Deputy Director
Sandy Starr is Deputy Director of the Progress Educational Trust (PET), and is Project Consultant for the Code of Practice for the Generation and Use of Human Stem-Cell-Based Embryo Models, published jointly by PET and Cambridge Reproduction. Previously, he served on the working groups that produced the clinical practice guidance Ethical Issues in Prenatal Genetic Diagnosis and Prenatal Diagnosis and Preimplantation Genetic Testing for Germline Cancer Susceptibility Gene Variants. He is author of the pamphlet AI: Separating Man from Machine, and he has written about AI in relation to the life and legacy of Ada Lovelace. He is also a wide-ranging public speaker who has given a TEDx talk about genomics, lectured on the life and legacy of JBS Haldane, and been interviewed about the relationship of AI to the history of mathematics.
Sandy has addressed MPs in the UK Parliament on the subject of human embryo research, debated the morality of genetics on The Moral Maze on BBC Radio 4, been interviewed about mitochondrial donation on the BBC World Service programme Newshour and in the book Legalising Mitochondrial Donation, and appeared as a guest on the Sunrise Paper Review on Sky News. He has lectured and written about genome editing for the Thackray Museum of Medicine, and has also written about genome editing in the British Medical Bulletin, in the European Journal and in Microbiology Today. He is author of the pamphlet AI: Separating Man from Machine, and he has written about the life and legacy of Ada Lovelace.
A project led by Cambridge Reproduction, in partnership with PET, is currently developing a Code of Practice for research involving stem-cell-based embryo models. A new public dialogue report published ahead of the Code explores people's hopes, concerns and sensitivities...
This film documents a lecture by Sandy Starr – deputy director of PET – about the life and legacy of JBS Haldane, who at one time was the best-known scientist in Britain and who helped to pioneer the idea of IVF...
In this TEDx talk, Sandy Starr – deputy director of PET – marks the 70th anniversary of the discovery of DNA's double helix structure, and the 20th anniversary of the completion of the Human Genome Project...
As mitochondrial disease and mitochondrial donation hit the headlines, PET clears up misunderstandings with its 'Mythbusting Mitochondrial Donation' resource, and with a set of recommended videos...
100 years ago, JBS Haldane's 'Daedalus' – a lecture, subsequently a book – helped to pioneer the idea of IVF. In its public event '100 Years of Daedalus: The Birth of Assisted Reproductive Technology', PET will explore Haldane's legacy...
The International Society for Stem Cell Research has published wide-ranging new guidelines, covering a number of contentious areas of research and clinical practice...
A recently appointed adviser to the UK government, Andrew Sabisky, has resigned following widespread criticism of his views on topics including genetics and reproduction...
This film documents a debate about polygenic risk scores chaired by the deputy director of the Progress Educational Trust at the Battle of Ideas festival...
Advances in genomics are having a growing impact on fertility treatment and assisted reproduction...
The eminent developmental biologist Professor Robin Lovell-Badge has been appointed Chair of Trustees at the Progress Educational Trust (PET), the charity that publishes BioNews...
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