Sammy Lee (scientist)



Sammy Lee (born Samuel Lee, 1958) is an expert on in vitro fertilisation.

Lee is acknowledged as an expert by the BBC and the newspapers. ,, . His book "Counselling in male infertility" was published in 1996 by Blackwell's, Oxford (ISBN 0-632-03906-X). He has also contributed a number of newspapers articles himself. , Lee was the “inspiration” for Anthony Ling, the character in the novel ‘One Life’ by Rebecca Frayn (Simon & Schuster 2006, ISBN 0-7432-6876-8).

Career
Research Associate in Biophysics (1982-1984). University College London

Research Associate Dept. of Anatomy & Embryology (1984-1985). University College London

Laboratory Director in the IVF unit at the Humana Hospital Wellington in London (1985-1986) , Consultant Clinical Embryologist, UK division of Ares Serono (world's leading human recombinant pharmaceutical company) including the Bourn Hallam Group.

Scientific Director of the Colchester Fertility Service (1992 to 2001)

Consultant Scientist and Director of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) at the Portland Hospital for Women & Children (1995-2003)

Acting Scientific Director for the Chelsea & Westminster Hospital (1999-2000).

Honorary Senior Research Fellow (BK's title on retirement from Biophysics) in Reproductive Medicine at the Homerton Hospital (2000-2005)

Honorary Lecturer in the Anatomy & Developmental Biology Dept., University College London (2003-present).

Visiting Professor in Biomedical Science at the ABC Medical School in São Paulo, Brasil (2006-present).

Current Research
Dr Sammy Lee’s current interests lie in the field of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. He is collaborating with various groups in the Anatomy Department at University College London examining the potential of bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells to give rise to neuronal/glial lineages in response to various growth factors and tissue culture manipulations. Sammy also teaches ethics in reproduction at University College London. In addition, he is also interested in the potential of umbilical cord derived stem cells to give rise to neuronal and glial cells in collaboration with ABC University of Sao Paolo, Brazil. His vast experience in IVF and embryo manipulation has also enabled him to routinely perform single cell analysis and study clonal populations of stem cells in culture. He is a regular visitor of the London Regenerative Medicine Network meetings, where he regularly meets old colleagues from times of IVF and embryo research, who have sometimes aired different opinions to him in the media regarding IVF and its role in society in the past.

Biography
Lee first published research in neuroscience during the 1980s (from the Biophysics department at UCL), working on nerve-muscle interaction; this ranged from examining TTX-resistant action potentials in denervated muscle to studying cholinesterase activity in dissociated adult muscle fibres and followed up work first carried out in the same department by Bill Betz and Bert Sakmann, Nobel Prize winner, 1991.

With the realisation that many of the questions framed by his neuroscience research were rooted in the matter of differentiation, Lee concentrated on embryology, which led to work on gap junctions in early mammalian embryos (in the Anatomy & Embryology department at UCL), where work with Anne Warner FRS and Anne McLaren DBE FRS produced new information on factors affecting communication between cells and their developmental potential. ,

Lee became a clinical embryologist in 1985, when he directed the IVF laboratory at the Wellington Hospital in London, then one of the largest units in the world. Consultancy work with the UK division of Ares Serono (1986-1994) also involved work with the Bourn Hallam Group, where Patrick Steptoe and Bob Edwards had setup after Louise Brown's birth. From 1995 to 2002 Lee was based at the Portland Hospital for Women & Children, where time was spent writing books and book chapters. , ,

Lee is now based again at UCL. He is interested in tissue engineering and teaching ethics in reproduction. After 20 years as an IVF laboratory director and a consultant grade clinical scientist, Lee is now working on tissue engineering and stem cells. He is mainly concerned with background research on stem cells and progenitors. He believes that characterising such cells in vitro is worthwhile before using them in clinical trials. Perhaps in the future, stem cells will be trialled after a considerable evidence base has been established for their use. Furthermore, Dr Lee now lectures in the 'Ethics of Fertility and Embryo Development' for second year undergraduates. Students commend him on his ability to deliver material in a very understandable manner and jolly persona.

Lee has previously served as an international editor of the Brazilian Journal of Assisted Reproduction. He has served as a Trustee and director of several charities. His curriculum vitae lists numerous scientific publications. He was elected as a fellow of the Royal Society of Health and the Royal Society of Medicine, both in 1987.

