Skip to main navigationSkip to main content
The University of Southampton
Medicine
Phone:
02381204316
Email:
F.Cagampang@soton.ac.uk

Dr Felino Cagampang BSc, MSc, PhD

Associate Professor in Integrative Physiology

Dr Felino Cagampang's photo

Dr Felino Cagampang is currently Associate Professor in Integrative Physiology within Medicine at the University of Southampton. He obtained his undergraduate degree at the University of the Philippines, and graduate degrees (MSc & PhD) at Nagoya University (Japan). He did his post-doctoral research work at the Mitsubishi Kasei Institute of Life Sciences (Japan), at King’s College London, and at the University of Manchester, in the field of circadian clock biology. In 2002, he joined the University of Southampton.

We are now in a unique position of offering potential treatments not just for the benefit of the pregnant mother but also for the future health of the offspring

Dr Cagampang’s current research focuses on developmental programming of obesity and the metabolic syndrome, and the role of the biological clock system in disease pathologies and treatment. His work is funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the Medical Research Council (MRC) and Diabetes UK. Dr Cagampang’s research group is based at the Institute of Developmental Sciences (Southampton General Hospital site), and comprises both clinical and basic scientist and researchers, as well as postgraduate and medical students.

Qualifications

BSc, Animal Science, University of the Philippines (1983)
MSc, Animal Science, University of the Philippines (1989)
MSc, Reproductive Physiology, Nagoya University, Japan (1989)
PhD, Reproductive Neuroendocrinology, Nagoya University, Japan (1992)
Postgraduate Certificate, Academic Practice in Higher Education, University of Southampton (2003)

Appointments held

Research Assistant/Instructor, University of the Philippines, 1983-92.

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Laboratory of Integrative Brain Function, Mitsubishi Kasei Institute of Life Sciences (Japan), 1992-93.

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, School of Biomedical Sciences, King’s College London, 1993-98.

Demonstrator in Neuroanatomy, School of Biomedical Sciences, King’s College London, 1995-98.

Senior Research Fellow, School of Biological Sciences, University of Manchester, 1998-2002.

Lecturer, School of Medicine, University of Southampton, 2002-2009.

Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, 2009-14.

Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, 2014-present.

 

 

 

 

 

Research interests

My research focuses on developmental programming of obesity and the metabolic syndrome, and the role of the biological clock system in disease pathologies and treatment.

Developmental programming of obesity and the metabolic syndrome

In collaboration with clinical colleagues, we have developed a unique mouse model where offspring of obese mothers develop a phenotype similar to the human metabolic syndrome (i.e. a clustering of cardiometabolic risk factors that include obesity and having fatty liver, elevated blood pressure, insulin resistance and glucose intolerance, dyslipidaemia, being in a proinflammatory and prothrombic state). We found that maternal obesity during pregnancy, as a consequence of too much fat in the mother’s diet, can affect the developing liver of the fetus, making them more susceptible to developing fatty liver in later life. Eating an unhealthy fat-enriched diet in postnatal life can cause the fatty liver condition rapidly progressing to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease with ageing. We are currently investigating various mechanisms that may be involved in the developmental programming of this metabolic disorder, including mitochondrial dysfunction, telomere and epigenetic modifications, and altered circadian clock function. We are also exploring various intervention strategies to protect the offspring from developing metabolic syndrome in adulthood. We have shown previously in this mouse model that by giving the cholesterol lowering drug statin to obese pregnant mothers, it not only improves the mother’s cardiometabolic health but was also able to give some post weaning protection to the offspring fed an unhealthy fat-enriched diet. Currently we are investigating in this mouse model whether improving glycaemic control of the obese pregnant mothers with the anti-diabetic drug metformin will also reduce future risk of the offspring to obesity and the metabolic syndrome.

With colleagues from Clinical Neurosciences, we are investigating whether obesity-induced high fat feeding during pregnancy increase susceptibility of the offspring to Alzheimer disease and eye damage with ageing. In collaboration with clinical colleagues in Obstetrics & Gynaecology, we are examining follicular development in the ovaries of female offspring from the high-fat fed mothers. Other collaborative work using this mouse model includes the investigation of placental function in obese pregnancy, and muscle function, bone development, brown adipose tissue function and thermogenesis, and changes in gut microflora and physiology in offspring from these obese mothers.

