Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago

18/06/2026

Celebrating Liz Ledgerwood’s promotion to Professor - a fantastic milestone and well-earned recognition of her contribution to science and community. Read more:
https://www.otago.ac.nz/news/newsroom/celebrating-professor-liz-ledgerwood-advancing-science-through-curiosity,-collaboration-and-community

18/06/2026

Latest publication with a contribution from Otago Biochemistry.
TP53 mutation at codon 179 metabolically reprograms cancer cells to promote invasion

Mutations in the tumour suppressor, TP53, are prevalent in human cancers yet their functional implications remain unclear. Through comprehensive pan-cancer database analysis, we identified H179 mutations in TP53 as significantly associated with poor disease-free survival across multiple cancer types...

18/06/2026

Latest publication with a contribution from Otago Biochemistry.
Aerobic soil bacteria adapt to hypoxia by hybridizing fermentation with carbon storage

In soil ecosystems, aerobic bacteria survive oxygen deprivation (hypoxia) by entering nonreplicative persistent states. In contrast to the well-stu...

18/06/2026

Latest publication from Otago Biochemistry.
Genome scale CRISPRi reveals both shared and strain-specific vulnerabilities in genetically diverse drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Mutations that cause antibiotic resistance in bacteria can have collateral effects that increase the vulnerability of other pathways to inhibition. Here, Wang et al. use genome-scale CRISPR interference to identify shared and strain-specific vulnerabilities associated with different drug-resistant g...

18/06/2026

Journal Club - Fri, 12pm, Rm BIG13
Chantelle Monteith: To bee, or not to bee, Fang, Y., Ma, B., Jin, X. et al. Queen cell architecture shapes honeybee queen development. Nature (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10534-3
Sachini Thennakoon: Click here to stop bleeding, Jiang S, et al. Engineering tough blood clots for rapid haemostasis and enhanced regeneration. Nature. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10412-y

Engineered blood clots using rapidly crosslinked red blood cells form within seconds, greatly improving toughness and adhesion while effectively stopping bleeding and enhancing tissue repair.

18/06/2026

Kākāpō are the world’s heaviest parrot. They are flightless, coloured in a million shades of green, & chonky. Males make a bowl on the ground, sit in it, inflate, and make booming calls. They live for maybe 100 years, have a distinctive smell, & they are critically endangered.

and extinction

17/06/2026

For one week in mid-winter, Predator Free Dunedin are asking Ōtepoti/Dunedin residents to head outside after dark, look and listen for possums in backyards, parks, reserves and bushy areas around the neighbourhood, and tell us what they find

 Spotlight on Possums22nd to 28th of June 2026, anytime after dark. Grab a torch and help put the spotlight on possums in Ōtepoti/Dunedin.Spotlight on Possums is a fun, family-friendly way to take part in local conservation — no traps, no special gear, just a torch, warm clothes, and a bit of cu...

15/06/2026

Lynette Brownfield's research featured in Farmers Weekly, again!

In potatoes, for example, tech could shift production from bulky tubers to lightweight seeds, reducing storage and transport needs.

14/06/2026

Rodney Wong, alumnus of the Department of Biochemistry (1970s), is a new Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to business and the community.
"Rodney enjoyed studying milk proteins and enzyme activations with his “hugely intelligent” lecturers."

Otago alumnus Rodney Wong (黃 华 鈴) says his favourite quote comes from philosopher Sun Tzu: “Opportunities multiply as they are seized.”

11/06/2026

Congratulations to Otago Biochemists Parry Guilford, Matthew McNeil and Peter Mace for their success in the latest Health Research Council (HRC) funding round!
Professor Parry Guilford ($1,198,927) is developing a blood test to mitigate and reduce New Zealand's colonoscopy waiting lists.
Dr Matthew McNeil ($1,199,888) is trapping antibiotics inside pathogens to accelerate infectious disease therapy.
Professor Peter Mace ($1,199,958) is developing new drugs to shape the local immune environment.
(By the way, Matt McNeil started in Department of Biochemistry as a lecturer this year, no longer with Microbiology and Immunology)
Amazing research from our Otago Biochemists 😊
Read more about their projects here:
https://www.otago.ac.nz/news/newsroom/Heart-research-gets-a-boost-with-HRC-funding