2025

Looking back at 2025 Fellner Research Group activities

Hello

• Shuxian Li, PhD student
• Tianming Chen, PhD student
• Yin Wang, PhD student
• Sathmi Bambarawana, Summer student

Goodbye

• George Randall, postdoc, now at Oxford
• Shilpa Saseendran Nair, ARF, now postdoc at Otago Pletzer lab
• Adrian Isaac Soleil Smith-Beech MSc graduated, now PhD student at University of Queensland
• Yoann Marjolet, exchange MSc student from France, now finishing his MSc at Polytech Clermont

Conferences by PI and students

• Maurice Wilkins Centre Symposium Symposium (Auckland)
• Queenstown Research Week Antimicrobial Resistance Meeting (Christchurch)
• NZSBMB Conference (Rotorua)
• Tūmahi Whiti Makutu Kairangahau Wananga (Papakura Marae Auckland)
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• Maurice Wilkins Centre NZ–China Joint Symposium (Queenstown)
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Grant successes

• Mana Tūānuku Research Leader Fellowship (New Zealand Royal Society)
  • https://www.otago.ac.nz/news/newsroom/fellowships-for-otago-researchers
  • https://www.royalsociety.org.nz/news/2025-mana-tuanuku-research-leader-fellowships-awarded/
• Marsden Fund (New Zealand Royal Society)
  • https://blogs.otago.ac.nz/thesheet/sea-star-and-plant-light-response-projects-shine-bright-in-marsden-awards/
  • https://www.otago.ac.nz/news/newsroom/otago-research-in-outer-space
• University of Otago Research Grant (University of Otago)
• Commercialising Knowledge Assets Fund (UK Research and Innovation)

Publications

• Sun, M.; Fellner, M.; Lv, C.; Carne, A.; Zang, J.; Zhao, G.; Bekhit, A. E. A.; Zhang, T. (2025) Dual mechanisms of digestion-resistant proteins in food systems: structural resistance and enzyme inhibition. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 1-22. 10.1080/10408398.2025.2551784
• Upadhyay, T.; Woods, E. C.; Dela Ahator, S.; Julin, K.; Faucher, F. F.; Uddin, M. J.; Hollander, M. J.; Pedowitz, N. J.; Abegg, D.; Hammond, I.; Eke, I. E.; Wang, S.; Chen, S.; Bennett, J. M.; Jo, J.; Lentz, C. S.; Adibekian, A.; Fellner, M.; Bogyo, M. (2025) Identification of covalent inhibitors of Staphylococcus aureus serine hydrolases important for virulence and biofilm formation. Nat Commun 16 (1), 5046. 10.1038/s41467-025-60367-3
• Warring, S. L.; Sisson, H. M.; Randall, G.; Grimon, D.; Dams, D.; Gutierrez, D.; Fellner, M.; Fagerlund, R. D.; Briers, Y.; Jackson, S. A.; Fineran, P. C. (2025) Engineering an antimicrobial chimeric endolysin that targets the phytopathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae. J Biol Chem, 110224. DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2025.110224
• Wang, S.; Woods, E. C.; Jo, J.; Zhu, J.; Hansel-Harris, A.; Holcomb, M.; Llanos, M.; Pedowitz, N. J.; Upadhyay, T.; Bennett, J.; Fellner, M.; Park K. W.; Zhang A.; Valdez T. A.; Forli S.; Chan A. I.; Cunningham C. N.; Bogyo M. (2025) An mRNA Display Approach for Covalent Targeting of a Staphylococcus aureus Virulence Factor. Journal of the American Chemical Society 147 (10), 8312-8325. DOI: 10.1021/jacs.4c15713
• Nair, S. S.; Kleffmann, T.; Smith, B., Morris, V.; Goebl, C.; Pletzer, D.; Fellner, M. (2025), Comparative lipidomics profiles of planktonic and biofilms of methicillin-resistant and -susceptible Staphylococcus aureus, Anal Biochem, 115746. DOI: 10.1016/j.ab.2024.115746