Principal Investigator
Dr Megan Leask
Email megan.leask@otago.ac.nz
Tel +64 3 556 5243
Department of Physiology website
Research interests
I lead the Equity iN Health And Non-Coding Elements (ENHANCE) lab. The ENHANCE lab research projects aim to assign function to genetic variants that are associated with health and disease using bioinformatics, zebrafish and cell assays. We work with Māori and Pacific genetic data to identify clinically-relevant genetic variants that are unique to Māori and Pacific people and we focus on conditions that affect women and are underrepresented in the research space. The long-term outcomes of our work has the potential to reduce health disparities and improve genetic equity in these underrepresented groups.
Current and proposed projects
- The non-coding regulatory landscape of gout and metabolic disease
- Circadian mechanisms underpinning metabolic disease
- Māori and Pacific peoples unique genetics
- Gene regulatory mechanisms in the brain and ovary for PCOS
Clinical conditions
- Gout
- PCOS
- Other polygenic cardiometabolic conditions
ENHANCE Laboratory staff and students
Caleb Calhoun, PhD student
Email calca454@student.otago.ac.nz
Dr Hannah Darroch, Postdoctoral Fellow
Email hannah.darroch@otago.ac.nz
Dr Oluwatobi Eboda, Postdoctoral Fellow
Email oluwatobi.eboda@otago.ac.nz
Daniel Lyth, PhD student
Email lytda411@student.otago.ac.nz
Milly Morice, PhD student
Email mormi526@student.otago.ac.nz
Ben Rangihuna, Assistant Research Fellow
Email ben.rangihuna@otago.ac.nz
Selina Williams, PhD student
Email wilse899@student.otago.ac.nz
Dr Calvin Young, Postdoctoral Fellow
Email calvin.young@otago.ac.nz
Eilish Dalley, MSc student
Bree Holloway, MSc student
Temoe Neuffer, BBioMedSci student
Research funders
- Health Research Council of New Zealand
- Royal Society of New Zealand Marsden Fund
- Royal Society of New Zealand
- Arthritis New Zealand
- National Institutes of Health (USA)
- HS and JC Anderson Charitable Trust
- University of Otago Research Grant