Skin infections Lung infections Computational approaches Nanomedicines

Find out more about our research ....

... from Microbiology and Immunology to Bioinformatics
Rod-shaped and spherical bacteria on skin or mucous membrane, Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Klebsiella, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Legionella, Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, other cocci

Infectious Diseases

We aim to understand host-pathogen interactions in skin and lung infections using Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus as model organisms for co-infections.

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Destruction of a bacterium by silver nanoparticles. An illustration can be also used to demonstrate action of any antibiotic substance or drug

Nanomedicines

We investigate novel drugs, ranging from host defense peptides and peptidomimetics to metal nanoparticles, to overcome multidrug resistant ESKAPE pathogens.

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Biotechnology bioinformatics concept of DNA and protein letter background, DNA and protein sequence 3d render

Drug Targets

We explore novel drug targets in host and pathogen(s) during infection using high-throughput sequencing technologies including transcriptome and transposon sequencing.

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Sources of funding

Health Research Council of New Zealand

2019 NZ-China Biomedical Research Alliance

Otago Medical Research Foundation

2020 Laurenson Bequest and Annual Grant

University of Otago

2020 Annual Research Grant and Otago Medical School Foundation Trust / Biomedical Sciences Dean’s Fund

Maurice Wilkins Centre

2021 Flexible Research Programme

The Pletzer lab has received funding from HRC (2019 NZ-China Biomedical Research Alliance), Maurice Wilkins Centre (2021 Flexible Research Programme), the University of Otago Research Grant and the Otago Medical Research Foundation (2020 Laurenson Bequest and Annual Grant) and Otago Medical School Foundation Trust (2020 Dean’s Bequest).

Recent industrial collaborators