2OO9 – 2O1O - Faculty of Dentistry - University of Otago

Oral Biology book published in 2010
With the increasingly sophisticated molecular biological tools and techniques developed in
recent years, a comprehensive collection of detailed methods directly relating to oral research
was needed. Professor Gregory Seymour, Associate Professor Mary Cullinan and Dr Nick
Heng from the Molecular Microbiology and Oral Immunopathology Research Groups (Sir John
Walsh Research Institute) were commissioned to edit a volume in the well-known Methods in
Molecular Biology series entitled “Oral Biology: Molecular Techniques and Applications” featuring
an international panel of contributors, all experts in their own respective fields of oral biology.
The book is divided into three parts: (i) saliva studies, (ii) oral microbiology, and (iii) cells and
tissues. Each chapter describes a protocol (or a set of associated protocols) in detail and
includes a “Notes” section, featuring useful “tips and tricks” related to the technique. In addition,
methods to analyse the results (for example, from high-throughput sequencing or DNA
microarrays) are also provided. Protocols can also be adapted to the user’s specific needs. This
volume, thought to be the first in the MiMB series dealing specifically with oral biology, will serve
as a valuable resource for molecular biology novices and veterans alike.
Kate Sheppard Memorial Award Recipient for 2010
Dr Sunyoung Ma from the Faculty of Dentistry’s Department of Oral Rehabilitation was the
2010 recipient of the Kate Sheppard Memorial Award. Dr Ma is a senior lecturer/specialist
prosthodontist who has been involved in the ceramic implant overdenture research project at
the Sir John Walsh Research Institute.
As part of the project, Dr Ma will be running a pilot study examining the different loading
patterns around implants supporting overdentures, as well as the wear of the attachment
systems. The grant from the Kate Sheppard Memorial Award Trust will be put towards the
purchase of equipment for the attachment wear analysis.
The Kate Sheppard Memorial Award Trust was set up to establish an annual award to provide
an opportunity for a woman to develop her potential by undertaking further education, study,
research or training in areas which are of value in the community within New Zealand.
Major support from Marsden Fund for innovative
Otago research
University of Otago researchers have received major support from the prestigious Marsden Fund
for a wide variety of innovative studies that will push the boundaries of current knowledge.
In the Fund’s 2010 round, researchers from across the University’s Divisions of Health Sciences,
Humanities, and Sciences gained $10.67M for 19 projects addressing unsolved questions in realms
ranging from atomic physics to societal conflict resolution.
Dr Brian Monk was one of the Marsden funding recipients and was awarded $840,000 over
three years for a project titled “Multifunctional azoles: A triple whammy designed to defeat drug
resistance”. Dr Monk and his research team, which includes Dr Joel Tyndall, Dr Mikhail Keniya and
colleagues in Brussels, San Francisco, Wellington and Wiesbaden, are working to develop a novel
fungicidal chemotherapy to stop multidrug resistant infections that kill people or adversely affect
agricultural productivity.
Marsden grants are administered by the Royal Society of New Zealand and support research
excellence in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, social sciences and the humanities.
62 FACULTY OF DENTISTRY RESEARCH REPORT 2009-2010