Neil Stickland

[authors]

Veterinary Basic Sciences, the Royal Veterinary College, London. United Kingdom
nstickland@rvc.ac.uk

1974-1977 Lecturer, Department of Veterinary Anatomy, University of Nairobi, Kenya.

1977-1983 Lecturer, Department of Anatomy, Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh

1984-1994 Senior Lecturer, Department of Veterinary Basic Sciences, The Royal Veterinary College, University of London.

2002-2003 Vice Principal for Research

1994-continuing Professor of Veterinary Anatomy, The Royal Veterinary College, University of London

1996-2001,2003-2005 and 2008- Head of Department of Veterinary Basic Sciences

Research Interests

The central theme of my research work is the development and growth of skeletal muscle and the factors which affect these parameters. Factors in which we are especially interested include genetic effects, nutrition, neuroendocrine influences, movement and temperature. A range of techniques are used in this work and include histochemistry, immunocytochemistry, electron microscopy, biochemistry and molecular biology (including RT-PCR and in situ hybridisation).

Of particular interest is the control of muscle development and factors which affect its cellularity and thereby its postnatal growth. We have found a critical period in early gestation where nutrition has a marked effect on the development of skeletal muscle cellularity. There appear to be significant consequences of this on the postnatal growth of the affected offspring and on certain meat quality parameters. We are investigating the possible mediation of this effect through insulin-like growth factors (IGF) and myogenic regulatory factors (MRF). We have most recently investigated the influence of maternal overnutrition on the development of obesity in offspring.

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