Dr. Simpson graduated BSc in 1951, majoring in biology; MSc in zoology in 1953; PhD in experimental pathology in 1971 (he is not an M.D.)
From 1964 to retirement in March 1985 he was research officer/senior research officer, Pathology Department, University of Otago Medical School. During that time his major research interest was in the biology of the various strains of autoimmune mice developed in the Medical School. The renal disease of the lupus nephritis hybrid (NZB x NZW) was of particular interest. Observations on the qualitative aspects of proteinuria led to the proposal that proteinurias could be explained best on the basis that basement membranes had the properties of a thixotropic gel.
The investigation of the pathogenesis of the spontaneous gastric ulcers of NZB mice led to the discovery that the epithelial cells on duodenal villi had basal processes which passed through the basement membrane.
From the early 1980's blood rheology has developed into a major interest. This has burgeoned since reporting that the peripheral blood of man and animals contains red blood cells which can be separated into 6 different shape classes. More recent work has shown that chronic disorders have fairly characteristic patterns of red cell shape populations. He has lectured widely in America, Asia, Europe and the Pacific and is a life member of the Australasian Society for Experimental Pathology.
His research interests have been embodied in 70+ papers, chapters in 3 books, and by numerous letters to scientific journals.
Since 1986 he has been research fellow in the Department of General Practice, where he has developed a red cell shape analysis. This has been used to assess red cell shape in blood samples from patients with Fibromyalgia Syndrome and myalgic encephalomyelitis residing in New Zealand, Australia, the Netherlands, South Africa, United Kingdom and the USA.
The above is from a summarised c.v. of Leslie O. Simpson, d.o.b. 14.4.24