Red X iconGreen tick iconYellow tick icon

Dr Caroline BeckBSc (Hons), PhD

Dr Caroline Beck is a developmental biologist in the Department of Zoology at the University of Otago.

She is interested in understanding the complex gene regulation required to “build” an animal from a single cell. Caroline's research lab has a particular interest in the development of organs, such as the vertebrate limb and eye, and the ability of some vertebrates to regenerate these organs.  The work relies heavily on model animals to reveal how complex structures are built and – in the case of regeneration after injury – rebuilt. While most of the work uses amphibian models, such as Xenopus laevis (clawed frogs), the zebrafish fin is also used for complementary studies on regeneration.

Caroline gained a BSc (Hons) in Medical Biochemistry at the University of Birmingham and a PhD in Biological Sciences at the University of Warwick, before undertaking a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Bath. She has been at Otago since 2004.

Further information

Further information about Caroline is available on the Department of Zoology website

Publications

Banerjee, S., Szyszka, P., & Beck, C. (2024). Tadpoles, seizures, and leaky brains: An intriguing model of severe epilepsy. Proceedings of the Australasian Neuroscience Society (ANS) Annual Scientific Meeting. Retrieved from https://ans-2024.m.tas.currinda.com Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Matthews, A., Banerjee, S., Beck, C., & Geurten, B. (2024). Using machine learning to quantify seizure behaviour in a tadpole model of developmental and epileptic encephalopathies. In K.-L. Horne (Ed.), Proceedings of the 40th International Australasian Winter Conference on Brain Research (AWCBR). (pp. 54). Retrieved from https://www.awcbr.org Conference Contribution - Published proceedings: Abstract

Chapman, P. A., Hudson, D., Morgan, X. C., & Beck, C. W. (2024). The role of family and environment in determining the skin bacterial communities of captive aquatic frogs, Xenopus laevis. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, fiae131. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1093/femsec/fiae131 Journal - Research Article

Banerjee, S., Szyszka, P., & Beck, C. W. (2024). Knockdown of NeuroD2 leads to seizure-like behaviour, brain neuronal hyperactivity and a leaky blood-brain barrier in a Xenopus laevis tadpole model of DEE75. Genetics. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1093/genetics/iyae085 Journal - Research Article

Panthi, S., Chapman, P. A., Szyszka, P., & Beck, C. W. (2024). Characterisation and automated quantification of induced seizure-related behaviours in Xenopus laevis tadpoles. Journal of Neurochemistry, 168, 4014-4024. doi: 10.1111/jnc.15836 Journal - Research Article

Back to top