From golfing scholarship to exploring the gut lining

Mikayla King (Tūhoe) was devastated when the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown meant she had to leave the college she was studying at in the United States and return home to Whakatane.

Mikayla, a keen golfer and all-round sports enthusiast, was thrilled when she was awarded a golfing scholarship at Bellevue University after finishing at Whakatane High School in 2018.

She’d only been in Nebraska eight months when the pandemic struck and coming home was the sensible option.  But returning to Aotearoa New Zealand unfortunately meant putting dreams of a possible golfing career to one side.

Wondering what to do next she considered sports science, eventually deciding to study Health Sciences at Otago for a year, with Physiotherapy training a possibility after that.

But part-way through the Health Sciences year she discovered Microbiology.

Mikayla graduates this weekend with a Master of Science, Immunology, having earlier completed an Honours in Microbiology and a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Microbiology, with a minor in Sport and Exercise Nutrition.

Along the way she gained an Otago Māori Master’s Research Scholarship, an Otago Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship, a Health Sciences Summer Research Scholarship – and a passion for research into gut health.

Lectures from Professors Roslyn Kemp, Jo Kirman and Bruce Russell in first year ignited her interest in Microbiology – the study of microscopic organisms that make up over half of all life on Earth – and the link between microbes, immunity and disease.

“I realised how much of a role the gut plays in health and wellness – so many problems stem from the digestive system. I wanted to understand more about how the diet relates to gut health in humans and how we can improve it.”

Mikayla’s summer scholarship project worked on Crohn's disease – a lifelong inflammatory bowel disease affecting the digestive tracts of around 25,000 New Zealanders. It can be debilitating, particularly as around half of people with Crohn's disease do not respond to one of the most commonly prescribed treatments, known as anti-TNF therapy.

“It’s clear the gut is complex so there’s no quick fix, but I’m pleased to have been part of a study that has found out more about how the lining of the intestine functions."

Working in the Kemp lab with her supervisor Dr Safina Gadeock, Mikayla is doing a deep dive into understanding why.

The researchers have been comparing various treatments on a disease model in the laboratory. Mikayla’s summer project specifically looked at types of interferons – special proteins the body makes to fight germs. She compared diseased and healthy intestines to understand what these proteins are doing in the cells.

This mahi then extended into her Honours and Master’s studies, culminating in her being invited to present her project at the Australia New Zealand Society of Immunology conference in Perth.

“That was really cool – I got good feedback and I also got to listen and talk to some amazing people working on cancer and inflammatory disease,” she says.

“It’s clear the gut is complex so there’s no quick fix, but I’m pleased to have been part of a study that has found out more about how the lining of the intestine functions. Eventually that will lead to better and more targeted treatment for inflammatory problems like Crohn’s Disease.”

Mikayla still plays golf for fun, alongside other sports, but has no regrets about pivoting into research.

“Otago was great for providing options. I love the culture of the University and the friends I’ve made here. And I’ve really enjoyed working with the supportive team in the lab.”

She is now looking at options post-graduation and is keen to work on the link between gut health and nutrition.

“It’s given me a taste of what research is like and how it can help, especially in the area between research and clinical,” she says.

–  Kōrero by Claire Grant, Communications Advisor, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences