Dr David Gillott obtained his PhD in reproductive physiology and cancer at St Bartholomew’s medical school in 1998 before taking up a post-doctoral position at the University of Minnesota, USA.  He then returned to Bart’s to pursue research into infertility. 

Dr Gillott is currently working to establish a clinical service for the preservation of fertility in young women diagnosed with cancer at St George’s.  This involves cryopreservation and storage of ovarian tissue followed by autologous transplantation once the patient has recovered; thereby allowing restoration of her reproductive cycles and fertility. 

Dr Gillott is a senior lecturer in Reproductive Physiology mainly focussing on reproduction but also includes some cardiovascular physiology ,and so he regards all his teaching activity as a matter of the heart. 

Dr Gillott is seeking to establish a cryobiology centre for ovarian tissue preservation at St George’s in collaboration with Prof. Claus Andersen of University Hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark and Mr Kamal Ojha, consultant gynaecological surgeon St George’s NHS trust. 

Dr Gillott responsible for leading the science and cryopreserving ovarian tissue removed from patients prior to chemotherapy.  Once the patient has recovered from her cancer she may receive  her cryopreserved ovarian tissue as a transplant. The transplanted tissue is never exposed to the damaging chemotherapy agents and so once it implants the patient regains her reproductive cycles and is able to conceive naturally or following IVF.  This procedure has resulted in the restoration of reproductive cycles in 99% of women treated in Denmark and there have been over 150 live births world-wide as a result. 

Tissue will be obtained in theatre at St George’s and cryopreserved in the medical school before storage at an external commercial cryobank.  Third party agreements between these partners and St George’s NHS trust have been signed by all parties. 

The laboratory is currently being commissioned and the final stages of licencing carried out.  These activities will increase the profile of St George’s and attract international collaborations for treatment and research. 

Napolitano R, Ghosh M, Gillott DJ, Ojha K. Three-dimensional Doppler 

sonography in asymptomatic and symptomatic women after medical termination of 

pregnancy. J Ultrasound Med. 2014 May;33(5):847-52. doi: 10.7863/ultra.33.5.847.  

PubMed PMID: 24764340   .   Impact factor: 1.547 

Ferrero S, Venturini PL, Gillott DJ, Remorgida V, Leone Roberti Maggiore U.

Hemostasis by bipolar coagulation versus suture after surgical stripping of

bilateral ovarian endometriomas: a randomized controlled trial. J Minim Invasive

Gynecol. 2012 Nov-Dec;19(6):722-30. doi: 10.1016/j.jmig.2012.08.001. PubMed PMID:

23084676. Impact factor: 3.061

Ojha K, Gillott DJ, Wood P, Valcarcel E, Matah A, Talaulikar VS. Clinical 

outcomes from a prospective study evaluating the role of ambulation during 

medical termination of pregnancy. Contraception. 2012 Apr;85(4):398-401. doi: 

10.1016/j.contraception.2011.08.008. Epub 2011 Oct 27. PubMed PMID: 22036045. Impact factor: 2.879 

Gillott DJ & Ojha K (2011) Infertility in the Female:  

In Sabaratnam Arulkumaran, Regan L, Farquharson DIM, Monga A, & Papageorghiou A (Eds.),  

Oxford Desk Reference Obstetrics and Gynaecology (pp 503-513).  

Ferrero S, Gillott DJ, Venturini PL, Remorgida V. Use of aromatase inhibitors  

to treat endometriosis-related pain symptoms: a systematic review. Reprod Biol 

Endocrinol. 2011 Jun 21;9:89. doi: 10.1186/1477-7827-9-89. Review. PubMed PMID: 

21693038; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3141646.  Impact factor: 2.894 

Morotti M, Menada MV, Gillott DJ, Venturini PL, Ferrero S. The preoperative 

diagnosis of borderline ovarian tumors: a review of current literature. Arch 

Gynecol Obstet. 2012 Apr;285(4):1103-12. doi: 10.1007/s00404-011-2194-1. Epub 

2011 Dec 31. Review. PubMed PMID: 22210294.  Impact factor: 0.920  

Ferrero S, Venturini PL, Gillott DJ, Remorgida V. Letrozole and norethisterone 

acetate versus letrozole and triptorelin in the treatment of endometriosis 

related pain symptoms: a randomized controlled trial. Reprod Biol Endocrinol. 

