Human Fertility an international, multidisciplinary journal dedicated to furthering research and promoting good practice
ISSN: 1464-7273 (Print) 1742-8149 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ihuf20
John Biggers Henry Leese To cite this article: Henry Leese (2014) John Biggers, Human Fertility, 17:sup1, 1-1 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/14647273.2014.919180
Published online: 18 Jun 2014.
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Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=ihuf20 Download by: [University of Wisconsin Oshkosh]
Date: 13 November 2015, At: 01:29
Human Fertility, 2014; 17(S1): 1 © 2014 The British Fertility Society ISSN 1464-7273 print/ISSN 1742-8149 online DOI: 10.3109/14647273.2014.919180
EDITORIAL
Downloaded by [University of Wisconsin Oshkosh] at 01:29 13 November 2015
John Biggers I was privileged to work with John Biggers in 1980/1 and still have a copy of his CV from that time; what struck me then was the enormous number of PostDoctoral Fellows who had passed through his lab – 34 by 1980 – many of whom became household names in our field. Astonishingly, he has continued to be research active in his 80s with eight papers in the last 2 years! One of his long-standing colleagues, Michael Summers, has written a fine tribute to John – and there are reminiscences on the journal web pages from Michael and myself including some pictures spanning John’s career, plus an important piece by Michael on the history of the medium Potassium Simplex Optimised Medium (KSOM). We wish John and his wife Betsey, a distinguished academic in her own right, well. Long may he continue to illuminate our field.
In this issue of Human Fertility, we are delighted to celebrate the 90th birthday of John Biggers: Emeritus Professor of Cell Biology at Harvard Medical School and a pivotal figure in the history of mammalian early embryo culture and metabolism. John Biggers initially trained in Veterinary Science in London and after positions in the Universities of Sheffield and Sydney returned to London to work with the late Anne McLaren on research which led to one of the most significant papers in the history of reproductive biology and medicine; the Successful development and birth of mice cultivated in vitro as early embryos (McLaren and Biggers Nature 182: 997: 1958) which anticipated the arrival of clinical IVF. His subsequent career has been spent in the USA – in the Universities of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins and then Harvard – rather than in the UK, which most likely explains why he is less well-known here than he should be; something often mentioned to me by Bob Edwards who regarded him very highly.
HENRY LEESE Editor in Chief Hull York Medical School
1
ISSN: 1464-7273 (Print) 1742-8149 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ihuf20
John Biggers Henry Leese To cite this article: Henry Leese (2014) John Biggers, Human Fertility, 17:sup1, 1-1 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/14647273.2014.919180
Published online: 18 Jun 2014.
Submit your article to this journal
Article views: 51
View related articles
View Crossmark data
Full Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/action/journalInformation?journalCode=ihuf20 Download by: [University of Wisconsin Oshkosh]
Date: 13 November 2015, At: 01:29
Human Fertility, 2014; 17(S1): 1 © 2014 The British Fertility Society ISSN 1464-7273 print/ISSN 1742-8149 online DOI: 10.3109/14647273.2014.919180
EDITORIAL
Downloaded by [University of Wisconsin Oshkosh] at 01:29 13 November 2015
John Biggers I was privileged to work with John Biggers in 1980/1 and still have a copy of his CV from that time; what struck me then was the enormous number of PostDoctoral Fellows who had passed through his lab – 34 by 1980 – many of whom became household names in our field. Astonishingly, he has continued to be research active in his 80s with eight papers in the last 2 years! One of his long-standing colleagues, Michael Summers, has written a fine tribute to John – and there are reminiscences on the journal web pages from Michael and myself including some pictures spanning John’s career, plus an important piece by Michael on the history of the medium Potassium Simplex Optimised Medium (KSOM). We wish John and his wife Betsey, a distinguished academic in her own right, well. Long may he continue to illuminate our field.
In this issue of Human Fertility, we are delighted to celebrate the 90th birthday of John Biggers: Emeritus Professor of Cell Biology at Harvard Medical School and a pivotal figure in the history of mammalian early embryo culture and metabolism. John Biggers initially trained in Veterinary Science in London and after positions in the Universities of Sheffield and Sydney returned to London to work with the late Anne McLaren on research which led to one of the most significant papers in the history of reproductive biology and medicine; the Successful development and birth of mice cultivated in vitro as early embryos (McLaren and Biggers Nature 182: 997: 1958) which anticipated the arrival of clinical IVF. His subsequent career has been spent in the USA – in the Universities of Pennsylvania, Johns Hopkins and then Harvard – rather than in the UK, which most likely explains why he is less well-known here than he should be; something often mentioned to me by Bob Edwards who regarded him very highly.
HENRY LEESE Editor in Chief Hull York Medical School
1
