Wednesday, 4 April 2018
Experts were asked by SMC to comment on research regarding a new group of antibiotic compounds able to kill particular cells of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
Wednesday, 28 March 2018
Webster Centre member, Professor Kurt Krause, received Explorer Grant funding from the Health Research Council to investigate smallpox protein and how they can be used to treat human inflammation.
Thursday, 22 March 2018
As World Tuberculosis Day looms on 24 March, one of the University of Otago’s latest Sir Charles Hercus Health Research Fellows, Dr Htin Lin Aung, is building relationships to help combat the top infectious disease killer in the world.
Saturday, 10 March 2018
Webster Centre for Infectious Diseases' members appear in ODT newspaper Cover Story on 'Relapse - why we're under attack'.
Tuesday, 20 February 2018
University of Otago researchers have helped uncover how New Zealand glowworms produce their glow.
Tuesday, 13 February 2018
Urgent and proactive action is needed to protect young people from the current mumps outbreak in New Zealand, says Dr Ayesha Verrall, an infectious diseases physician and researcher at the University of Otago, Wellington.
Sunday, 7 January 2018
Professor Kurt Krause, member of the Webster Centre for Infectious Diseases, appeared in the NZ Herald stating contact precautions were effective and essential because many pathogenic bacteria are spread by contact – touching a surface with the bacteria on it and then touching your face or food. Contact isolation was not particularly harsh on patients, whereas airborne isolation could be very difficult for a patient because they can feel quite cut off.
Saturday, 18 November 2017
Dr James Ussher, co-convenor of the Australasian Society of Infectious Disease New Zealand Annual Scientific Conference, met with Ministry of Health representatives backed by the Ministry for Primary Industries, teamed up with infectious disease specialists to tackle this "emerging threat globally".
Thursday, 16 November 2017
Webster Centre for Infectious Diseases Members, Professor Vernon Ward (Dean of School of Biomedical Sciences) and Professor Kurt Krause (Department of Biochemistry), were awarded MBIE 2017 funding for their Smart Idea Project.
Wednesday, 8 November 2017
Dr Michael Knapp, Department of Anatomy, and Professor Greg Cook, Webster Centre Steering Committee member, University Otago, were awarded $920,000 MBIE 2017 funding for "TB or not TB - examining the origin and evolution of tuberculosis in the pre-European Pacific".
Wednesday, 25 October 2017
The One Health Aotearoa Symposium was held 13 – 14 December 2017 at Wellington, NZ.
Thursday, 19 October 2017
A world-leading team of microbiologists, led by Professor Greg Cook whose work on a novel way to fight TB infections, has been selected as the recipient of the University of Otago's latest Research Group Award.
Thursday, 14 September 2017
The biennial Queenstown Molecular Biology/Webster Centre for Infectious Diseases Symposium will be held 7 – 8 September, Queenstown, New Zealand. Read more for speakers covering sessions on microbial pathogen genomes, infection and immunity, tuberculosis, drug discovery and novel therapeutics and vaccines, GAS and viral pathogenesis.
Wednesday, 13 September 2017
Congratulations to Webster Centre Steering Committee member, Professor Kurt Krause, who received Catalyst Seeding funding from the RSNZ to target membrane proteins in mycobacteria to cure tuberculosis.
Tuesday, 15 August 2017
Professor Krause chaired a session at the International Union of Cyrstallography Conference at Hyderabad, India on 21 – 29 August 2017 and gave a talk on enzymes involved in proline biosynthesis.
Monday, 7 August 2017
Webster Centre Steering Committee member, Professor Iain Lamont, will be attending the 16th International Conference on Pseudomonas to be held 5 – 9 September 2017 at Liverpool, England.
Monday, 31 July 2017
An innovative approach in drug discovery in combating one of the world’s greatest health scourges – tuberculosis (TB) – is being pioneered by an international research group that has Otago microbiologists as key leading members.
Thursday, 6 July 2017
This recognises an outstanding record of research, and consists of a grant to assist the group in hosting a one-day symposium to showcase their research, where the award will be formally presented.
Congratulations to the group members: Professor Greg Cook, Dr Htin Aung, Dr Yoshio Nakatani, Dr Yosuke Shimaki, Kiel Hards, Scott Ferguson, Alan Hughes, Nicola Marechal, James Cheung and Nichaela Harbison-Price.
Friday, 30 June 2017
Professor Greg Cook and Dr Adam Heikal appear in DairyNews to discuss how our armoury of antimicrobials has been eroded and the vision of developing narrow spectrum agents that specifically target bad bacteria.
Friday, 30 June 2017
Webster Centre Committee member, Professor Iain Lamont, receives HRC funding to unmask genes for antibiotic resistance in a superbug.
Tuesday, 6 June 2017
Professor Andrew Mercer, Director of the Webster Centre for Infectious Diseases answers an "Ask a Scientist" bacteria/virus question in the Otago Daily Times.
Tuesday, 30 May 2017
Profesor Greg Cook gave a lively address to a large group of budding social scientists and microbiologists on 31 May 2017.
Tuesday, 30 May 2017
Webster Centre members feature in a recent ODT article outlining the good news and bad news around our microbes and us.
The future of antibiotics is discussed by our experts in a number of current news stories.
