MAURICE WILKINS CENTRE

New Zealand’s Centre of Research Excellence targeting human disease

Annual Report 2013

Maurice Wilkins CentreThe Maurice Wilkins Centre is New Zealand’s Centre of Research Excellence targeting major human diseases. It focuses on cancer, diabetes and infectious disease.

New Zealand has an outstanding reputation for biomedical research. The Centre aims to harness this expertise to develop drugs and vaccines, tools for early diagnosis and prevention, and new models of disease. In addition to translational research that directly targets human disease, the Maurice Wilkins Centre encourages innovative fundamental science that has the potential for high impact on human health.

The Maurice Wilkins Centre is a multidisciplinary network that brings together leading biologists, chemists and computer scientists. At the end of 2013 it comprised 148 investigators throughout the country, and over 170 early-career affiliates, linking researchers from six universities, three Crown Research Institutes and two private research institutes. These investigators represent most of New Zealand’s expertise in discovering new drugs, vaccines and diagnostic tools that proceed to clinical trials.

As the national hub for molecular biodiscovery the Centre provides a point of contact for a broad range of national scientific expertise. It cultivates collaborations with international researchers and research institutions and also engages with industry and the medical profession.

For more information see www.mauricewilkinscentre.org

For more information on New Zealand Centres of Research Excellence see www.acore.ac.nz

Director’s Report .................................................................................... 2

Contribution to National Goals ............................................................... 4

Research highlights

Major award for New Zealand drug inventor ................................. 7

Steppingupthefight:TheTuberculosisFlagship .......................... 9

New strategic alliance with China .................................................. 11

Advancing a vaccine for rheumatic fever ....................................... 13

A fresh approach to diabetes ........................................................ 15

New chemistry transforms cancer vaccine .................................... 17

Spreading the word ....................................................................... 19

Partnershipsboostbusiness:MWCsupportsAucklandClinicalStudies ........................................................................................... 21

Teacherdevelopment,fromKaitaiatoInvercargill ......................... 23

New therapies – from a new generation ........................................ 25

Outreach ................................................................................................. 26

Organisational Development .................................................................. 40

Research Outputs .................................................................................. 53

FinancialReport2013 ............................................................................ 73

Directory ................................................................................................. 75

Contact Details ....................................................................................... 88

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Once again our Annual Report starts with outstanding success for one of our principal investigators – the award of the 2014 Medicinal Chemistry Award from the American Chemical Society (ACS) to ProfessorBillDenny.It’sdifficulttoover-state the importance of this award.TheACSisaheavyweightininternational science – the largest scientificorganisationintheworld.Andforthefirsttimeinover30years,ithasdecidedtomaketheawardtosomeoneoutsidetheUSA,cementing Bill’s reputation as an

internationaliconofmedicinalchemistry.IftherewasanOlympiceventindrugdiscovery,Billhasjustbecomethefirstnon-Americantotakeoutthegoldmedal,outofastellarinternationalfield.

Asyou’llreadinourHighlightsstory,Billandhisteamhaveanextraordinaryrecordofinventingnewmedicines.Fourteenoftheirdrugstodatehaveprogressedthroughtoclinicaltrialsinhumans,afterpassingabatteryofrigoroustests.ThisrecordplacestheAucklandCancerSocietyResearchCentreattheverytopoftheinternationalorganisationsthatdiscovernewdrugs.YetallofthissuccesscamefromaNewZealandbase.InpartthisisduetoBill’sunwaveringbeliefthatdespiteoursizeandremotenessfrommajormarkets,NewZealandcanstillcarryoutsuchacomplexhigh-techactivityaswellasanywhereelse– provided we maintain our support for the world-class facilities and training that underpin excellentresearch.Butit’salsoatributetoBillhimself–acalmandefficientleaderwithahard-wonreputationfordeliveringresearchproductsthattheworldcantrust.We’redelightedtocelebratetheawardwithBill,andfrankly,itreallycouldn’thavehappenedtoanicerbloke.

Elsewhereinthereportwecelebrateotherexcellentresearch–frompaperspublishedin the world’s leading journals to the discovery of new therapeutic agents that promise torelievesomeoftheburdenofseriousdisease.Wealsoreportonourstrategyasanorganisationasweenteredthehighlycompetitiveprocessforafurthersix-yearfundingcycle.CrucialtoourresponsetothecallforproposalsfromtheTertiaryEducationCommissionwasavibrant,activenetworkofcollaboratorsacrossNewZealand.

Director’s Report

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Director’s Report

ThestrengthandreachoftheCentre’snetworkwasnevermoreevidentthanduringthe“flagship”process,whereweconvenedmeetingstodevelopnationalstrategiesforparticularresearchthemes(seeHighlightsstoryonTB,andsection4.5.2).The“flagship”meetingsbroughttogetherourtop20orsoinvestigatorsundereachtheme,alongwithotherkeypeopleourinvestigatorswantedtotalkto,suchasNewZealand’sleadingclinicians in particular disease topics. After discussing the major challenges in each researchfield,andmappingNewZealand’sresearchcapabilityagainstthosechallenges,the teams produced focused plans of how that capability could most effectively be deployed. Part of this process involved eschewing their own parochial concerns in favour ofarealisticexaminationofhowtheircombinedresearchfirepowercouldbestdeliverprogress against major disease in New Zealand. Such commitment to national goal settinghasimplicationsforresourceallocationinfuture,andcouldonlyoccuramongstresearcherswithahighlevelofengagementandtrust,builtupovermanyyearsofcollaborativework.Thestrategiesdevelopedatthesemeetingswerecarriedforwardintoourresearchproposalfor2015-2020.Importantly,manyoftheideasincorporatedintothese strategies had already been road-tested internationally – through the investigators’ owninternationalcollaborators,throughreviewbytheCentre’sScientificAdvisoryBoard,andthroughinternationalsymposia(suchastheCentre’sjointTBmeetingwithColoradoStateUniversityin2012).TheCentrewasthereforeabletoproposeanexciting,world-classresearch programme addressing national goals that was only achievable because of the excellentnationalteamswehaddeveloped.

Allofwhichmaysoundreminiscentofanotherinitiativelaunchedin2013,theNationalScienceChallenges.Centreinvestigatorshavealreadybeendeeplyinvolvedinthese,particularlythe“HealthierLives”challenge.IthasbecomeveryobviousthattheresearchnetworksbuiltupthroughtheCentresofResearchExcellence(CoREs)havebecomeacrucialassetinaddressingthemajorscientificchallengesNewZealandfaces.CoREsengageNewZealand’stopresearchersinagivenfield,buildresearchcapability,andincentivisecollaborationacrossthecountry.WhensuchhighlycollaborativenetworksturntheirattentiontoamajorchallengefacedbyNewZealand,theyarewellprimedtoplanandtodeliveranintegratednationalapproach,benchmarkedagainsttheworld’sbest.TheMauriceWilkinsCentrewillthereforecontinuetoexploresynergieswiththeNationalScienceChallenges.ButtheCentrewillalsocontinuallyexaminehowitsoutstanding“assets”suchasProfessorBillDennycandeliversolutionstoothernationalchallenges,matching opportunities for impact with a precise understanding of what the best of New Zealand research can achieve.

Rod Dunbar

Director

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Contribution to National Goals

TheCentresofResearchExcellence(CoREs)arecollectivelychargedwithmakingacontribution to national goals including fostering innovation and social and economic development.TheCoREswilleachcontributetothesegoalsindifferentwaysandindifferentproportions,dependingontheirparticularresearchfocus.TheMauriceWilkinsCentre has its own unique place in this spectrum. Our focus on human disease is based onamultidisciplinaryplatformthatextendsacrosschemistry,biologyandmedicineandcombineskeyapproachesandtechnologiesfromphysics,engineeringandmathematics.

InnovationTheMauriceWilkinsCentreconductshighlyinnovativeresearchandenablesinnovationinthewiderresearchandbusinesssector.ItsgoalistobecomeNewZealand’sengineforthediscoveryofnewtherapiesanddiagnostictests.Innovationinresearchisoftentobefoundattheinterfacebetweendisciplines,throughcross-fertilisationofideasandtechnology.

TheMauriceWilkinsCentrebringstogetherresearchersfromarangeofdisciplinestotacklecomplexquestionsthatnoonefieldalonecouldaddress.ItalsoencouragesamorecollegialapproachwithinthebiomedicalresearchsectorinNewZealand.TheCentre’sworkleadstotheestablishmentofnewspin-outcompaniesandcontributesdirectlytoinnovationwithinestablishedcompaniesthroughcontractresearch,consultancy,andsharingoffacilitiesandexpertise.Fundamentalscientificdiscoveries,noveltechnologiesand management developed within the Centre enable new lines of research that advance understanding of human health and disease and also enable innovation in other sectors including New Zealand’s primary industries.

Social developmentOneoftheMauriceWilkinsCentre’scontributionstosocialdevelopmentinNewZealandisthrough improvements to human health. Our major focus is to improve the diagnosis and treatmentofdiseasessuchascancer,diabetes,andinfectiousdisease–allincreasingchallengesforNewZealandsociety.Atthesametime,scienceisanimportantaspectofourculture,andtheMauriceWilkinsCentreplaysaroleinincreasingtheimpactofsciencewithinNewZealand,aswellasconnectingusstronglytotheinternationalscientificcommunity.Themulti-disciplinaryandcollaborativeethosoftheMauriceWilkinsCentreensuresanexcellenttrainingenvironmentforgraduatestudentsandyoungerscientists,includingexposuretotheethical,managerialandentrepreneurialaspectsoftranslationalscience.ItisparticularlyimportantforstudentsatalllevelsofeducationtoseethatscientificresearchofthehighestinternationalqualitycanbedoneinNewZealand,andthatitcanmakemajorcontributionstothesocialandeconomicwell-beingoftheircountry.TheexamplesetbyMauriceWilkinsCentreleadersinchoosingtoreturnfromresearchpostsoverseas,committedtocarryingoutworld-classresearchinNewZealand,providesapowerfulincentiveforourtopstudentstodolikewiseinfuture.

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Director’s ReportContribution to National Goals

Economic developmentTheMauriceWilkinsCentre’sfocusonnewapproachestohumandiseasehasdualimportancefortheNewZealandeconomy,inbothimprovinghealthandprovidingdirect economic gains. Centre investigators have to date been responsible for bringing alargeportfolioofdrugstoclinicaltrial,withadeeppipelineofnewprojectsinpre-clinicaldevelopment.ThisstrongportfoliomeansthatNewZealandmaintainsitsexcitingpotentialinthebiopharmaceuticalsector,oneofthefeweconomicsectorscapableofdrivingexplosiveeconomicgrowth.TheintimatelinksbetweentheMauriceWilkinsCentreresearchprogrammeandrecentstart-upcompaniesdemonstratesthatresearchfindingscan and will be developed for the national good. Direct economic gains also come from internationalresearchcontracts,andmilestoneandlicensingrevenuefromoverseaspartnerships–effectivelya“weightless”exportindustry.LessdirecteconomicgainscomefromMauriceWilkinsCentreinvestigators’significantimpactontheinternationalrankingsofoureducationalinstitutions,whichaffecttheirabilitytoattractinternationalstudents.

TheCentrealsoplaysanimportantroleinpromotingandvalidatingournationalscientificcapabilitiesabroad,increasingthereputationofNewZealandasasourceofhigh-valueresearch.

Professor Bill Denny participated in the inaugural Ride to Conquer Cancer to raise money for the

CancerSocietyAuckland.

Image courtesy of Wayne Martin/Howick and Pakuranga Times

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HighlightsHighlights

Highlights

Major award for New Zealand drug inventorThis year Maurice Wilkins Centre principal investigator and Distinguished Professor Bill Denny received the American Chemical Society’s 2014 Medicinal Chemistry Award.

It’sthefirsttimein30yearsthattheaward,whichrecognisesoutstandingachievement,hasbeengiventosomeonefromoutsidetheUnitedStates.TheAmericanChemicalSocietyistheworld’slargestscientificsocietywithover163,000members,andincludesmorethan24,000internationalmembersfromover100countries.

Billistheco-DirectoroftheAucklandCancerSocietyResearchCentre(ACSRC)attheUniversityofAuckland,whichhasbought14newanti-cancerdrugsthroughtoclinicaltrial.Thismakesitoneofthemostproductiveacademicinstitutesintheworld.BillattributesitssuccessratetotheACSRC’smulti-disciplinaryapproach,whichhasallowedhimandhisteamtofollowthedevelopmentofdrugtherapiesfromconceptthroughtoexecution.“Academicinstitutionsarelargelymonodisciplined,butoursisverymultidisciplinary.”

Heattributeswinningtheawardto“beingintheprivilegedpositionofworkingwithalotofbrightpeople”.ItprobablyhelpedthathewasknowninchemistrycirclesintheUSA–Billhaslongrecognisedthatgettingdrugstotrialrequiresworkingwithcommercialorganisations,andtheACSRChascollaboratedwithanumberofinternationalpharmaceuticalcompaniesandthebiotechindustry.ThisincludescompaniessuchasPathwayTherapeuticsandProacta(Inc),ofwhichBillwasaco-founder.

MauriceWilkinsCentreDirectorProfessorRodDunbarsayswinningtheawardisanextraordinaryachievementforascientistoutsidetheUnitedStates.“Anditemphasiseshowfortunatewearetohavehimhere.Billisaninternationaliconindrugdiscovery,aninspiration to all our scientists who strive to achieve at the highest international level from a NewZealandbase.”

Muchofdrugdevelopment,suchasup-scalingproductionandregulatoryprocessesandclinicaltrials,takesplaceoutsidethelab.HoweverBill’steamhasshownthatmuchcanbeachievedintheearlierstages,inacademicinstitutionsandthroughacademiccollaborations.TheMWChasbeeninstrumentalindevelopingacademiccollaborationswithinNewZealand,saysBill.ThisincludesacollaborationbetweentheMWCandresearchersatVictoriaUniversity,Wellington,whichisinvestigatingwaysofusingmicrobestosynergisewithchemotherapytreatmentstofightcancer.“Thathasbeenaparticularlyproductivecollaboration.”

InNovember,Billhoppedonabikeforthefirsttimesincehewasastudent,fortheinaugural Ride to Conquer Cancer organised to raise money for the Cancer Society Auckland.AsoneoftheACSRC’scyclingteam,theDrugRunners,hewasrequiredtoridea200kmcyclingjourneyovertwodays.Hedescribestheeventas“veryhard”,particularlythe“hillybits”.“IonlygotabikeinSeptember,soIhadtotrainhard”.However,theeventraised$2.1million,whichwillassistCancerSocietyAucklandinitscontinuingsupportoftheMWC’slife-savingresearch.

Representationofthe3DstructureofthetypeIINADHdehydrogenase(NDH-2)fromCaldalkalibacillus

thermarumasfeaturedonthefrontcoverofMolecularMicrobiology.TheNDH-2protomer(ingrey

ribbon)viewedfromthesidedisplayingthebindingregionsofFAD,(putative)aqueousNADH(yellow)

andlipophilicquinone(orange).Themembrane-anchoringregionishighlightedinmagenta.Forfurther

detailsseeHeikaletal.(2014),MolecularMicrobiology,91:950–964.

Image courtesy of Dr Adam Heikal.

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Highlights

Stepping up the fight: The Tuberculosis FlagshipThe Maurice Wilkins Centre is behind the launch of a national research network of ‘serious intellectual muscle’ that aims to speed up action against tuberculosis.

Tuberculosiskillsmorethan1millionpeople,and10millionnewcasesarediagnosedeveryyear;thediseaseisbecomingincreasinglyresistanttodrugs.InNewZealand,TBincidenceislow,buthasrisenby10%since2007,withmostnewcasescominginfromoverseas.

InabidtoleveragethebestscientificmindsintheTB-eradicationbusiness,MWChassupportedthecreationoftheTuberculosisFlagship,anationalnetworkofTBresearchers.

It’sledbyMWCinvestigatorsProfessorGregCook,abacterialphysiologistattheUniversityofOtago,andstructuralbiologistShaunLottoftheUniversityofAuckland.Itcomprises14otherMWCinvestigators,whomGregcharacterisesas“someseriousintellectualmuscle”fromOtago,Canterbury,Victoria,WaikatoandAucklanduniversities.

GregsaystheimpetustosetuptheTBFlagshipcamefromtherealisationthatresearchersworkinginisolationondifferentdrugtargetswouldstruggletodeliverthefunding,researchandresourceefficienciestospeedupactionagainstMycobacteriumtuberculosis,whichcauseshumanTB.

Soinearly2013,theMWCfundedameetingof20ofNewZealand’stopTBresearchers,atwhichGregandShaunputthecasefordoingthingsdifferently.Theresponsewasoverwhelminglypositive,andthedecisionwasmadetofocusonasmallnumberofpromisingnewdrugtargetsforTB.Oneofthem,typeIINADHdehydrogenase(NDH-2)amembraneproteininvolvedinenergygeneration,isamemberofanewclassoftargetsthathasshownthegreatestpromiseinreducingthetreatmentofTBfromninemonthstoagame-changingeightweeks.

ThefirstdrugdevelopedagainstenergygenerationofMycobacteriumtuberculosiswasBedaquiline;whenlicensedin2012,itwasthefirstnovelanti-tuberculosisdruggiventhegreenlightin40years.Workingtogether,twoofthegroupsintheTBFlagshiphaverevealedthehigh-resolutionstructureofNDH-2,establishingaframeworkforthestructure-baseddesignofsmall-moleculeinhibitorsagainstthisessentialTBenzyme.TheTBFlagshipwillprovidetheexpertisetofindinhibitorsagainstNDH-2,andisinagoodposition to claim international funding to advance these inhibitors into the pre-clinical pipeline.

GregsaystheTBFlagshiprecognisesthethreatposedbymultidrug-resistant(MDR)TBcasesandextensivelydrug-resistant(XDR)-TB;84countrieshavereportedthelatter,includingNewZealand.TheTBFlagshipisalsopartoftheinternationalresearchefforttodevelopnewmoleculardiagnostics,andthisincludestrainingresearchersfromunder-resourcedcountries.Thisyear,adoctoralstudentfromMyanmarisspending10weeksinGreg’slabtolearnaboutmoleculartechniquestostudydrug-resistantTB.

CollaboratorsmeetinginNewZealand.Fromleft,DrLu,AssociateProfessorAdamPatterson,DrJeffSmaill,

ProfessorKeDing,andProfessorDonghaiWu.

Image courtesy of Dr Jeff Smaill.

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Highlights

New strategic alliance with ChinaMaurice Wilkins Centre investigators lead two research grants awarded in 2013 under the New Zealand-China Strategic Research Alliance (SRA).

TheSRAisaimedatfacilitatingscienceresearchcollaborationandthecommercialisationofsciencebetweenChinaandNewZealand.BothcollaborationswilllookatdevelopingdrugstotreatcancerandhaveresultedfromtheMWC’sprogrammetobuildstrategicrelationshipswithChinesescientistsandresearchinstitutions.Thisprogrammehasinvolvedsixbilateralexchangesbygroupsofscientistsandincludedavisittothecentrein2012byMadamLiuYandong,Vice-PremierofthePeople’sRepublicofChina.

MWCdeputydirectorProfessorPeterShepherd,whohasledthedevelopmentofrelationshipswithChinasays:“ThisisawonderfulopportunitytobuildmeaningfullongtermcollaborativesciencelinkswithChina,thatcombinesNewZealandknow-howincancerdrugdiscoverywithChina’sawesometechnicalcapabilities.Theresearchhassignificantpotentialtodeliverhealthandeconomicbenefitstobothcountries.”

MWCinvestigatorshaveextensiveexperienceindrugdevelopment,havingbeeninvolvedin bringing 15 anti-cancer compounds to trial – “more than a lot of pharmaceutical companieshavedoneinthesameperiodoftime,”Petersays.Chinaissettobecomeascientificpowerhouse,havinginvestedheavilyinscientificresearch,andoffersaccesstoresourcesbeyondthefinancialreachofNewZealandinstitutes.“Takehighthroughputscreeningforexample.TheNationalCentreforDrugScreeninghas1.5millioncompoundsandalltherobotsyouneed.Webringexcitingnewprojects.It’swin-winforbothparties.”

Oneproject,headedbyMWCinvestigatorsDrJeffSmaillandAssociateProfessorAdamPatterson,bothfromtheUniversityofAuckland,involvesworkwithProfessorKeDingattheGuangzhouInstitutesofBiomedicineandHealthandtheChineseAcademyofSciences.Itwilllookatdevelopingnewdrugstotargetsmoking-relatedlungcancer.Another,ledbyPeter,involvesfellowUniversityofAucklandresearchersDrAnnetteLasham,ProfessorBillDennyandAssociateProfessorCrisPrint,alongwithProfessorAntonyBraithwaitefromtheUniversityofOtago.TheywillcollaboratewithProfessorMing-WeiWangattheNCDSattheShanghaiInstituteofMateriaMedica,ChineseAcademyofSciences,todevelopnewanti-cancerdrugsagainstthreenewgeneticallydefinedtargets.

TheSRAisjointlyfundedbytheNewZealandMinistryforBusiness,InnovationandEmployment,andtheChineseMinistryofScienceandTechnology.Thetwonewprojectscomprise an area of the SRA focused on non-communicable diseases.

TheselectionprocessresultswereannouncedinNovember,inNewZealandbytheMinisterofScienceandInnovation,StevenJoyce,andbyhisChinesecounterpart,ProfessorWanGang,MinisterofScienceandTechnology.“Chinaisakeystrategicpartnerfor New Zealand in science and innovation and the SRA helps strengthen this partnership onbothsides,”MrJoycesays.“Bycombiningeachother’sstrengthsandexpertise,ourresearcherscanproduceoutcomeswhichwillbenefitourcountries.”

WorldexpertsingroupAstreptococcusattendedtheMWChostedsymposiumtoadvance

development of a vaccine.

Image by Lydia Arnold

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Highlights

Advancing a vaccine for rheumatic feverIn 2013 the Maurice Wilkins Centre hosted a symposium attended by world experts in rheumatic fever. It marked the start of a trans-Tasman collaboration to eliminate the disease by developing an effective vaccine.

Rheumaticfeverisachildhooddiseasethatcandamagetheheart,causingrheumaticheart disease. Every year around 200 New Zealanders get rheumatic fever; mostly Maori andPacificIslandchildren,whosufferthediseaseatsomeofthehighestratesseenelsewhere in the world.

ThesymposiumwasorganisedafterPrimeMinistersofbothNewZealandandAustraliaagreed to contribute equal shares of funding towards identifying a vaccine. Among the attendeeswerethedevelopersofthreeleadingvaccinecandidates.Thetwo-daygatheringallowedresearchexpertstoreviewdataoneachofthevaccinesandexplorewhethertheywould be suitable for target populations in Australia and New Zealand.

RheumaticfeveriscausedbyinfectionwiththebacteriumGroupAStreptococcus,orGAS.MWCprincipalinvestigator,ProfessorJohnFraser,anexpertinthebiologyofthisorganism,saysthesymposiumwasattendedbythe“who’swhoofGASresearchers”.ThisreflectedtheglobalconnectednessandinternationalcredibilityoftheMWC.

Thesymposiumfocused“onwhetheravaccinewouldwork,andwhattheoutstandingissuesaretoadvancethesevaccinesintoclinicaltrials.Weneedtodevelopastrategytorapidlyinvestigate,whetherone,twoorallthreeofthevaccinesmeetourcriteria.”

