Roger Gordon Gosden (born 23 September 1948) is a British-American
physiologist
Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical a ...
in the field of female
reproductive medicine
Reproductive medicine is a branch of medicine concerning the male and female reproductive systems. It encompasses a variety of reproductive conditions, their prevention and assessment, as well as their subsequent treatment and prognosis.
Reprodu ...
. His scientific research focused on understanding the basic biology of development and
senescence
Senescence () or biological aging is the gradual deterioration of functional characteristics in living organisms. The word ''senescence'' can refer to either cellular senescence or to senescence of the whole organism. Organismal senescence inv ...
of ovaries in women, including mathematically modeling those processes. He did important
translational research
Translational research (also called translation research, translational science, or, when the context is clear, simply translation) is research aimed at translating (converting) results in basic research into results that directly benefit humans. ...
on
ovarian tissue cryopreservation Ovarian tissue cryopreservation is cryopreservation of tissue of the ovary of a female.
Indications
Cryopreservation of ovarian tissue is of interest to women who want fertility preservation beyond the natural limit, or whose reproductive potential ...
and transplantation.
Early life and education
Gosden was born on 23 September 1948 at
Ryde
Ryde is an English seaside town and civil parish on the north-east coast of the Isle of Wight. The built-up area had a population of 23,999 according to the 2011 Census and an estimate of 24,847 in 2019. Its growth as a seaside resort came af ...
on the
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...
,
the son of Gordon Gosden and Peggy Gosden, ''née'' Butcher.
He went to
Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School in
Sidcup
Sidcup is an area of south-east London, England, primarily in the London Borough of Bexley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, bordering the London Boroughs of London Borough of Bromley, Bromley and Royal Borough of Greenwich, Greenwich. Before ...
, Kent,
and then took a
BSc
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...
from the
University of Bristol
, mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'')
, established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter
, type ...
in 1970.
[ He did post-graduate work under Robert Edwards at ]Darwin College, Cambridge
Darwin College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded on 28 July 1964, Darwin was Cambridge University's first graduate-only college, and also the first to admit both men and women. The college is named after one of the ...
, where he graduated PhD PHD or PhD may refer to:
* Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification
Entertainment
* '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series
* ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic
* Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group
** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...
in 1974 with a thesis
A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...
on ''Reproductive senescence in female rodents''.
Scientific career
Gosden was a lecturer in physiology
Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...
at the University of Edinburgh Medical School
The University of Edinburgh Medical School (also known as Edinburgh Medical School) is the medical school of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and the United Kingdom and part of the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine. It was esta ...
from 1976 to 1994,[ a professor of reproductive sciences at ]Leeds School of Medicine
The School of Medicine is the medical school of the University of Leeds, in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The School of Medicine was founded in 1831.
The School of Medicine now forms part of the University's Faculty of Medicine an ...
from 1994 to 1999,[ and scientific director of reproductive biology at ]McGill University Health Centre
The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC; french: Centre universitaire de santé McGill) is one of two major healthcare networks in the city of Montreal, Quebec. It is affiliated with McGill University and is one of the largest medical complex in ...
from 1999 to 2001. His departure from the UK was the hook
A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...
for an article in ''The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' about a wave of scientists emigrating from the UK due to negative public opinion about scientists in the UK.[ In 2001, Gosden became the director of scientific research at the Jones Institute for Reproductive Medicine at ]Eastern Virginia Medical School
Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) is a public medical school in Norfolk, Virginia. Founded by grassroots efforts in the Southeastern part of Virginia known as Hampton Roads, EVMS is not affiliated with an undergraduate institution and co ...
,[ where he was named the Howard & Georgeanna Professor of Reproductive Medicine.][ He left the Jones Institute in 2004 to become research director of reproductive biology at ]Weill Cornell Medicine
The Joan & Sanford I. Weill Medical College of Cornell University is Cornell University's biomedical research unit and medical school located in Upper East Side, Manhattan, New York City, New York.
Weill Cornell Medicine is affiliated with NewY ...
, where his wife was on the faculty; part of the reason why Gosden left the institute was negative public opinion and criticism due to its creation in 2001 of an embryonic stem cell
Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are pluripotent stem cells derived from the inner cell mass of a blastocyst, an early-stage pre- implantation embryo. Human embryos reach the blastocyst stage 4–5 days post fertilization, at which time they consi ...
line, as was noted in a report in the journal, ''Science
Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe.
Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...
''.[ He retired from research in 2010.][
Gosden's research was focused on understanding, forecasting and treating ]infertility
Infertility is the inability of a person, animal or plant to reproduce by natural means. It is usually not the natural state of a healthy adult, except notably among certain eusocial species (mostly haplodiploid insects). It is the normal state ...
