Professor Rod Mitchell (MBChB, BSc, PhD, MRCPCH)

Principal Investigator

  • University of Edinburgh
  • Royal Hospital for Children and Young People, Edinburgh

Contact details

Address

Street

Room 3.44
Centre for Reproductive Health
Institute for Regeneration and Repair
Edinburgh BioQuarter

City
Edinburgh
Post code
EH164UU
Street

Department of Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes
Royal Hospital for Children and Young People
50 Little France Crescent

City
Edinburgh
Post code
EH164TJ

Biography

Qualifications

  • 2010   PhD - University of Edinburgh
  • 2003   Member of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (MRCPCH)
  • 1999   MBChB - University of Aberdeen
  • 1999   BSc (Hons.) - University of Aberdeen

Responsibilities & affiliations

External Responsibilities and Appointments (current)

  • ReproTrack MS Post-Doctoral Training Programme (Munster, Germany) - Scientific Advisory Board
  • MHRA - Valproate Expert Working Group member (2023-present)
  • Association of Reproductive and Clinical Scientists - Scientific Advisory Board (2023-present)
  • European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology – Senior Deputy ESHRE SIG Fertility Preservation (2022-present)
  • Royal College of Paedicatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) – Academic Training Representative, South East Scotland (2021-present)
  • Society for Reproduction and Fertility –  SRF Council Member, Public Engagement and Membership Committee (2021-present)

 

Local Responsibilities and Appointments (current)

  • South-East Scotland Specialty Training Committee Academic Representative (2021-present)
  • Academic Lead for Public Engagement (2020 – present)
  • CRH Postgraduate Studies Committee (2016-present)
  • Reproductive Biology MSc Exam Board (2015-present)

Research summary

1) Fertility preservation in childhood cancer survivors

Our research group interests include fertility preservation in children with cancer and this focuses on developing strategies for removing and storing testis tissue from patients prior to potentially sterilizing treatments in order that germ cell development can be achieved using in-vitro or in-vivo techniques.

To view a video about our work, please click here

In 2015, we became the first UK research group to establish a fertility preservation programme to store testicular tissue from young cancer patients prior to their treatment. This programme in males, combined with our well-established fertility preservation programme for females, has resulted in the establishment of a collaboration of scientists and clinicians working as part of the 'Edinburgh Fertility Preservation’ programme for which Professor Mitchell is the lead for male fertility preservation. This unique collaboration combines clinical and laboratory research aimed at optimising fertility for children and young adults with cancer. We have received funding for our male fertility preservation work from Children with Cancer UK, Wellcome and UKRI.

Visit the Edinburgh Fertility Preservation website

 

2) The germ stem cell niche in the human fetal testis and the origins of testicular cancer

Our research is also focused on fetal development of the testis and particularly that of germ cells in relation to the origins of testicular cancer and infertility. Testicular cancer is thought to result from disrupted development of germ cells during fetal life which results in pre-malignant germ cell neoplasia in situ (GCNIS) cells. The precise mechanisms of how this occurs are unknown. Understanding the origins of testicular cancer and developing fertility preservation strategies require further understanding of the germ stem cell niche and we hope that by using the models described above that we will learn more about the interactions between germ cells and their surrounding cells during testis development. Our research on origins of testicular cancer has demonstrated the relationship between the stage of germ cell development and their invasive potential. We also show that alteration of key signalling pathways and repression of transcription factors can induce testicular dysgenesis in the human fetal gonad.

 

3) The effect of exposure to endocrine disruptors on development of the human fetal testis

Fetal testis development may potentially be impaired by exposure to environmental endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and this can have consequences for subsequent reproductive health in males. Potential EDCs include plasticisers, pesticides and pharmaceuticals and we are investigating the impact of a variety of these chemicals using our experimental animal and human models of testis development. Our recent research in this area has focused on effects of exposure to paracetamol (acetaminophen) on male reproductive development. We have shown that exposure to paracetamol can reduce the number of germ cells and impair testosterone production in human fetal testis tissues, which could affect reproductive health in males in later life.

CURRENT GRANTS

 

2019 – 2027     UKRI Future Leader Fellowship – £1.76M

Role: Principal Investigator

Title: Protecting spermatogonial stem cells from chemotherapy-induced damage for fertility preservation in childhood cancer

 

2023 – 2026     Children with Cancer UK (CWCUK) - £290,454

Role: Principal Investigator

Title: Transplantation of cryopreserved testicular tissue to restore fertility after childhood cancer

 

2023 – 2026     National Institute for Health Research (Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) Grant): - £349,738

Role: Lead Investigator (Joint).

Title: The development and evaluation of the first fertility preservation patient decision aid to support young males with cancer

 

2022 – 2026     Medical Research Council (MRC) - £906,715

Role: Co-Applicant.

Title: Reproductive function in teenage and young adult cancer patients in the UK

 

2021 – 2024     ESHRE Research Grant - £65,000

Role: Principal Investigator

Title: Fertility preservation in (peri)pubertal boys: Developing an approach for simultaneous cryopreservation of sperm and spermatogonial stem cells from testicular biopsies

 

2021 – 2024     ESHRE Research Grant - £177,000

Role: Co-Applicant

Title: Exploiting multi-omics to assess and map the fertility potential of cryopreserved prepubertal testicular tissues

 

PREVIOUS GRANTS   

 

2019 - 2022 Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) - £292,000

Role: Co-Investigator

Title: The importance of classical versus backdoor androgen production pathways in masculinisation, fertility and lifelong male health

 

2018 - 2022     National Institute for Health (NIH) - £44,058

Role: Co-Investigator

Title: Placental Origins of Phthalate-Induced Changes in Fetal Reproductive Development

 

2016 – 2019     Children with Cancer UK - Project Grant – £249,449

Role: Principal Investigator

Title: Fertility Preservation in prepubertal boys with cancer

 

2016 – 2021     MRC Programme Grant – £2.18m

Role: Co-Investigator

Title: The role of androgens in health and disease

 

2016 - 2019      Michelson Grant in Reproductive Biology Project Grant - £730,000

Role: Co-Applicant 

Title: Translation of an androgen miRNA sterilant: pre-clinical validation & a clinical trial in cats & dogs

 

2014 – 2018     FP7 EU Initial Training Network - £2.5m

Role: Full Partner/Principal Investigator

Title: GROWSPERM

 

2012 – 2017     Wellcome Trust Intermediate Clinical Fellowship - £1.03m

Role: Principal Investigator

Title: The germ stem cell niche and the origins of testicular germ cell tumours  

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