Principal Investigator
Senior Research Fellow MSc(Germany) PhD(Otago)
Email nina.dickerhof@otago.ac.nz
Tel +64 3 364 0568
Research interests
My research focuses on understanding how the immune system uses oxidants to combat bacteria; and how bacteria evade these oxidants.
We have discovered critical antioxidant systems in Streptococcus pneumoniae that enable this major human pathogen to overcome oxidative killing by the immune system. We are investigating how these pneumococcal antioxidant systems work at the molecular level using biophysical, structural and mutational studies. Our aim is to uncover strategies for disarming bacterial antioxidant defences to bolster the immune system's ability to eradicate invading pathogens.
We are also investigating the flip side of immune-derived oxidants: Their ability to cause tissue damage and chronic inflammation. By finding markers of oxidative tissue damage, we aim to offer more precise tools for detecting and addressing inflammation.