The main interest of the lab is the hormonal control of growth, metabolism, appetite, and reproduction. We are interested in unravelling the complexity of how hormones regulate physiological mechanisms in healthy individuals versus abnormal mechanisms that occur in disease states.

Over many years we have worked with animal nutritionists and veterinary clinicians, supported by industry funding bodies, to investigate key issues affecting animal health and production.

At present the lab’s research is focused on bone mineral metabolism during pregnancy and lactation.

Group Head

  • Honorary Professor Rob Dixon, Qld Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, UQ
  • Professor Simon Quigley, Central Queensland University
  • Emeritus Professor Dennis Poppi, School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability, UQ
  • Dr Gene Wijfells, CSIRO, Queensland Bioscience Precinct, St Lucia

View full list of publications on eSpace

D.J. Innes; N.J. Hudson; S.T. Anderson; D. Poppi, and S.P. Quigley. (2023) Differential voluntary feed intake and whole transcriptome profiling in the hypothalamus of young sheep offered crude protein and phosphorus deficient diets. Animal 17(10), 100973.

J. Hill, C. Driscoll, J. Cawdell-Smith, S. Anderson, and J. Ziviani (2023). Investigating dog welfare when interacting with autistic children within canine-assisted occupational therapy sessions: A pilot case study. Animals 13(12), 1965.

Wijffels G., Sullivan M.L., Stockwell S., Briscoe S., Anderson S.T., Li Y., de Melo Costa C.C., McCulloch R., Olm J.C.W., Cawdell-Smith J., and Gaughan J.B. (2023). Comparing the responses of grain fed feedlot cattle under moderate heat load and during subsequent recovery with those of feed restricted thermoneutral counterparts: metabolic hormones. International Journal of Biometeorology 1-15. 

Gottlieb S., Rand, J.S., Ishioka K., Dias D.A., Boughton B.A., Roessner U., Ramadan Z., and Anderson S.T. (2022). Measures of insulin sensitivity, leptin, and adiponectin concentrations in cats in diabetic remission compared to healthy control cats. Frontiers in Veterinary Science. 

Silva T.A.C.C., Quigley S.P., Kidd L.J., Anderson S.T., McLennan S.R., Schatz T.J., McCosker K.D., and Poppi D.P. (2022) Post-weaning supplementation of early and normally weaned Brahman crossbred heifers raised in tropical rangelands affects liveweight gain, skeletal growth and bone metabolism, endocrine parameters and subsequent puberty and pregnancy percentage. PlosOne 17(2): e0263786.

Spiers J.G., Tan L.S., Anderson S.T., Hill A.F., Lavidis N.A., and Chen H-J. C. (2022) Hepatic homeostasis of metal ions following acute repeated stress exposure in the rat. Antioxidants 11(1), 85. 

Silva T.A.C.C., Quigley S.P., Kidd L.J., Anderson S.T., McLennan S.R., and Poppi D.P. (2021) Effect of a high crude protein content diet during energy restriction and re-alimentation on animal performance, skeletal growth and metabolism of bone tissue in two genotypes of cattle. PLoS One 16(2), e0247718.

Spiers J.G., Steiger N., Khada A., Hill A.F., Lavidis N.A., Anderson S.T., and Chen H-J.C. (2021) Repeated acute restraint stress modulates hepatic inflammation and markers of macrophage polarisation in the rat. Biochimie 180: 30-42.

Rahnama S., Vathsangam N., Spence R., Anderson S.T., de Laat M.A., Bailey S., and Sillence M.N. (2021) Identification of monoclonal antibodies suitable for blocking IGF-1 receptors in the horse. Domestic Animal Endocrinology 106530.

Rahnama S., Spence R., Vathsangam N., Baskerville C., Bailey S., de Laat M.A., Anderson S.T., Pollitt C., and Sillence M.N. (2021). Effects of insulin on IGF-1 receptors in equine lamellar tissue in vitro. Domestic Animal Endocrinology 106510.

Chien-Jung C, Anderson, S.T., Steiger N., Allan McKinnon A., Henning J., and Allavena R (2020) Bone biomarkers in koalas: validation of assays and preliminary analysis. Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation 32(6).

Gottlieb S., Rand J.S., Anderson, S.T., Morton J.M., Diaz D.A., Boughton B.A., Roesnner U., and Ramadan Z. (2020) Metabolic profiling of diabetic cats in remission. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, Comparative and Clinical Medicine 218.

Dixon R.M., Anderson S.T., Coates D.B., Kidd L.J., and Fletcher M. (2020) Management of phosphorus nutrition of beef cattle grazing seasonally dry rangelands: a review. Animal Production Science 60: 863-879.

Hofstee P., McKeating D.R., Bartho L.A., Anderson S.T., Perkins A.V., and Cuffe J.S.M. (2020) Maternal selenium deficiency in mice alters offspring glucose metabolism and thyroid status in a sexually dimorphic manner. Nutrients 12: 267.

Find out more about our diverse range of research interests.