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Bioactive research

Bioactives are components of all living things (plants, animals, fungi) that have an effect when they are used in other organisms. They can be protective (e.g. natural sunscreens), aid in nutrition (e.g. vitamins), or have other effects. In Aotearoa they are often the basis of rongoā (e.g. traditional herbal remedies) but have not been scientifically described.

Together with researchers at Otago, within New Zealand and globally the Fellner group is investigating bioactive compounds from various sources. A current focus is on undiscovered marine bioactives. Ongoing projects include investigations of sea star or sea urchin (Kina).

Additional reading about a the ongoing sea star project:

Sea star and plant light response projects shine bright in Marsden awards

Preprint: Caleb J Trimble, Christopher E Laumer, Miles Lamare, Hugh F Carter, Maria Byrne, Matthias Fellner, Suzanne T Williams, Nathan J Kenny; bioRxiv 2025.06.09.658723; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.06.09.658723