Michael J. Reed (30 May 1944 – 6 April 2009) was a British chemist who held the position of professor of steroid biochemistry at

Imperial College, London Imperial College London, also known as Imperial, is a Public university, public research university in London, England. Its history began with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who envisioned a Al ...

Scientific career

Reed obtained a BSc in

zoology Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the anatomy, structure, embryology, Biological classification, classification, Ethology, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinction, extinct, and ...

from the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

in 1967 and an MSc in

biochemistry Biochemistry, or biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology, a ...

from Imperial College in 1969. He then commenced research into the actions and metabolism of

ethinyloestradiol Ethinylestradiol (EE) is an estrogen medication which is used widely in birth control pills in combination with progestins. Ethinylestradiol was widely used for various indications such as the treatment of menopausal symptoms, gynecological dis ...

with Ken Fotherby at the

Royal Postgraduate Medical School The Royal Postgraduate Medical School (RPMS) was an independent medical school, based primarily at Hammersmith Hospital in west London. In 1988, the school merged with the Institute of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, and in 1997 became part of Imperial ...

, London, culminating in a PhD in 1973. He continued to work on the regulation of

oestrogen Estrogen (also spelled oestrogen in British English; see spelling differences) is a category of sex hormone responsible for the development and regulation of the female reproductive system and secondary sex characteristics. There are three m ...

synthesis in

endometrial cancer Endometrial cancer is a cancer that arises from the endometrium (the epithelium, lining of the uterus or womb). It is the result of the abnormal growth of cells (biology), cells that can invade or spread to other parts of the body. The first s ...

before moving to

St Mary's Hospital Medical School St Mary's Hospital Medical School was the youngest of the constituent medical schools of Imperial College School of Medicine, founded in 1854 as part of the new hospital in Paddington. During its existence in the 1980s and 1990s, it was the most ...

in 1976, to join Vivian James in the Department of Chemical Pathology. He then focused his attention to the regulation of aromatase in breast cancer. Reed was appointed lecturer at St. Mary's in 1978, senior lecturer in 1983 and reader in 1992. His principal work was on ''in vivo'' methods, using radioactive substrate infusions to calculate the extent of aromatisation in

postmenopausal Menopause, also known as the climacteric, is the time when menstrual periods permanently stop, marking the end of the reproductive stage for the female human. It typically occurs between the ages of 45 and 55, although the exact timing can ...

women with

breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...

. In 1995 he was appointed professor of steroid biochemistry in the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Medicine. After the creation of the

Imperial College School of Medicine Imperial College School of Medicine (ICSM) is the undergraduate medical school of Imperial College London in England and one of the United Hospitals. It is part of the college's Imperial College Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and was ...

, Reed's research became more directed towards developing therapies. Together with A. Purohit, he developed a research programme in steroid sulphatase inhibitors for the control of steroid-responsive cancers. These studies attracted commercial funding and the creation of an Imperial Start-up – Sterix Ltd, formed in 1998 as a spin-off from Imperial College, London and the

University of Bath The University of Bath is a public research university in Bath, England. Bath received its royal charter in 1966 as Bath University of Technology, along with a number of other institutions following the Robbins Report. Like the University ...

, based on the work of Reed and

Barry V L Potter Barry Victor Lloyd Potter (born 1953) MAE FMedSci is a British chemist, who is Professor of Medicinal & Biological Chemistry in the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Oxford, Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator and a Fellow of Un ...

(professor of medicinal chemistry, University of Bath) in the field of steroid hormones. It resulted the development of inhibitors for several steroidogenic enzyme targets. One of these completed a Phase 1 trial in women with advanced breast cancer, in collaboration with Charles Coombes and CRUK. Sterix was acquired by Ipsen in 2004.

Awards and honours

Reed won the 2009 GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) International Achievement Award, jointly with Barry Potter. He also won The Royal Society of Chemistry BMCS Malcolm Campbell Memorial Award 2009, jointly with L.W.L. Woo and B.V.L. Potter fro
The University of Bath
and A. Purohit fro
Imperial College
A commemorative symposium was held on 6 April 2010 in Edinburgh to celebrate his scientific achievements. The symposium focused on the main area of Reed's research – the production and role of female sex hormones in women with hormone-dependent cancers.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reed, Michael J. British biochemists 1944 births 2009 deaths Alumni of Imperial College London Alumni of the University of London Academics of Imperial College London Fellows of the Royal College of Pathologists