Pillar leads and advisory
The pillar leads provide science leadership, strategically coordinate work plans nationwide, manage budgets, and foster international collaboration.
This diverse team marks a significant milestone in our journey towards advancing RNA technologies in New Zealand. Their roles include providing science leadership, strategically coordinating work plans nationwide, managing budgets, and fostering international collaborations.
Pillar: Target Selection
BioNTech SE
Dr Sarah Diermeier, a Senior Lecturer at the University of Otago, is a distinguished biochemist with expertise in RNA biology and gene regulation. Her academic journey spans from earning her PhD in Germany to prestigious postdoctoral fellowships at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (NY, USA).
Her pioneering research focuses on the potential of long non-coding RNAs as therapeutic targets in breast cancer, earning her recognition such as the NIH/NCI K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Award and the Rutherford Discovery Fellowship. Sarah is a world-leading expert in RNA target discovery and RNA therapeutics development, and the founding Chief Scientific Officer of Amaroq Therapeutics Ltd and RNAfold.AI Pty Ltd.
Pillar: Payload Design
University of Waikato
Dr William Kelton, a Senior Lecturer at the University of Waikato's Te Huataki Waiora School of Health, brings extensive industry experience from New Zealand’s biotech sector to academia.
His background, spanning roles at Ora Therapeutics and Scion Research, informs his current academic focus on antibody engineering and molecular biotechnologies for biomedical applications.
Alongside supervising research at the Master's and PhD levels, he is a vital contributor to the university's Biomedical Science programs.
Pillar: Formulation
Victoria University of Wellington
Professor Gavin Painter leads the mRNA and Lipid Nanoparticles team at Ferrier Research Institute of Victoria University of Wellington. His laboratory synthesize a variety of vaccine components including peptides, oligonucleotides with a focus on lipid-based materials including glycolipid vaccine adjuvants and lipid components for the encapsulation of vaccine antigens and therapeutics. His research group has strong interest in the development of mRNA-LNP vaccines for Malaria and Hepatitis B.
Professor Painter holds a joint position with the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research Wellington New Zealand incorporating multiple national and international collaborations with immunologists.
Pillar: Preclinical testing
Victoria University of Wellington
Dr Lisa Connor, a cellular immunologist at the School of Biological Sciences, investigates the immunobiology of vaccination, specialising in mucosal vaccines and harnessing mRNA technology to develop smarter antigens. She completed her PhD at the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research and a post-doctoral fellowship at the Trudeau Institute in the USA.
After establishing her research lab in 2018, she was awarded the prestigious Sir Charles Hercus fellowship and has enhanced Aotearoa’s vaccine development capabilities, contributing to the development of a COVID19 vaccine.
Pillar: Quality Control
Malaghan Institute of Medical Research
Dr Rebecca McKenzie currently leads the molecular biology core within the Hugh Green Cytometry Centre at the Malaghan Institute. She works at the forefront of identifying and adopting new technology platforms. After completing her PhD at Delft University of Technology (The Netherlands) focusing on the power of CRISPR-Cas technology, Rebecca returned to New Zealand for a post-doctoral fellowship as part of the Vaccine Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand.
During her time at the Malaghan, she has led work with a number of national and international collaborators across disciplines to establish mRNA vaccine technology as a tool for researchers.
Pillar: Process development and Manufacturing
South Pacific Sera
Dr William Rolleston, a co-founder of South Pacific Sera Limited, has made significant contributions to biotechnology and vaccine manufacturing.
With a medical degree and leadership roles including Founding Chair of the New Zealand Biotechnology industry organisation (now Biotech NZ), President of New Zealand Federated Farmers and the World Farmers Organisation, Dr Rolleston has been a prominent figure in shaping the biotechnology landscape both locally and internationally.
Pillar: Clinical testing
University of Auckland
Dr Nikki Moreland, an Associate Professor in Infection and Immunity at the University of Auckland, has a distinguished background in antibody technology and infectious disease.
With significant experience in both academic and industrial settings in New Zealand and abroad, her translational research continues to improve scientific understanding for practical health outcomes.
Advisor, QC and Development
Glycosyn, Callaghan Innovation
Dr Steven Toms, a Principal Process Development Chemist, has a diverse background in organic chemistry, specializing in carbohydrates, dendrimers, peptides, and other natural and organometallic compounds.
His role at GlycoSyn involves developing chemical processes for commercial projects, from initial design to API synthesis.
With previous positions in cancer research and methodology development, Steven applies his extensive expertise to solve complex chemistry problems for clients in quality control and manufacturing sectors.