Steroids in the Laboratory and Clinical Practice

Dr. Honour has 45 years of experience in analyzing steroids mainly by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry and applying these results to the investigation of patients with endocrine disorders. His work has included the diagnosis of inherited disorders of blood pressure, sex determination, infertility, osteoporosis, and salt balance in the body. He has long had an interest in the ability of bacteria to change steroids in the body and has used bacteria in test-tubes to achieve some changes in steroid structure which could not be easily achieved with chemicals. Several research projects have examined the safety of inhaled steroids with respect to effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.Dr. Honour is an Honorary Senior Research Associate at the Institute for Women's Health at University College London and formerly a Consultant Clinical Scientist in Clinical Biochemistry at UCLH and Head of the specialist service for Steroid Endocrinology. The steroid laboratory maintains strong links with the clinical endocrinologists at UCL and the Hospital for Children at Great Ormond Street. Research in the unit covered the validation and use of mass spectrometry in steroid analysis for disorders of sex determination, adrenal diseases, polycystic ovary syndrome, safety of corticosteroids in treatment of asthma, links between birthweight and cardiovascular risk, and the enterohepatic circulation of steroids. Dr. Honour has more than 170 refereed publications and 19 book chapters covering a range of analytical, genetic and clinical aspects of steroids. He presented 175 papers at scientific conferences. He was scientific adviser to UKNEQAS for immunoassays, steroid accuracy and pediatric investigations. He served on two working parties for the European Society for Pediatric Endocrinology with the Lawson Wilkins Pediatric Society that produced guidelines on congenital adrenal hyperplasia and newborn screening. An EQA scheme for urinary steroids was operated from UCL globally with the collaboration of the Dutch Foundation for Quality in Clinical Chemistry (SKML). Dr Honour has maintained an interest in the detection of abuse of anabolic steroids in sport and has acted as an expert witness in cases of drug abuse in sport. He is an Associate Editor of the Annals of Clinical Biochemistry.