Young scientist award for immunology researcher
Congratulations to GO Member Dr Nils Birkholz (Department of Microbiology and Immunology) who has recently been awarded the Asia-Pacific Protein Association Young Scientist Award for 2024.
Read more at the Otago Newsroom
Sir Charles Hercus Fellowship for GO Member
Congratulations to GO member Dr Emma Wade (Department of Women’s and Children’s Health) who has been award the prestigious Sir Charles Hercus Fellowship by the Health Research Council.
Read more at Otago Newsroom.
Funding helping researcher advance treatment for gout
Genetics Otago member Dr Megan Leask who has recently returned to NZ after spending time at the University of Alabama, Birmingham has recently been granted $1.2 million by the Health Research Council to continue her research on the treatment and prevention of gout and other metabolic disorders.
Read more at the Otago Newsroom.
Boost for rare disorders research in New Zealand
Genetics Otago Co-Director Associate Professor Louise Bicknell has facilitated an Otago link to the European Rare Diseases Research Alliance (ERDERA), where she will act as the New Zealand Representative to the Governing Board.
Read more about ERDERA and what this alliance means for Rare Disease research in NZ in the Otago University Newsroom.
GO Members Otago Research Awards Success
Congratulations to Genetics Otago members who where recognised for their outstanding scholarly achievement with Otago Research Awards for 2024.
Research Group Award
Phage-host interactions (Phi) laboratory, led by GO member Professor Peter Fineran, Department of Microbiology and Immunology
The Phage-host interactions (Phi) research group has made world-leading discoveries that enhance the understanding of phages and their interactions with bacteria. Phages are viruses that infect and specifically kill bacteria. A major strength of the group that underlies its success is the interdisciplinary and complementary skills of the group and their collaborative approach. The Phi lab currently has 18 researchers, led by Professor Peter Fineran, and their expertise spans genetics, microbiology, biochemistry, structural biology, bioinformatics, high-throughput screens and surface chemistry.
Early Career Research Award
Dr Nathan Kenny, Department of Biochemistry
Nathan moved to Otago as a Rutherford Discovery Fellow about two and-a-half years ago and has quickly established a research niche at the intersection of comparative genomics and evolutionary biology, often working alongside hapori Māori. His current research focus is the molecular origins of resilience to the effects of climate change in the green-lipped mussel, Perna canaliculus.
Text from Otago Newsroom – read the full article here.
New species of pāua found!
Genetics Otago members and Otago Department of Zoology’s Associate Professor Nic Rawlence and Professor Hamish Spencer were involved in this project applying ancient DNA techniques to shells, highlighting the importance of biodiversity research in Aotearoa.
Read more on the Otago Newsroom.
Genetics Otago Funding Success!
Genetics Otago is pleased to announce that it has secured funding from the University of Otago, which will support our initiatives through 2028. Genetics Otago has been selected as one of 14 Research Themes to receive this funding. This achievement highlights the university’s commitment to advancing genetic research and the valuable work being done by our team. The support will enable us to continue fostering the important mahi carried out by our members, furthering our mission to drive innovation and excellence in genetics.
To learn more about the Research Themes and the University of Otago’s funding decisions, please visit the Otago Newsroom.
Surprise discovery with big scientific potential
An international team of researchers, led by Professor Peter Fineran and including Dr Nils Birkholz as lead author (both Genetics Otago members) have made a breakthrough in antibiotic alternative treatments for bacterial infections.
Check out the Otago University Newsroom article for more details, or read the full paper published in Nature!
Birkholz N, Kamata K, Feussner M, Wilkinson ME, Samaniego CC, Migur A, et al. Phage anti-CRISPR control by an RNA- and DNA-binding helix–turn–helix protein. Nature. 2024;1–8.
HRC Project Grant for GO Member
Congratulations to Genetics Otago member, Dr Megan Leask (Department of Physiology), who has recently been awarded a Health Research Council (HRC) Project Grant!
Translational ‘omics of the hidden genome for equitable precision medicine
Cardiometabolic diseases (e.g., type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease and gout) are increasing in prevalence worldwide at an alarming rate. A precision medicine approach to tackling metabolic disease, informed by an individual’s genetics, promises to save lives, improve quality of life and lower medical costs. However, for Māori and Pacific people there is a critical need to expand the development of genetic resources and analyses, and build genetics capabilities in Aotearoa if these groups are to receive equal medical care in the future. In this study, we aim to reduce the precision medicine gap for Māori and Pacific people by applying large data techniques to genetic data from Māori and Pacific individuals, and identify unique genetics that can be targeted in the treatment and prevention of metabolic diseases.
36 months, $1,199,988
Poutoko Taiea appointments recognise impactful contributions
Genetics Otago member and founding director Professor Peter Dearden has been named as one of six Distinguished Chair – Poutoko Taiea appointments.
Read more about Prof Dearden and the other recipients on the Otago Newsroom page.
