Contact Details
- Phone
- +64 3 556 5272
- nethmini.haththotuwa@otago.ac.nz
University Links
- Position
- Assistant Research Fellow
- Department
- Department of Anatomy
- Qualifications
- Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (Sri Lanka) MSc (Sri Lanka) PhD (Otago)
- Research summary
- Developing in vitro corneal endothelial cell therapy to reduce need for full corneal transplantation
- Teaching
- Undergraduate teaching: HUBS 191 and HUBS 192 (first year), Med2 Gross Anatomy, Med 2/3 Histology, Med 3-RDA Histology (2nd and 3rd year Medical)
- Memberships
- Australian and New Zealand Association of Clinical Anatomists (ANZACA)
- Anatomical Society, Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka
- Physiological Society Sri Lanka
- Society of Companion Animal Practitioners of Sri Lanka
- Sri Lanka Association of Animal Production
- Alumni Association University of Peradeniya
Research
This project aims to develop a cell-based alternative to corneal transplantation by isolating and expanding human corneal endothelial cells in vitro. By enabling transplantation of cultured cells onto diseased endothelium, this approach seeks to reduce dependence on donor corneal tissue and allow a single donor to treat multiple recipients. Following specialised training at the Sydney Eye Bank, the successful isolation of human endothelial cells has established a foundational capability in New Zealand. Ongoing work focuses on protocol optimisation and regulatory approval to advance this therapy toward clinical translation.
Additional details
- Registered veterinary surgeon of Sri Lanka Veterinary Association since 2013 (Registration No: 1822)
- Lecturer at Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka (February 2015 to February 2023)
Publications
Haththotuwa, T. N., Dias, G. J., & Bekhit, A. E.-D. A. (2026). Valorisation of feather and wool for dietary applications and human nutrition: A step towards sustainable food production. Food Chemistry, 506, 148165. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2026.148165 Journal - Research Article
Haththotuwa, T. N. (2024, August). The anti-ageing potential of novel sheep wool derived dietary keratin protein (KDP): In vitro and in vivo evidence of skin and hair regeneration. Poster session presented at the BMS Postgraduate Symposium, Dunedin, New Zealand. Conference Contribution - Poster Presentation (not in published proceedings)
Joshi, A., Haththotuwa, N., Richard, J. S., Laven, R., Dias, G. J., & Staiger, M. P. (2024). In vitro calibration and in vivo validation of phenomenological corrosion models for resorbable magnesium-based orthopaedic implants. Acta Biomaterialia, 180, 171-182. doi: 10.1016/j.actbio.2024.03.024 Journal - Research Article
Haththotuwa, T., Bekhit, A. E.-D., Wththasinghe, P., Gao, J., Hou, Y., & Dias, G. (2023). The impact of novel sheep wool-derived dietary keratin protein (KDP) on gut mircobiota. Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute of Food Science & Technology (NZIFST) Conference: Food in a Changing World. S09. Retrieved from https://nzifst.org.nz Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract
Ratnayake, J., Camilleri, J., Haththotuwa, T. N., & Huang, J. (2023). In vitro biological testing of dental materials. In G. J. Seymour, M. P. Cullinan, N. C. K. Heng & P. R. Cooper (Eds.), Oral biology: Molecular techniques and applications: Methods in molecular biology (Vol. 2588). (3rd ed.) (pp. 505-524). New York, NY: Springer. doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2780-8_31 Chapter in Book - Research