Circadian clock system and developmental programming of diseases

Most physiological processes exhibit rhythmic changes with a period of around 24h (termed 'circadian'), and are regulated within cells by endogenous timing systems involving a set of 'clock' genes. The involvement of the circadian clock system in the pathogenesis of diseases remains unclear. We are interested in the role of the clock system in developmental programming of the metabolic syndrome. Using the mouse model of maternal high fat feeding leading to metabolic syndrome susceptibility in the offspring, we have been investigating whether there are alterations in circadian rhythms of genes involved in regulating appetite, energy expenditure and clock function in various tissues and organs of the offspring. Out group is examining whether these changes are brought about by epigenetic modifications. In collaboration with clinical colleagues from Obstetrics & Gynaecology, we are also investigating the role of sleep and body clock function in gynaecological pathologies.

Research group

Human Development and Health

Affiliate research group

Human Development and Physiology

Postgraduate supervision

PhD supervision (completed)

2009 Dyan Sellayah PhD
2011 Sanjay Asopa PhD
2011 Maqsood Elahi PhD
2017 Oliver Harrison DM
2017 Hugh Thomas PhD
2018 Linden Stocker PhD
2019 Aisha Rasool PhD

MPhil/PhD students currently supervised

Ahmad Alzahrani
Rachel Meadows
Suresh Giritharan

Responsibilities within the Faculty of Medicine
  • Deputy Module Lead, BM Project Module & BM Project Management Group
  • Chair, BM Year 3 Conference Organising Group
  • Member, Institute of Developmental Sciences Communication Committee
  • PhD, DM and MPhil examiner
  • Home Office Project Licence Holder (2 project licenses)

 

National and International Responsibilities
  • Member of the Editorial Board: Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease
  • External MSc/PhD examiner: National University of Ireland (2012), University of Manchester (2015)
  • Ad hoc reviewer for international journals including: Biology of Reproduction, BMC Gastroenterology, Brain Research, British Journal of Nutrition, British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Chronobiology International, Clinical Science, Endocrinology, Endocrinology & Metabolic Syndrome, Environmental Health Perspectives, European Journal of Nutrition, International Journal of Obesity, Journal of Endocrinology, Journal of Neuroendocrinology, Journal of Molecular Endocrinology, Journal of Physiology, Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, Molecular Brain Research, Neuroscience Letters, Neuroscience, Nutrients, Nutrition Research, PLOS One, Reproduction, Reproductive Sciences, Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism
  • Ad hoc grant reviewer: Austrian Science Fund (FWF), Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (UK), British Heart Foundation, Diabetes UK, French National Research Agency (ANR), Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity Research Fund, Irish Research Council, Medical Research Council (UK), Wellbeing of Women Charity, Wellcome Trust
  • Project Consultant: EU-FP6 Project on Food & Fecundity (2005)
  • Member: International DOHaD Society, Physiological Society

 

 

BM4 Graduate Group Facilitator Facilitate group discussion on clinical topics

BIOL3044 (Undergrad Yr3 level 6) and BIOL6044 (Masters, level 7) (Developmental Origins of Health and Disease) Delivers lectures on developmental programming of reproduction, metabolism and brain function

BMedSc/MMedSci Provides laboratory based projects and supervision

Postgraduate research supervisor Supervise research work of DM and PhD students

Personal Academic Tutor Provides support and guidance to BM4, BM5, BM6 and BM(EU) medical students in their academic and personal development

Deputy Module Lead BMedSc Project (BM5 Programme), BIOL3044, BIOL6040

Dr Felino Cagampang
Institute of Developmental Sciences
University of Southampton Faculty of Medicine
Southampton General Hospital (mailpoint 887)
Southampton SO16 6YD
UK

tel: 023 8120 4316
fax: 023 8120 4221
email: f.cagampang@soton.ac.uk

Room Number : SGH/IDS/DSB07/MP887

Facsimile: (023) 8078 5255

Share this profile Share this on Facebook Share this on Twitter Share this on Weibo
Privacy Settings