RheumaticfeverisakeyresearchfocusattheMWCwhichisalsofundingresearchtounderstandhowGASinfectionscauserheumaticfever.DrNikkiMoreland,alsosupportedbyaHeartFoundationfellowship,isstudyingtheimmune“fingerprint”ofthedisease.Itisthought that antibodies directed at the GAS bacteria cross-react with the heart and cause rheumaticfever,butthenatureoftheseantibodies,andexactlywhattheyattackintheheart,isstillunknown.

Other MWC researchers are investigating the biology of GAS bacteria. Studies led by clinicalmicrobiologistDrDeborahWilliamsonandresearcherAssociateProfessorThomasProft,aredefiningkeycharacteristicsofthestrainsofGASfoundinNewZealand.

“Thisinformationisreallyimportantforthevaccineefforts,”saysNikki.“Thevaccinesunderconsideration have been developed based on what strains are circulating in the USA and Europe,soweneedtounderstandwhatstrainsarehere.It’squiteadynamicbacterium,andstrainsvaryindifferentgeographicallocationsandatdifferentpointsintime.”

Throughthiscombinedapproach–increasingfundamentalknowledgeofrheumaticfever,whilealsoacceleratingtheprogressofthemostpromisingexistingvaccinedesigns–theMWCaimstodeveloplong-termsolutionstooneofNewZealand’smostdamaginginfectious diseases

Schematicdiagramsoftwodifferenttypesofbariatricsurgery:theRoux-En-Ygastricbypass

and (below) the sleeve gastrectomy.

© Alila07 | Dreamstime.com

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Highlights

A fresh approach to diabetesType 2 diabetes is often caused by obesity, and weight-loss surgery usually reverses it. However, we don’t know precisely how this happens, and a new study at the MWC aims to find out.

Obesepeopleareathighriskofdevelopingtype2diabetes,whichhasdownstreamcomplicationssuchasheartdisease,strokeandkidneyfailure.Soitwasarevelationwhenbariatricsurgery,originallyalargelycosmeticproceduretoachieveweightloss,wasfoundtorapidlyeliminatediabetes–oftenbeforeanysignificantweightlosshadoccurred.Andevenmoreastonishingly,saysMWCDeputyDirectorPeterShepherd,thesurgerydramaticallyreducestheriskthatnon-diabeticsdevelopthecondition.

“That’sreallycompelling,”Petersays.Itappearsthatbariatricsurgerysomehowaltersthehormonesthatcontrolappetite,satietyandaspectsofglucosemetabolism,someofwhichmay be through changing gut bacteria.

AMWC-fundedstudyisunderwaytoscrutinisethecharacteristicsofguthormonesandbacteriainpatientsbeforeandaftertwodifferenttypesofbariatricsurgery.ThefirstistheRoux-En-Ygastricbypass,wherethestomachisstapleddowntothesizeofaneggthenconnecteddirectlytothelowerpartofthesmallintestine,bypassingtherestofthestomachandthefirstpartofthesmallintestine.Thesecondisthesleevegastrectomy,where the stomach pouch is made into a drastically smaller tube.

LeadingtheblindedrandomisedtrialisMWCinvestigatorDrRinkiMurphy,anendocrinologist and senior lecturer in the Department of Medicine at the University of Auckland,workingwithAucklandbariatricsurgeonMrMichaelBooth.

Pre-surgery,Rinkisays,participantskeepafooddiary,completeanappetiteassessment,andvariousmeasurementsaremadeandsamplestakentoprovidebaselinedata.Thesewillberepeatedatoneandfiveyearsafterthesurgery;sofar,15patientshavejustpassedtheone-yearmark.

Thehypothesis,shesays,isthattheRoux-En-Y,whiletechnicallymoredifficultsurgery,leads to the most favourable hormonal changes in terms of diabetes and weight-loss “because the hormones released in relation to the same food consumed promote greater satiety”.Gutbacteriamightbeanuntappedresource,too,shesays–somemicrobiotamaybemorewasteful,orlessefficient,atextractingenergyfromfoodafteraRoux-En-Ycompared to a sleeve gastrectomy.

Thegoal,shesays,“isthatwemightbeabletoencouragethegrowthofwastefulbacteriaandfindnoveltreatmentsthatpromotethefeelingofbeingfullwithouthavingtogothroughsurgery.Avoidingsurgeryistheultimateaim,butwe’retakingstepstofindoutwhat’shappeningwiththesebacteriaandhormones.”

HonoursstudentTomWright.

Image courtesy of Pauline Curtis

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Highlights

New chemistry transforms cancer vaccineA new kind of chemistry that dramatically simplifies the manufacture of cancer vaccines was created this year by Honours student Tom Wright.

In2013,immunetherapyforcancerwasaveryhottopicincancermedicine.Thefirstclinicaltrialsshowingimmunetherapycouldbenefitlargenumbersofpatientshaveledtopredictions that immune therapy will eventually become routine for cancer patients.

Aspartofitsimmunetherapyprogramme,theMWC,withsupportfromtheHealthResearchCouncil,hasbeendevelopingnewvaccinesforcancerpatientsthataimtostimulatetheimmunesystemtoattackcancercells.Thesevaccinemoleculesaremadeinamodularsystem.Moleculesthatstimulatetheimmunesystemare“clicked”togetherwithmoleculesthatmimicthosefoundincancercells.Whenthesecombinedmoleculesareinjectedtheystimulateimmunecellstoseekoutanddestroycancercellsbearingthemoleculethatwasin the vaccine.

MWCinvestigatorProfessorMargaretBrimblesupervisedTomWright’sresearchprojectintheSchoolofChemicalSciencesattheUniversityofAuckland.“Inthisprojectwewerethinkingabouttranslationofourworktopatientsupfront–moleculeswe’dbeabletomanufactureourselvesforuseinclinicaltrials,”shesays.“Tomdevelopedasimpleandelegant new method for joining the immune stimulant with the cancer molecule. And the verysimplicityofthemethodmakesitmucheasiertomanufacturethemoleculessafelyforclinicaltrials.Tomcameupwithaverycleversolutiontothechallenge.”

Theworkmaysoonbeusedintheclinic,astheUniversityofAuckland’speptidechemistrylaboratory now has a dedicated facility to manufacture cancer vaccines at a standard suitableforclinicaltrials.“We’renowlookingatdifferentmoleculestotargetindifferentcancers,andalsoatimprovingthetechnologyforfurthergains,inbotheffectivenessandeaseofmanufacture,”Margaretsays.

TheinitialworkhasalreadybeenpublishedinAngewandte Chemie,oneofthemostprestigiousjournalsinthefieldofchemistry.Ithasalsoledtothefilingofapatentthatwillenablethetechnologytobetakentoclinicaltrials.

BiologicaltestingofthenewmoleculestookplaceinthelaboratoryofMWCDirectorProfessorRodDunbar.MWCResearchFellowDrAnnaBrooksdevelopednewmethodstotestthecompoundsusinghumanbloodsamples,whichprovidedanimmediateindicationofthehumanimmuneresponsetothesemolecules.TomworkedwithAnnaandDrJulieMacintoshtocarryoutmanyofthebiologicaltests,learningpracticalbiologyaspartofaninter-disciplinary project.

TomisnowinOxfordafterwinningahighlycompetitiveRutherfordFoundationscholarshiptofundhisdoctoralstudiesinchemistry.Aftersuchanoutstandingstarttohiscareer,theMWCisunderstandablyverykeentoattracthimback,followingwhatwillundoubtedlybeahighlysuccessfulsojournintheUK.

3DprintedsquidfilledwithbillionsofVibriofisheri,abioluminescentbacteriausuallyfoundinthesea

werepartoftheinstallation“LivingLight”atArtintheDark.

Image courtesy of Dr Siouxsie Wiles

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Highlights

Spreading the wordThis year Maurice Wilkins Centre investigator Dr Siouxsie Wiles not only won the Callaghan Medal for science communication, awarded by the Royal Society of New Zealand, but also the Prime Minister’s Science Media Communication Prize and the New Zealand Association of Scientists Science Communicators Award in 2012.

SiouxsieisamicrobiologistattheUniversityofAucklandwhousesbioluminescenceasawaytostudythepathogensthatcauseinfectiousdiseases,suchastuberculosisandhospitalsuperbugs.Inherfreetimeshefrequentlyprovidesscientificcommentforthemedia,isaprolificblogger,wasafaceofthepublicengagementcampaignfortheNationalScienceChallenges,regularlygivespublicsciencetalksandappearsinafortnightlyscience slot on Radio New Zealand’s Nine to Noon.

Shehasalsowrittenandproducedinnovativeanimations,whereshehighlightshowbioluminescence – the ability of living organisms to produce light – is being used in science and technology in contemporary ways.

She uses the animations to captivate people’s attention when giving public lectures and hasalsomadetheseanimationspubliclyavailableonYouTube.“Theyhaven’tquitegoneviral,butthey’vehadover6000viewseach,andIknowthatpeopleareusingthemintheirundergraduateteachingaroundtheworld.”

AswellashelpingfundsomeofSiouxsie’sinfectiousdiseaseresearchandtheanimations,MWCalsosupportedhercollaborationwithartistRebeccaKlee,andtheirinstallationforArtintheDarkin2013inAuckland.Theinstallation,called“LivingLight”,involved12plasticsquidproducedbya3Dprinter,eachfilledwithbillionsofVibriofisheri,abioluminescentbacteriausuallyfoundinthesea.Itattractedlongqueuesonbothnights.“Itmadetheinvisiblevisibleandbroughtscienceandnatureintotheartisticrealm.”

ThePrimeMinister’sScienceCommunicationawardwasworth$100,000,with$50,000allocatedtosciencecommunication.Siouxsie’splansincludewritingachildren’sbookonbioluminescence,producingananimationabouttheanglerfish,madefamousbythemovieFinding Nemo,andcreatingawebsite,GlowHub,whereshewillshowcaseherfilmsandalsoaseriesofshortdocumentariesontheworkofcutting-edgeKiwiscientists.

“Peopleoftenthinkscientistsarealoofandscienceisirrelevantorboring.Istronglybelievescientistshavearesponsibilitytodispelthesemyths,whichonlyservetoperpetuatetheideaofusalllivinginivorytowers,disconnectedfromtherealworld.AsapubliclyfundedresearcherIalsothinkthepublichavearighttoknowhowI’mspendingtheirtaxdollars!”

However,sciencestilltakespriorityoversciencecommunication,shesays,andnothingbeatsthethrillofasuccessfulexperiment.“ButI’mveryprivilegedtobeabletoinvestigatethesecoolthings,andalsotofindwaysoftalkingaboutthemininnovativeways.

DrVaughanFeisst(left),ProfessorRodDunbarandDrAnnaBrooks

Image by Dean Carruthers for the University of Auckland

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Highlights

Partnerships boost business: MWC supports Auckland Clinical StudiesThe Maurice Wilkins Centre provides world-class support for medical trials provider Auckland Clinical Studies, helping to cement New Zealand’s growing reputation as a good place to do science business.

AucklandClinicalStudies(ACS)performsphaseIandIIclinicaltrialsinNewZealand– those involving human volunteers – and does most of them for international pharmaceutical companies.

In2012,thecompanytoldaconferenceitwashavingdifficultyfindingcollaboratingscientiststoprovideinnovativelaboratorytestsfortrials.OneofthoselisteningwasMWCDirectorProfessorRodDunbar.ACSOperationsDirectorDrChristianSchwabetakesupthestory:“Rodapproachedusandsaidthatthat’sexactlywhathewouldliketoprovide.”

Thetimingwasperfect.ACShadtwopharmaceuticalcompaniesthatwantedtoconducthealthy-volunteerstudiesinNewZealand.Thestudiesrequiredflowcytometry,alaser-basedtechniqueforexaminingcells.StepforwardDrAnnaBrooks,theMWCResearchFellowwhorunstheMWC’sflowcytometryfacility,andhercolleagueinRod’slab,cellbiologistDrVaughanFeisst.

Academicresearchenvironmentsarereflexiveandadaptive,butcontractresearchdemandsstickingrigorouslytopre-definedprotocolsandstandardsandregularlyquality-checkingtheperformanceofbothmachineryandpersonnel.Rodandhisteamrearrangedtheirlaboratoryinordertosupportthisapproach.“Therewasawillingnesstoinvestthetimetosetuptheassaysandtodothevalidationwork,”Christiansays.“Theirinterestwasingettingthedataright,todeliverthequality,andeverythingelsewassecondary.“

Thescientistsalsocameupwithsolutionswhentweakstolabprotocolswererequired,and adjusted their own research programmes to respond to the trials’ very precise timetables.Aprotocolmayrequire,forinstance,thatbloodsamplesaretakenataparticulartimeandprocessedimmediately.TheMWCmadesurethistimetablewasmet.

“What[theMWC]presentedwasverymuchacan-doattitudeandawillingnesstorespondtothesponsors’needs,”saysChristian.“Thecompaniesweworkwithcouldchoosetodotheirstudiesanywhereintheworld;attheendofthedayweprovideaservicetothem,andweneedtohavethementalitythatgoeswiththat.”

Bothpharmaceuticalcompanieswere“extremelypositiveaboutthecollaborationwithRodandhisteam…theircommunicationwasgreat,”Christianadds.“Ineedtobeconfidentthatthelabknowswhattheyaredoing,andIamveryconfidentwithRodandhisteam.”

TodateMWC’slaboratorysupporthashelpedACStosecurecontractswortharound$2million,hesays.“Inthisbusinessit’salotabouttrustandrelationships.It’swordofmouth,morethananything,thatgetsuswork.”TolearnmoreaboutAucklandClinicalStudies,visit:www.clinicalstudies.co.nz

Highschoolbiologyteachers,includingMWCteacherfellowshipwinners,attendingQueenstown

ResearchWeektogetherwithHonStevenJoyceandNobellaureateSusumuTonegawa

RanaElFarra(TaraweraCollege),JanGalland(NapierGirlsHighSchool),SarahJohns(Nelson

College),HonStevenJoyce,ProfSususmuTonegawa,ProfPeterShepherd,RachelHeeney(Epsom

GirlsGrammar),HelenWebber(EpsomGirlsGrammar),HelenSwift(EpsomGirlsGrammar)

Image courtesy of Prof Peter Shepherd

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Highlights

Teacher development, from Kaitaia to InvercargillThis year the Maurice Wilkins Centre expanded its programme of professional development days for science teachers.

Thefreeone-dayeventshavebeendesignedtosupportteachersintheirteachingofnewunitsintheNCEALevel3Biologycurriculum.TheinitiativewasdevelopedbyheadofbiologyatEpsomGirlsGrammarSchool,MsRachelHeeney,andMWCDeputyDirector,Professor Peter Shepherd.

“Ibelievethatyougetresultsbyempoweringpeople,andyouneedtoempowerpeoplethroughtheteachers,”Petersays.

AfterthesuccessoftheinauguraleventinAucklandin2012,theprogrammewasexpandedin2013toincludeKaitaia,Rotorua,Napier,Wellington,Nelson,Christchurch,DunedinandInvercargill.“AndIwasfloodedbyemailsaftertheseeventsoccurred,”saysRachel.Teacherssaidtheyhadcomeawayfromtheevent,feelingmoreinformedandknowledgeable.“Wedidn’twanttobetaughthowtoteach,buttohavethechancetolearnmoreaboutbiology,andthat’swhattheMWChasgivenus.”AteacheventteachersheardfromscientistsfromNewZealanduniversitiesaswellasthoseworkinginCrownResearchInstitutes,andonavarietyoftopics.

InKaitaia,forinstance,Peterfocusedonhomeostasis,anewunitinNCEALevel3,specificallyinrelationtometabolismanddiabetes.Theunderstandingofthediseasehaschangedradicallysincemanybiologyteacherswereatuniversity,hesays.“Anditisawaythatteacherscouldbringinadiseasethataffectstheircommunity,andthroughthathelpcommunitiesdevelopabetterunderstandingofthatdisease.It’smoreinterestingtothestudentstoo,becausetheycanrelatetoit.”

Othertopicsdiscussedbyscientistsincludedthemanipulationofplantgenomes,humangenomics,andhumanstemcells,alltopicswherethescienceisrapidlychanging,makingitdifficultforscienceteacherstokeepup.Thescientistsprovidedteacherswithclassroom-readymaterial,ideasanddiscussionpointsonthedayandviatheMWCwebsite.

“Itgaveustheopportunitytospendtimewithhighlyqualifiedscientists,whogaveustipsonhowwecouldteachatopicandmakeitclear”,saysJanGalland,abiologyteacheratNapierGirlsHigh.JanwasalsoawardedaMWCbiologyteacherdevelopmentscholarship,acomplementaryinitiativealsoaimedatlinkingscienceteacherswithscientists.ThisallowedhertoattendtheQueenstownMolecularBiologyConferencein2013,whichwasnotonlypersonallyeducational,buthighlightedthemyriadopportunitiesnowopentoscience graduates. “Going down there and meeting all these people who were doing their PhDs,andtherangeoftopics,reallymotivatedmetoencouragestudents,togetagoodBSc,todotheirHonoursandgetonwiththeirstudies.”

Basedonanoverwhelminglypositiveresponse,theCentrewillcontinuetoexpandtheprogramme in the future.

SimonFung,AssociateProfessorLai-MingChingandPetrTomek.

Image courtesy of Yuli Quay

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Highlights

New therapies – from a new generationNurturing the next generation of scientists is an important part of the Maurice Wilkins Centre’s work – and senior students contribute an enormous amount to research success.

“Studentsareyoung,energetic,andenthusiasticandcanbringnewideasandafreshapproachtosolvingdifficultproblems,”saysAssociateProfessorLai-MingChing,aMWCassociateinvestigatorandmemberoftheAucklandCancerSocietyResearchCentreattheUniversityofAuckland.

TakePhDstudentsandMWCaffiliateinvestigatorsSimonFungandPetrTomek,whoareworkingonanimmunotherapyprojectheadedbyLai-Ming.TheyarelookingataproteincalledIDO1(indoleamine2,3-dioxygenase1),whichcancercellsusetoimpairthefunctionoftheimmunesystem’skillercells.Theaimistodevelopadrugtoblocktheprotein’sactionandgivetheimmunesystem’scancerkillersafightingchance.

SimonidentifiedhowvariouscompoundsinteractedwiththeIDO1proteintofindoutwhichonesweremostlikelytolimititsactivity.Already,hehastwopaperspublishedinpeer-reviewed international journals.

PetrdevelopedanewbiochemicalassayformeasuringIDO1activitythatismoresensitiveandeasiertousethanthosepreviouslypublished,andisestablishinganassaythatwillmeasuretheactivityofarelatedprotein,TDO(tryptophanoxygenase).Healsohastwopapers published.

Lai-Ming,atumourbiologist,isdelightedwiththepair’ssignificantcontribution.“Drugdevelopmentrequiresamulti-disciplinaryteamapproach,engagingresearchersfromdifferentdisciplinesinacommongoal,”shesays.“InvolvingSimonandPetrexposesthemtotheteamapproach,andallowsthemanopportunitytoworkwithinvestigatorsfrom a broad range of disciplines – from synthetic chemistry to in-vivo pharmacology and toxicology.”

Simon,whohasaBScwithfirst-classhonoursfromtheUniversityofAuckland,waskeentoexploretwoofhisfavouritesubjects,immunologyandcancer,inhisdoctoralstudies;hisworkontheIDO1projecthasbeenjointlyfundedbytheMWCandtheAucklandMedicalResearchFoundation.

Petr,whodidgraduateandpost-graduatestudiesatUniversityofSouthBohemiainhisnativeCzechRepublic,wasattractedtotheMWCafterreadingthelistofPhDprojectslistedonLai-Ming’swebsite.“Iamstronglyconvincedthatharnessingthepowerofourimmunesystemisthemostsensibleandpowerfulapproachinthebattleagainstcancer.”

BothSimonandPetrarekeentopursuepost-doctoralcareersinbiomedicalresearch–wheretheywill,inturn,helptoraisethenextgenerationofcancerfighters.

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OutreachInternational engagementTheMauriceWilkinsCentreisactivelybuildinginternationallinksforNewZealandbiomedicalscience.AsanationalCentreofResearchExcellenceitisinauniquepositiontorepresentNewZealandontheglobalstage,providingacrucialconnectionbetweenlocalandinternationalresearchers.Inadditiontoinvestigators’linkswithscientists,laboratories and companies overseas (seepages66and69),theCentreisbuildingstrategicrelationshipswithentireinstitutions,provinces,andcountries,inparticularintheAsia-Pacificregion

ChinaEngagement with China was a major focus for the Centre in 2012 and many of the institutional and collaborative relationships established then have continued to strengthen in 2013 due to the Centre’s ongoing programme.

• InMarch,asessionoftheQueenstownMolecularBiologyMeetingwasheldinShanghaialongsidethe5thNationalForumonNewTechnologiesinDrugDiscovery.ThemeetingwasjointlychairedbyMauriceWilkinsCentreDeputyDirectorProfessorPeterShepherdandProfessorMing-WeiWang,DirectoroftheNationalCentreforDrugScreeningattheShanghaiInstituteofMateriaMedica.Over300delegatesattendedthemeetingfrommanypartsofChinaandtheprogrammefeatured25speakersfromtheUSA,UK,NewZealand,KoreaandChina.InadditiontoProfessorShepherd,theCentreenabledfourofitsinvestigatorstoattendthemeetingtospeakabouttheirresearch,AssociateProfessorAdamPatterson,AssociateProfessorDebbieHay,DrJeffSmaillandDrJackFlanagan.

• InNovemberitwasannouncedthatMauriceWilkinsCentreinvestigatorsandtheircollaborators in China were awarded two of the four joint research projects funded by theNewZealand-ChinaStrategicResearchAlliance.TheseprojectsarosedirectlyfromtheCentre’sprogrammedevelopedin2012and2013tolinkresearchersfromNew Zealand with high level research institutes in China (see story on page 11).

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Outreach

• OneoftheseSRAprojectsisacollaborationbetweenCentreinvestigatorsDrJeffSmaillandAssociateProfessorAdamPatterson(UniversityofAuckland)andProfessorKeDingattheGuangzhouInstitutesofBiomedicineandHealthandtheChineseAcademyofSciences.InDecemberProfessorDingandhiscolleagueProfessorDonghaiWuvisitedAucklandandduringtheirvisittheCentreinvitedrepresentativesofMBIE,HRCandtheChineseMinistryofScienceandTechnologytoabriefingmeeting with the New Zealand and Chinese scientists to discuss the project focus and direction.

• InNovemberProfessorPeterShepherdwasappointedHonoraryProfessoratZhejiangUniversityinHangzhou,currentlyrankednumberoneuniversityinChina.

• InDecembertheCentrehostedadelegationofsevenBiopharmaofficialsfromBeijingledbyMrZhouXiaobai,ViceDirector-GeneraloftheBeijingScientificandTechnicalCooperationCentre.Thepurposeofthevisitwastoinvestigateopportunitiesforcooperationindruginnovation,high-endtalentintroductionandtechnologytransferbetween the Beijing organisations and the Centre. A full list of delegation members is provided on page 50 of this report.

• AdelegationfromtheJiangxiProvinceofChina,ledbyMrsXueqinGuo,DirectorGeneraloftheDepartmentofScienceandTechnologyofJiangxiProvince,alsovisitedthe Centre in December 2013 to investigate collaborative opportunities. A full list of delegation members is provided on page 50 of this report.

Japan

2nd New Zealand-Japan Joint Immunology Workshop

TheMauriceWilkinsCentrehosteddistinguishedscientistsfromJapanatthesecondNewZealand-JapanJointImmunologyWorkshop,heldattheUniversityofAuckland’sFalePasifikaonthe26thand27thMarch2013.Theeventbroughttogetherleadingimmunologistsfromthetwocountries,todiscusstheirlatestworkrangingfromallergyvaccines to immune therapy for cancer and new technology for studying the immune system.

