Faculty of Biomedical Sciences at Otago

03/09/2026

Faculty of Biomedical Sciences researchers have helped identify the cause of a previously unrecognised neurodevelopmental disorder.

Dr Meghan Mulligan, of the Department of Biochemistry, says the finding has given people around the world an answer to the source of their family member’s neurological condition.

“Neurodevelopment depends on precise orchestration of the dosage, location, and timing of gene expression. Before the study, the gene ELAVL2 was known to have an important role in helping influence brain development, but no one had connected it with a genetic condition. We have now discovered variants in this gene are the cause of a previously undefined neurodevelopmental disorder.”

Published in the prestigious journal The American Journal of Human Genetics, the study was an international collaboration between researchers at Otago and in the Netherlands. Read more here

University of Otago – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka researchers have helped identify the cause of a previously unrecognised neurodevelopmental disorder.

03/09/2026

Ngā mihi nui to Yuki Teh for her success at the most recent 3MT™ challenge 🥳

Based in the Department of Physiology, Yuki was the runner-up for the PhD category of the competition 👏

Yuki presented her doctoral research in three minutes using one slide, and titled this presentation ‘When breast cancer cells run red lights and speed away’.

Tino kino te pai!

30/08/2026

An Otago researcher who is on a mission to restore function in people affected by brain disorders has won the opportunity to pitch his company to international investors in the United States.

Professor John Reynolds (Department of Anatomy) and his company Neumic Therapeutics Ltd recently won the Aotearoa New Zealand final of the Startup World Cup in Wellington, securing a ticket that takes him one step closer to the grand final in Silicon Valley in November.

John joins other winners from around the world who will have two minutes to pitch their company to the judges. Read more here

An Otago researcher who is on a mission to restore function in people affected by brain disorders has won the opportunity to pitch his company to international investors in the United States.

25/08/2026

Research at the University of Otago I Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka looking at why some Crohn's disease sufferers don’t respond to treatments could lead to more effective personalised therapies.

Around 25,000 New Zealanders are affected by Crohn’s, and the problem is on the rise.

It’s lifelong – there is currently no cure, and many people require long-term medication or surgery. What’s worse, almost half of people with Crohn's disease do not respond to one of the most commonly prescribed treatments, known as anti-TNF therapy.

Department of Microbiology and Immunology Research Fellow Dr Safina Gadeock’s research aims to understand why.

She has H.S. and J.C. Anderson Charitable Trust 2026 funding to explore how inflammation damages the gut lining and disrupts the stem cells needed for healing.

Read more about the mahi here

24/08/2026

Mikayla King (Tūhoe) was devastated when the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown meant she had to leave the college she was studying at in the United States and return home to Whakatāne.
But long story short, her journey led her to the University of Otago -Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka, where she discovered Microbiology.

Mikayla graduated on 22 August with a Master of Science, Immunology, her project on Crohn’s Disease contributing to new knowledge on gut health.
Read her story here

24/08/2026

It might take a village to raise a child, but it can also take a community to help a PhD candidate graduate, as Benjamín Durán-Vinet’s eventful journey has proved.

Benjamín, who is based in the Department of Anatomy, graduated on 22 August with a PhD in Genetics, focused on environmental biosurveillance and biosecurity applications.

He’s grateful to make it to the graduation stage after overcoming significant challenges – shifting his family from Chile, Covid-19 disruptions, an overseas trip for a life-saving operation for his baby daughter and supporting his wife following a cancer diagnosis.

Yet the research Benjamín has continued to progress throughout these personal challenges is attracting growing international attention. In fact, the eDNA-based test he’s been working on detected two significant invasive marine species in New Zealand in only a few months, and the platform technology is now being further improved to help monitor and manage endangered Hector’s and Māui dolphins.

Benjamín is thankful for people who’ve helped – read about his journey here

It might take a village to raise a child, but it can also take a community to help a PhD candidate graduate, as Benjamín Durán-Vinet’s eventful journey has proved.

18/08/2026

🎉 Nominations are now open for the 2026 University of Otago 20Twenties | Taiohi Taiora Young Alumni Awards! 💙💛

The awards recognise and celebrate the amazing contribution and achievements of our alumni in their twenties.

Please nominate a young graduate you know who is making a positive impact in their communities – be it through volunteering, research, leadership, innovation – however they are making a difference we would love to hear about it!

📆 Closing date is 23 September

🌟For more information and to nominate a young alumni: https://www.otago.ac.nz/alumni/people/2020-nomination

11/08/2026

Some kids (and their caregivers) had a good time learning about how the heart works recently, thanks to some cool dance moves by HeartOtago’s Regis Lamberts, Madyson Hintz and Georgia Walsh.

HeartOtago hosted three interactive heart health and dissection workshops, including real-time cold stress heart rate monitoring, as part of last month’s hands-on science Nanofest 2026 in Dunedin.

Regis, Madyson and Georgia, based in the Department of Physiology, had fun with their “heart dance” to show how different parts of the heart contract during a normal heart beat, and how this changes with types of arrhythmia.

10/08/2026

Congratulations to Associate Professor Daniel Pletzer, one of five University of Otago researchers to receive a 2026 Otago Medical Research Foundation grant.

Daniel, who is based in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, will use his grant to investigate how a dangerous hospital bacterium develops resistance to life-saving antibiotics.

It’s hoped this mahi could help improve treatment options for patients with serious drug-resistant infections.

09/08/2026

What started as a filler subject has become a fascination for Nicole Thomson, who has been awarded a 20Twenties | Taiohi Taiora Young Alumni Award 🏅

A BSc (Hons) graduate in Genetics from Otago, Nicole has been widely recognised for her research excellence through awards and scholarships.

Nicole was based in the Department of Biochemistry for her plant biotechnology Honour’s project, with Richard MacKnight and Lynette Brownfield as co-supervisors.

She has just taken up a postdoctoral research position in Germany and through her research she aims to further the understanding of plant development, to help respond to food security and climate change challenges.

Read about Nicole’s journey and successes here

Q&A with Nicole Thomson, 2025 20Twenties Young Alumni Award recipient - What started as a filler subject has become a fascination for Nicole Thomson.