.[ His work focused on understanding basic biology around development and ]senescence
Senescence () or biological aging is the gradual deterioration of functional characteristics in living organisms. The word ''senescence'' can refer to either cellular senescence or to senescence of the whole organism. Organismal senescence inv ...
of ovarian follicle
An ovarian follicle is a roughly spheroid cellular aggregation set found in the ovaries. It secretes hormones that influence stages of the menstrual cycle. At the time of puberty, women have approximately 200,000 to 300,000 follicles, each with th ...
s and ovaries in women, including trying to mathematically model those processes, and he did important translational research
Translational research (also called translation research, translational science, or, when the context is clear, simply translation) is research aimed at translating (converting) results in basic research into results that directly benefit humans. ...
on ovarian tissue cryopreservation Ovarian tissue cryopreservation is cryopreservation of tissue of the ovary of a female.
Indications
Cryopreservation of ovarian tissue is of interest to women who want fertility preservation beyond the natural limit, or whose reproductive potential ...
and on ovary transplantation; his interests also extended to uterus transplantation
A uterine transplant is a surgical procedure whereby a healthy uterus is transplanted into an organism of which the uterus is absent or diseased. As part of normal mammalian sexual reproduction, a diseased or absent uterus does not allow normal em ...
.[ In 1994, Gosden and colleagues announced that they had successfully restored fertility to and achieved two live births in sheep through ovarian tissue ]autotransplantation
Autotransplantation is the organ transplantation, transplantation of Organ (anatomy), organs, Biological tissue, tissues, or even particular proteins from one part of the body to another in the same person (''wikt:auto-, auto-'' meaning "self" ...
, one of which had been frozen then thawed. In collaboration with Sherman Silber
Sherman J. Silber is physician specializing in the field of infertility. He invented many of the infertility treatments in use today in the domain of IVF, sperm retrieval, ICSI, vasectomy reversal, tubal ligation reversal, egg and embryo fre ...
, this technique was later extended to women using tissue or the entire ovary transplanted from an identical twin.[
] , there had been 86 live-births and were 9 on-going pregnancies directly as a result of these types of ovarian tissue transplantation.
Gosden was a scientific advisor to Celmatix, Inc., which was founded by his former student. He spoke out against the controversial claims made by OvaScience, a company founded in 2012, that it could help older women conceive using putative oogonial stem cells.
Personal life
Gosden married Carole Ann Walsh in 1971 and they had two sons before their divorce in 2003.[ In 2004 he married Lucinda Veeck, whom he had met at the Jones Institute in Norfolk when she was working there.] In the same year he moved to New York to work at Weill Cornell Medicine, where Veeck was director of clinical embryology.
In 2010, they both moved to Williamsburg, Virginia, where they run an independent publishing company, Jamestowne Bookworks, which Gosden opened as outlet for his own works, to allow him to control his own works after a life of assigning copyright to biomedical publishers, and to publish other people's work that interested him.
Honours and lectures
* Amoroso Lecture (2000) - Society for Reproduction and Fertility
''Reproduction'' is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal covering the cellular and molecular biology of reproduction, including the development of gametes and early embryos in all species; developmental processes such as cell differentiation, m ...
* Distinguished Scientist Lecture (2001) - American Society for Reproductive Medicine
The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) is a nonprofit, multidisciplinary organization for advancement of the science and practice of reproductive medicine. The society has its headquarters in Washington, D.C and its administrativ ...
[
* The Patrick Steptoe Memorial Lecture (2003) - British Fertility Society, ]Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...
* Honorary Fellow (2011) - British Fertility Society[
* ]Festschrift
In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...
to honour Roger Gosden (2011) - XVth Development and Function of Reproductive Organs International Conference
* Honorary Lifetime Board Member - International Society for Fertility Preservation
Books
* ''Biology of menopause: the causes and consequences of ovarian ageing''. Academic Press, 1985.
* (with Yves Aubard) ''Transplantation of Ovarian and Testicular Tissues''. Chapman & Hall, 1996.
* ''Cheating Time''. W. H. Freeman, 1999.
* ''Designing Babies: The Brave New World of Reproductive Technology'', 2000. W.H. Freeman.
* (with S.L. Tan) ''The Cryobiology of Assisted Reproduction: Gametes and Gonads''. Seminars in reproductive medicine. Thieme, 2002.
* (with Alan Trounson) ''Biology and Pathology of the Oocyte: Its Role in Fertility and Reproductive Medicine''. Cambridge University Press, 2003.
* (with Togas Tulandi) ''Preservation of Fertility''. Taylor & Francis, 2004.
* (with Alan Trounson and Ursula Eichenlaub-Ritter) ''Biology and Pathology of the Oocyte: Role in Fertility, Medicine and Nuclear Reprogramming''. Cambridge University Press, 2013.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gosden, Roger
1948 births
People educated at Chislehurst and Sidcup Grammar School
Alumni of Darwin College, Cambridge
People from Ryde
Living people
British physiologists