“ImmunologyinJapanisveryhighperforming–it’soneofthebestcountriesintheworldinthefield.Soit’sagreatprivilegetohearfromourJapanesecolleagues,”saidDirectorProfessorRodDunbarwhoencouragedthescientiststousetheworkshoptoidentifypotential collaborative opportunities.

ProfessorTakeshiTokuhisa,VicePresidentofChibaUniversity,saidthatthiswastheJapanesescientists’firstvisittoNewZealandandtheyhadformedaveryfavourableimpression.“Ireallywanttocontinuethiscollaboration,andforittobecomestrongerandstronger,”hesaid,notingthatinasmallcountryscientistscouldgathertogetherquicklyandeasily,facilitatingcollaboration.

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ThiswasthesecondmeetingbetweenMauriceWilkinsCentrescientistsfromaroundNewZealandandcolleaguesfromRIKENResearchCentreforAllergy&Immunology(RCAI)andChibaUniversity.Thefirsttookplacein2010,withvisitbyMauriceWilkinsCentrescientiststoJapansponsoredbythethenMinistryofScienceandInnovation(nowtheMinistryofBusiness,InnovationandEnterprise(MBIE)).

ThelatestworkshopispartofaMBIEsupportedcollaborativeprogrammeofjointscientificmeetingsandindividualexchangesthatbeganin2011,asaresultofformalrelationshipsbeingestablishedwithallthreeoftheJapaneseinstitutionstheNewZealandscientistsvisited;RIKENRCAI,ChibaUniversity,andtheOsakaUniversityImmunologyFrontierResearchCentre(iFReC).

Seepage50forafulllistofspeakersatthemeeting.

4.1.3 Asian Chemical Biology InitiativeInJanuary2013MauriceWilkinsCentreinvestigatorsProfessorMargaretBrimbleandProfessor Peter Shepherd represented the Centre and New Zealand at the second annual meetingoftheAsianChemicalBiologyInitiative(ACBI)heldinBangkok,Thailand.TheACBImeetingprovidesagreatopportunityfortheMauriceWilkinsCentretobuildnewcollaborativerelationshipswithscientistsfromtheAsianregionincludingJapan,Korea,China,andSingapore.

TheACBIaimstoaccelerateAsianchemicalbiologybyfosteringinternationalcollaborationsandsharingresourcesandtopromotethefieldinemergingAsiancountriesbyrecruitingandtrainingtheirbrightestgraduatestudents.FormoreinformationabouttheACBIseehttp://www.asianchembio.jp/

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Outreach

Industry engagementTheMauriceWilkinsCentresupportsinnovationinthebiotechnologyanddrugdevelopmentsectorbyprovidingcompanieswiththeexpertiseandfacilitiesthattheirresearch and development programmes require. Centre investigators also provide consultancy to industry as described on page 69.

In2013theCentreprovidedexpertiseand/orfacilitiesto:

• AstraZeneca. Thisglobalbiopharmaceuticalcompanyhasaprimaryfocusonthediscovery,developmentandcommercialisationofprescriptionmedicines.ProfessorMargaretBrimbleandPhDstudentAnaisNoisiersuccessfullyfiledapatentwithAstraZeneca that covers a novel method for the manufacture of high value unnatural aminoacids.ProfessorBrimbleisnowworkingwithAucklandUniServicesLtdtoidentify suitable companies that can translate this research into the high value manufacturingmarket.

• Auckland Clinical Studies Ltd.ThiscompanyprovidesPhaseIandIIclinicalresearchtolocalandinternationalpharmaceuticalandbiotechnologycompanies.In2013MauriceWilkinsCentreinvestigatorsProfessorRodDunbar,DrAnnaBrooksandDrVaughanFeisstcontinuedtoworkwithAucklandClinicalStudies,providinganalyticalservices to support ongoing clinical trials sponsored by two major pharmaceutical companies (see page 13).

• Bayer New Zealand Ltd.ThiscompanyispartoftheglobalBayerGroupthathasmajorbusinessesinhealthcare,nutritionandhigh-techmaterials.MauriceWilkinsCentreinvestigatorProfessorMargaretBrimblehascontinuedtoworkwithBayerNewZealand’sHealthcaresub-grouponnewdrugsforuseinlivestock.InadditionMauriceWilkinsCentreinvestigatorDrVinodSureshisprovidingexpertisetothecompanyonmodelling rumen metabolism.

• Connovation Ltd. ThiscompanyisbasedinAucklandandundertakesresearch,developmentandmanufactureofinvasiveanimalpestcontroltechnologies.Thecompanyaimstodevelopsmarterpestcontrolproductswhicharehumane,costeffectiveandmorespecificallytargetedtopestspecies.MauriceWilkinsCentreinvestigatorProfessorMargaretBrimbleisworkingwiththecompanyondesigningandsynthesizingnewmoleculesashumanerodenticidestoreplacethetoxin1080.

• Innate Immunotherapeutics Limited.Thisbiotechnologycompany,foundedinAucklandbutnowwithofficesinAustraliaandNZ,hasdesignedandmanufactureda unique immunomodulator microparticle technology platform that has a wide range ofpotentialhealthapplications,withMIS416beingitsleadtherapeuticcandidate.MauriceWilkinsCentreinvestigatorProfessorMichaelEcclesandPhDstudentFrancescoMaininiareworkingwiththecompanytodevelopMIS416derivativesforusein cancer immunotherapy.

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• Janssen Therapeutics (division of Johnson & Johnson, USA, formerly Tibotech). JanssenTherapeuticsisapharmaceuticalcompanywithafocusonresearchanddevelopmentforthetreatmentofinfectiousdiseases.MauriceWilkinsCentreinvestigators Associate Professor Brian Palmer and Professor Bill Denny are collaboratingwithJanssenTherapeutics(inconjunctionwiththeGlobalAllianceforTB)onthedevelopmentofanimproved,second-generationanalogueoftheirTBdrugbedaquiline,anATPsynthaseinhibitorwhichwasapprovedbytheUSFoodandDrugAdministration in late 2012.

• Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd. ThisCrownResearchInstituteprovidessolutions and advice for sustainable development and management of land-based naturalresources.MauriceWilkinsCentreinvestigatorProfessorMargaretBrimbleisworkingwithLandcareResearchtodevelopprodrugsoftherodenticidenorbormidethathavebeenpatentedandwillbeenteringfieldtrialsin2013.

• Pathway Therapeutics Inc (USA).ThisSanFrancisco-basedcompany,withMauriceWilkinsCentreinvestigatorsProfessorsBillDennyandPeterShepherdasscientificco-founders,wasestablishedtodiscoveranddevelopnovelPI3-kinaseinhibitorsforthetreatmentofcancer.Inlate2013thecompanycompletedclinicaltrialsofitsleadcompoundPWT33597,on-soldittoanothercompany,andclosedoperations.

• Proacta Inc (USA). Thisclinical-phasebiopharmaceuticalcompany,headquarteredinSanDiego,isdevelopinghypoxia-activatedprodrugsforthetreatmentofcancer.MauriceWilkinsCentreinvestigatorsProfessorsBillDennyandBillWilsonaretwoofthecompany’sscientificfoundersand,alongwithinvestigatorsDrJeffSmaillandAssociateProfessorAdamPatterson,havebeenprovidingconsultancyandcontractresearchservices.TheinvestigatorsusemassspectrometryfacilitiesandexpertiseestablishedbytheMauriceWilkinsCentreaspartoftheirongoingresearchintonewcompounds.

Inadditiontotheseexamplesabove,MauriceWilkinsCentreinvestigatorshaveestablishedavarietyofotherrelationshipswithcompaniesandnon-profitorganisationsthatdrivethetranslationoftheirresearchandexpertiseintonewapproachestofighthuman disease (see page 55).

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Outreach

Science educationSupporting high-quality science education in New Zealand schools not only encourages thenextgenerationofscientistsbutalsohelpsotherstounderstandandvaluescience.In2013MauriceWilkinsCentreinvestigatorswereinvolvedinmanyscienceeducationinitiatives including;

• Biology Teacher Professional Development days.In2013theCentresupported10BiologyTeacherProfessionalDevelopmentdays,followinganinauguraleventinAucklandin2012.ProfPeterShepherd,MauriceWilkinsCentreDeputyDirector,andMsRachelHeeney,HeadofBiologyatEpsomGirlsGrammarSchool,organisedeventsinKaitaia,Whangarei,Auckland,Rotorua,Napier,Wellington,Nelson,Christchurch,DunedinandInvercargill.Thesedayswereattendedbyover500teachers.Eachdayfeatureduptofourleadingscientistspresentingonkeytopicsrelevant to the new NCEA Level 3 curriculum. See the highlights story on page 14 for more details of the programme.

• Maurice Wilkins Centre biology teacher development scholarships.TheCentrecontinued to provide sponsorship for scholarships for high school biology teachers toattendtheQueenstownResearchWeekin2013.Theaimofthescholarshipsisto give New Zealand teachers the opportunity to attend an international conference oncontemporarybiologicalresearchandtonetworkwithcolleaguesandpracticingbiologistsfromaroundtheworld.Recipientsoftheawardsin2013,thefourthyearofthisprogramme,wereErinSycamorefromLyttonHighSchool,Gisborne,RanaElFarafromTaraweraHighSchool,SarahJohnsfromNelsonCollegeforGirlsandJanGalland from Napier Girls High School.

• Katoa New Zealand ‘Hands on Metagenomics Day’.TheMauriceWilkinsCentreprovidedsponsorshiptoenablesecondaryschoolstudentsfromKawerau,RotoruaandWhitiangatoattendauniquehands-onsciencedayattheUniversityofAuckland,onthe28thSeptember2013.“Itwasabrilliantexperienceforthestudents–theygottodopractical,hands-onthingsthatI’veonlyevertalkedaboutorshownthemvideosof,”saysRanaElFarra,ateacheratTaraweraHighSchoolwho,withthesupportoftheCentre,broughteighthigh-achievingYear11-13studentsfromthisdecileoneschoolto the University. Students from around the country spent a day at either the University ofAuckland,MasseyUniversity’sAlbanycampus,theUniversityofCanterburyortheUniversityofOtago.TheytookpartinascientificexperimentthataimedtodescribehowbacterialpopulationsarechangingovertimeinNewZealandsoils,andindoingsoimprovetheirunderstandingoftheenvironmentinwhichwelive.TheeventwasrunbyKatoaNewZealand,agroupofscientists,businesses,educatorsandcommunitymembers who wish to inform and educate New Zealanders about our environment and the power of genomics.

• Other science education initiatives. Centre investigators continued to provide support in 2013 for programmes aimed at secondary school students including the LENScience‘Meetascientist’sessions,theRotaryNationalScienceandTechnologyForumandtheBiotechnologyLearningHub.

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Public engagementTheMauriceWilkinsCentreactivelyengageswiththepublicbysharingnewsofitsresearchsuccessesandbyprovidingcommentaryontopicalscientificissues.CentreinvestigatorscommunicatewithNewZealandersthroughthenewsmedia,publiclecturesandpresentations,andthroughvisitsbyschoolstudents.In2013Centreinvestigatorsgeneratednationalandregionalmediacoverageonavarietyofscientifictopics.Examplesinclude:

• Newsthatacell-basedmelanomavaccinedevelopedbyAssociateProfessorIanHermansincollaborationwithDrGavinPainter,ProfessorRodDunbarandProfessorMargaret Brimble would begin clinical trials was featured on TVNZ ONE News and on theFairfaxMediawebsiteStuff.co.nz.TheroleofMauriceWilkinsCentreinvestigatorsin the development of this vaccine was also highlighted during an interview with Professor Graham Le Gros on Nine to Noon,Radio New Zealand.

• ProfessorRodDunbarandDrVaughanFeisstwereinterviewedonCampbell Live, TV3 abouttheirresearchrelatingtothegrowthofsyntheticskinforburnsvictims,fundedthroughmoneyraisedbytheCureKid’sRedNoseDayappeal.ProfessorDunbaralsoappearedinaninterviewaboutthisworkonthe‘Comedy for CureKids’ TV3 special on RedNoseDay,23rdAugust2013.

• ProfessorJohnFraserwasinterviewedbyNewstalk ZB,andTVNZ ONE News regardinganewtrans-Tasmaninitiativetoinvestigatepotentialvaccinesforrheumaticfever.

• NewsthatDrSiouxsieWileswastherecipientofthePrimeMinister’sScienceMediaCommunication Prize was highlighted in a feature article in the New Zealand Herald inNovember(seepage12formoredetails).In2013Siouxsiegavesignificantcommentary on a variety of science-related news stories including the biology of the bacteriumresponsiblefortheFonterrabotulismscareasreportedintheNew Zealand Herald and the National Business Review; stories also featured on TV3 News (online) andtheFairfaxMediawebsiteStuff.co.nz.ShewasinterviewedabouttheNationalScience Challenges on Morning Report, Radio New Zealand,andalsocollaboratedwithanartistcreatinganinstallationforAucklandArtintheDarkfestivalthatlaterwonthe People’s Choice Award at the Australian Science Communicators Conference. Dr WilesisacorrespondentfortheNine to Noon programme on Radio New Zealand in addition to writing a Science Blog and hosting a podcast.

• ProfessorMargaretBrimble,recipientofthe2012RutherfordMedal,washighlightedin feature articles in Verve Magazine and MiNDFOOD Magazine. Margaret was also interviewedasafinalistfortheinauguralWomenofInfluenceawards;theinterviewwasbroadcastviaYouTubeNZ,andothernewsstoriesrelatingtoawardswerereportedontheFairfaxmediawebsiteStuff.co.nz.Margaretalsopresented“Masteringmolecularchesstominenature’smedicinechest”,aspartoftheRutherfordLectureSeries,atseveral locations around New Zealand.

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Outreach

• Professor Bill Denny was interviewed by the Howick and Pakuranga Times following his recentsuccess,astherecipientofTheAmericanChemicalSociety’s2014MedicinalChemistryAward;hisparticipationinthe“RidetoConquerCancer”androleattheAucklandCancerSocietyResearchCentrewerealsohighlighted.Thisstorywasalsofeatured on a number of websites.

• TheawardofthetwoNewZealand-ChinaStrategicResearchAlliancegrantstoMauriceWilkinsCentreinvestigatorswasreportedintheNational Business Review in November 2013 (see page 7 for a story on these grants)

• ProfessorMargaretBrimble,ProfessorJohnFraserandProfessorDavidWilliamswereprofiledintheRoyalSocietyofNewZealand’s2013publicationProfiling Excellence publication following their success at the 2012 Research Honours Celebrations.

• Associate Professor Cristin Print was interviewed by the Sunday Star Times and for the FairfaxMediawebsiteStuff.co.nzontheroleofgenomicsinmedicine.

• DrJuliaHorsfieldwasinterviewedonTVNZ’s Seven Sharp programme about the potentialforzebrafishtohelpunderstandhumandisease.

• Professor Peter Shepherd’s research on a new mechanism for the regulation of insulin secretion was reported in the New Zealand BioScience Magazine and on the Health Research Council website.

• MauriceWilkinsCentreinvestigatorsalsogavenumerouspublicpresentationsabouttheir research to schools and community groups throughout 2013.

New Maurice Wilkins Centre websiteTheCentrelaunchedanewwebsitein2013withrefreshedcontentthatshowcaseshowtheCentre’sresearchtacklesmajorhumandiseases,andhownewtechnologiessupportthis.ThenewwebsitealsohighlightstheCentre’sachievementsinbuildingstrategiccollaborationsbetweenscientificdisciplinesandinstitutionsandevenwithentirecountries,andthewaysinwhichtheCentresupportsindustryandscienceeducation.Thewebsitewillbedevelopedfurtherin2014andcanbefoundatwww.mauricewilkinscentre.org

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Supporting the New Zealand science community

Maurice Wilkins Centre Prize for Chemical Science The2013MauriceWilkinsCentrePrizeforChemicalScience,sponsoredbytheCentreinpartnershipwiththeNewZealandInstituteofChemistry,wasawardedtoProfessorRobinSmith,aMauriceWilkinsCentreinvestigatorfromtheUniversityofOtago,onthe14thNovember.TheprizeisawardedannuallytoamemberoftheNZICwhohasmadeasignificantcontributiontochemicalscienceinthepastfiveyears.TheawardhighlightsProfessorSmith’ssignificantcontributiontoorganicchemistry,specificallyintheareaofmedical research around free radical systems.

Thematic research symposia and workshopsDuring2013theCentrerananumberofthematicresearchsymposiaandworkshopsfeaturingnationalandinternationalspeakers:

Group A Streptococcus Symposium and Workshop

AMauriceWilkinsCentresymposiumheldinMarch2013attractedworldexpertstoNewZealand to discuss group A streptococcus (the bacterium that causes rheumatic fever).

Thetwo-daysymposiumbeganwithapublicsessiononthelatestresearchintothebiologyofgroupAstreptococcusandhowitcausesrheumaticfeverandotherdiseases,theburdenofdiseaseinAustraliaandNewZealand,andpotentialvaccinestrategies.Thesecondpartofthemeetingwasaclosedworkshop,alignedwiththetrans-Tasmanstrategytofast-trackthedevelopmentofavaccinetargetingrheumaticfever,todiscussthewayforwardtoidentifythevaccinemostlikelytosucceed.SpeakersatthepublicsessionoftheGroupAStreptococcusVaccineSymposium,heldatTheUniversityofAuckland’sFacultyofMedicalandHealthSciences,included:ProfessorShiraneeSriskandan(ImperialCollegeLondon,UK),ProfessorJonathanCarapetis(TelethonInstituteforChildHealthResearch,Perth,Australia)andfromtheUniversityofAucklandProfessorJohnFraser,ProfessorTedBaker,ProfessorDianaLennonandAssociateProfessorThomasProft.

Seepage9formoredetailsonthesymposiumandforafulllistofworkshopparticipantsseehttp://www.mauricewilkinscentre.org/media/34786/MWC-GAS-Vaccine-Workshop_Online.pdf

Auckland Cancer Research Network 2013 Winter School in Anticancer Drug development.

TheaimofthisACRNWinterSchool,heldonthe12thJuly2013attheUniversityofAuckland,wastodemonstratehowbiologicalresearch,medicinalchemistryandclinicalmedicineintegratetodeveloptherapiesforcancer.Theprogrammecoveredbasicresearch,drugdevelopmentandclinicalconcepts.KeynotespeakerswereCentreDirectorProfRodDunbar,DrRichardFurneaux(CallaghanInnovation),DrGraemeStevenson(GriffithUniversity,Australia)andProfRameshRamanathan(TGEN,UniversityofArizona,USA).TheWinterSchoolwasorganisedbyMauriceWilkinsCentreinvestigatorsDrJackFlanaganandDrEuphemiaLeungalongwithDrMarjanAskarian-Amiri.

Maurice Wilkins Centre Flagship workshops

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Outreach

During2013theMauriceWilkinsCentreranfive‘flagship’workshopsonspecificresearchtopicsofrelevancetotheCentre.TheaimwastobringtogetherthebestNewZealandresearchers and clinicians in each research area to brainstorm future directions and decide howbesttoworktogethertoachieveoutcomestobenefitNewZealand.ManyoftheideasthatcamefromtheseworkshopshavebeenincorporatedintotheCentre’sproposedresearchprogrammefrom2015to2020.Inmostcasesthiswasthefirsttimesuchhighlevelgroupshadbeenconvenedtoworkshopanationalresearchstrategyunderthesethemes.

• Workshopswereheldonthefollowingtopics;

• Tuberculosis–29thApril

• Melanoma – 29th May

• Diabetes and obesity – 16th August

• Protein and peptide engineering – 20th August

• Tumourmicroenvironment–5thSeptember

Technology workshopsDuring2013MauriceWilkinsCentreinvestigatorsranthreetechnologybasedworkshops.

Flow Cytometry workshop

Thisworkshopwasheldonthe22ndofAprilasapreludetotheInternationalSocietyforCellularTherapyannualmeetinginAuckland.

TheMauriceWilkinsCentrehasaparticularinterestincelltherapyandsupportedthemeetingbyconveningtheflowcytometryworkshoptraditionallyheldbeforethemainmeeting.TheCentrehasdeepskillsinflowcytometry–acriticaltechniqueforidentifyingcellsinmixturesandisolatingthoseofinterest,withNewZealand’sleadingflowcytometrysuitesatTheUniversityofAucklandandMalaghanInstituteforMedicalResearch.

ThekeynotespeakerattheworkshopwasProfessorStanleyRiddell,animmunotherapyresearcherandoncologistfromtheFredHutchinsonCancerResearchCentreintheUnitedStateswhospokeabouttheisolationanduseofimmunecellproductsforthetreatmentofcancer.Theprogrammealsofeatured:Prof.DerekHart(ANZACResearchInsitute,Australia),DrAllanDietz(MayoClinic,USA),DrJohnFoster(OwlBiomedicine,USA),DrJohnSharpe(CytonomeST,USA),DrAdrianSmith(CentenaryInstitute,Australia),DrSiokTey(QueenslandInsitituteofMedicalResearch,Australia),DrChristianCarson(BectonDickinson,USA)andProf.RodDunbarandDrAnnaBrooks(MauriceWilkinsCentre,UniversityofAuckland).

TheCentreprovidedtravelgrantsforstudentsfromOtagoUniversityandtheMalaghanInstituteforMedicalResearchtoattendthisworkshop.

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Mass spectrometry symposium

TheMauriceWilkinsCentrehostedaone-daysymposiumonmodernmassspectrometrytechniquesandapplicationsatTheUniversityofAucklandonFriday6September.

ThesymposiumwasfreeofchargeforattendeesandtheCentreprovidedanumberofgrantsforinvestigatorsbasedoutsideAucklandtotraveltotheevent.

Thefocuswasontheuseofmassspectrometryinproteomicsresearch,metabolomicsandsmallmolecules,andtheemergenceofnewmassspectrometrytechnologies.ThedayconcludedwithaworkshoponcurrentmassspectrometryinstrumentationinNewZealand.

AmongstthekeynotespeakerswereProfessorDameCarolRobinson(UniversityofOxford),ProfessorPeterDerrick(UniversityofAuckland),AssociateProfessorKevinDownard(UniversityofSydney)andAssociateProfessorBillJordan(VictoriaUniversityofWellington),allofwhomarerecognisedexpertsintheirrespectiveareas.TherewasalsoarangeofspeakersfromaroundNewZealand,describingboththemassspectrometrytechnologieswithwhichtheyarecurrentlyworkingandsomeoftheirresults.

International CellML workshop

CellMLisanopenstandardlanguagebeingdevelopedbytheAucklandBioengineeringInstituteandinternationalcollaboratorstostoreandexchangecomputer-basedmathematicalmodelsofbiologicalprocesses.TheMauriceWilkinsCentreprovidedsupportforthe2013InternationalCellMLWorkshop,thatwasorganisedbyCentreinvestigatorDrDavidNickersonandheldatGoldieEstateonWaihekeIsland,Auckland.

TheworkshopprovidesanopportunitytoupdateusersonrecentdevelopmentsanddiscussfutureworkontheCellMLstandardwiththeusercommunity.Delegatesattheworkshopin2013includedvisitorsfromtheUnitedKingdom,UnitedStates,Australia,Germany,andFranceaswellasMWCaffiliates,andstaffandstudentsfromtheUniversityofAuckland.Severalmorefocussedmeetings,ontheontologicalannotationofcomputationalmodelsandtheuseofCellMLinthefieldofagentbasedmodelling,werehostedbytheAucklandBioengineeringInstitutebeforeandaftertheworkshoptotakeadvantageofthelargenumberofinternationalvisitorstravellingtoAucklandfortheworkshop.

