Richard Sharpe (scientist)

Richard Sharpe is Emeritus Professor at the University of Edinburgh (UoE) College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine and is recognized world-wide as a leading scientist in the field of male reproductive health and developmental disorders of the male reproductive system. Until March 2016 he headed a research programme in the MRC/UoE Centre for Reproductive Health (http://www.crh.ed.ac.uk). His expertise and research interests cover sexual differentiation, development and puberty (and disorders thereof), fetal programming, endocrinology, the effects of lifestyle, drugs and environmental chemical exposures on reproductive development and function.

Early life and education

• 1947 Born in Bristol, UK
• 1970 BSc (Hons Zoology) University of London
• 1975 MSc, University of Bristol
• 1979 PhD, Council for National Academic Awards

Career

Professor Sharpe’s scientific career got off to a shaky start. As an undergraduate at London University the rugby field and the bar took up rather too much of Richard’s time and he was ‘asked to leave’ following some disappointing exam results. But after working in a factory for a year he realized that studying was actually easier, and he returned to university, graduating in 1970. He then moved to Bristol University and, unusually for an academic researcher, began his career as a technician, working with Philip Brown - who had developed bioassays and radioimmunoassays for gonadotropins. Philip spotted Richard’s talents and became a kind of mentor, encouraging Richard to study for his MSc. He then joined the Medical Research Council Reproductive Biology Unit (now MRC Centre for Reproductive Health) in Edinburgh in 1974 and his research career received a boost in 1976 when one of his first research papers was published in the journal Nature (PMID 187957), while he was still a PhD student.

Many would regard his outstanding contribution to be his ability to see the coherent biological process behind reproduction, where his work is an outstanding example of translational research from experimental studies to clinical investigation of andrological disorders. His understanding of human fertility and infertility lead him to carry out many highly original animal studies that were necessary to understand the human problems, including the role of androgens in fetal life for the later development of the reproductive system and cell-cell interactions within it. The oestrogen hypothesis (PMID 8098802) is a citation classic which developed into the hypothesis of early androgen deprivation during fetal life, illustrated by experiments using phthalates (a ubuiquitous component of plastic products). While he was not the first to show effects of phthalates on the fetal rat testis, he saw its broader significance for human reproduction – and again he built a bridge here between basic science and clinical research.

Another outstanding contribution is his generous collaboration with clinical scientists in the field. He has been an inspiration for numerous international research groups and collaborates with leading researchers in 9 countries. Richard inherited his mentor Philip Brown’s enthusiasm for nurturing young researchers, and has supervised more than 20 PhD and Masters students and many others as a joint supervisor.

He also has a particular interest in the public communication of science and has spoken at a number of science festivals in the UK and abroad. He has served on numerous expert panels and statutory or advisory bodies in the UK, Europe and USA, including:

• Sense about Science UK
• British Nutrition Foundation task force on developmental programming of later disease
• Food Standards Agency working group on phytoestrogens
• European Environment Agency (EEA) report on the impacts of endocrine disrupters on wildlife, people and their environments
• WHO/FAO expert committee for evaluation of the health risks and research priorities on bisphenol A
• The Royal Society working group on Endocrine disruptors
• The Royal Society Biomedical Policy Network

He has published more than 350 scientific papers and is currently a Deputy Editor of the journal Human Reproduction.

Media Interaction

• BBC TV Horizon, UK 1993: “Assault on the Male” (USA Emmy award winner, 1995) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=od3NE0y3LkQ
• ‘Men in Danger – Environmental effects on fertility’. Documentary, France 2008 (winner, Prix Europa 2008 for Best Current Affairs Programme) http://www.filmakers.com/index.php?a=filmDetail&filmID=1558
• CBS News 60 Minutes, USA 2010: “Are phthalates safe?” http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6512528n&tag=api
• Stand-up comedy at Bright Club Edinburgh, UK 2013 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFKDjS4efSg&feature=youtu.be
• Numerous interviews and articles for UK and international radio, TV and press, related to male reproductive health.

Awards and honours

• 2004 Appointed Honorary Professor by the College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh.
• 2010 Elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE).
• 2015 Society for Reproduction and Fertility Distinguished Scientist award.

Personal life

Lives in Edinburgh with his wife. They have 4 children.