndrome. This disease has far more variable features than SLO but can include enlargement of the aorta (which can cause a range of clinical problems and be life threatening) as well as problems with the connective tissue in the heart, lungs and skin. In this case, a couple, where the male partner was affected by Marfan syndrome underwent IVF and Karyomapping which, again, was used to confirm the gold-standard approaches in a clinical setting. A twin pregnancy ensued and neither children were affected with the disease – sadly however one of the babies died just after birth on an infection (which was unrelated to the procedure). The surviving twin however is fit and healthy. The manuscript features on the front page of the journal and was co-authored by University of Kent honorary staff Alan Handyside, Michael Summers and Alan Thornhill, recent PhD graduate Gary Harton and PhD student Christian Ottolini. Senior author on both papers Professor Darren Griffin said “I’m delighted to see these two papers published. They demonstrate the power and wide applicability of Karyomapping

Natesan SA, Handyside AH, Thornhill AR, Ottolini CS, Sage K, Summers MC, Konstantinidis M, Wells D, Griffin DK. Live birth after PGD with confirmation by a comprehensive approach (karyomapping) for simultaneous detection of monogenic and chromosomal disorders. Reprod Biomed Online. 2014 Nov;29(5):600-5. doi: 10.1016/j.rbmo.2014.07.007.

Thornhill AR, Handyside AH, Ottolini C, Natesan SA, Taylor J, Sage K, Harton G, Cliffe K, Affara N, Konstantinidis M, Wells D, Griffin DK. Karyomapping-a comprehensive means of simultaneous monogenic and cytogenetic PGD: comparison with standard approaches in real time for Marfan syndrome. J Assist Reprod Genet. 2015 Mar;32(3):347-56. doi: 10.1007/s10815-014-0405-y.