Simon Fox

Teaching interests

I am module leader on

BIOL2402 Cell Biology 

BIOL2408 Infection and Immunity

BIOL2416 Methods in Biomedical sciences

BIOL3410 Cellular Pathology

BIOL3432 Biomedical Professional


I am also  programme leader on the Biomedical Sciences degree programme.

http://www.plymouth.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/3628/BSc+%28Hons%29+Biomedical+Sciences

 

Research interests

My field of expertise lies in Bone Biology and the cellular and molecular techniques for assessing skeletal turnover.  My current areas of research are focused on understanding the signalling pathways that mediate lineage switching in mononuclear phagocyte precursors and determining the effect of non-invasive therapeutic strategies such as Hyperbaric medicine on skeletal remodelling. Specifically we are investigating the molecular mechanism through which hyperbaric treatment effects osteoclast formation and bone resorption.  My group also currently studies the impact and interactions between oestrogenic dietary compounds such as phytoestrogens, vitamin K and Zn.  

My group also has an active interest in the development of assays to assess the impact of diet on skeletal development and welfare in farmed fish.

 

UoP Research group membership

Centre for Research in Translational Biomedicine (CRTB) 

Research degrees awarded to supervised students
Ph.D. (University of London) Alison Lovibond 2005
Ph.D. (University of Plymouth) Matthew Owens 2011 

Grants & contracts

Arthritis Research Campaign: (September 2002-August 2005, £ 104,834) Fox SW and Chambers TJ. To test the role of TGF-beta signalling pathways and SOCS expression in osteoclast/macrophage lineage commitment. (Ref F0558).
 

Wellcome Trust: (Awarded August 2005 for 36 months, £ 136,360) Fox SW. Analysis of the signalling mechanism by which TGF-beta determines osteoclast/macrophage lineage-switching.

Diving Diseases Research Centre: (Awarded October 2009 for 36 months, £10,500) Fox SW. Effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on osteoclast differentiation.

Seal Hayne Trust: (Awarded June 2009 for 6 months £4,750) Owens M, Davies S and Fox SW. Molecular analysis of telost bone remodelling.

 

 

Publications

Fox SW and Davies, SJ (2011) Corn-expressed dietary phytase augments vertebral and scale mineral content in juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Aquaculture nutrition (in press)

Karieb S and Fox SW (2011) Phytoestrogens suppress TNF-alpha-induced osteoclast formation in RAW264.7 cells by a c-fos dependent suppression of NFATc1 expression. Journal of Cellular Biochemistry (in press)

Winrow, V.R., J. Mesher, S. Meghji, C.J. Morris, M. Maguire, S.W. Fox, A.R.M. Coates, P. Tormay, R.B. Blake, and B. Henderson. (2008) The two homologous chaperonin 60 proteins of Mycobacterium tuberculosis have distinct effects on monocyte differentiation into osteoclasts. Cellular Microbiology; 10: p. 2091-2104.


Fox SW, Evans KE, Lovibond AC. (2008) Transforming growth factor-beta enables NFATc1 expression during osteoclastogenesis.  Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 366(1):123-8.

Evans KE and Fox SW. (2007) Interleukin-10 inhibits osteoclastogenesis by reducing NFATc1 expression and preventing its translocation to the nucleus BMC Cell Biology, (Jan): 8:4

Fox SW and Chambers TJ. (2006) Ovariectomy and oestrogen replacement have no effect on megakaryocyte or platelet number. International Journal of Cardiology 109:359-366.

Lovibond AC and Fox SW. (2005) Current insights into the role of transforming growth factor beta in bone resorption. Molecular and cellular Endocrinology 243: 19-26
 

Lovibond AC, Haque SJ, Chambers TJ, Fox SW. (2003) TGF-beta-induced SOCS3 expression augments TNF-alpha-induced osteoclast formation. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 309: 762-767.

 

Khastgir G, Studd J W, Fox SW, Jones J, Alaghband-Zadeh J, Chow J. W. (2003) A longitudinal study of the effect of subcutaneous estrogen replacement on bone in young women with Turner's syndrome. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. 18: 925-932. 

 

Fox SW, Haque SJ, Lovibond AC, Chambers TJ. (2003) The Possible Role of TGF-beta-Induced Suppressors of Cytokine Signaling Expression in Osteoclast/Macrophage Lineage Commitment In Vitro. Journal of Immunology, 170: 3679-3687.

 

Fuller K, Murphy C, Kirstein B, Fox SW, Chambers TJ. (2002) TNF-alpha potently activates osteoclasts, through a direct action independent of and strongly synergistic with RANKL. Endocrinology. 143:1108-1118. 