Conferences, meetings and organisationsScientificconferences,meetingsandnetworksareimportantforatoshareknowledgeandformcollaborativerelationships.InadditiontothesymposiaandworkshopsthattheCentreanditsinvestigatorsconvene(seepages24and25)theMauriceWilkinsCentresupportsnationalandinternationalscientificmeetingsheldinNewZealandaswellassmallerlocalscientificmeetingsandnetworks.

In2013theMauriceWilkinsCentreprovidedsupportfor:

• Queenstown Research Week.In2013thiseventincorporatedtheQueenstownMolecular Biology Meeting and satellite meetings focussed on enzyme engineering andevolution,redoxbiologyandreactiveoxygenspecies,heartresearch,epigenetics,genomicmedicineandtheWebsterCentreforInfectiousDiseasesSymposium:Of

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Outreach

MicrobesandMen-TranslationalMedicalMicrobiologyinthe21stCentury.Thisweekofscientificmeetingsattractedover1000registrationsfromnationalandinternationaldelegatesandspeakersincludingalargenumberofMauriceWilkinsCentreinvestigators.TheCentreisthepremieracademicsponsorforthiseventthatprovidesan important opportunity for Centre investigators to meet and hear about some of the latestnationalandinternationalresearch.TheCentrealsoprovidessponsorshipforNewZealandsecondaryschoolteacherstoattendtheQueenstownMolecularBiologymeeting(Seepage21).In2013theCentreprovidedadditionalsponsorshiptotheWebsterCentreforInfectiousDiseasesSymposium:OfMicrobesandMentowardsstudent travel awards.

• 43rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australasian Society for Immunology (ASI). ThismeetingwasheldinWellingtoninDecember.Thisinternationalmeetingattractedover 400 delegates from all over the world including many international leaders in biomedicalandclinicalresearchandprovidedakeyinterfaceforcolleaguesfromindustry,universityandindependentresearchorganisationstocometogether.TheCentresponsoredProfessorKeesMelieffromLeidenUniversityinTheNetherlands,whowasakeynotespeakeratthemeeting.

• 7th Australasian Society of Virology Conference.ThisconferencewasheldinQueenstowninDecember2013;thefirsttimethebiennialmeetinghasbeenheldinNZ.ThemeetingprovidedanimportantopportunitytohighlightNZvirologyandwiderbiologicalsciencestoanAustralianandinternationalaudience.TheCentreprovidedsponsorship for the student poster sessions at the meeting.

• New Zealand Society for Oncology 2013 Conference. ThisannualnationalconferencewasheldinDunedininJuly2013andbringstogetheroncologistsandcancerresearchers.TheCentreprovidedsponsorshipforkeynotespeakerDrPeterHerseyfromtheUniversityofSydney,Australia.

• Biolive 2013.Thisisthebiennialconferenceforprimary,secondaryandtertiarybiologyeducatorsrunbytheBiologyEducator’sAssociationofNewZealand(BEANZ).TheconferencewasheldinChristchurchin2013.TheCentreprovidedsponsorshipaswellascontributingUSBsticksloadedwithpresentationsfromtheMauriceWilkinsCentreTeacherProfessionalDevelopmentworkshops(Seestorypage14).

• NZBIO Asia Partnering Workshop. Theaimofthisworkshop,heldinSeptember2013,wastohelpcompaniesunderstandthepartneringlandscapeinkeyAsiancountries.ItfeaturedspeakerswithproventrackrecordsofbuildingpartnershipsacrossAsia.TheCentreprovidedsponsorshipfortheworkshop.

• Analytical Ultracentrifuge Workshop. NewZealand’sfirstanalyticalultracentrifugationworkshopwasheldattheUniversityofCanterburyonthe15thand16thofOctoberandfeaturedapresentationfromProfessorTomLaue(UniversityofNewHampshire),oneoftheoriginaldesignersofthecurrentanalyticalultracentrifugeinstrument,whohaspioneeredthisresearchforthreedecades.TheCentreprovidedsponsorshiptoenableinvestigatorsfromothersareastoattendtheworkshop.

Outreach

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• Regenerative Medicine Workshop.Thisworkshopwasheldonthe26thApril2013inassociationwiththeInternationalSocietyforCellularTherapy(ISCT)annualmeetinginAuckland.Regenerativemedicineaimstohelpthebodytoregeneratedamagedtissuesusingcellsand/orbioactivecompounds.Theworkshop,organisedbytheNewZealandConsortiumforMedicalDeviceTechnologies(CMDT)featuredlocalandinternationalspeakers.TheCentreprovidedsponsorshiptowardstherunningcostsoftheworkshop.

• Stem Cell Research Network.Thisnetwork,initiatedin2012,aimstofosteracollegialandcollaborativenetworkamongresearcherswithaninterestinallaspectsofstemcellresearch.In2013theCentreprovidedsupporttoenableanetworkmini-symposiuminNovember,organisedbyCentreinvestigatorsDrHilarySheppardandDrVaughanFeisst.

ServiceMauriceWilkinsCentreinvestigatorssupportboththenationalandinternationalsciencecommunities through service in leadership roles and on many advisory boards and panels.

National rolesIn2013MauriceWilkinsCentreinvestigatorsservedinadvisoryandgovernancerolesinmany New Zealand organisations including;

• NewZealandBranchoftheAustralasianSocietyforImmunology

• BiomolecularInteractionCentre(UniversityofCanterbury)

• Cancer Society of New Zealand

• CanterburyMedicalResearchFoundation

• Environmental Protection Authority HSNO Committee

• FreemasonsRoskillTrust

• Health Research Council of New Zealand

• InstituteofEnvironmentalScienceandResearch

• Landcare Research

• LeukaemiaandBloodCancerNZScientificCommittee

• L’Oreal-UNESCOWomeninScienceFellowshipsinAustraliaandNZ

• MauriceandPhyllisPaykelTrust

• MelanomaNetworkofNewZealand

• MiddlemoreTissueBankScientificAdvisoryBoard

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OutreachOutreach

• Ministry of Health – Advisory Groups

• MinistryofBusiness,ScienceandEmployment

• NationalInstituteofWater&AtmosphericResearch

• NewZealandBioinformaticsInstitute

• NewZealandChemicalEducationTrust

• New Zealand Genomics Ltd

• NewZealandHygieneFoundation

• NewZealandInstituteforRareDiseaseResearchLtd

• New Zealand Orthopaedic Association

• New Zealand Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

• New Zealand Society for Oncology

• QueenstownMolecularBiologyMeetingsSociety

• Royal Society of New Zealand

• RutherfordFoundation

• TertiaryEducationCommission(PBRFassessmentpanels)

• TheNewZealandMicrobiologicalSociety

• WellingtonHealthandBiomedicalResearchSociety

• WellingtonMedicalResearchFoundation

International rolesIn2013membersoftheMauriceWilkinsCentreservedinmorethan100advisory,editorialandgovernancerolesininternationalorganisationsbasedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica,Australia,theUnitedKingdom,theNetherlands,Denmark,Canada,France,Singapore,Sweden,Switzerland,Spain,QatarandRomania.

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Organisational DevelopmentResearch seeding programmeOneoftheMauriceWilkinsCentre’smainobjectivesistoencourageearly-stageresearchcollaborationsbetweeninvestigatorsfromdifferentscientificdisciplines,achievedthroughitscontestableresearchseedingprogramme.Threeroundsoftheprogrammewereheldin2013 and 19 new projects were approved.

New initiativesTheMauriceWilkinsCentrefostersnewmultidisciplinarycollaborativeresearchinvolvingCentreinvestigators,byprovidingworkingexpensestoinitiateworkonground-breakingprojects.Theaimistosparkprojectsthatwillgrowintohighlyinnovativeandsustainableresearch programmes.

Projectsawardedfundingin2013:

• Anewvisionforthefuture:turninghumaniPScellsintokeratocytes;Davidson,GreenandHolm,UniversityofAuckland;incollaborationwithAssociateProfessorTrevorSherwin,UniversityofAuckland

• Thedevelopmentofnucleoside-analoguedrugscreeningsystemsinSaccharomycescervisiae:Atkinson,VictoriaUniversityofWellington;Furneaux,CallaghanInnovation;incollaborationwithDrJamesMatthews,VictoriaUniversityofWellington

• MucosalassociatedinvariantT(MAIT)cellsinsinusmucosaofhealthandchronicrhinosinusitis:Douglas,DunbarandBrooks,UniversityofAuckland;incollaborationwithDrRaymondKim,DrRaviJainandDrNikolaLilic,UniversityofAuckland

• Novelanti-TBtherapies:WilesandDenny,UniversityofAuckland

• DesignandsynthesisofnovelandselectivePI3Kinaseinhibitors:Furneaux,LuxenburgerandJohnston,CallaghanInnovation;Flanagan,Shepherd,BuchananandJamieson,UniversityofAuckland

• PeptideengineeringofastableConnexin43mimetic:Brimble,HarrisandGreen,UniversityofAuckland;incollaborationwithProfLouiseNicholsonandProfHelenDanesh-Meyer,UniversityofAuckland

• Changesinthecellulararchitectureofhumanlymphnodeswithsenescence:McCallandAhmadi,UniversityofOtago;Dunbar,UniversityofAuckland;incollaborationwithProfessorMarkStringer,UniversityofOtagoandDrMarthaNicholson,SouthernCommunity Laboratories

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OutreachOrganisational Development

Access to advanced equipmentThecostofaccessingadvancedequipmentcanbeabarriertoscientificdiscovery.Throughthiscategory,MauriceWilkinsCentreinvestigatorscanaccesstheCentre’sadvancedequipmentanywhereinNewZealandtoinitiateexcitingnewprojects.

Projectsawardedfundingin2013:

• Nitrogenmetabolism:anewfrontierforanti-TBdrugs;Cook,UniversityofOtago;Arcus,UniversityofWaikato;incollaborationwithDrJenniferRobsonandMrMichaelPetridu,UniversityofOtago

• Theimpactofthenasalmicrobiomeonchronicrhinosinusitis:Douglas,UniversityofAuckland;incollaborationwithDrMikeTaylor,DrRaymondKimandMsKristiBiswas,UniversityofAuckland

• ComprehensiveDNAvariantanalysisoftheCYP2C19pharmacogene:Kennedy,UniversityofOtago,Christchurch;Helsby,UniversityofAuckland

• Sequencing the genomes of a panel of well characterised sequence type 131 EscherichiacolistrainscausingdiseaseinAuckland:Wiles,WilliamsonandHurley,UniversityofAuckland

• Evaluation of patient blood microRNAs for the diagnosis of non-occlusive mesenteric ischaemiaincardiacsurgerypatients:Windsor,PhillipsandBlenkiron,UniversityofAuckland;incollaborationwithDrMichaelGillham,AucklandDistrictHealthBoard

• Whole-genomesequencingofdrug-resistantMycobacteriumtuberculosisstrainstodeveloprapiddiagnosticsfordrug-resistantTB:CookandAung,UniversityofOtago;Arcus,UniversityofWaikato;Roberts,AucklandDistrictHealthBoard;incollaborationwithProfJohnCrumpandProfPhilipHill,UniversityofOtagoandProfKyiKyiThinnandDrThandaTun,UniversityofMedicine1,Myanmar

• Exomesequencingtoguideindividualisedtherapyofpatientderivedxenografts:Jamieson,LawrenceandFindlay,UniversityofAuckland

• Optimisingadomainseekingtechnologywithfluorescence-activatedcellsorting:BullochandKingston,UniversityofAuckland

• Synthesising calcitonin analogues to investigate the binding mode of calcitonin to its receptor:Gingell,Hay,HarrisandBrimble,UniversityofAuckland

• D-peptidesynthesisforracemiccrystallisationofshortcollagenmimeticmotifs:Valery,DobsonandGerrard,UniversityofCanterbury;HarrisandBrimble,UniversityofAuckland

• Whole-genomesequencingofarecentlyemergedcommunity-associatedSequenceType(ST)5-MRSA-IVinNewZealand:WilliamsonandFraser,UniversityofAuckland;incollaborationwithDrStephenRitchieandPeterTsai,UniversityofAuckland

• Dermalmesenchymalstemcellsandtheirdifferentiatedprogeny:Feisst,BrooksandSheppard,UniversityofAuckland;incollaborationwithDrMichelleLocke,CountiesManukauDistrictHealthBoardandtheUniversityofAuckland

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New investigatorsIn2013,theMauriceWilkinsCentrecontinuedtostrengthenitsnationalnetworkofinvestigatorswith38newassociateinvestigatorsinvitedtojointheCentre:

• ProfessorMichaelBaker,DepartmentofPublicHealth,UniversityofOtago,Wellington

• ProfessorMikeBerridge,MalaghanInstituteofMedicalResearch

• MrMichaelBooth,WaitemataDistrictHealthBoard

• ProfessorVickyCameron,ChristchurchHeartInstitute,UniversityofOtago,Christchurch

• DrRenwickDobson,SchoolofBiologicalSciences,UniversityofCanterbury

• ProfessorPaulDonaldson,DepartmentofOptometryandVisionScience,UniversityofAuckland

• DrDavidGoldstone,SchoolofBiologicalSciences,UniversityofAuckland

• DrChrisHall,DepartmentofMolecularMedicineandPathology,UniversityofAuckland

• DrJacquieHarper,MalaghanInstituteofMedicalResearch

• DrJoanneHarvey,SchoolofChemicalandPhysicalSciences,VictoriaUniversityofWellington

• DrKevinHicks,AucklandCancerSocietyResearchCentre,UniversityofAuckland

• AssociateProfessorBillJordan,SchoolofBiologicalSciences,VictoriaUniversityofWellington

• DrRoslynKemp,DepartmentofMicrobiologyandImmunology,UniversityofOtago

• DrJackieKendall,AucklandCancerSocietyResearchCentre,UniversityofAuckland

• DrProfessorMartinKennedy,DepartmentofPathology,UniversityofOtago,Christchurch

• DrJeremyKrebs,DepartmentofMedicine,UniversityofOtago,Wellington

• GoetzLaible,AgResearch

• DrBenLawrence,SchoolofMedicalSciences,UniversityofAuckland

• DrDoniaMacartney-Coxson,InstituteofEnvironmentalScienceandResearch

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Organisational Development

• DrPeterMace,DepartmentofBiochemistry,UniversityofOtago

• AssociateProfessorTonyMerriman,DepartmentofBiochemistry,UniversityofOtago

• ProfessorJohnMiller,SchoolofBiologicalSciences,VictoriaUniversityofWellington

• DrGillianNorris,InstituteofMolecularBioSciences,MasseyUniversity

• AssociateProfessorPeterNorthcote,SchoolofChemicalandPhysicalScience,VictoriaUniversityofWellington

• DrBjornOback,AgResearch

• DrGrantPearce,SchoolofBiologicalSciences,UniversityofCanterbury

• DrLifengPeng,SchoolofBiologicalSciences,VictoriaUniversityofWellington

• DrJoPerry,LigginsInstitute,UniversityofAuckland

• AssociateProfessorJasnaRakonjac,InstituteofFundamentalSciences,MasseyUniversity

• DrSallyRoberts,AucklandDistrictHealthBoard

• DrEvelynSattlegger,InstituteofNatural&MathematicalSciences,MasseyUniversity

• AssociateProfessorAndrewShelling,DepartmentofObstetricsandGynaecology,UniversityofAuckland

• DrMichaelSteward,CallaghanInnovation

• DrBridgetStocker,SchoolofChemicalandPhysicalSciences,VictoriaUniversityofWellington

• AssociateProfessorPaulTeesdale-Spittle,SchoolofBiologicalSciences,VictoriaUniversityofWellington

• DrMattieTimmer,SchoolofChemicalandPhysicalSciences,VictoriaUniversityofWellington

• DrDebbieWilliamson,DepartmentofMolecularMedicineandPathology,UniversityofAuckland

• DrTimWoodfield,DepartmentofOrthopaedicSurgery,UniversityofOtago,Christchurch

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Equipment and facilitiesTheMauriceWilkinsCentrewasawarded$4.3millionofcapitalequipmentfundingin2002andafurther$2.7millionin2007,topurchasecapitalequipment,aspartoftheCoREfunding.Thisinvestmentincapitalequipmenthasenablednewresearchtobeundertaken,fostered national collaborations and contributed to many research publications.

WhileprimarilyusedbyCentreinvestigators,thiscapitalequipmenthasalsoprovidedvaluable services for many New Zealand biotechnology companies and researchers based atCRIsandHealthBoards.

In2013theCentreclientlistincluded

• AucklandClinicalStudiesLtd

• CallaghanInnovationResearchLtd

• MP Biomedicals NZ Ltd

• Lanzatech NZ Ltd

• WaitemataDistrictHealthBoard

• AucklandDistrictHealthBoard

• CountiesManukauDistrictHealthBoard

• WaikatoDistrictHealthBoard

• Nelson-Marlborough District Health Board

• Southern Community Laboratories

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Organisational Development

Human capabilityThemultidisciplinaryandcollaborativenatureoftheMauriceWilkinsCentreresearchprogrammeprovidesanexcellenttrainingenvironmentfortheyoungscientistsandstudents who are our future science leaders.

PhD student supportTheMauriceWilkinsCentresupportsalargecohortofPhDandMScstudentswithinitsassociatedresearchgroupsbyprovidingfundsforstipends,workingexpensesandtravel,aswellasopportunitiestoaccessspecialisedresearchequipmentandfacilities.In2013the Centre provided full or partial stipends for 32 PhD students.

Technical training opportunities InordertomaintainaworldclassresearchprogrammeitisimportantthatMauriceWilkinsCentreinvestigatorsandstudentskeepuptodatewithinternationaldevelopmentsintheirfields.TheCentreprovidessupportforstaffandstudentstotraveltoconferences,technicalworkshopsandtovisitotherlaboratoriesinNewZealandandoverseastoacquirenewskillsandtechniques.

Inlate2011theCentrelaunchedanewschemetohelpitsearly-careerscientiststrainincutting-edgetechnology,andsharewhattheylearnwiththeirNewZealandcolleagues.Thecontestableprogrammesupportsaffiliateinvestigators’traveltointernationalworkshopsandlaboratoriestolearnnewtechnicalskills.AcriterionforasuccessfulapplicationisthattheinvestigatormustpresentaplanforhowtheywilldisseminatetheirnewknowledgeandskillstoothermembersoftheNewZealandsciencecommunityontheirreturn.

During2013,threeaffiliateinvestigatorstravelledunderthescheme:

• Dr David NickersonleadstheAucklandRenalPhysiomeprojectattheAucklandBioengineeringInstitute,attheUniversityofAuckland.HeattendedtheHARMONY2013workshop,heldattheUniversityofConnecticutHealthCentre.HARMONY(HackathonsonResourcesforModelinginBiology)isorganisedbytheComputationalModelinginBiologyNetwork(COMBINE),whichisaninitiativetocoordinatethedevelopment of various community standards and formats for computational models. David presented a tutorial on the Physiome Model Repository (the development ofwhichispartlyfundedbytheMauriceWilkinsCentre)onthefirstmorningoftheworkshop.

“MyattendanceatHARMONYwasverysuccessfulinbroadeningmyknowledgeandunderstandingofalltheCOMBINEstandardsandmanyassociatedsoftwaretoolsandpublicrepositories,”saidDavid,and“allMWCmembersshouldfeelfreetocontactmeiftheywouldliketolearnmoreaboutanyoftheCOMBINEstandards,howthestandardsandtoolsmightbeabletocontributetotheirwork”.Asaresultofattendingthisevent,Davidhasformedon-goingcollaborationsandhasbeeninvitedtohelporganiseandparticipateinfurtherinternationalworkshopsandtutorials.

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• Dr Debbie Williamson isaclinicalmicrobiologistundertakingherPhDattheUniversityofAuckland,investigatingthemolecularbasisofStaphylococcusaureusskinandsofttissueinfections(SSTI).Sheattendedthecourse‘MolecularBasisofBacterialInfection:ContemporaryResearchApproaches’,heldattheWellcomeTrustGenomeCampus,Hinxton,Cambridge,UK.Thecoursefocussedontheconceptsandtechniquesusedinstudiesofthemolecularbasisofbacterialinfection,withemphasisoncontemporaryhigh-throughputapproaches.DrWilliamsonwasabletolearnbioinformaticsanalysisskillswhichsheisalreadyputtingtouseintheanalysisofthirtyStaphylococcusaureusgenomes,sequencedaspartofaMauriceWilkinsCentreresearchseedinggrant,andonaprojectinvolvinghumanEscherichiacoliisolates.Thecoursealsoallowedinvaluablenetworkingopportunities,withDrWilliamsonmeeting“oneofthetopglobalresearchersintheareaofS.aureusgenomics,andweareindiscussionsaboutseveralcollaborativeprojects”.

• Jingshu Xu,aMauriceWilkinsCentre-fundedPhDstudentfromtheUniversityofAuckland,travelledtotheCentreforAdvancedDiscoveryandExperimentalTherapeutics(CADET)attheUniversityofManchester,UK.Duringhereight-weekstay,JingshuwasabletocarryoutcomprehensivemetabolicprofilingofhumanbrainsamplesfrompatientswithAlzheimer’sdiseaseandmatchedcontroldonors.TheexperimentssheperformedwereabletorevealstrikingdifferencesinthemetabolicprofilesofAlzheimer’sdiseasepatient’sbrainsincomparisontothematchedcontroldonorbrains,includinginlevelsoffreeglucose,sorbitolandfructoseinthebrain.Thesefindingsarebeingusedforthepreparationofatleasttwomanuscripts,andthese results and publications will be used for applications for further funding to investigate Alzheimer’s disease patients.

During2013themovementofPhDstudentsbetweenthelaboratoriesofMauriceWilkinsCentreinvestigatorsacrossNewZealandhascontinued.Thishasbeenlargelyduetotherequirement that PhD students funded through the multidisciplinary training category of theCentre’sresearchseedingprogrammespendtimeworkinginmorethanonescientificdiscipline.

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Organisational Development

Professor Dame Carol Robinson

International visitsTheMauriceWilkinsCentrerunsaninternationalengagementprogrammetobuildpartnershipswithpriorityinternationalinstitutionsthatbenefittheCentre’sinvestigatornetwork.In2013thisinvolvedsendingadelegationofCentreinvestigatorstoShanghaiinChinaandhostinganumberofvisitingdelegationsinNewZealand(seepage26).TheCentrealsohostsvisitsfrominternationalandnationalscientistsandofficials.

International Scientists

TheMauriceWilkinsCentrehostsvisitsfrominternationalscientistssothattheycansharetheirknowledgeandresearchexperienceswiththeNewZealandresearchcommunityandestablishresearchlinks.

Professor Dame Carol Robinson is a Royal Society Research Professor,DoctorLee’sProfessorElectattheUniversityofOxfordand a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Her researchisfocussedongainingnewinsightsintoproteinstructure,function and interactions by means of mass spectrometry. Professor Robinson visited New Zealand in September 2013 and was hosted by the School of Chemical Sciences at the University ofAuckland,wheresheisanAdjunctProfessor,andtheMauriceWilkinsCentre.Duringhervisitshegaveakeynotepresentationatthe Centre’s mass spectrometry symposium as well as seminars to staff and students at the University of Otago and the University of Auckland(seepage36formoredetailsofthemassspectrometrysymposium).