2011 Jun 21;9:88. doi: 10.1186/1477-7827-9-88. PubMed PMID: 21693037; PubMed 

Central PMCID: PMC3141645.    Impact factor: 2.894  

Tempest HG, Cheng SY, Gillott DJ, Handyside AH, Thornhill AR, Griffin DK. 

Scoring of sperm chromosomal abnormalities by manual and automated approaches: 

qualitative and quantitative comparisons. Asian J Androl. 2010 Mar;12(2):257-62.  

doi: 10.1038/aja.2009.85. Epub 2009 Dec 28. PubMed PMID: 20037599; PubMed Central 

PMCID: PMC3739098.  Impact factor: 2.996  

Ferrero S, Gillott DJ, Remorgida V, Anserini P, Ragni N, Grudzinskas JG. GnRH  

analogue remarkably down-regulates inflammatory proteins in peritoneal fluid 

proteome of women with endometriosis. J Reprod Med. 2009 Apr;54(4):223-31. PubMed 

PMID: 19438164.  Impact factor: 0.800  

Ferrero S, Gillott DJ, Remorgida V, Anserini P, Ragni N, Grudzinskas JG. 

Proteomic analysis of peritoneal fluid in fertile and infertile women with 

endometriosis. J Reprod Med. 2009 Jan;54(1):32-40. PubMed PMID: 19263878.   Impact factor: 0.800  

Ferrero S, Gillott DJ, Remorgida V, Anserini P, Ragni N, Grudzinskas JG. 

Peritoneal fluid proteome in women with different ASRM stages of endometriosis. 

Gynecol Endocrinol. 2008 Aug;24(8):433-41. doi: 10.1080/09513590802173824. PubMed 

PMID: 18850380.  Impact factor: 1.360  

Ferrero S, Gillott DJ, Remorgida V, Anserini P, Ragni N, Grudzinskas JG. 

Increased expression of one isoform of leucine-rich alpha-2-glycoprotein in 

peritoneal fluid of women with uterine leiomyomas. Arch Gynecol Obstet. 2009 

Mar;279(3):365-71. doi: 10.1007/s00404-008-0741-1. Epub 2008 Jul 30. PubMed PMID: 18665377.  Impact factor: 2.090  

Das M, Gillott DJ, Saridogan E, Djahanbakhch O. Anti-Mullerian hormone is 

increased in follicular fluid from unstimulated ovaries in women with polycystic  

ovary syndrome. Hum Reprod. 2008 Sep;23(9):2122-6. doi: 10.1093/humrep/den185. 

Epub 2008 Jun 10. PubMed PMID: 18550512.  Impact factor: 10.165  

Ferrero S, Gillott DJ, Remorgida V, Ragni N, Venturini PL, Grudzinskas JG. 

Proteomics technologies in endometriosis. Expert Rev Proteomics. 2008 

Oct;5(5):705-14. doi: 10.1586/14789450.5.5.705. Review. PubMed PMID: 18937560.  Impact factor: 3.90  

Gillott DJ, Eldib A, Iammarrone E, Leung KY, Thornhill AR, Grudzinskas JG. 

Glycolytic enzyme expression in human granulosa cells. Fertil Steril. 2008 

Oct;90(4 Suppl):1405-10. doi: 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2007.08.053. Epub 2008 May 5.  

