on Biotech not supplements and why when you stop a clock you don’t stop time

Could we please have evidence, not just vibes, in innovation?
open.substack.com/pub/peterkde...

I set my 4th year biochemistry class to work screening some papers being published by a fishy group of authors. Check out the numbers in these "PRISMA" style plots:

Why mission-led funding is mission impossible Comment from Auckland University: A science system focused only on outcomes risks becoming a Christmas tree with no roots – pretty to look at, but destined not to last.

Austen Ganley on how mission-led science depends on exploratory science. Describes the new NZ science proposal as a Christmas Tree model -- no roots, doomed to die.
newsroom.co.nz/2026/04/19/w...

Latest publication from Otago Biochemistry.
Comprehensive ceRNA Profiling Uncovers Clinically Relevant Hub lncRNAs in Glioblastoma
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Department of Biochemistry Seminar
TOMORROW 12pm, Rm BIG13
Dr Mike Garratt, Department of Anatomy, University of Otago
Maternal diet during pregnancy and intergenerational effects on metabolic health

Max Spiers, BSc Hons student in the Brownfield lab, was pictured in the Otago Daily Times on the weekend selling poppies & looking smart in his Naval Volunteer Reserve uniform!

Latest publication with a contribution from Otago Biochemistry.
Dormancy regulon reduction was pivotal to the evolution of Mycobacterium tuberculosis
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Latest publication from Otago Biochemistry.
A Simple and Easy Method for RNA Extraction from the Cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803
en.bio-protocol.org/epdf/5654

Epigenetic memory of colitis promotes tumour growth - Nature Colonic stem cells retain a memory of inflammation following disease resolution and there is a mechanistic link between chronic inflammation and malignancy, suggesting potential strategies to mitigate...

Journal Club
Fri 17 Apr 12pm, Rm BIG13
Tira John McLachlan: A trip down memory lane
Epigenetic memory of colitis promotes tumour growth
doi.org/10.1038/s415...
Lynette Brownfield: Hacking the Paddy
Reduced methane emissions in transgenic rice genotypes are associated with...
doi.org/10.1038/s414...

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have protein aliquots to keep,
And gels to run before I sleep,
And gels to run before I sleep.

is genetic modification safe? on regulating biology

is genetic modification safe?
open.substack.com/pub/peterkde...

Latest publication from Otago Biochemistry.
Carbamoyl fluorides as serine hydrolase inhibitors: a case study on FphI from Staphylococcus aureus
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Latest publication with a contribution from Otago Biochemistry.
Recovering Historical eDNA From Museum-Preserved Filter Feeders via Non-Destructive Metabarcoding
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Proteomic Analysis of Cervicovaginal Fluid for Diagnostic Endometriosis Biomarker Discovery Purpose Endometriosis is a prevalent inflammatory condition characterised by the presence of endometrial-like tissue outside the uterus and is associated with significant challenges, including diagn...

Latest publication with a contribution from Otago Biochemistry.
Proteomic Analysis of Cervicovaginal Fluid for Diagnostic Endometriosis Biomarker Discovery
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Updated expert perspective: Professors Peter Dearden and Charles Eason Professors Peter Dearden and Charles Eason CNZM CRSNZ FRSNZ post a joint update, revising their original perspectives, after an eye-opening visit to a pest-control project run by Zero Invasive Predato...

Should we accelerate efforts to achieve Predator Free Aotearoa New Zealand by 2050?
Prof Peter Dearden & Prof Charles Eason have posted a joint update after an eye-opening visit to a pest-control project run by Zero Invasive Predators in the Mackenzie Country.
www.royalsociety.org.nz/expert-persp...

Dr Katerina Achilleos supervising students visiting Otago Biochemistry last week as part of the New Zealand International Biology Olympiad Programme. Always exciting to host the scientists of the future and help with NZIBO! 😊

Four new Otago Royal Society Fellows Four University of Otago – Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka scholars have had their academic impact recognised by the Royal Society Te Apārangi.

Otago Biochemist Prof Peter Dearden has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society Te Apārangi! His many genomic initiatives include supporting kākāpō conservation & the beekeeping industry, developing gene-drive technologies, & founding Genomics Aotearoa.
www.otago.ac.nz/news/newsroo...