 

Khastgir G, Studd J, Holland N, Alaghband-Zadeh J, Fox S, Chow J. (2001) Anabolic effect of estrogen replacement on bone in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis: Histomorphometric evidence in a longitudinal study. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism 86:289-295.

 

Fox SW, Chambers TJ. (2000) Interferon-gamma directly inhibits TRANCE-induced osteoclastogenesis. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 276:868-872.

 

Fox SW, Fuller K, Chambers TJ. (2000) Activation of osteoclasts by interleukin-1: divergent responsiveness in osteoclasts formed in-vivo and in-vitro. Journal of Cellular Physiology 184:334-340.

 

Fox SW, Fuller K, Bayley KE, Lean JM, Chambers TJ. (2000) TGF-beta and IFN-gamma direct macrophage activation by TNF-alpha to osteoclastic or cytocidal phenotype. Journal of Immunology 165:4957-4963.

 

Lean JM, Matsuo K, Fox SW, Fuller K, Gibson FM, Draycott G, Wani MR, Bayley KE, Wong BR, Choi Y, Wagner EF, Chambers TJ. (2000) Osteoclast lineage commitment of bone marrow precursors through expression of membrane-bound TRANCE. Bone 27:29-40.

 

Chambers TJ, Fox S, Jagger CJ, Lean JM, Chow JWM. (1999) The role of prostaglandins and nitric oxide in the response of bone to mechanical forces. Osteoarthritis & Cartilage 7:422-423. 

 

 Patel S, Pazianas M, Tobias J, Chambers TJ, Fox S, Chow J. (1999) Early effects of hormone replacement therapy on bone. Bone 24:245-248.

 

Chambers TJ, Chow JWM, Fox S, Howard RL, Jagger CJ, Lean JM, Mitchell FT, Smalt R. (1998) The response of bone and bone cells to mechanical stimulation. In: Hukkanen M, Polak JM, Hughes SP (eds.) Nitric Oxide in Bone and Joint Disease. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 169-177.

 

Chambers TJ, Chow JW, Fox SW, Jagger CJ, Lean JM. (1998) The role of prostaglandins and nitric oxide in the response of bone to mechanical stimulation. In: Sinzinger H, Vane JR, Samuelsson B, Paoletti R, Ramwell PW, Wong PY-K (eds.) Recent Advances in Prostaglandin, Thromboxane and Leukotriene Research. Plenum Press, New York.

 

Fox SW, Chow JWM. (1998) Nitric oxide synthase expression in bone cells. Bone 23:1-6.

 

Fuller K, Wong B, Fox S, Choi Y, Chambers TJ. (1998) TRANCE is necessary and sufficient for osteoblast-mediated activation of bone resorption in osteoclasts. Journal of Experimental Medicine 188:997-1001.

 

Chow JWM, Fox SW, Lean JM, Chambers TJ. (1998) Role of nitric oxide and prostaglandins in mechanically-induced bone formation. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research 13:1039-1044.

 

Chow JWM, Wilson AJ, Chambers TJ, Fox SW. (1998) Mechanical loading stimulates bone formation by reactivation of bone lining cells in 13-week-old rats. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research 13:1760-1767.

 

Chow JWM, Fox S, Jagger CJ, Chambers TJ. (1998) Role for parathyroid hormone in mechanical responsiveness of rat bone. American Journal of Physiology 274:E146-E154.

 

Chow JWM, Fox SW, Lean JM, Jagger CJ, Chambers TJ. (1998) Modulation of mechanically-induced bone formation. In: Davidovitch Z, Mah J (eds.) Biological Mechanisms of Tooth Eruption, Reabsorption and Replacement by Implants. Harvard Society for the Advancement of Orthodontics, Boston.

 

Chambers TJ, Chow JW, Fox SW, Jagger CJ, Lean JM. (1997) The role of prostaglandins and nitric oxide in the response of bone to mechanical stimulation. Advances in Experimental Medical Biology 43:295-298.

 

Chambers TJ, Chow J, Fox S, Jagger C, Lean J, Mackay A. (1996) Induction of bone formation in rat caudal vertebrae by mechanical stimulation. In: Davidovitch Z, Norton LA (eds.) Biological Mechanisms of Tooth Movement and Craniofacial Adaptation. Harvard Society for the Advancement of Orthodontics, Boston, MA, pp 133-136.

 

Fox SW, Chambers TJ, Chow JWM. (1996) Nitric oxide is an early mediator of the increase in bone formation by mechanical stimulation. American Journal of Physiology 270:E955-E960.