Professor Cornelius Melief

ProfessorCornelius(Kees)MeliefisaProfessorofInternalMedicinespecialisinginimmunohematologyatLeidenUniversity,TheNetherlands,andChiefScientificOfficerofISAPharmaceuticals.HisresearchaimstodevelopTcell-basedimmunotherapyofcancerand he is a world leader in the development and manufacture of synthetic long peptide vaccines for clinical use. Professor Melief visitedNewZealandinDecemberandfeaturedasakeynotespeakeratthe43rdAnnualScientificMeetingoftheAustralasianSocietyforImmunology(ASI),heldinWellingtonbeforetravellingtoAucklandtoprovideexpertadviceonfurtherdevelopmentoftheGMP peptide facility and peptide therapeutic programmes in the MauriceWilkinsCentre.

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Professor Jonathan Carapetis

MauriceWilkinsCentreinvestigatorsalsohostedthefollowingvisitorstothecentrein2013:

• ProfessorPaulAlewood,UniversityofQueensland,Australia

• DrMurielAmblard,UniversityofMontpellier,France

• ProfessorBillAndrews,SierraSciences,LLC,USA

• DrMichaelBatzloff,GriffithUniversity,Australia

• AssociateProfessorSimonBlakey,EmoryUniversity,USA

• DrGerryBrown,Pan-ProvincialVaccineEnterprise(PREVENT),Canada

• DrChristianCarson,BDBiosciences,USA

• DrTaniaCrombet-Ramos,CenterofMolecularImmunology,Havana,Cuba

• DrJohnCumming,AstraZenecaR&D,UK

• ProfessorJimDale,UniversityofTennesseeHealthScienceCenter,USA

• ProfessorKeDing,GuangzhouInstituteofBiomedicineandHealth,China

• DrBernardDeBono,UniversityCollegeLondon,UK

• DrRobertDeans,AthersysInc.,USA

• DrAllanDietz,MayoClinic,USA

• AssociateProfessorKevinDownard,UniversityofSydney,Australia

• DrJohnFoster,OwlBiomedicine,USA

• ProfessorMikeGood,GriffithUniversity,Australia

• DrGuidoGrandi,NovartisVaccinesandDiagnostics,Italy

ProfessorJonathanCarapetisisapaediatricianandinfectiousdiseasespecialistandcurrentlyisDirectoroftheTelethonKidsInstituteinPerth,Australia.Hehasmadeaninternationalcontribution and commitment to the reduction of rheumatic heartdiseaseandistakingaleadershiproleinatrans-Tasmanproject to investigate potential vaccines for rheumatic fever. HevisitedNewZealandinMarch2013asakeyparticipantinthe international Group A Streptococcus Vaccine Symposium convenedbytheMauriceWilkinsCentreattheUniversityofAuckland.ProfessorCarapetisalsogaveapresentationinthepublic session of this symposium (see page 13 for a story on this symposium).

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Organisational Development

• ProfessorDerekHart,ANZACResearchInstitute,Australia

• AssociateProfessorThomasHuber,AustralianNationalUniversity

• DrNormandoE.Iznaga-Escobar,InnoMabPteLtd,Singapore

• ProfessorHenkterKeurs,UniversityofCalgary,Canada

• DrYangLiu,LoughboroughUniversity,UK

• ProfKrisMatyjaszweski,CarnegieMellonUniversity,USA

• DrMarkMcCall,EPSRCDoctoralTrainingCentreinRegenerativeMedicine,UK

• ProfessorAndrewMcCulloch,UniversityofCaliforniaSanDiego,USA

• ProfessorDavidO’Hagan,UniversityofStAndrews,UK

• ProfessorDavidPaterson,UniversityofOxford,UK

• DrAudinoPodda,NovartisVaccinesInstituteforGlobalHealth,Italy

• ProfessorStanleyRiddell,FredHutchinsonCancerResearchCentre,USA

• ProfessorMarkRizzacasa,UniversityofMelbourne,Australia

• DrAllanSaul,NovartisVaccinesInstituteforGlobalHealth,Italy

• DrLeonidSazanov,MRCLaboratoryofMolecularBiology,Cambridge,UK.

• DrJohnSharpe,CytonomeST,USA

• DrPierreSmeesters,MurdochChildrensResearchInstitute,Australia

• DrAdrianSmith,CentenaryInstitute,Australia

• ProfessorShiraneeSriskandan,ImperialCollegeLondon,UK

• DrAndrewSteer,RoyalChildren’sHospital,Melbourne,Australia

• ProfessorGillesSubra,UniversityofMontpellier,France

• DrSiokTey,QueenslandInstituteofMedicalResearch,Australia

• DrChristopherThompson,MedicalCollegeofWisconsin,USA

• DrClaireWaddington,TelethonInstituteforChildHealthResearch,Australia

• ProfMarkWalker,TheUniversityofQueensland,Australia

• AssociateProfessorJohnWherry,UniversityofPennsylvania,USA

• ProfessorDavidWilliams,EPSRCDoctoralTrainingCentreinRegenerativeMedicine,UK

• ProfDonghaiWu,GuangzhouInstituteofBiomedicineandHealth,China

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International science delegations

• 2nd New Zealand-Japan Joint Immunology Workshop:

Speakers from Japan:

ChibaUniversity;ProfessorToshinoriNakayama,ProfessorTakeshiTokuhisa,AssociateProfessorKoichiHirose,AssociateProfessorShinichiroMotohashi

RikenCentreforAllergyandImmunology;ProfessorTakashiSaito,DrYasuyukiIshii,DrShinichiroFujii,DrShoheiHoriandDrTakaharuOkada

Speakers from New Zealand:

MalaghanInstituteforMedicalResearch;ProfessorGrahamLeGros,ProfessorFrancaRonchese,AssociateProfessorIanHermans,DrElizabethForbes-BlomandDrJacquieHarper

VictoriaUniversityofWellington;AssociateProfessorAnneLaFlamme

CallaghanInnovation;DrGavinPainter

UniversityofOtago;ProfessorSarahHook,DrSarahYoung,DrRoslynKempandDrJoannaKirman

UniversityofAuckland;ProfessorRodDunbar,DrGibBogle,ProfessorJohnFraserand Dr Christopher Hall

International and national officials and delegationsIn2013MauriceWilkinsCentreinvestigatorshostedorparticipatedinvisitsbythefollowingofficialsanddelegations:

• Jiangxi Province Delegation, December 2013:

MrsXueqinGuo,DirectorGeneral,DepartmentofScienceandTechnologyofJiangxiProvince,MrWenxinLi,DivisionDirector,DepartmentofScienceandTechnologyofJiangxiProvince,MrsXiaonanZhang,Consultant,DepartmentofScienceandTechnologyofJiangxiProvince,MrGangZhou,DeputyDirector,ScienceandTechnologyBureauofNanchangMunicipalGovernment,JiangxiProvince,MrShiyongWang,DeputyDirector,DepartmentofScienceandTechnologyofJiangxiProvinceandMrJunyongZhang,DeputyDirector,TestandAnalysisResearchInstituteofJiangxiProvince.

• Beijing Biopharma Delegation, December 2013:

MrZhouXiaobai,ViceDirector-General,BeijingScientificandTechnicalCooperationCenter,MsLuAili,DeputyDirector-General,BeijingDrugAdministration,MrTangJian,Director,BeijingMunicipalScience&TechnologyCommission,MsCuiYuqin,Director-General,BeijingMunicipalOfficeforScienceandTechnologyAwards,MrLiuYoulin,DivisionChief,BeijingScientificandTechnicalCooperationCentre,MrChengWei,AssistanttoDirector-General,BeijingPharmaandBiotechCenterandMrShiHepeng,CEO,BeijingPearlBiotechnologyLimitedLiabilityCompany

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External fundingManyoftheprojectswithintheMauriceWilkinsCentreresearchprogrammearesupportedbyadditionalgrantsfromotherfundingsources.TheCentrealsotargetsaproportionofits research budget to seed and develop new projects to the point where they will become successful in securing competitive funding.

New Zealand fundingIn2013WilkinsCentreinvestigatorswereawardednewgrantsforresearchprojectsworthmore than $48 million from New Zealand funding sources for research projects to be carriedoutoverthenextonetofiveyears,including$30millionfromtheHealthResearchCouncilofNewZealand,$11.7millionfromtheMinistryofBusiness,InnovationandEmploymentand$5.6millionfromtheMarsdenFund.

International fundingIn2013WilkinsCentreinvestigatorssecurednewfundingof$1.5millionfrominternationalsources to support future research.

Organisational Development

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Governance and management

Governing BoardIn2013theBoardMemberswere;MrBillFalconer(Chair),ProfessorGrantGuilford(UniversityofAuckland),ProfessorJaneHarding(UniversityofAuckland),ProfessorLouiseNicholson(UniversityofAuckland),MsMaxineSimmons(BiocatalystLtd)andProfessorWarrenTate(UniversityofOtago).

ProfessorGrantGuilford’stermwiththeBoardendedin2013whenhetookuphisnewpositionasVice-ChancellorofVictoriaUniversityofWellingtoninearly2014.ProfessorGuilford joined the Board in 2010 when he was appointed as Dean of Science at the UniversityofAuckland.TheCentregratefullyacknowledgesProfessorGuilford’sextensiveadvice and encouragement during his four year term.

During2013theBoardmetthreetimesinMay,AugustandOctober.TheBoardmonitoredprogressoftheMauriceWilkinsCentreresearchprogrammeanditscompliancewiththefundingmandateandbudget.TheBoardreceivedthereportoftheCentre’sScientificAdvisoryBoard,thatmetinSeptember2012,andconsideredtherecommendationsof the report regarding the future strategies and development of the Centre’s research programme.TheBoardalsoprovidedadviceanddirectionthroughout2013ontheCentre’s international engagement programme and development of the Centre’s bid for renewed CoRE funding that was submitted in December 2013.

Management CommitteeTheMauriceWilkinsCentreManagementCommitteeconsistsoftheCentre’sprincipalinvestigators;ProfessorsRodDunbar(Director),PeterShepherd(DeputyDirector),TedBaker,MargaretBrimble,GarthCooper,BillDenny,JohnFraserandPeterHunter.

ThecommitteecontrolstheoperationoftheCentre,undertheguidanceoftheGoverningBoardandtheScientificAdvisoryBoard.TheCommitteemetninetimesduring2013.

In2013ProfessorJohnFrasersteppeddownasDeputyDirectoroftheMauriceWilkinsCentre,arolewhichhehadheldsincethefoundingoftheCentrein2002.Hewillcontinue to be actively involved in the Centre and the Management committee as a principalinvestigator.TheCentregratefullyacknowledgesProfessorFraser’soutstandingcontributions as Deputy Director over the past 11 years.

Professor Peter Shepherd was appointed as the new Deputy Director of the Maurice WilkinsCentre.ProfessorShepherdjoinedtheCentrein2006asprincipalinvestigatorandhas been instrumental in the Centre’s successful international engagement programme as well as playing a leading role in the science education programme for secondary school biology teachers across New Zealand.

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Research Outputs

PublicationsIn2012researchoutputsfromMauriceWilkinsCentreinvestigatorsincludedmorethan508 peer-reviewedscientificpapersandreviewspublishedininternationaljournals,andnumerouspatents.ResearchdirectlysupportedbytheMauriceWilkinsCentregeneratedthefollowing119scientificpapersandeightpatentspublishedorfiled.

Papers and reviews1. Affara,M.,Sanders,D.,Araki,H.,Tamada,Y.,Dunmore,B.J.,Humphreys,S.,Imoto,

S.,Savoie,C.,Miyano,S.,Kuhara,S.,Jeffries,D.,Print,C.,&Charnock-Jones,D.S.Vasohibin-1isidentifiedasamaster-regulatorofendothelialcellapoptosisusinggenenetworkanalysis. BMC Genomics (2013) 14(1).

2. Aitken,H.R.M.,Furkert,D.P.,Hubert,J.G.,Wood,J.M.,&Brimble,M.A.Enantioselectiveaccesstobenzannulatedspiroketalsusingachiralsulfoxideauxiliary.Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry (2013) 11(31):5147-5155.

3. Aitken,H.R.M.,Johannes,M.,Loomes,K.M.,&Brimble,M.A.Synthesisofleptosin,a glycoside isolated from manuka honey. Tetrahedron Letters (2013).

4. Benzler,J.,Andrews,Z.B.,Pracht,C.,Stöhr,S.,Shepherd,P.R.,Grattan,D.R.,&Tups,A.HypothalamicWNTsignallingisimpairedduringobesityandreinstatedbyleptin treatment in male mice. Endocrinology (2013) 154(12):4737-4745.

5. Blackmore,N.J.,Reichau,S.,Jiao,W.,Hutton,R.D.,Baker,E.N.,Jameson,G.B.,&Parker,E.J.Threesitesandyouareout:Ternarysynergisticallosterycontrolsaromaticamino acid biosynthesis in mycobacterium tuberculosis. Journal of Molecular Biology (2013) 425(9):1582-1592.

6. Blenkiron,C.,Hurley,D.G.,Fitzgerald,S.,Print,C.G.,&Lasham,A.Linksbetweenthe oncoprotein YB-1 and small non-coding RNAs in breast cancer. PLoS ONE (2013) 8(11):e80171.

7. Bobby,R.,Medini,K.,Neudecker,P.,Lee,T.V.,Brimble,M.A.,McDonald,F.J.,Lott,J.S.,&Dingley,A.J.StructureanddynamicsofhumanNedd4-1WW3incomplexwith the alphaENaC PY motif. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Proteins and Proteomics (2013) 1834(8):1632-1641.

Research Outputs

54

8. Bridewell,D.J.A.,Sperry,J.,Smith,J.R.,Kosim-Satyaputra,P.,Ching,L.M.,Jamie,J.F.,&Brimble,M.A.Naturalproduct-inspiredpyranonaphthoquinoneinhibitorsofindoleamine2,3-dioxygenase-1(IDO-1)*.Australian Journal of Chemistry (2013) 66(1):40-49.

9. Britten,R.D.,Christie,G.R.,Little,C.,Miller,A.K.,Bradley,C.,Wu,A.,Yu,T.,Hunter,P.,&Nielsen,P.FieldML,aproposedopenstandardforthePhysiomeprojectformathematical model representation. Med Biol Eng Comput (2013) 51(11):1191-1207.

10. Brooks,C.R.,VanDalen,C.J.,Hermans,I.F.,&Douwes,J.Identifyingleukocytepopulationsinfreshandcryopreservedsputumusingflowcytometry.Cytometry Part B - Clinical Cytometry (2013) 84 B(2):104-113.

11. Buchanan,C.M.,Dickson,J.M.J.,Lee,W.J.,Guthridge,M.A.,Kendall,J.D.,&Shepherd,P.R.OncogenicMutationsofp110αIsoformofPI3-KinaseUpregulateItsProteinKinaseActivity. PLoS ONE (2013) 8(8):e71337.

12. Buchanan,C.M.,Peng,Z.,Cefre,A.,&Sarojini,V.Preptinanalogues:Chemicalsynthesis,secondarystructureandbiologicalstudies.Chemical Biology and Drug Design (2013) 82(4):429-437.

13. Bunker,R.D.,Bulloch,E.M.M.,Dickson,J.M.J.,Loomes,K.M.,&Baker,E.N.Structureandfunctionofhumanxylulokinase,anenzymewithimportantrolesincarbohydrate metabolism. Journal of Biological Chemistry (2013) 288(3):1643-1652.

14. Busby,J.N.,Panjikar,S.,Landsberg,M.J.,Hurst,M.R.H.,&Lott,J.S.TheBCcomponentofABCtoxinsisanRHS-repeat-containingproteinencapsulationdevice.Nature (2013) 501(7468):547-550.

15. Camberis,M.,Prout,M.,Tang,S.C.,Forbes-Blom,E.,Robinson,M.,Kyle,R.,Belkaid,Y.,Paul,W.,&LeGros,G.EvaluatingtheinvivoTh2primingpotentialamongcommonallergens. Journal of Immunological Methods (2013) 394(1-2):62-72.

16. Castell,A.,Short,F.L.,Evans,G.L.,Cookson,T.V.M.,Bulloch,E.M.M.,Joseph,D.D.A.,Lee,C.E.,Parker,E.J.,Baker,E.N.,&Lott,J.S.Thesubstratecapturemechanism of mycobacterium tuberculosis anthranilate phosphoribosyltransferase provides a mode for inhibition. Biochemistry (2013) 52(10):1776-1787.

17. Chai,A.F.,Johnston,J.M.,Bunker,R.D.,Bulloch,E.M.,Evans,G.L.,Lott,J.S.,&Baker,E.N.Purification,crystallizationandpreliminaryX-raystudiesofMbtN(Rv1346)from Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Acta Crystallographica Section F: Structural Biology and Crystallization Communications (2013) 69(Pt12):1354-1356.

18. Chang,J.Y.,Lu,G.L.,Stevenson,R.J.,Brothers,P.J.,Clark,G.R.,Botting,K.J.,Ferry,D.M.,Tercel,M.,Wilson,W.R.,Denny,W.A.,&Ware,D.C.Cross-bridgedcyclenorcyclamCo(III)complexescontainingcytotoxicligandsashypoxia-activatedprodrugs. Inorganic Chemistry (2013) 52(13):7688-7698.

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Research OutputsResearch Outputs

19. Cognard,E.,Dargaville,C.G.,Hay,D.L.,&Shepherd,P.R.Identificationofapathwaybywhichglucoseregulatesbeta-cateninsignallingviathecAMP/proteinkinaseApathway in beta-cell models. Biochem Journal (2013) 449(3):803-811.

20. Cook,G.M.,Robson,J.R.,Frampton,R.A.,McKenzie,J.,Przybilski,R.,Fineran,P.C.,&Arcus,V.L.Ribonucleasesinbacterialtoxin-antitoxinsystems.Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Gene Regulatory Mechanisms (2013) 1829(6-7):523-531.

21. Cross,P.J.,Allison,T.M.,Dobson,R.C.,Jameson,G.B.,&Parker,E.J.Engineeringallosteric control to an unregulated enzyme by transfer of a regulatory domain. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (2013) 110(6):2111-2116.

22. Dickson,J.M.,Lee,W.J.,Shepherd,P.R.,&Buchanan,C.M.EnzymeactivityeffectsofN-terminalHis-tagattachedtocatalyticsub-unitofphosphoinositide-3-kinase.Bioscience Reports (2013) 33(6).

23. Domigan,L.,Andersen,K.B.,Sasso,L.,Dimaki,M.,Svendsen,W.E.,Gerrard,J.A.,&Castillo-Leon,J.Dielectrophoreticmanipulationandsolubilityofproteinnanofibrilsformed from crude crystallins. Electrophoresis (2013) 34(7):1105-1112.

24. Erogbogbo,F.,May,J.,Swihart,M.,Prasad,P.N.,Smart,K.,Jack,S.E.,Korcyk,D.,Webster,M.,Stewart,R.,Zeng,I.,Jullig,M.,Bakeev,K.,Jamieson,M.,Kasabov,N.,Gopalan,B.,Liang,L.,Hu,R.,Schliebs,S.,Villas-Boas,S.,&Gladding,P.Bioengineeringsiliconquantumdottheranosticsusinganetworkanalysisofmetabolomic and proteomic data in cardiac ischemia. Theranostics (2013) 3(9):719-728.

25. Ferguson,P.M.,Feindel,K.W.,Slocombe,A.,MacKay,M.,Wignall,T.,Delahunt,B.,Tilley,R.D.,&Hermans,I.F.StronglyMagneticIronNanoparticlesImprovetheDiagnosisofSmallTumoursintheReticuloendothelialSystembyMagneticResonanceImaging. PLoS ONE (2013) 8(2):e56572.

26. Ferguson,P.M.,Slocombe,A.,Tilley,R.D.,&Hermans,I.F.UsingMagneticResonanceImagingtoEvaluateDendriticCell-BasedVaccination. PLoS ONE (2013)

8(5):e65318.

27. Fullston,T.,OhlssonTeague,E.M.,Palmer,N.O.,DeBlasio,M.J.,Mitchell,M.,Corbett,M.,Print,C.G.,Owens,J.A.,&Lane,M.PaternalobesityinitiatesmetabolicdisturbancesintwogenerationsofmicewithincompletepenetrancetotheF2generationandaltersthetranscriptionalprofileoftestisandspermmicroRNAcontent.FASEB Journal (2013) 27(10):4226-4243.

28. Fung,S.P.,Wang,H.,Tomek,P.,Squire,C.J.,Flanagan,J.U.,Palmer,B.D.,Bridewell,D.J.,Tijono,S.M.,Jamie,J.F.,&Ching,L.M.Discoveryandcharacterisationofhydrazinesasinhibitorsoftheimmunesuppressiveenzyme,indoleamine2,3-dioxygenase1(IDO1).Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry (2013) 21(24):7595-7603.

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29. Gamage,S.A.,Brooke,D.G.,Redkar,S.,Datta,J.,Jacob,S.T.,&Denny,W.A.Structure-activity relationships for 4-anilinoquinoline derivatives as inhibitors of the DNAmethyltransferaseenzymeDNMT1.Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry (2013) 21(11):3147-3153.

30. Garvey,M.,Meehan,S.,Gras,S.L.,Schirra,H.J.,Craik,D.J.,VanderWeerden,N.L.,Anderson,M.A.,Gerrard,J.A.,&Carver,J.A.Aradishseedantifungalpeptidewithahighamyloidfibril-formingpropensity.Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Proteins and Proteomics (2013) 1834(8):1615-1623.

31. Ge,Y.,Mansell,A.,Ussher,J.E.,Brooks,A.E.,Manning,K.,Wang,C.J.,&Taylor,J.A.RotavirusNSP4TriggersSecretionofProinflammatoryCytokinesfromMacrophagesviaToll-LikeReceptor2. Journal of Virology (2013) 87(20):11160-11167.

32. Gjuvsland,A.B.,Vik,J.O.,Beard,D.A.,Hunter,P.J.,&Omholt,S.W.Bridgingthegenotype-phenotypegap:whatdoesittake?Journal of Physiology (2013) 591(Pt8):2055-2066.

33. Grasso,C.,Larsen,L.,McConnell,M.,Smith,R.A.J.,&Berridge,M.V.Anti-leukemicactivity of ubiquinone-based compounds targeting trans-plasma membrane electron transport. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry (2013) 56(8):3168-3176.

34. Green,L.K.,Storey,M.A.,Williams,E.M.,Patterson,A.V.,Smaill,J.B.,Copp,J.N.,&Ackerley,D.F.TheFlavinReductaseMsuEIsaNovelNitroreductasethatCanEfficientlyActivateTwoPromisingNext-GenerationProdrugsforGene-DirectedEnzymeProdrugTherapy. Cancers (2013) 5(3):985-997.

35. Green,L.K.,Syddall,S.P.,Carlin,K.M.,Bell,G.D.,Guise,C.P.,Mowday,A.M.,Hay,M.P.,Smaill,J.B.,Patterson,A.V.,&Ackerley,D.F.PseudomonasaeruginosaNfsBandnitro-CBI-DEI--apromisingenzyme/prodrugcombinationforgenedirectedenzyme prodrug therapy. Molecular Cancer (2013) 12:58.

36. Harris,P.W.,&Brimble,M.A.AcomparisonofBocandFmocSPPSstrategiesforthepreparationofC-terminalpeptidealpha-thiolesters:NY-ESO-1(39)Cys-(68)Ala-COSR. Biopolymers (Peptide Science) (2013) 100(4):356-365.

