معرفی
Professor Andrew Pitsillides is a distinguished academic at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC), where he serves as Professor of Skeletal Dynamics in the Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences at the Camden campus. He leads the Musculoskeletal Biology research group and is associated with the CPCS Research Programme and MicroCT Research Centre at RVC.
Dr. Pitsillides received his Applied Biology BSc. (Hons, 1984) and PhD. in Biochemistry (1988) from the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology. His postdoctoral work continued at UCL and RVC under prominent researchers including Jo Edwards, Mike Bayliss, and Lance Lanyon, where he established his own laboratory in 1995.
Professor Pitsillides' research focuses on skeletal mechanobiology across diverse biological settings. His work spans from understanding the role of embryo movement in skeletal formation to how bones and joints respond to functional and traumatic loads throughout growth, adulthood, and aging. He has made significant contributions including discovering that nitric oxide is critical in bone mechano-adaptation, establishing that joint formation is mechanodependent, and developing a non-invasive model of in vivo loading that allows simultaneous study of tibial cortices and trabecular compartments. His research has been published in over 140 original articles with an h-index of 41+.
His recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on bone mechanoadaptation, osteoarthritis mechanisms, and skeletal development. The research utilizes advanced imaging techniques like synchrotron X-ray tomography and employs various mouse models including the STR/Ort spontaneous osteoarthritis model. Key themes include the relationship between bone structure and mechanical function, sexual dimorphism in skeletal biology, and the molecular mechanisms underlying osteocyte function and bone adaptation.
- Fellow of The Royal Society of Biology (FRSB)
- Fellow of the Anatomical Society (FAS)
- Board Member of the Bloomsbury Centre for Skeletal Research
- Executive Editor of Cell Biochemistry and Function
- Executive Committee Member of International Society for Hyaluronan Sciences
- Former Honorary Secretary of the British Society for Matrix Biology
Professor Pitsillides serves on numerous national and international review panels including the Belgian Fund for Scientific Research, Greek Governmental Agency, and European Commission. His research is currently funded by prestigious organizations including the EU, BBSRC, Wellcome Trust, Arthritis Research UK, and The Leverhulme Trust. He has successfully forged clinical links with Sheffield University and The Royal National Orthopaedic Centre, Stanmore, UCL. In teaching, he has led modules on 'Advanced Skeletal Pathobiology' and 'The Head' for Veterinary and BSc degrees, and regularly guest lectures at UCL, Imperial, and Oxford Universities.