PubMed PMID: 18456264.  Impact factor 4.230 

Ferrero S, Gillott DJ, Remorgida V, Anserini P, Leung KY, Ragni N, 

Grudzinskas JG. Proteomic analysis of peritoneal fluid in women with 

endometriosis. J Proteome Res. 2007 Sep;6(9):3402-11. Epub 2007 Aug 3. PubMed 

PMID: 17676783.  Impact factor: 4.268  

Verberg MF, Gillott DJ, Al-Fardan N, Grudzinskas JG. Hyperemesis gravidarum,  

a literature review. Hum Reprod Update. 2005 Sep-Oct;11(5):527-39. Epub 2005 Jul  

8. Review. Erratum in: HumReprodUpdate. 2007 Mar-Apr;13(2):207. PubMed PMID: 
9. Impact factor: 10.165

Gillott DJ, Al-Rumaih HM, Leung KY, Eldib A, Grudzinskas JG. Specific 

isoforms of leucine-rich alpha2-glycoprotein detected in the proliferative 

endometrium of women undergoing assisted reproduction are associated with 

spontaneous pregnancy. Fertil Steril. 2008 Sep;90(3):761-8. Epub 2007 Jun 21. 

PubMed PMID: 17583700.    Impact factor 4.230  

Ferrero S, Gillott DJ, Remorgida V, Anserini P, Price K, Ragni N, Grudzinskas 

1. Haptoglobin beta chain isoforms in the plasma and peritoneal fluid of women

with endometriosis. Fertil Steril. 2005 May;83(5):1536-43. PubMed PMID: 15866595.   Impact factor 4.230 

Ferrero S, Gillott DJ, Anserini P, Remorgida V, Price KM, Ragni N, 

Grudzinskas JG. Vitamin D binding protein in endometriosis. J Soc Gynecol 

Investig. 2005 May;12(4):272-7. PubMed PMID: 15866120.  Impact factor: 2.39 

Ferrero S, Gillott DJ, Anserini P, Remorgida V, Teisner B, Grudzinskas JG. 

Methodological concerns regarding levels of vascular endothelial growth factor 

(VEGF) in serum of patients with endometriosis. Hum Reprod. 2004 Jan;19(1):220-1; 

author reply 221. PubMed PMID: 14688193.   Impact factor: 10.165 

Gillott DJ, Iles RK, Chard T. The effects of beta-human chorionic 

gonadotrophin on the in vitro growth of bladder cancer cell lines. Br J Cancer. 

1996 Feb;73(3):323-6. PubMed PMID: 8562337; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2074420.  Impact factor: 6.176 

Gillott DJ, Nouri AM, Compton SJ, Oliver RT. Accurate and rapid assessment of 

MHC antigen upregulation following cytokine stimulation. J Immunol Methods. 1993  

Oct 15;165(2):231-9. PubMed PMID: 8228273.  Impact factor: 1.640  

Jassim A, Gillott DJ, al-Zuhdi Y, Gray A, Foxon R, Bottazzo GF. Isolation and 

biochemical characterization of the human sperm tail fibrous sheath. Hum Reprod.  

1992 Jan;7(1):86-94. PubMed PMID: 1551967.   Impact factor: 10.165 

Nouri AM, Hussain RF, Dos Santos AV, Gillott DJ, Oliver RT. Induction of MHC  

antigens by tumour cell lines in response to interferons. Eur J Cancer. 

1992;28A(6-7):1110-5. PubMed PMID: 1378291.  Impact factor: 5.147  

Jassim A, Gillott DJ, al-Zuhdi Y. Human sperm tail fibrous sheath undergoes 

phosphorylation during its development. Hum Reprod. 1991 Sep;6(8):1135-42. PubMed 

PMID: 1725288.   Impact factor: 10.165 

Collaborations within St George's: 

Mr Kamal Ojha, Obs & Gynae., SGHT 

External collaborations

Prof. Claus Andersen, University Hospital of Copenhagen, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark 

Mr Gedis Grudzinskas, 92 Harley St, London   

Dr Gillott is a member of the Institute of Medical and Biomedical Education is co-head of the Physiology section.  He is a fellow of the Higher Education Academy. 

Dr Gillott enjoys teaching all years of  BSc and MSci Biomedical Science, MBBS4, MBBS5, along with  Physicians Associate and Healthcare science degrees.  His principal teaching roles include Academic Lead for Problem Based Learning (PBL), Co-lead for the Foundations of Clinical Medicine module for MBBS4 year 1, Module lead for MBBS4 year 1 Life Cycle, MBBS5 year 2 life Cycle and Biomedical Science BSc year 1 Physiology module.