37. Harris,P.W.R.,Kowalczyk,R.,Hay,D.L.,&Brimble,M.A.Asinglepseudoprolineandmicrowavesolidphasepeptidesynthesisfacilitatesanefficientsynthesisofhumanamylin 1-37. International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics (2013) 19(2):147-155.

38. Harvie,M.,Camberis,M.,&Gros,G.L.DevelopmentofCD4Tcelldependentimmunity against N. brasiliensis infection. Frontiers in Immunology (2013) 4(MAR).

39. Heapy,A.M.,Dragunow,M.,&Brimble,M.A.SynthesisofthecysteineproteaseinhibitorsCPI-2081aandCPI-2081busingacontrolledSPPSbyproductformingreaction. Synlett (2013) 24(14):1818-1824.

57

40. Heapy,A.M.,Patterson,A.V.,Smaill,J.B.,Jamieson,S.M.F.,Guise,C.P.,Sperry,J.,Hume,P.A.,Rathwell,K.,&Brimble,M.A.Synthesisandcytotoxicityofpyranonaphthoquinone natural product analogues under bioreductive conditions. Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry (2013) 21(24):7971-7980.

41. Heinrich,D.M.,Flanagan,J.U.,Jamieson,S.M.,Silva,S.,Rigoreau,L.J.,Trivier,E.,Raynham,T.,Turnbull,A.P.,&Denny,W.A.Synthesisandstructure-activityrelationships for 1-(4-(piperidin-1-ylsulfonyl)phenyl)pyrrolidin-2-ones as novel non-carboxylateinhibitorsofthealdo-ketoreductaseenzymeAKR1C3.European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry (2013) 62:738-744.

42. Hobbs,J.K.,Jiao,W.,Easter,A.D.,Parker,E.J.,Schipper,L.A.,&Arcus,V.L.Change in heat capacity for enzyme catalysis determines temperature dependence of enzyme catalyzed rates. ACS Chemical Biology (2013) 8(11):2388-2393.

43. Holtfreter,S.,Radcliff,F.J.,Grumann,D.,Read,H.,Johnson,S.,Monecke,S.,Ritchie,S.,Clow,F.,Goerke,C.,Broker,B.M.,Fraser,J.D.,&Wiles,S.Characterizationofamouse-adapted Staphylococcus aureus strain. PLoS One (2013) 8(9):e71142.

44. Huisman,F.H.,Squire,C.J.,&Parker,E.J.Amino-acidsubstitutionsatthedomaininterface affect substrate and allosteric inhibitor binding in alpha-isopropylmalate synthase from Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications (2013) 433(2):249-254.

45. Hume,P.A.,Brimble,M.A.,&Reynisson,J.DNAadductformationofmitomycinC.AtestcaseforDFTcalculationsonmodelsystems.Computational and Theoretical Chemistry (2013) 1005:9-15.

46. Hume,P.A.,Furkert,D.P.,&Brimble,M.A.TotalsynthesisofvirgatolideB.Organic Letters (2013) 15(17):4588-4591.

47. Hunter,P.,Chapman,T.,Coveney,P.V.,deBono,B.,Diaz,V.,Fenner,J.,Frangi,A.F.,Harris,P.,Hose,R.,Kohl,P.,Lawford,P.,McCormack,K.,Mendes,M.,Omholt,S.,Quarteroni,A.,Shublaq,N.,Skar,J.,Stroetmann,K.,Tegner,J.,Thomas,S.R.,Tollis,I.,Tsamardinos,I.,vanBeek,J.H.,&Viceconti,M.Avisionandstrategyforthevirtualphysiologicalhuman:2012update. Interface Focus (2013) 3(2):20130004.

48. Johannes,M.,&Brimble,M.A.Synthesisofanazidoprecursorto(2S,5R)-5-hydroxylysineusinganasymmetricorganocatalyticchlorination/reductionsequence.Journal of Organic Chemistry (2013) 78(24):12809-12813.

49. Johnston,J.M.,Jiang,M.,Guo,Z.,&Baker,E.N.CrystalstructuresofE.colinativeMenH and two active site mutants. PLoS One (2013) 8(4):e61325.

50. Jose,J.,Gamage,S.A.,Harvey,M.G.,Voss,L.J.,Sleigh,J.W.,&Denny,W.A.Structure-activityrelationshipsforketamineestersasshort-actinganaesthetics.Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry (2013) 21(17):5098-5106.

51. Joseph,D.D.,Jiao,W.,&Parker,E.J.Arg314isessentialforcatalysisbyN-acetylneuraminic acid synthase from Neisseria meningitidis. Biochemistry (2013) 52(15):2609-2619.

Research Outputs

58

52. Kim,R.J.,Yin,T.,Chen,C.J.,Mansell,C.J.,Wood,A.,Dunbar,P.R.,&Douglas,R.G.Theinteractionbetweenbacteriaandmucosalimmunityinchronicrhinosinusitis:aprospective cross-sectional analysis. American Journal of Rhinology and Allergy (2013) 27(6):e183-189.

53. Kim,U.B.,Dalebrook,A.F.,Furkert,D.P.,&Brimble,M.A.Totalsynthesisofchaetoquadrins H and i. Synlett (2013) 24(6):723-726.

54. Kim,U.B.,Furkert,D.P.,&Brimble,M.A.TotalsynthesisofchaetoquadrinsA-C.Organic Letters (2013) 15(3):658-661.

55. Kueh,J.T.,Choi,K.W.,Williams,G.M.,Moehle,K.,Bacsa,B.,Robinson,J.A.,&Brimble,M.A.Synthesisofa6,6-spiroketalaminoacidanditsincorporationintoapeptide turn sequence using solid-phase peptide synthesis. Chemistry (2013) 19(12):3807-3811.

56. Kuhn,S.,Hyde,E.J.,Yang,J.,Rich,F.J.,Harper,J.L.,Kirman,J.R.,&Ronchese,F.Increasednumbersofmonocyte-deriveddendriticcellsduringsuccessfultumorimmunotherapy with immune-activating agents. Journal of Immunology (2013) 191(4):1984-1992.

57. Liu,J.,Xu,A.,Lam,K.S.,Wong,N.S.,Chen,J.,Shepherd,P.R.,&Wang,Y.Cholesterol-inducedmammarytumorigenesisisenhancedbyadiponectindeficiency:role of LDL receptor upregulation. Oncotarget (2013) 4(10):1804-1818.

58. Liu,Y.,Lai,Y.C.,Hill,E.V.,Tyteca,D.,Carpentier,S.,Ingvaldsen,A.,Vertommen,D.,Lantier,L.,Foretz,M.,Dequiedt,F.,Courtoy,P.J.,Erneux,C.,Viollet,B.,Shepherd,P.R.,Tavare,J.M.,Jensen,J.,&Rider,M.H.Phosphatidylinositol3-phosphate5-kinase(PIKfyve)isanAMPKtargetparticipatingincontraction-stimulatedglucoseuptakeinskeletalmuscle.Biochem Journal (2013) 455(2):195-206.

59. Lorenz,N.,Clow,F.,Radcliff,F.J.,&Fraser,J.D.FullfunctionalactivityofSSL7requiresbindingofbothcomplementC5andIgA.Immunology and Cell Biology (2013) 91(7):469-476.

60. Lu,G.-L.,Ashoorzadeh,A.,Anderson,R.F.,Patterson,A.V.,&Smaill,J.B.Synthesisof substituted 5-bromomethyl-4-nitroimidazoles and use for the preparation of the hypoxia-selectivemultikinaseinhibitorSN29966. Tetrahedron (2013) 69(43):9130-9138.

61. Lu,J.,Pontre,B.,Pickup,S.,Choong,S.Y.,Li,M.,Xu,H.,Gamble,G.D.,Phillips,A.R.,Cowan,B.R.,Young,A.A.,&Cooper,G.J.Treatmentwithacopper-selectivechelator causes substantive improvement in cardiac function of diabetic rats with left-ventricular impairment. Cardiovascular Diabetology (2013) 12:28.

62. Naysmith,B.J.,&Brimble,M.A.SynthesisofthegriseusinBframeworkviaaone-pot annulation-methylation-double deprotection-spirocyclization sequence. Organic Letters (2013) 15(8):2006-2009.

59

63. Noisier,A.F.,Harris,C.S.,&Brimble,M.A.Novelpreparationofchiralalpha-aminoacidsusingtheMitsunobu-Tsunodareaction.Chemical Communications (2013) 49(70):7744-7746.

64. Prendergast,K.A.,&Kirman,J.R.Dendriticcellsubsetsinmycobacterialinfection:controlofbacterialgrowthandTcellresponses.Tuberculosis (2013) 93(2):115-122.

65. Prosser,G.A.,Copp,J.N.,Mowday,A.M.,Guise,C.P.,Syddall,S.P.,Williams,E.M.,Horvat,C.N.,Swe,P.M.,Ashoorzadeh,A.,Denny,W.A.,Smaill,J.B.,Patterson,A.V.,&Ackerley,D.F.Creationandscreeningofamulti-familybacterialoxidoreductaselibrarytodiscovernovelnitroreductasesthatefficientlyactivatethebioreductiveprodrugs CB1954 and PR-104A. Biochemical Pharmacology (2013) 85(8):1091-1103.

66. Quach,R.,Furkert,D.P.,&Brimble,M.A.Synthesisofbenzannulatedspiroacetalsusingchiralgold-phosphinecomplexesandchiralanions.Tetrahedron Letters (2013) 54(44):5865-5868.

67. Quek,N.C.,Matthews,J.H.,Bloor,S.J.,Jones,D.A.,Bircham,P.W.,Heathcott,R.W.,&Atkinson,P.H.Thenovelequisetin-likecompound,TA-289,causesaberrantmitochondrialmorphologywhichisindependentoftheproductionofreactiveoxygenspecies in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Molecular BioSystems (2013) 9(8):2125-2133.

68. Rattanapak,T.,Birchall,J.,Young,K.,Ishii,M.,Meglinski,I.,Rades,T.,&Hook,S.Transcutaneousimmunizationusingmicroneedlesandcubosomes:MechanisticinvestigationsusingOpticalCoherenceTomographyandTwo-PhotonMicroscopy.Journal of Controlled Release (2013) 172(3):894-903.

69. Reichau,S.,&Parker,E.J.ActivesiteplasticityofacriticalenzymefromMycobacteriumtuberculosis.[10.1039/C3RA00037K].RSC Advances (2013) 3(10):3209-3212.

70. Rewcastle,G.W.,Gamage,S.A.,Flanagan,J.U.,Kendall,J.D.,Denny,W.A.,Baguley,B.C.,Buchanan,C.M.,Chao,M.,Kestell,P.,Kolekar,S.,Lee,W.J.,Lill,C.L.,Malik,A.,Singh,R.,Jamieson,S.M.,&Shepherd,P.R.Synthesisandbiologicalevaluationofnovelphosphatidylinositol3-kinaseinhibitors:Solubilized4-substitutedbenzimidazoleanalogsof2-(difluoromethyl)-1-[4,6-di(4-morpholinyl)-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl]-1H-benzimidazole(ZSTK474). European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry (2013) 64:137-147.

71. Roediger,B.,Kyle,R.,Yip,K.H.,Sumaria,N.,Guy,T.V.,Kim,B.S.,Mitchell,A.J.,Tay,S.S.,Jain,R.,Forbes-Blom,E.,Chen,X.,Tong,P.L.,Bolton,H.A.,Artis,D.,Paul,W.E.,DeStGroth,B.F.,Grimbaldeston,M.A.,LeGros,G.,&Weninger,W.Cutaneousimmunosurveillanceandregulationofinflammationbygroup2innatelymphoidcells.Nature Immunology (2013) 14(6):564-573.

72. Shaw,O.M.,&Harper,J.L.Anefficientsingleprimeprotocolfortheinductionofantigen-inducedairwaysinflammation.Journal of Immunological Methods (2013) 395(1-2):79-82.

Research Outputs

60

73. Sheppard,H.M.,Ussher,J.E.,Verdon,D.,Chen,J.,Taylor,J.A.,&Dunbar,P.R.Recombinantadeno-associatedvirusserotype6efficientlytransducesprimaryhumanmelanocytes. PLoS One (2013) 8(4):e62753.

74. Slaney,C.Y.,Toker,A.,Fraser,J.D.,Harper,J.L.,&Backstrom,B.T.Amodifiedsuperantigen rescues Ly6G- CD11b+ blood monocyte suppressor function and suppressesantigen-specificinflammationinEAE. Autoimmunity (2013) 46(4):269-278.

75. Smith,G.C.,Ong,W.K.,Costa,J.L.,Watson,M.,Cornish,J.,Grey,A.,Gamble,G.D.,Dickinson,M.,Leung,S.,Rewcastle,G.W.,Han,W.,&Shepherd,P.R.Extendedtreatmentwithselectivephosphatidylinositol3-kinaseandmTORinhibitorshaseffectsonmetabolism,growth,behaviourandbonestrength. FEBS Journal (2013) 280(21):5337-5349.

76. Son,S.J.,Brimble,M.A.,Yang,S.,Harris,P.W.R.,Reddingius,T.,Muir,B.W.,Hutt,O.E.,Waddington,L.,Guan,J.,&Savage,G.P.Synthesisandself-assemblyofapeptide-amphiphile as a drug delivery vehicle. Australian Journal of Chemistry (2013) 66(1):23-29.

77. Spicer,J.A.,Lena,G.,Lyons,D.M.,Huttunen,K.M.,Miller,C.K.,O’Connor,P.D.,Bull,M.,Helsby,N.,Jamieson,S.M.,Denny,W.A.,Ciccone,A.,Browne,K.A.,Lopez,J.A.,Rudd-Schmidt,J.,Voskoboinik,I.,&Trapani,J.A.Explorationofaseriesof5-arylidene-2-thioxoimidazolidin-4-onesasinhibitorsofthecytolyticproteinperforin.Journal of Medicinal Chemistry (2013) 56(23):9542-9555.

78. Stone,A.,Cowley,M.J.,Valdes-Mora,F.,McCloy,R.A.,Sergio,C.M.,Gallego-Ortega,D.,Caldon,C.E.,Ormandy,C.J.,Biankin,A.V.,Gee,J.M.,Nicholson,R.I.,Print,C.G.,Clark,S.J.,&Musgrove,E.A.BCL-2hypermethylationisapotentialbiomarkerofsensitivitytoantimitoticchemotherapyinendocrine-resistantbreastcancer. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics (2013) 12(9):1874-1885.

79. Strover,L.T.,Malmström,J.,Laita,O.,Reynisson,J.,Aydemir,N.,Nieuwoudt,M.K.,Williams,D.E.,Dunbar,P.R.,Brimble,M.A.,&Travas-Sejdic,J.Anewprecursorforconducting polymer-based brush interfaces with electroactivity in aqueous solution. Polymer (United Kingdom) (2013) 54(4):1305-1317.

80. Stubbing,L.A.,Savage,G.P.,&Brimble,M.A.N-alkylsulfonyliminesasdipolarophilesin cycloaddition reactions. Chemistry- An Asian Journal (2013) 8(1):42-48.

81. Su,J.,Gu,Y.,Pruijn,F.B.,Smaill,J.B.,Patterson,A.V.,Guise,C.P.,&Wilson,W.R.Zincfingernucleaseknock-outofNADPH:cytochromeP450oxidoreductase(POR)inhumantumorcelllinesdemonstratesthathypoxia-activatedprodrugsdifferinPORdependence. Journal of Biological Chemistry (2013) 288(52):37138-37153.

82. Thomas,D.,Powell,J.A.,Green,B.D.,Barry,E.F.,Ma,Y.,Woodcock,J.,Fitter,S.,Zannettino,A.C.,Pitson,S.M.,Hughes,T.P.,Lopez,A.F.,Shepherd,P.R.,Wei,A.H.,Ekert,P.G.,&Guthridge,M.A.Proteinkinaseactivityofphosphoinositide3-kinaseregulatescytokine-dependentcellsurvival.PLoS Biology (2013) 11(3):e1001515.

61

83. Till,M.,Goldstone,D.C.,Attwood,G.T.,Moon,C.D.,Kelly,W.J.,&Arcus,V.L.Structureandfunctionofanacetylxylanesterase(Est2A)fromtherumenbacteriumButyrivibrio proteoclasticus. Proteins: Structure, Function and Bioinformatics (2013) 81(5):911-917.

84. Tomek,P.,Palmer,B.D.,Flanagan,J.U.,Fung,S.P.,Bridewell,D.J.,Jamie,J.F.,&Ching,L.M.FormationofanN-formylkynurenine-derivedfluorophoreanditsuseformeasuringindoleamine2,3-dioxygenase1activity.Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry (2013) 405(8):2515-2524.

85. Tran,A.T.,Wen,D.,West,N.P.,Baker,E.N.,Britton,W.J.,&Payne,R.J.Inhibitionstudies on Mycobacterium tuberculosis N-acetylglucosamine-1-phosphate uridyltransferase (GlmU). Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry (2013) 11(46):8113-8126.

86. Trevarton,A.J.,Mann,M.B.,Knapp,C.,Araki,H.,Wren,J.D.,Stones-Havas,S.,Black,M.A.,&Print,C.G.MelanomaDB:AWebToolforIntegrativeAnalysisofMelanomaGenomicInformationtoIdentifyDisease-AssociatedMolecularPathways.Frontiers in Oncology (2013) 3:184.

87. Valery,C.,Pandey,R.,&Gerrard,J.A.Proteinbeta-interfacesasagenericsourceofnative peptide tectons. Chemical Communications (2013) 49(27):2825-2827.

88. VanPanhuys,N.,Camberis,M.,Yamada,M.,Tegoshi,T.,Arizono,N.,&LeGros,G. Mucosal trapping and degradation of Nippostrongylus brasiliensis occurs in the absenceofSTAT6.Parasitology (2013) 140(7):833-843.

89. Wang,Y.K.,Hurley,D.G.,Schnell,S.,Print,C.G.,&Crampin,E.J.Integrationofsteady-stateandtemporalgeneexpressiondatafortheinferenceofgeneregulatorynetworks.PLoS One (2013) 8(8):e72103.

90. Wang,Y.K.,Print,C.G.,&Crampin,E.J.Biclusteringrevealsbreastcancertumoursubgroups with common clinical features and improves prediction of disease recurrence. BMC Genomics (2013) 14:102.

91. Watkins,H.A.,Au,M.,Bobby,R.,Archbold,J.K.,Abdul-Manan,N.,Moore,J.M.,Middleditch,M.J.,Williams,G.M.,Brimble,M.A.,Dingley,A.J.,&Hay,D.L.IdentificationofkeyresiduesinvolvedinadrenomedullinbindingtotheAM1receptor.British Journal of Pharmacology (2013) 169(1):143-155.

92. Weinkove,R.,Brooks,C.R.,Carter,J.M.,Hermans,I.F.,&Ronchese,F.EfficientdepletionofchroniclymphocyticleukemiaBcellsusingserialroundsofimmunomagnetic depletion. Journal of Immunological Methods (2013a) 396(1-2):

152-156.

93. Weinkove,R.,Brooks,C.R.,Carter,J.M.,Hermans,I.F.,&Ronchese,F.FunctionalinvariantnaturalkillerT-cellandCD1daxisinchroniclymphocyticleukemia:Implicationsforimmunotherapy. Haematologica (2013b) 98(3):376-384.

Research Outputs

62

94. Whiting,L.,Danaher,R.N.,Ruggiero,K.,Lee,C.C.,Chaussade,C.,Mulvey,T.,Phillips,A.,&Loomes,K.M.D-chiro-inositolattenuatesepinephrine-stimulatedhepatic glucose output in the isolated perfused liver independently of insulin. Hormone and Metabolic Research (2013) 45(5):394-397.

95. Williams,G.M.,Cooper,G.J.,Lee,K.,Whiting,L.,&Brimble,M.A.SynthesisoftheIGF-II-likehormonevesiculinusingregioselectiveformationofdisulfidebonds.Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry (2013) 11(19):3145-3150.

96. Woods,T.M.,Cooper,G.J.,&Brimble,M.A.Synthesisofstableisotope-labelledmonolysyl advanced glycation endproducts. Amino Acids (2013) 45(2):319-325.

97. Wright,T.H.,Brooks,A.E.,Didsbury,A.J.,Williams,G.M.,Harris,P.W.,Dunbar,P.R.,&Brimble,M.A.Directpeptidelipidationthroughthiol-enecouplingenablesrapidsynthesis and evaluation of self-adjuvanting vaccine candidates. Angewandte Chemie - International Edition (2013) 52(40):10616-10619.

98. Wright,T.H.,Brooks,A.E.S.,Didsbury,A.J.,McIntosh,J.D.,Burkert,K.,Yeung,H.,Williams,G.M.,Dunbar,P.R.,&Brimble,M.A.AnimprovedmethodforthesynthesisoflipopeptideTLR2-agonistsusingclickchemistry.Synlett (2013) 24(14):1835-1841.

99. Xiong,X.,Xu,Z.,Yang,Z.,Liu,Y.,Wang,D.,Dong,M.,Parker,E.J.,&Zhu,W.Keytargets and relevant inhibitors for the drug discovery of tuberculosis. Curr Drug Targets (2013) 14(6):676-699.

100. Yang,S.H.,Wojnar,J.M.,Harris,P.W.,DeVries,A.L.,Evans,C.W.,&Brimble,M.A.Chemicalsynthesisofamaskedanalogueofthefishantifreezepotentiatingprotein(AFPP).Organic and Biomolecular Chemistry (2013) 11(30):4935-4942.

101. Young,P.G.,Kang,H.J.,&Baker,E.N.Anarm-swappeddimeroftheStreptococcuspyogenespilinspecificassemblyfactorSipA.Journal of Structural Biology (2013) 183(1):99-104.

102. Yuen,T.Y.,Ng,Y.P.,Ip,F.C.F.,Chen,J.L.Y.,Atkinson,D.J.,Sperry,J.,Ip,N.Y.,&Brimble,M.A.Telomeraseinhibitionstudiesofnovelspiroketal-containingrubromycinderivatives. Australian Journal of Chemistry (2013) 66(5):530-533.

103. Zeng,I.S.L.,Lumley,T.,Ruggiero,K.,Middleditch,M.,Woon,S.T.,&Stewart,R.A.H.Twooptimizationstrategiesofmulti-stagedesigninclinicalproteomicstudies.Statistical Applications in Genetics and Molecular Biology (2013) 12(2):263-283.

104. Zhang,L.,Ward,M.L.,Phillips,A.R.,Zhang,S.,Kennedy,J.,Barry,B.,Cannell,M.B.,&Cooper,G.J.Protectionoftheheartbytreatmentwithadivalent-copper-selectivechelator reveals a novel mechanism underlying cardiomyopathy in diabetic rats. Cardiovascular Diabetology (2013) 12:123.

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Research Outputs

Patents

Patents published1 Rewcastle,G.W.,Gamage,S.A.,Flanagan,J.U.,Giddens,A.C.,&Tsang,K.Y.

Pyrimidinyland1,3,5-triazinylbenzimidazolesulfonamidesandtheiruseincancertherapy.USPatentApplication8,461,158B2,2013.

2. Buchanan,C.andG.Cooper.Vesiculins.USPatentApplication8,618,051B2,2013.

Patents filed

1. Brimble,M.A.,Dunbar,P.R.,Harris,P.W.R.,Williams,G.M.andWright,T.H.PeptideConjugatesandConjugationProcess.NZPatentApplication612654,2013.

2. Hopkins,B.Bova,S.,Cavali,M.,Laita,O.,Brimble,M.A.andRennison,D.PreparationofNorbormideAnalogsasRodenticides.PCTInternationalApplication,WO2013133726,2013.

3. Williams,G.M.,Brimble,M.A.PreparationofPolypeptideDerivative,especiallySyntheticVesiculinPolypeptide,InsulinAgonistsviaRegioselectiveFormationofDisulfidebondsforTreatingGlucoseMetabolismDiseases.PCTInternationalApplication,WO2013128391,2013.

4. Gladding,P.,Jullig,M.Villas-Boas,S.El-Jack,S.Methodsofdiagnosisandtreatment.USPatentApplication13/837,078,2013.

5. Lu,J.,Liu,D.,Guan,J.,Brimble,M.A.,Harris,P.W.R.,Huang,B.‘ApplicationofcGPandDerivativesinPreparingMedicineforInhibitingTumorgrowthandRegeneration’FamingZhuanliShenqing,CN103100080,2013.

6. Ackerley,D.F.,Ashoorzadeh,A.,Copp,J.N.,Guise,C.P.,Mowday,A.M.,Patterson,A.V.,Smaill,J.B.,Williams,E.M.NovelprodrugsandmethodsofusethereofPCT/NZ2013/000150,2013.

7. Smaill,J.B.,Patterson,A.V.,Ashoorzadeh,A.,Guise,C.P.,Mowday,A.M.,Ackerley,D.F.,Copp,J.N.,Williams,E.Novelprodrugsandmethodsofusethereof.PCTInternationalApplication,2013.

Research Outputs

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PresentationsTheinternationalsignificanceoftheresearchbeingundertakenbyMauriceWilkinsCentre investigators and their teams is demonstrated by the more than 190 invitations to giveinternationalandnationalpresentationsin2013.ThepresentationsincludedinvitedlecturesatconferencesandseminarsatacademicinstitutionsinAustralia,Belgium,Chile,China,Denmark,France,Germany,India,Italy,Japan,Malaysia,Mexico,theNetherlands,Norway,Portugal,Singapore,Thailand,Turkey,theUnitedKingdom,theUnitedStatesofAmericaandNewZealand,asshowninthediagrambelow

Presentation highlightsSignificantpresentationsgivenbyMauriceWilkinsCentreinvestigatorsin2013include:

•ProfessorTedBakerwasinvitedtogivetheplenarylecture‘Surprisesfromthesynchrotron:discoveringnovelchemistryandmechanismsinproteins’totheAustralianSynchrotronUserMeeting,heldinMelbourne,AustraliainNovember2013.

• Professor Margaret Brimble was invited to give multiple plenary lectures in 2013. Shedeliveredthelecture’SynthesisofBenzanulatedSpiroketalNaturalProducts’attheQueenslandInstituteofMolecularBioscienceAnnualSymposiuminBrisbane,Australia,andalsogavethelecture‘Nature’sMedicineChest:OpportunitiesforDrugDiscovery’aspartoftheUniversityofAuckland’s2013WinterLectureSeries.Shepresented the lecture ‘Mastering Molecular Chess to Mine Nature’s Medicine Chest’ in Auckland,Wellington,Christchurch,Dunedin,PalmerstonNorth,WanakaandNelsonforthe2013RutherfordLectureTour.Shealsogaveakeynoteaddress,‘SynthesisofBenzanulatedSpiroketalNaturalProducts’atthe47thIUPACGeneralAssemblyinIstanbul,Turkey.

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Research Outputs

• ProfessorBillDennywasinvitedtogivethreeplenarylecturesin2013:thelecture‘FivedrugdevelopmentprojectsintheACSRC’attheDrugDiscoveryandDevelopmentSymposiumattheUniversityofSouthAustralia,Adelaide,Australia;‘2ndGenerationanaloguesofthe‘new’TBdrugsPA-824andbedaquiline’attheAustralasianTuberculosisConferenceinAucklandinNovember;andtheaddress‘Drug development in a University setting’ at the Australasian Society of Clinical and ExperimentalPharmacologistsandToxicologists(ASCEPT)ConferenceinMelbourne,Australia in December.

• Professor Rod Dunbar was invited to deliver a plenary lecture at the Australasian SocietyforImmunology(ASI)AnnualScientificMeetinginDecember2013,entitled‘Invadingthelabyrinth–tumourcellsinthelymphnodemicroenvironment’.

• ProfessorJohnFraserwasinvitedtogivetheBurnetOrationatAustralasianSocietyforImmunology(ASI)AnnualScientificMeetinginDecember2013,entitled‘Areflectionon40-years of immunology from down-under’.

• ProfessorPeterHunterwasinvitedtogivefivekeynoteandoneplenarylecturesonhisworkinbioengineeringinmeetingsheldin2013:theEngineeringinMedicineandBiologySocietyAnnualInternationalConference(Osaka,Japan);theHealthSystemsComplexitySymposium(Singapore);theInternationalCongressofPhysiologicalSciences(Birmingham,UK);theIBMCurrentChallengesinComputingConference(NapaValley,California,USA);theCardiacPhysiomeConference(BarHarbor,USA);andtheInternationalConferenceonBiomedicalEngineeringConference(Singapore).

• ProfessorColinGreenwasinvitedtogivethreekeynotelecturesin2013:theFranco-Belgian-Britishmeetingonblood-braininterfaces(Arras,France);theInternationalGapJunctionConference(Charleston,SouthCarolina);andtheChileanSocietyforCellBiology(PuertoVaras,Chile).

• AssociateProfessorCrisPrintwasinvitedtogivetwokeynotelecturesin2013.Hegavethelecture‘GenomicMedicine:anexcitingborderlandbetweenlaboratoryresearch and the clinic’ at the Haematological Society of Australia and New ZealandScientificMeeting,heldinQueensland,Australia.Healsopresentedthelecture‘AnalysingGenomicNetworksinCancer’attheAustralasianGenomicsandTechnologiesAssociation(AMATA)Conference,GoldCoast,Australia.

• AssociateProfessorThomasProftwasinvitedtogiveaplenarylectureatthe8thNZImmunisationConference,heldinAucklandinSeptember2013.Hislecturewastitled‘TheSearchforaVaccineagainstGroupAStreptococcus’.

• DrTimWoodfieldwasakeynotespeakerattheInternationalConferenceonAdvancedResearchinVirtualandRapidPrototyping,heldinLeiria,PortugalinOctober.Hislecturewasentitled‘NewFrontiersinMusculoskeletalRegenerativeMedicine:Biomaterials,AdditiveManufacturingandStemCellBiology’.

Research Outputs

66

CollaborationsTheMauriceWilkinsCentrecontributestoandbenefitsfromanextensivenetworkofnational and international collaborations that have been built up by our investigators over a numberofyears.TheresearchfundedthroughtheCentrehasstrengthenedmanyoftheseexistinglinksandhelpedtoestablishnewcollaborations.

Theinternationalandnationalreachofthesecollaborationsisshowninthediagrambelow

New academic collaborations

•MelanomaInstituteofAustralia(Australia)

•MurdochChildren’sResearchInstitute(Australia)

•QueenslandInstituteforMedicalResearch (Australia)

•QueenslandUniversityofTechnology(Australia)

•TechnicalUniversityofSydney(Australia)

•TelethonInstituteforChildHealthResearch (Australia)

• University of Adelaide (Australia)

•UniversityofNewSouthWales(Australia)

•FederalUniversityofSaoPaulo(Brazil)

• University of Valparaiso (Chile)

•FujianUniversityofTraditionalChineseMedicine (China)

•ShanghaiInstituteofCeramics(China)

•TianjinUniversity(China)

•TechnicalUniversityofDenmark(Denmark)

•Inria,Paris(France)

•PasteurInstitute(France)

•UniversityofBordeaux(France)

• Hannover Medical School (Germany)

•JohannesGutenbergUniversity(Germany)

• University of Leipzig (Germany)

• Charité Medical University Berlin (Germany)

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•IndianInstituteofScience(India)

•UniversityofPadova(Italy)

• University Medical Center Utrecht (Netherlands)

• University of Oslo (Norway)

•PolytechnicInstituteofLeira(Portugal)

• University of Minho (Portugal)

•GenomicInstituteofSingapore(Singapore)

• National University of Singapore (Singapore)

• University of Gothenburg (Sweden)

•LondonSchoolofHygieneandTropicalMedicine(UK)

•LoughboroughUniversity(UK)

• Manchester Metropolitan University (UK)

•MRCInstituteforMedicalResearch(UK)

•NorthYorkshireandEastCoastFoundationSchool(UK)

•QueenMaryUniversityofLondon(UK)

•UniversityofBradford(UK)

•UniversityofLeeds(UK)

•UniversityofLiverpool(UK)

•UniversityofSouthampton(UK)

•UniversityofStAndrews(UK)

•FoxChaseCancerCentre(USA)

•HoustonMethodistResearchInstitute(USA)

•JCraigVenterInstitute(USA)

•MemorialSloan-KetteringCancerCentre (USA)

• Mercer University School of Medicine (USA)

•RochesterInstituteofTechnology(USA)

•SanfordBurnhamInstituteofMedicalResearch (USA)

• University of Arizona (USA)

• University of California (USA)

• University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (USA)

• University of Michigan (USA)

• University of Pennsylvania (USA)

• University of Pittsburgh (USA)

• Virginia Polytechnic and State University (USA)

•WeillCornellMedicalCollege,CornellUniversity (USA)

Continuing academic collaborations

North America

• University of British Columbia (Canada)

• Albert Einstein College of Medicine (USA)

• Baylor College of Medicine (USA)

• Colorado State University (USA)

•DukeUniversity(USA)

•GlobalAllianceforTBDrugDevelopment (USA)

• Harvard University (USA)

•HowardHughesMedicalInstitute(USA)

•MassachusettsInstituteofTechnology(USA)

•MedicalCollegeofWisconsin(USA)

•NewYorkUniversity(USA)

• Pennsylvania State University (USA)

• Stanford University (USA)

Research Outputs

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•TexasMedicalCenter(USA)

•TheInternationalTBStructuralGenomics Consortium (USA)

•TheRockefellerUniversity(USA)

•TheScrippsResearchInstitute(USA)

•TheUniversityofChicago(USA)

• Yeshiva University (USA)

•TheUniversityofIllinois(USA)

•UniversityofWashington(USA)

Asia Pacific

•BurnettInstitute(Australia)

•Children’sMedicalResearchInstitute(Australia)

• Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre (Australia)

• University of Sydney (Australia)

•WalterandElizaHallInstitute(Australia)

• Australian National University (Australia)

• Monash University (Australia)

•TheUniversityofMelbourne(Australia)

•UniversityofQueensland(Australia)

•GuangzhouInstituteofBiomedicineand Health (China)

•ShanghaiInstituteofMateriaMedica(China)

•HongKongUniversityofScienceandTechnology(China)

•OsakaUniversity(Japan)

•RikenInstitute(Japan)

UK and Europe

•ArhusUniversity(Denmark)

•CentreforFree-ElectronLaserScience(Germany)

•ThePhilippUniversityofMarburg(Germany)

•UniversityofRostock(Germany)

•JuliusKühn-Institut(Germany)

• Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (Spain)

• Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative(Switzerland)

•MaastrichtUniversity(TheNetherlands)

•AstonUniversity(UK)

•ImperialCollegeLondon(UK)

•UniversityofSheffield(UK)

•UniversityofWarwick(UK)

•NottinghamUniversity(UK)

•TheJohnInnesCentre(UK)

•UniversityofManchester(UK)

•UniversityofOxford(UK)

Middle East

•IsraelOceanographicandLimnologicalResearch(Israel)

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Uptake of Maurice Wilkins Centre research and expertiseTheprimaryfocusoftheMauriceWilkinsCentreisonfindingnewwaystoeffectivelytargethumandisease.TheCentredrivesthetranslationofitsresearchandexpertisefromthelaboratorythroughavarietyofpartnershipswithcommercialandnon-profitorganisations,in New Zealand and overseas.

Thecreationofspin-outcompaniesisanimportantpathwayforthedevelopmentoftheCentre’sresearch,andthisoftenbringsininternationalpartnersandfunds.MauriceWilkinsCentreinvestigatorsmaintaincloselinkswithsuchcompaniesandfurtherworkisregularlycontractedbacktotheirresearchgroups.

TheMauriceWilkinsCentrealsopartnerswithestablishedcompanies,andtheknowledgeandexpertisedevelopedbyitsinvestigatorsinscientificfieldsvitaltothebiotechnologyandpharmaceuticalsectorsarehighlysoughtafter.Examplesofcontractresearchandtheprovisionoffacilitiestoindustryareoutlinedonpage19ofthisreport.TheCentre’sinvestigators also act as consultants for a number of national and international companies. In2013theexpertiseofMauriceWilkinsCentreinvestigatorswassoughtby:

•AlderBiopharmaceuticalsInc(USA)

•AstraZeneca(UK)

•AucklandClinicalStudiesLimited

•BASF(Germany)

• Bayer Animal Health Ltd

• Biomatters Ltd

•CancerTherapeuticsCRCPtyLtd (Australia)

•CancerResearchTechnologyLtd(UK)

•CanterburyDriedFoodsLtd

•CanterburyScientificLtd

•CoDaTherapeuticsInc(USA)

•CoDaTherapeuticsLtd(NZ)

• Comvita Ltd

• Connovation Ltd

• Dairy Goat Co-operative Ltd

• Douglas Pharmaceuticals

• Enztec Ltd

•EnzymaticsInc(USA)

•FisherandPaykelHealthcare

•FonterraCo-operativeGroupLtd

• Gardians Ltd

• Glycosyn

•CallaghanInnovation

•InnateTherapeuticsLtd

•IntegratedBioTherapeutics(USA)

•JanssenPharmaceuticals,Inc(France,Belgium)

•Johnson&JohnsonMedical(USA)

•KeyOrganicsLtd

• L2 Diagnostics LLC (USA)

• Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd

• Lanzatech NZ Ltd

•Merck&CoInc(USA)

Research Outputs

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• MP Biomedicals (USA)

• Neuren Pharmaceuticals Ltd (NZ)

•NewImageInternational(NZ)

• New Zealand Pharmaceuticals Ltd

•NovartisInternationalAG(Switzerland)

• OBodies Ltd

•OnyxScientificLtd(UK)

• Ossis Ltd

•PacificEdgeBiotechnologyLtd

•ParacoTechnologyLtd

Theestablishmentofpartnershipswithinternationalnon-profitorganisationsisanotherwayinwhichtheMauriceWilkinsCentreachievesuptakeofitsresearchandexpertise.Forexample,researchersassociatedwiththeCentreandbasedattheAucklandBioengineeringInstitutearepaidtoworkonthe“HumanPhysiomeProject”,alongwiththeirEuropeancollaborators,undertheEuropeanCommissionFrameworkProgramme.MauriceWilkinsCentreinvestigatorsarealsoinvolvedwithinternationalorganisationssuchastheGlobalAllianceforTBDrugDevelopmentandtheTBStructuralGenomicsConsortium.

•PerkinElmerInc(USA)

•ProactaTherapeuticsLtd(USA)

• Ruga Corp (USA)

•SanofiAventisLLC(USA)

• Seattle BioMed (USA)

•SeekaKiwifruitLtd

•SirtexMedicalLtd(Australia)

• Syngenta (Switzerland)

•TetralogicPharmaceuticals(USA

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Awards and honoursInternational,national,andinstitutionalhonourswonbyMauriceWilkinsCentreinvestigators,affiliates,andstudentsin2013:

• Medicinal Chemistry Award Distinguished Professor Bill Denny has been named the recipient of the American

ChemicalSociety’s2014MedicinalChemistryAward.Theprestigioushonourrecognises outstanding achievement in the sciences that contribute to medicinal chemistry.ProfessorDennyisthefirstrecipientoftheawardfromoutsidetheUnitedStates for more than 30 years. See page 5 for a story on this award.

• Science Communication Awards DrSiouxsieWilesfromtheUniversityofAucklandwasrecognisedwithmultiple

honoursforhercontinuingcontributionstosciencecommunicationinNewZealand,with the award of the Royal Society of New Zealand’s Callaghan Medal for science communicationandthePrimeMinister’sScienceMediaCommunicationPrize.TheCallaghanMedalisawardedannuallytoapersonwhohas,whileinNewZealand,madeanoutstandingcontributiontosciencecommunication,inparticularraisingpublicawarenessofthevalueofsciencetohumanprogress.ThePrimeMinister’sScience Media Communication Prize is awarded to a practising scientist who is aneffectivecommunicator,tofurtherdeveloptheirknowledgeofsciencemediacommunication. See page 12 for a story on these awards.

• Fellows of the Royal Society of New Zealand ProfessorsAntonyBraithwaiteandGregCookwereelectedasFellowsoftheRoyal

SocietyofNewZealandin2013.“BeingelectedasaFellowisanhonourgiventoourtopresearchersforshowingexceptionaldistinctioninresearchorintheadvancementofscience,technologyorthehumanities,”saidAcademyChairpersonProfessorGeoffAustininannouncingthe2013Fellows.ProfessorCookalsoreceivedtheOtagoSchool of Medical Sciences Distinguished Researcher Award in 2013.

• Fellow of Academy of Medical Sciences ProfessorGarthCooper(DPhil(Oxon),MB,ChB,FRCPA,FRSNZ)fromTheUniversity

ofAucklandandUniversityofManchesterwasbeenelectedaFellowoftheAcademyofMedicalSciencesintheUnitedKingdom.FellowshipoftheAcademyisbasedonexceptionalcontributionstothemedicalsciences,intheformoforiginaldiscoveryorof sustained contributions to scholarship.

Research Outputs

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• Publishing Prizes AssociateProfessorDebbieHay,fromtheUniversityofAuckland,wasawardedthe2013NovartisPrizebytheBritishPharmacologicalSocietyforpublishedwork;aswellas the 2013 Custom Science New Zealand Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology(NZSBMB)prize.TheNZSBMBawardismadeonthebasisofworkpublishedin the three preceding years.

• Derrick Rowley Award ProfessorMargaretBaird,fromtheUniversityofOtago,receivedtheDerrickRowleyAwardforoutstandingcontributiontotheAustralasianSocietyforImmunologyandtothe discipline of immunology.

• Rutherford Discovery Fellowship DrJonathanSperry,fromtheUniversityofAuckland,wasawardedaprestigiousRutherfordDiscoveryFellowshipin2013.Thesefellowshipsaredesignedtodevelopand foster future leaders in the science sector in this country.

• Emerging Researcher Award DrGhaderBashiri,fromtheUniversityofAuckland,wonthe2013illumina™EmergingResearcherAward,presentedattheQueenstownMolecularBiologyMeeting.Theprizewasdevelopedbyillumina™andtheQueenstownMolecularBiologyMeetingSocietytorecogniseandacknowledgeanemergingresearcherinmolecularbiologyinNewZealand.

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Financial Report

Financial Report 2013Operating Funda

$ 2013 $ 2012

Income

CoRE grant 3,867,777 4,015,450

Equipment User charges b 242,030 248,977

Other incomec 34,915 27,449

Balance from previous yeard 2,149,853 2,594,489

Total Income 6,294,575 6,886,365

Expenditure

Salariese 1,218,260 977,591

Overheads 831,232 960,223

Project costsf 1,480,128 1,280,491

Student support (PhD and other)f

613,717 722,866

Travel 156,701 208,717

Depreciation 529,416 586,624

Total Expenses 4,829,453 4,736,512

Income less expenditureg 1,465,122 2,149,853

74

Notesa. Thisfinancialreportisfortheperiod1stJanuaryto31stDecember2013andcovers

thesecondsixmonthsoftheMauriceWilkinsCentreYear11andthefirstsixmonthsofMauriceWilkinsCentreYear12(CoREgrant2008to2014).ThisreportonlydetailsincomeandexpenditurerelatingtotheCoREgrantfundingthattheCentrereceivesfromtheTertiaryEducationCommission.Itdoesnotcontaindetailsofoperatingfunding to Centre investigators from other funding agencies.

b. TheseequipmentuserchargesarecollectedbytheCentrefromusersofthelargeitems of capital equipment purchased with funding from the Centre capital equipment fund.Thechargesareusedtooffsettheoperationalanddepreciationcostsoftheequipment.

c. ThisincomeisfromUniServicesandhasbeenusedtobalancecostsincurredbytheMauriceWilkinsCentrein2013forsalariesandworkingexpensesassociatedwithcontract research.

d. ThisbalanceoffundingisfrompreviousyearsoftheMauriceWilkinsCentrewillbeused to fund initiatives supporting the Centre’s research programme from 2014 to the enddateofthecurrentfundinggrantfromtheTertiaryEducationCommission.

e. Thefundingprovidedinthecurrentgrantisbasedonaflatlinebudgetwhichdoesnotallowforannualincreasesinsalariesorotheroperatingcosts.Toensurethatthesecostsareabletobemetinlateryearsofcontract,theCentre’soperatingbudgethasbeenstructuredsothatexpenditureislessthanincomeintheearlyyearsof this grant and the resulting credit balance is used to ensure continuity of support for the Centre’s research programme in the later years of the grant.

f. Summary:MauriceWilkinsCentresupportedresearchstaffFTEs2013

PrincipalInvestigators 0.50

ResearchFellows 7.42

ResearchTechnicians 5.12

Total 13.04

g. Thesecostsincludethecostsofsubcontractsforassociateinvestigators’researchprojects during 2013.

h. ThisbalanceoffundingwillbeusedtofundinitiativessupportingtheMauriceWilkinsCentre research programme from 2014 to the end date of the current funding grant fromtheTertiaryEducationCommission(seenoted).

