Dr Rebecca Roberts
Research Fellow, Department of Biochemistry
Dr Roberts is a research fellow in the Departments of Biochemistry and Medicine. Her primary research interests are the study of genes that alter susceptibility to autoimmune diseases and the efficacy of drugs used to manage these diseases. Rebecca is the recipient of a Sir Charles Hercus Health Research Fellowship and is principal investigator on Health Research Council and Lottery Health Board-funded research projects.
For more information on Rebecca's work: http://www.otago.ac.nz/research/hekitenga2008/inflammatory.html
Recent Publications
Petermann, I. Huebner, C., Browning, B.L., Gearry, R.B., Barclay, M.L., Kennedy, M.A., Roberts, R.L., Shelling, A.N., Philpott, M., Han, D.Y., Ferguson, L.R. (2009) Interactions among genes influencing bacterial recognition increase IBD risk in a population-based New Zealand cohort. Human Immunology 70, 440-6. [IF = 3.1]
Stamp,L.K., O’Donnell, J.L., Chapman, P.T., Barclay, M.L., Kennedy, M.A., Frampton, C.M.A., Roberts, R.L. (2009) Lack of association between HLA-G 14bp in-del polymorphism and response to long-term therapy with methotrexate response in rheumatoid arthritis. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 68, 154-5 [IF = 7.2]
LK Stamp, JL O'Donnell, PT Chapman, ML Barclay, MA kennedy, CMAFrampton, RL Roberts. 2009. Lack of association between HLA-G 14bp insertion/deletion polymorphism and response to long-term therapy with methotrexate response in rheumatoid arthritis. Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 62(4):453-6.
Sharp CF, Gardiner SJ, Jensen BP, Roberts RL, Troughton RW, Lainchbury JG, Begg EJ. 2009. CYP2D6 genotype and its relationship with metoprolol dose, concentrations and effect in patients with systolic heart failure. Pharmacogenomics J. 2009 Apr 14. [Epub ahead of print].
Petermann I, Huebner C, Browning BL, Gearry RB, Barclay ML, Kennedy M, Roberts R, Shelling AN, Philpott M, Han DY, Ferguson LR. 2009. Interactions among genes influencing bacterial recognition increase IBD risk in a population-based New Zealand cohort. Hum Immunol. [Epub ahead of print]
Roberts RL, Hollis-Moffat JE, Gearry RB, Kennedy MA, Barclay ML, Merriman TR. 2008. Confirmation of association of IRGM and NCF4 with ileal Crohn's diease in a population-based cohort. Genes and Immunity 9(6):561-565.
Roberts RL, Gearry RB, Bland MV, Sies CW, George PM, Burt M, Marinaki AM, Arenas M, Barclay ML, Kennedy MA. 2008. Trinucleotide repeat variants in the promoter of the thiopurine S-methyltransferase gene of patients exhibiting ultra-high enzyme activity. Pharmacogenetics & Genomics 18(5):434-438.
Rod A Lea, Rebecca L Roberts, Michael R Green, Martin A Kennedy, Geoffrey K Chambers. Allele frequency differences of cytochrome P450 polymorphisms in a sample of New Zealand Māori. 2008. New Zealand Medical Journal 121 (1272):33-37.
Roberts RL, Gearry RB, Kennedy MA, Barclay ML. 2008. Beyond TPMT: genetic influences on thiopurine drug responses in inflammatory bowel disease. Personalized Medicine (in press).
Bentley RB, Gearry RB, Keenan JI, Kennedy MA, Barclay ML, Roberts RL. 2008. Incidence of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in a population-based cohort of patients with Crohn's disease and control subjects 103(5):1168-72.
Roberts RL, Gearry RB, Hollis-Moffatt JE, Miller AL, Reid J, Abkevich V, Timms KM, Gutin A, Lanchbury JS, Merriman TR, Barclay ML, Kennedy MA. 2007. IL23R R381Q & ATG16L1 T300A are strongly associated with Crohn's disease in a study of New Zealand Caucasians with inflammatory bowel disease. Am J Gastroenterology 102(12):2754-61.