Amazing to be able to work with the team in Otago

Many fundamental discoveries on what we know about RING E3s were made by Peter Mace at Catherine Day in New Zealand

Always a pleasure to go back to basics and apply it with a modern lens

@otagobiochemist.bsky.social

Department of Biochemistry Special Seminar
Mon 13 Apr 2pm, Rm BIG13
Prof Richard Neutze
Department of Chemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Sweeden
Time-resolved serial crystallography studies of conformational changes in cytochrome c oxidase

Unique structural and ligand-binding properties of the Staphylococcus aureus serine hydrolase FphE | PNAS Staphylococcus aureus is a human pathogen capable of forming biofilms that complicate treatment and facilitate chronic infections. A family of S. a...

Latest publication from Otago Biochemistry.
Unique structural and ligand-binding properties of the Staphylococcus aureus serine hydrolase FphE
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

The E3-ome gene-centric compendium reveals the human E3 ligase landscape To define and systematically characterize the human E3 ubiquitin ligase (E3) landscape, we generated the E3-ome, a compendium of E3s encoded by the hu…

Latest publication with a contribution from Otago Biochemistry.
The E3-ome gene-centric compendium reveals the human E3 ligase landscape
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

She has some great points - successful scientists ARE writers. Though it's not correct to assume the less successful ones are only unsuccessful because they can't write. That's just one reason out of (so) many for not getting far in a scientific career. For example: open.substack.com/pub/peterkde...

Latest publication from Otago Biochemistry.
Neurod2 knockdown in Xenopus laevis tadpole brain retains cells in a proliferating, progenitor-like state
www.micropublication.org/journals/bio...

A New Breeding Technique for F1 Hybrid Production From Self‐Incompatible Species Click on the article title to read more.

Latest publication from Otago Biochemistry.
A New Breeding Technique for F1 Hybrid Production From Self-Incompatible Species
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Otago’s pioneering tuberculosis research making a difference World Tuberculosis (TB) Day – 24 March – is a good reminder that Aotearoa has a part to play in efforts to end the global TB epidemic, and Otago researchers are heeding the call.

www.otago.ac.nz/news/newsroo...

Otago Department of Biochemistry annual student academic awards The Department of Biochemistry - te Tari Matū Koiora - is proud to announce the winners of the annual department student academic awards and scholarships.

Congratulations to our academic award winners for last year - just announced!
Take the time to read about each of them – they are an inspiring group, with exciting adventures ahead!
www.otago.ac.nz/news/newsroo...

A genetically tractable non-vertebrate system to study complete camera-type eye regeneration - Nature Communications Accorsi et al. show that the apple snail Pomacea canaliculata has eyes similar to humans and can fully regenerate them. They then developed genetic tools to establish these snails as a novel model sys...

Journal Club – Fri 12pm Rm BIG13
Stepanie Hughes: Eye regeneration in Apple Snails – one small step towards a cure for human blindness?
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Toby Dawn-Sugrue: CellChat for analysis of cell–cell communication from single-cell transcriptomics
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

More details on the 'Genomic Predictors of Fitness in a Threatened Population' webinar from Genomics Aotearoa

Emerging class of antibiotics to tackle global tuberculosis crisis The rise of drug-resistant tuberculosis strains has made the search for new treatment strategies increasingly urgent.

The molecular machine, known as the ClpC1–ClpP1P2 complex, allows the bacterium to break down damaged or unneeded proteins, helping it to survive stress and maintain essential functions. Without it, the TB bacterium can’t survive, making it an attractive drug target
www.sydney.edu.au/news-opinion...

ClpC1-targeting peptide natural products differentially dysregulate the proteome of Mycobacterium tuberculosis - Nature Communications In this work, the authors reveal that three non-ribosomal peptides targeting a common protein quality system differentially alter the Mycobacterium tuberculosis proteome, providing new insight into th...

Latest publication with a contribution from Otago Biochemistry.
ClpC1-targeting peptide natural products differentially dysregulate the proteome of M. tuberculosis
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
How 3 antibiotic compounds act on a vital protein degradation machine inside the bacterium that causes TB