- Professor Alison Heather Professor
- Gill Hughes
- Alexia Kauff
- Rachel Lund Teaching Fellow
Research interests
My research focuses on how the sex hormones, estrogen and testosterone, affect non-reproductive tissues in the body. My primary research investigates how these sex hormones promote calcification of atherosclerotic plaques. Atherosclerosis is the major cardiovascular disease and calcification of plaques leads to more ruptures causing heart attacks and strokes. The work performed in my laboratory is aimed at improving the understanding and safety of hormone replacement treatment use.
My research team also develops bioassays for the detection of designer androgens and estrogens that are used as doping agents in sports.
Research projects
- Mechanism underlying the calcification of atherosclerotic plaques in response to estrogen and testosterone treatment
- Mechanism underlying the anabolic effect of estrogens on skeletal muscle
- Development of cell-based bioassays for the detection of designer androgens that are used for sports doping
Publications
Handelsman, D., Cooper, E. R., & Heather, A. K. (2022). Bioactivity of 11 keto and hydroxy androgens in yeast and mammalian host cells. Journal of Steroid Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, 218, 106049. doi: 10.1016/j.jsbmb.2021.106049
Worthington, L. P. I., Erickson, J. R., & Heather, A. K. (2021). Calcium calmodulin dependent protein kinase II δ in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. New Zealand Medical Journal, 134(1537), (pp. 112). Retrieved from https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal
Lund, R. A., Cooper, E. R., Wang, H., Ashley, Z., Cawley, A. T., & Heather, A. K. (2021). Non-targeted detection of designer androgens: Underestimated role of in vitro bioassays. Drug Testing & Analysis. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1002/dta.3049
Cooper, E. R., Hughes, G., Kauff, A., Sutherland, E., Ashley, Z., & Heather, A. K. (2021). A cell-free bioassay for the detection of androgens. Drug Testing & Analysis. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1002/dta.3024
Heather, A. K., Thorpe, H., Ogilvie, M., Sims, S. T., Beable, S., Milsom, S., … Hamilton, B. (2021). Biological and socio-cultural factors have the potential to influence the health and performance of elite female athletes: A cross sectional survey of 219 elite female athletes in Aotearoa New Zealand. Frontiers in Sports & Active Living, 3, 601420. doi: 10.3389/fspor.2021.601420
Gillon, A., Ho, E. N. M., Chan, G. H. M., Kauff, A., Hughes, G., Lund, R. A., Ashley, Z., … Heather, A. K. (2021). Unravelling androgens in sport: Altrenogest shows strong activation of the androgen receptor in a mammalian cell bioassay. Drug Testing & Analysis, 13, 523-528. doi: 10.1002/dta.2941
Ashley, Z., Ebenebe, O., Worthington, L. P. I., Erickson, J., & Heather, A. K. (2020). Understanding the subtleties of development of atherosclerosis and the effect of sex hormones. New Zealand Medical Journal, 133(1518), (pp. 97-98). Retrieved from https://www.nzma.org.nz/journal
Ebenebe, O. V., Ashley, Z., Erickson, J. R., & Heather, A. K. (2020). A timing effect of 17-β estradiol on atherosclerotic lesion development in female ApoE−/− mice. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 21(13), 4710. doi: 10.3390/ijms21134710
Waller, C. C., Weththasinghe, S. A., McClure, L., Cawley, A. T., Suann, C., Suann, E., Sutherland, E., Cooper, E., Heather, A., & McLeod, M. D. (2020). In vivo metabolism of the designer anabolic steroid hemapolin in the thoroughbred horse. Drug Testing & Analysis, 12, 752-762. doi: 10.1002/dta.2769
McGrath, K. C., Li, X., Twigg, S. M., & Heather, A. K. (2020). Apolipoprotein-AI mimetic peptides D-4F and L-5F decrease hepatic inflammation and increase insulin sensitivity in C57BL/6 mice. PLoS ONE, 15(1), e0226931. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0226931
O'Hara, S. P., Worthington, L. P., Ashley, Z., & Heather, A. K. (2019, September). The role of CaMKII in vascular smooth muscle cell migration and atherosclerotic plaque development. Poster session presented at the Medical Sciences Congress (MedSci), Queenstown, New Zealand.
Lund, R. A., & Heather, A. K. (2019, September). An androgen sensitive bioassay optimized clinical purposes. Poster session presented at the Medical Sciences Congress (MedSci), Queenstown, New Zealand.
Knox, T., Anderson, L., & Heather, A. (2019). Transwomen in elite sport: The ethics. Proceedings of the Sports Medicine New Zealand Annual Conference. (pp. 36). Dunedin, New Zealand: Sports Medicine New Zealand. [Abstract]
Heather, A. K. (2019). Androgen excess in the elite female sports division. Proceedings of the Sports Medicine New Zealand Annual Conference. (pp. 35). Dunedin, New Zealand: Sports Medicine New Zealand. [Abstract]
Knox, T., Anderson, L., & Heather, A. (2019). Fairness and inclusion: Is it time to replace the gender binary in elite sport? Proceedings of the International Sociology of Sport Association (ISSA) World Congress of Sociology of Sport. (pp. 57). Retrieved from https://www.otago.ac.nz/issa-2019
Knox, T., Anderson, L. C., & Heather, A. (2019). Transwomen in elite sport: Scientific and ethical considerations. Journal of Medical Ethics, 45, 395-403. doi: 10.1136/medethics-2018-105208
Denny, A. P., & Heather, A. K. (2018, August). High-density lipoprotein cholesterol: Towards reversing the pathology of facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy. Verbal presentation at the Medical Sciences Congress (MedSci), Queenstown, New Zealand.
Lund, R. A., & Heather, A. K. (2018, August). Optimisation of an androgen bioassay for measurement of clinically relevant samples: Breast cancer as a clinical focus. Verbal presentation at the Medical Sciences Congress (MedSci), Queenstown, New Zealand.
Worthington, L. P. I., Erickson, J. R., Jones, G. T., & Heather, A. K. (2018, August). CaMKII inhibition as a novel target to control the early progression of atherosclerosis. Poster session presented at the Medical Sciences Congress (MedSci), Queenstown, New Zealand.
Lund, R. A., & Heather, A. K. (2018, August). Validation of an androgen bioassay for measurement breast cancer patient serum. Poster session presented at the Queenstown Molecular Biology (QMB) Meetings, Queenstown, New Zealand.
Knox, T., Anderson, L., & Heather, A. (2018). Fairness and inclusion: Is it time to replace the gender binary in elite sport? Proceedings of the Australasian Association of Bioethics and Health Law (AABHL) Conference. Retrieved from http://aabhlconference.com
Sims, S. T., & Heather, A. K. (2018). Myths and methodologies: Reducing scientific design ambiguity in studies comparing sexes and/or menstrual cycle phases. Experimental Physiology, 103(10), 1309-1317. doi: 10.1113/ep086797
Anderson, L., Heather, A. & Knox, T. Transgender women's participation in sport. Bioethics Centre, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. [Department Seminar (University of Otago)].
Ebenebe, O. V., Heather, A., & Erickson, J. R. (2018). CaMKII in vascular signalling: “Friend or foe”? Heart, Lung & Circulation, 27(5), 560-567. doi: 10.1016/j.hlc.2017.12.003
Cooper, E. R., McGrath, K. C. Y., Li, X., & Heather, A. K. (2018). Androgen bioassay for the detection of nonlabeled androgenic compounds in nutritional supplements. International Journal of Sport Nutrition & Exercise Metabolism, 28(1), 10-18. doi: 10.1123/ijsnem.2017-0018