Red X iconGreen tick iconYellow tick icon

Contact Details

Phone
+64 3 364 0585
Email
amy.scott-thomas@otago.ac.nz
Position
Senior Research Fellow
Department
Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine (Christchurch)
Qualifications
BSc(Hons)(Otago), PhD(Linc)
Research summary
Breath research

Research

I am a Research Scientist in the Breath Research Group and lead our team in the development of non-invasive breath tests. Although our group researches multiple lung pathogens, I have a special interest in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and its growth in the Cystic Fibrosis (CF) lung.

The focus of my research is to improve our current breath test for Ps. aeruginosa identification in the lungs of CF patients. When Ps. aeruginosa grows it releases a 'grape-like' odour called 2-aminoacetophenone (2-AA). To date we have been able to detect an increase in the levels of this molecule (using Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry) in the breath of CF patients colonised with Ps. aeruginosa.

Further research is planned to improve both the sensitivity and specificity of this test.

Publications

Jun, H., Alizadeh, H., Chambers, S. T., Slow, S., Hampton, J., Murdoch, D., & Scott-Thomas, A. (2026). Effect of copper spiked potting mix on the emergence and growth of viola and cabbages. HortScience, 61(2), 452-456. doi: 10.21273/HORTSCI19074-25 Journal - Research Article

Shahid, A., Chambers, S., Scott-Thomas, A., Zawari, M., & Bhatia, M. (2026). Anti-inflammatory effects of alpha-lipoic acid modulate cystathionine-γ-lyase expression in RAW 264.7 macrophages. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 27(2), 949. doi: 10.3390/ijms27020949 Journal - Research Article

Scott-Thomas, A., Zawari, M., Anderson, T., Chernysheva, E., Chambers, S. T., Maze, M., & Storer, M. (2025). Development of a urine-based bacterial cell-free DNA test for Legionnaires' disease. Proceedings of the Infectious Diseases & Pandemic Preparedness Summit. (pp. 61-62). Retrieved from https://www.teniwha.com Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Scott-Thomas, A., Chernysheva, E., Zawari, M., Miller, A., Chambers, S., Maze, M., Storer, M., & Kennedy, M. (2025). Detection of Legionella cell-free DNA in blood for the non-invasive diagnosis of Legionnaires' disease. Proceedings of the Infectious Diseases & Pandemic Preparedness Summit. (pp. 62). Retrieved from https://www.teniwha.com Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Scott-Thomas, A., Chernysheva, E., Campbell, P., Miller, A., Chambers, S., Anderson, T., Douglas, N., & Kennedy, M. (2025). CRISPR-Cas12a detection of Mycobacterium leprae DNA in human samples for the diagnosis of leprosy. Proceedings of the Infectious Diseases & Pandemic Preparedness Summit. (pp. 61). Retrieved from https://www.teniwha.com Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Back to top