75

Directory

DirectoryGoverning BoardMrBillFalconer(Chair)

Prof Grant Guilford

ProfJaneHarding

Prof Louise Nicholson

MsMaxineSimmons

ProfWarrenTate

Scientific Advisory BoardDrJimWatson(Chair)

Prof Peter Andrews

ProfSirTomBlundell

Prof Suzanne Cory

DrJillyEvans

ProfShankarSubramaniam

ProfDickWettenhall

Principal investigatorsProfRodDunbar SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland(Director)

ProfPeterShepherd DepartmentofMolecularMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland(Deputy Director) and Pathology

ProfTedBaker SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

ProfMargaretBrimble SchoolofChemicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

ProfGarthCooper SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

ProfBillDenny AucklandCancerSociety TheUniversityofAuckland Research Centre

ProfJohnFraser Dean,FacultyofMedicaland TheUniversityofAuckland Health Sciences

ProfPeterHunter AucklandBioengineeringInstitute TheUniversityofAuckland

Associate investigatorsDrDavidAckerley SchoolofBiologicalSciences VictoriaUniversityofWellington

AssocProfIainAnderson AucklandBioengineeringInstitute TheUniversityofAuckland

ProfVicArcus DepartmentofBiologicalSciences UniversityofWaikato

ProfPaulAtkinson SchoolofBiologicalSciences VictoriaUniversityofWellington

ProfBruceBaguley AucklandCancerSociety TheUniversityofAuckland Research Centre

Prof Margaret Baird Department of Pathology University of Otago

DrMichaelBaker DepartmentofPublicHealth UniversityofOtago,Wellington

MrAdamBartlett DepartmentofSurgery TheUniversityofAuckland

DrMikeBerridge MalaghanInstituteof Medical Research

DrMikBlack DepartmentofBiochemistry UniversityofOtago

DrGibBogle AucklandBioengineeringInstitute TheUniversityofAuckland

MrMichaelBooth WaitemataSpecialistCentre WaitemataDistrictHealth BoardProf Antony Braithwaite Department of Pathology University of Otago

76

DrReubenBroom DepartmentofMedicalOncology AucklandCityHospital

ProfPeterBrowett DepartmentofMolecularMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland and Pathology

DrChristinaBuchanan DepartmentofMolecularMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland and Pathology

ProfVickyCameron DepartmentofMedicine UniversityofOtago, Christchurch

AssocProfLai-MingChing AucklandCancerSociety TheUniversityofAuckland Research Centre

ProfGregoryCook DepartmentofMicrobiology UniversityofOtago andImmunology

DrMikeCooling AucklandBioengineeringInstitute TheUniversityofAuckland

AssocProfBrentCopp SchoolofChemicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

ProfJillianCornish DepartmentofMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland

ProfKathrynCrosier DepartmentofMolecularMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland and Pathology

ProfPhilCrosier DepartmentofMolecularMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland and Pathology

Dr Gabriele Dachs Department of Pathology University of Otago Christchurch

AssocProfAlanDavidson DepartmentofMolecularMedicineTheUniversityofAuckland and Pathology

Prof Catherine Day Department of Biochemistry University of Otago

DrRenwickDobson SchoolofBiologicalSciences UniversityofCanterbury

ProfPaulDonaldson SchoolofMedicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

ProfRobDoughty DepartmentofMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland

DrRichardDouglas DepartmentofSurgery TheUniversityofAuckland

ProfMikeEccles DepartmentofPathology UniversityofOtago

DrGaryEvans CallaghanInnovation

ProfAntonyFairbanks DepartmentofChemistry UniversityofCanterbury

DrAndrewFidler CawthronInstitute

DrJackFlanagan AucklandCancerSociety TheUniversityofAuckland Research Centre

DrRichardFurneaux CallaghanInnovation

ProfJulietGerrard SchoolofBiologicalSciences UniversityofCanterbury

DrDavidGoldstone SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

Prof Dave Grattan Department of Anatomy and University of Otago Structural Biology

ProfColinGreen Ophthalmology TheUniversityofAuckland

AssocProf PlantandFoodResearchDavid Greenwood

DrChrisHall DepartmentofMolecularMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland and Pathology

AssocProfMarkHampton FreeRadicalResearchGroup UniversityofOtago Christchurch

77

Directory

DrJacquieHarper MalaghanInstituteofMedical Research

DrPaulHarris SchoolofChemicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrJoanneHarvey SchoolofChemicaland VictoriaUniversityofWellington Physical Sciences

AssocProfDebbieHay SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

AssocProfMichaelHay AucklandCancerSociety TheUniversityofAuckland Research Centre

DrNualaHelsby DepartmentofMolecularMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland and Pathology

AssocProfIanHermans MalaghanInstituteof Medical Research

DrTonyHickey SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrKevinHicks SchoolofMedicalSciences UniversityofAuckland

ProfSarahHook SchoolofPharmacy UniversityofOtago

DrJuliaHorsfield DepartmentofPathology UniversityofOtago

ProfPeterHunter AucklandBioengineeringInstitute TheUniversityofAuckland

ProfGeoffreyJameson InstituteofFundamentalSciences MasseyUniversity

DrStephenJamieson AucklandCancerSociety TheUniversityofAuckland Research Centre

ProfBillJordan SchoolofBiologicalSciences VictoriaUniversityofWellington

DrMiaJüllig SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrRoslynKemp DepartmentofMicrobiology UniversityofOtago andImmunology

DrJackieKendall AucklandCancerSociety TheUniversityofAuckland Research Centre

ProfMartinKennedy DepartmentofPathology UniversityofOtago, Christchurch

DrRichardKingston SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrJoannaKirman MalaghanInstituteof Medical Research

DrJeremyKrebs DepartmentofMedicine UniversityofOtago

ProfKurtKrause DepartmentofBiochemistry UniversityofOtago

DrAnneLaFlamme SchoolofBiologicalSciences VictoriaUniversityofWellington

Assoc Prof David Larsen Department of Chemistry University of Otago

DrBenLawrence SchoolofMedicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

ProfGrahamLeGros MalaghanInstituteof Medical Research

DrDavidLong AucklandBioengineeringInstitute TheUniversityofAuckland

DrKerryLoomes SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrShaunLott SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

Dr Donia Environmental Science andMacartney-Coxson andResearch

Dr Peter Mace Department of Biochemistry University of Otago

78

ProfJohnMcCall DepartmentofSurgicalSciences UniversityofOtago

DrMelanieMcConnell MalaghanInstituteof Medical Research

Assoc Prof Department of Biochemistry University of OtagoSallyMcCormick

AssocProfMarkMcKeage DepartmentofPharmacology TheUniversityofAuckland

Prof Andrew Mercer Department of Microbiology University of Otago andImmunology

AssocProfTonyMerriman DepartmentofBiochemistry UniversityofOtago

AssocProfPeterMetcalf SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

ProfJohnMiller SchoolofBiologicalSciences VictoriaUniversityofWellington

AssocProfAlokMitra SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrNikkiMoreland SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrKathyMountjoy DepartmentofPhysiology TheUniversityofAuckland

DrRinkiMurphy DepartmentofMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland

ProfMartynNash AucklandBioengineeringInstitute TheUniversityofAuckland

AssocProf PlantandFoodResearchRichard Newcomb

ProfPoulNielsen AucklandBioengineeringInstitute TheUniversityofAuckland

DrGillianNorris InstituteofFundamentalSciences MasseyUniversity

AssocProfPeterNorthcoteSchoolofChemicaland VictoriaUniversityofWellington Physical Sciences

DrJustinO’Sullivan LigginsInstitute TheUniversityofAuckland

DrBjornOback AgResearch

DrGavinPainter CallaghanInnovation

AssocProfBrianPalmer AucklandCancerSociety TheUniversityofAuckland Research Centre

ProfEmilyParker DepartmentofChemistry UniversityofCanterbury

DrWaynePatrick DepartmentofBiochemistry UniversityofOtago

AssocProf AucklandCancerSociety TheUniversityofAucklandAdam Patterson Research Centre

Dr Grant Pearce School of Biological Sciences University of Canterbury

DrLifengPeng SchoolofBiologicalSciences VictoriaUniversityofWellington

DrJoPerry LigginsInstitute UniversityofAuckland

DrAnthonyPhillips SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

AssocProfCristinPrint DepartmentofMolecularMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland and Pathology

AssocProfThomasProft DepartmentofMolecularMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland and Pathology

DrFrederikPruijn AucklandCancerSociety TheUniversityofAuckland Research Centre

DrJasnaRakonjac InstituteofFundamentalSciences

79

Directory

AssocProf AucklandCancerSociety TheUniversityofAucklandGordon Rewcastle Research Centre

DrJohannesReynisson SchoolofChemicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrSallyRoberts AucklandDistrictHealthBoard

ProfFrancaRonchese MalaghanInstituteof Medical Research

DrEvelynSattlegger InstituteofNaturaland MasseyUniversity Mathematical Sciences

AssocProf SchoolofMedicine TheUniversityofAucklandAndrew Shelling

ProfBruceSmaill AucklandBioengineeringInstitute TheUniversityofAuckland

DrJeffSmaill AucklandCancerSociety TheUniversityofAuckland Research Centre Prof Rob Smith Department of Chemistry University of Otago

ProfRussellSnell SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

ProfJamesSneyd DepartmentofMathematics TheUniversityofAuckland

DrJulieSpicer AucklandCancerSociety TheUniversityofAuckland Research Centre

DrChristopherSquire SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrMichaelSteward CallaghanInnovation

DrBridgetStocker SchoolofChemicaland VictoriaUniversityofWellington Physical Sciences

DrVinodSuresh AucklandBioengineeringInstitute TheUniversityofAuckland

DrJohnTaylor SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrPaulTeesdale-Spittle SchoolofBiologicalSciences VictoriaUniversityofWellington

AssocProfMattTempleton PlantandFoodResearch

DrMoanaTercel AucklandCancerSociety TheUniversityofAuckland Research Centre

DrMattieTimmer SchoolofChemicaland VictoriaUniversityofWellington Physical Sciences

DrPeterTyler CallaghanInnovation

DrJoelTyndall SchoolofPharmacy UniversityofOtago

DrSiouxsieWiles DepartmentofMolecularMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland and Pathology

ProfDavidWilliams SchoolofChemicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrGeoffWilliams SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrDebbieWilliamson DepartmentofMolecularMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland and Pathology

ProfWilliamWilson AucklandCancerSociety TheUniversityofAuckland Research Centre

ProfJohnWindsor DepartmentofSurgery TheUniversityofAuckland

DrTimWoodfield DepartmentofOrthopaedicSurgeryUniversityofOtago, andMusculoskeletalMedicine Christchurch

Dr Sarah Young Department of Pathology University of Otago

DrShaopingZhang SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

80

Affiliate investigators DrMariaAbbattista AucklandCancerSociety TheUniversityofAuckland Research Centre

MsSoumeyaAliJaballah SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrLindsayAncelet MalaghanInstituteofMedical Research

DrEmmaAndrews DepartmentofBiologicalSciences WaikatoUniversity

DrCatherineAngel SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MsMaggieAu SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

Mr Htin Aung Department of Microbiology University of Otago andImmunology

MsNaomiBaker MalaghanInstituteofMedical Research

MrsHeatherBaker SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrGhaderBashiri SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MsNicolaBlackmore DepartmentofChemistry UniversityofCanterbury

DrAdrianBlaser AucklandCancerSociety TheUniversityofAuckland Research Centre

DrCherieBlenkiron DepartmentofMolecularMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland and Pathology

DrMurielBonnet AucklandCancerSociety TheUniversityofAuckland Research Centre

DrChrisBooker DepartmentofAnatomy UniversityofOtago

MrRikusBotha DepartmentofPhysiology TheUniversityofAuckland

DrAnnaBrooks SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MrMatthewBull AucklandCancerSociety TheUniversityofAuckland Research Centre

DrEstherBulloch SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MsKristinaBurkert SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MrJasonBusby SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MrColmCarraher SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MsAiFenChai SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrGeorgeChang SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MsAnnChang DepartmentofMolecularMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland and Pathology

DrElaineChiu SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrPeterChoi AucklandCancerSociety TheUniversityofAuckland Research Centre

MsFionaClow DepartmentofMolecularMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland and Pathology

MsTammieCookson DepartmentofChemistry UniversityofCanterbury

DrJanineCopp SchoolofBiologicalSciences VictoriaUniversityofWellington

DrPenelope(Penel)Cross BiomolecularInteractionCentre UniversityofCanterbury

Dr Matthew Cumming Department of Biochemistry University of Otago

81

Directory

DrJamesDalton DepartmentofMolecularMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland and Pathology

DrStephanieDawes SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrJamesDickson SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MsAliciaDidsbury SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrPatrickEdwards InstituteofFundamentalSciences MasseyUniversity

DrGenevieveEvans SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrVaughanFeisst SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrPeterFerguson DepartmentofAnatomical WellingtonHospital Pathology (CCDHB)

MrMatteoFerla DepartmentofBiochemistry UniversityofOtago

DrVyacheslavFilichev InstituteofFundamentalSciences MasseyUniversity

MsOrlaFinch SchoolofChemicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrDamienFleetwood SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrNicholasFleming DepartmentofPathology UniversityofOtago

MrSimonFung AucklandCancerSociety TheUniversityofAuckland Research Centre

DrDanielFurkert SchoolofChemicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrOlivierGasser MalaghanInstituteof Medical Research

MrRayGe SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrMonicaGerth InstituteofNaturalSciences MasseyUniversity

MrJosephGingell SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrAngusGrey DepartmentofPhysiology TheUniversityofAuckland

DrYongchuanGu AucklandCancerSociety TheUniversityofAuckland Research Centre

DrChrisGuise AucklandCancerSociety TheUniversityofAuckland Research Centre

DrTracyHale InstituteofFundamentalSciences MasseyUniversity

DrCyrilHamiaux PlantandFoodResearch

MsPaulinaHanson-Manful InstituteofNaturalSciences MasseyUniversity

MrPaulHaseler SchoolofChemicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrAmandaHeapy SchoolofChemicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MrKimioraHenare AucklandCancerSociety TheUniversityofAuckland Research Centre

MsKatherineHerbert SchoolofChemicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MrMikeHerbert SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MrStefanHermans DepartmentofMolecularMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland and Pathology

MrLoganHeyes BiomolecularInteractionCentre UniversityofCanterbury

MsNgocAnhThu(Thu)Ho SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrJoHobbs DepartmentofBiologicalSciences UniversityofWaikato

DrJiwonHong SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

82

MsWeilinHou DepartmentofMolecularMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland and Pathology

MrLinHou AucklandCancerSociety TheUniversityofAuckland Research Centre

MrAmadeusHuang SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MsFrancesHuisman DepartmentofChemistry UniversityofCanterbury

MrGregHung SchoolofChemicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrDanielHurley DepartmentofMolecularMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland and Pathology

DrIvanIvanovic SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrJagdishKumarJaiswal AucklandCancerSociety TheUniversityofAuckland

Research Centre

DrWantingJiao BiomolecularInteractionCentre UniversityofCanterbury

DrHyun-SunJin DepartmentofMolecularMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland and Pathology

DrJodieJohnston SchoolofBiologicalSciences, TheUniversityofAuckland

DrNancyJong DepartmentofPharmacology TheUniversityofAuckland and Clinical Pharmacology

DrJineyJose AucklandCancerSociety TheUniversityofAuckland ResearchCentre TheUniversityofAuckland

MrDmitriJoseph DepartmentofChemistry UniversityofCanterbury

MrJamesJung SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MrMederKamalov SchoolofChemicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MrKanKaneko SchoolofPharmacy UniversityofOtago

MsHarveenKaur SchoolofChemicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MsInkenKelch SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrRobertKeyzers SchoolofChemicaland VictoriaUniversityof PhysicalSciences Wellington

MrUBinKim SchoolofChemicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrBronwynKivell SchoolofBiologicalSciences VictoriaUniversityof Wellington

DrRenataKowalczyk SchoolofChemicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrAndrewKralicek PlantandFoodResearch

MsSabineKuhn AucklandCancerSociety TheUniversityofAuckland Research Centre

MsHannaKwon SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

Dr Sharon Ladyman Department of Anatomy University of Otago

MrThomasLagautriere SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrRiesLangley DepartmentofMolecularMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland and Pathology

Dr Caroline Larsen Department of Anatomy University of Otago and Structural Biology

DrAnnetteLasham DepartmentofMolecularMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland and Pathology

83

Directory

DrKateLee SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrVerneLee SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrEuphemiaLeung SchoolofMedicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

Mr David Lim Department of Chemistry University of Canterbury

DrJacelynLoh DepartmentofMolecularMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland and Pathology

DrNatalieLorenz SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MsYeeSuenLow SchoolofBiologicalSciences VictoriaUniversityofWellington

MsJuliaMacdonald SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrJoannaMacKichan SchoolofBiologicalSciences VictoriaUniversityof Wellington

DrClaudiaMansell SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

Mr Hayden McEwen Department of Anatomy University of Otago and Structural Biology

DrJulieMcIntosh SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MsKarimaMedini SchoolofChemicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MsSunaliYugeshMehta DepartmentofMolecularMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland and Pathology

MrMartinMiddleditch SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MrAndrewMiller AucklandBioengineeringInstitute TheUniversityofAuckland

DrChristianMiller AucklandCancerSociety TheUniversityofAuckland Research Centre

DrAntoniaMiller CallaghanInnovation

Ms Gerd Mittelstaedt Department of Chemistry University of Canterbury

MrGert-JanMoggre BiomolecularInteractionCentre UniversityofCanterbury

DrAndrewMunkacsi SchoolofBiologicalSciences VictoriaUniversityof Wellington

DrAndrewMuscroft-Taylor BiomolecularInteractionCentre UniversityofCanterbury

DrDavidMusson DepartmentofMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland

DrYoshioNakatani DepartmentofBiochemistry UniversityofOtago

MsSilkeNeumann SchoolofPharmacy UniversityofOtago

Ms Matilda Newton Department of Biochemistry University of Otago

DrDavidNickerson AucklandBioengineeringInstitute TheUniversityofAuckland

MsAnaisNoisier SchoolofChemicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrPatrickO’Connor AucklandCancerSociety TheUniversityofAuckland Research Centre

MsTifanyOulavallickal DepartmentofBiologicalSciences WaikatoUniversity

MsSaemPark SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrNeilPaterson SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MsPragyaPriyanka DepartmentofChemistry UniversityofCanterbury

DrFionaRadcliff DepartmentofMolecularMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland and Pathology

Mr Sebastian Reichau Department of Chemistry University of Canterbury

84

DrSuzanneReid SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MrMartinRennie SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

Dr Ali Reza Nazmi Department of Chemistry University of Canterbury

DrGarethRowlands InstituteofFundamentalSciences MasseyUniversity

DrIlvaRupenthal DepartmentofOpthamology TheUniversityofAuckland

MrSoroushSafaei AucklandBioengineeringInstitute TheUniversityofAuckland

MrMackSaraswat InstituteofNaturalSciences MasseyUniversity

Ms Emma Scaletti Department of Biochemistry University of Otago

MsKatrinSchuenemann SchoolofChemicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrKevinSchuster DepartmentofPathology UniversityofOtago

MrRichardSequira DepartmentofMolecularMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland and Pathology

DrHilarySheppard SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrAlexSmith MalaghanInstituteofMedical Research

DrGregSmith DepartmentofMolecularMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland and Pathology

MsSooJungSon SchoolofChemicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

AssocProfMatthiasSoop DepartmentofSurgery TheUniversityofAuckland

DrJonathanSperry SchoolofChemicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MsJenniferSweny SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrSimonSwift DepartmentofMolecularMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland and Pathology

DrYiTianTing SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MrPetrTomek AucklandCancerSociety TheUniversityofAuckland Research Centre

DrAmyTong AucklandCancerSociety TheUniversityofAuckland ResearchCentre UniversityofAuckland

MsCatherineTsai DepartmentofMolecularMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland and Pathology

MrDanVerdon SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MsChelseaVickers DepartmentofBiologicalSciences WaikatoUniversity

DrChristopherWalker SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DasunWagachchi DepartmentofMolecularMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland and Pathology

DrHarrietWatkins SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrRobertWeinkove MalaghanInstituteof Medical Research

MsLyndaWhiting SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MsElsieWilliams SchoolofBiologicalSciences VictoriaUniversityofWellington

DrAndrewWood DepartmentofMolecularMedicineTheUniversityofAuckland

and Pathology

85

DrDeborahWright DepartmentofMolecularMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland and Pathology

MsJingshuXu SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MsGloriaXun SchoolofChemicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MsKavestriYegambaram SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MrHorace(Ho)Yeung SchoolofChemicalSciences TheUniversityofAucklandDrPaulYoung SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAucklandDrLindaZhang SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

CoRE funded research fellowsDrAnnaBrooks SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrChristinaBuchanan DepartmentofMolecularMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland and Pathology

DrMikeCooling AucklandBioengineeringInstitute TheUniversityofAuckland

DrVaughanFeisst SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrJackFlanagan AucklandCancerSociety TheUniversityofAuckland Research Centre

DrPaulHarris SchoolofChemicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrHyun-SunJin DepartmentofMolecularMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland and Pathology DrMiaJüllig SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrClaudiaMansell SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrNikkiMoreland SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrDavidNickerson AucklandBioengineeringInstitute

DrFionaRadcliff DepartmentofMolecularMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland and Pathology

AssocProf AucklandCancerSociety TheUniversityofAucklandGordon Rewcastle Research Centre

DrJeffSmaill AucklandCancerSociety TheUniversityofAuckland Research Centre

DrChristopherSquire SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

CoRE funded research techniciansMsFionaClow DepartmentofMolecularMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland and Pathology

MrsRachaelGoldstone SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MsJoyceHo SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

DrIvanIvanovic SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MrEhabJirgis SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MsWooJeongLee DepartmentofMolecularMedicineTheUniversityofAuckland and Pathology

MrMartinMiddleditch SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MrTommyYu AucklandBioengineeringInstitute TheUniversityofAuckland

Directory

86

CoRE funded PhD studentsMrZaidAmso SchoolofChemicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MsMaggieAu SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

Mr Htin Lin Aung Department of Microbiology University of Otago andImmunology

MsNicolaBlackmore DepartmentofChemistry UniversityofCanterbury

MsKristinaBurkert SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MsNazaninEbrahimi AucklandBioengineeringInstitute TheUniversityofAuckland

MrSimonFung AucklandCancerSociety TheUniversityofAuckland Research Centre

MrRayGe SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MrJosephGingell SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MrPaulHaseler SchoolofChemicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MrLinHou AucklandCancerSociety TheUniversityofAuckland Research Centre

MsWeilinHou DepartmentofMolecularMedicine TheUniversityofAuckland and Pathology

MrAmadeusHuang SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MrGregHung SchoolofChemicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MrDimitriJoseph DepartmentofChemistry UniversityofCanterbury

MrMederKamalov SchoolofChemicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MsHarveenKaur SchoolofChemicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MsInkenKelch SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MrThomasLagautriere SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MsYeeSuenLow SchoolofBiologicalSciences VictoriaUniversityofWellington

MsJuliaMcDonald SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

Mr Hayden McEwen Department of Anatomy and University of Otago Structural Biology

MrFrancescoMainini DepartmentofPathology UniversityofOtago

MsKarimaMedini SchoolofChemicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MsSilkeNeumann SchoolofPharmacy UniversityofOtago

Ms Matilda Newton Department of Biochemistry University of Otago

MrVincentPoral SchoolofChemicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MsImogenRoth DepartmentofPathology UniversityofOtago

MrSoroushSafaei AucklandBioengineeringInstitute TheUniversityofAuckland

Ms Emma Scaletti Department of Biochemistry University of Otago

MsKatrinSchuenemann SchoolofChemicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MrDanielVerdon SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

MsJingshuXu SchoolofBiologicalSciences TheUniversityofAuckland

87

CoRE funded managementMsPaulineCurtis MauriceWilkinsCentre TheUniversityofAuckland

MsRachaelGoldstone MauriceWilkinsCentre TheUniversityofAuckland

MrPeterLai MauriceWilkinsCentre TheUniversityofAuckland

MsRochelleRamsay MauriceWilkinsCentre TheUniversityofAuckland

Directory

88

Contact Details

Director/Principal investigator

Professor Rod DunbarSchool of Biological Sciences FacultyofScienceTheUniversityofAucklandPrivate Bag 92019Auckland1142,NewZealandPhone:+6499235765Email:r.dunbar@auckland.ac.nz

Deputy Director/Principal investigator

Professor Peter ShepherdDepartment of Molecular Medicine and PathologyFacultyofMedicalandHealthSciencesTheUniversityofAucklandPrivate Bag 92019Auckland1142,NewZealandPhone:+6499239891Email:peter.shepherd@auckland.ac.nz

Research Manager

Ms Rochelle RamsayMauriceWilkinsCentrec/oSchoolofBiologicalSciencesFacultyofScienceTheUniversityofAucklandPrivate Bag 92019Auckland1142,NewZealand Phone:+6499235533Email:rj.ramsay@auckland.ac.nz

Maurice Hugh Frederick Wilkins

1916 – 2004

The Centre proudly takes its name from the New Zealand born Nobel Laureate Maurice Wilkins. He is most famous for his work at King’s College London where he began spectroscopic studies on nucleic acids which eventually led to the use of x-ray crystallography to define the Watson-Crick model of DNA. For this work, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1962.

The Centre for Molecular Biodiscovery was founded in 2002. It was renamed the Maurice Wilkins Centre in 2006 with the support of Maurice’s widow, Mrs Patricia Wilkins, and their family.