Lee is no stranger to controversy. In addition to his work in IVF, he has had a few differences of opinion with the HFEA, most notably over the issue of human cloning. , If it may be done safely and effectively, it may be morally justifiable. Like Professor Ian Wilmut, Lee believes that human cloning may bring benefits to mankind in the long run. Lee also wrote an article in the Sunday Times (10th November 2002) in the aftermath of a number of high profile embryo transfer mixups in several human IVF clinics. Lee's article was mentioned a number of times in various sessions in the House of Lords (Hansard 2002).

Education and experience
Lee’s was educated at Mill Hill School from 1971 to 1976 obtaining 9 GCSE’s and 3 A-Levels. From there he left to attend King’s College London (KQC). Here he studied for a BSc in Physiology, graduating in 1979. He then moved to take up a PhD position at University College London. Under the supervision of Prof. Ricardo Miledi, with invaluable advice and help from Prof. Bernard Katz (BK), he completed his PhD in Biophysics, in the famous ‘School of Katz’. Later study at the London Hospital Medical College resulted in completion of a Diploma in Counselling in 1991, and in 2004 Lee qualified for a PGCE at the University of Greenwich.

Following his PhD, Lee was a Research Associate in the Dept. of Anatomy & Embryology at UCL. In 1985, he took up a job as a Laboratory Director in the famous IVF unit at the Humana Hospital Wellington in London, then one of the largest IVF units in the world. Subsequently, Lee became a Consultant Clinical Embryologist at the world famous Bourn Hallam Group.

From 1992 to 2001 Lee acted as Scientific Director for ‘The Colchester Fertility Service’. In 1995 he took up a similar role as Consultant Scientist for the Portland Hospital for Women & Children which he held until 2002. In 1999 he took on a third role, as a Scientific Director for the Chelsea & Westminster Hospital, holding this role until 2000. In 2002 he was appointed an Honorary Senior Research Fellow (the same role that BK fulfilled in Biophysics after his retirement) in Reproductive Medicine at the Homerton Hospital, holding this position until 2005. In 2003 (to present day) Lee was appointed an Honorary Lecturer in the Anatomy & Developmental Biology Dept. at University College London. Lee is also now a Visiting Professor in Biomedical Science at the ABC Medical School in São Paulo Brasil.

Trivia
Lee has been the acquaintance of many famous scientists, some of whom inspired him. As a "postdoc" Lee was good friends with Claudio Stern, now Prof Claudio Stern, Head of the Anatomy & Developmental Biology department at UCL. Lee was also inspired by Professor Harold Ellis, a surgeon from the Westminster Hospital, a next door neighbour for over ten years.

Lee was on good terms with senior Biophysics' colleagues from the "sixth floor" such as EJ Harris, Paul Fatt, Gertrude Falk, Rolf Niedergerke and Sally Page; an unusual feat for an inhabitant of the "fifth floor". Rumour has it that a number of the above worked on Radar during World War II. Other notable friends and acquaintances included Geoff Burnstock (Anatomy Chair), Bob Lieberman (erstwhile dean of Life Sciences, UCL), Gerta Vrbova who was PhD supervisor to a number of Lee's friends.

The late Prof Michael Hull with whom Lee collaborated in a few projects, Jacques Cohen, Ian Craft and the late Dave Bromham, all loom large in Lee's IVF career. There are also three IVF acquaintances whom Lee found kindly, helpful and hugely inspiring. They are Howard & the late Georgeanna Jones who pioneered IVF in USA and Bob Edwards.

Lee is a "signatory" amongst about fifty members of the School of Katz on a Memento which was presented to Professor Sir Bernard Katz in 1989 by Sir Andrew Huxley on the occasion of a special conference celebrating his wonderful life and career.

Lee's team at the Wellington pioneered the first UK practise of gamete Intra-fallopian Transfer (GIFT), The GIFT of Life (a technique invented by Ricardo Asch in the USA). The team was the second to carry out GIFT and then proceeded to post the largest series in the world in 1986. ,, ,

Lee also helped perform some of the first egg donations in the UK, when directing the Wellington Hospital IVF Laboratory.

Lee pioneered a simple inexpensive efficient form of Mechanical Assisted Hatching in the UK.

Lee produced the world's first intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI with NASBA virus assay) virus free baby to an HIV discordant couple.

Lee has many media appearances having been on many TV shows as well as writing a number of newspapers articles. He has written books of his own: such as Counselling in Male Infertility (Blackwell's, Oxford 1996), and has also been a contributor/consultant in such books as The Miraculous World of The Unborn Baby (Quadrillion, Godalming, Surrey 1998) ISBN 1-85833-966-9, Natural Fertility (Hamlyn 2002) ISBN 0-600-60396-2 and Inconceivable Conceptions  (Routledge) ISBN 1-58391-168-5.