CNE Director Rebecca Campbell awards the PhD Prize to Alice Freeman
The Centre for Neuroendocrinology (CNE) at the University of Otago recently celebrated the 12th year of its prestigious PhD Prize. This annual event showcases the outstanding research conducted by students at the Centre, highlighting the quality and impact of their work.
This year, two talented students, Alice Freeman from Professor Dave Grattan’s lab and Zsaleya Sword-Tua from Professor Greg Anderson’s lab, presented their groundbreaking research.
Perinatal Creatine Supplementation: Assessing Safety and Efficacy to Improve Outcomes Following Preterm Birth
Researcher: Alice Freeman (supervised by Professor Dave Grattan)
Alice’s research investigates the potential of creatine supplementation during pregnancy to improve outcomes for preterm infants. Preterm infants are at a higher risk of neurodevelopmental issues due to repeated hypoxic events. While creatine supplementation showed no adverse effects in term-born cohorts, it unexpectedly increased morbidity and mortality in preterm-born cohorts. Further studies indicated that the poor outcomes were likely due to complications in labour induction rather than creatine itself. Alice’s work has shifted focus to understanding the safety of creatine in the context of labour induction.
Halting Hormonal Havoc: Recalibrating the Reproductive Axis to Manage PCOS in a Mouse Model
Researcher: Zsaleya Sword-Tua (supervised by Professor Greg Anderson and Dr Caroline Decourt)
Zsaleya’s research focuses on Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), a condition caused by an imbalance of sex hormones leading to ovarian cysts, inhibited ovulation, and sometimes insulin resistance. Her study aimed to reverse PCOS symptoms in a mouse model by dampening the pulsatile secretion of Luteinizing Hormone (LH). By activating AgRP neurons, which inhibit arcuate kisspeptin neurons and GnRH pulsatility, Zsaleya was able to alleviate key aspects of the PCOS phenotype. Her findings suggest that this approach could be a potential strategy to manage PCOS.
The judges had a challenging time selecting a winner due to the high quality of both presentations. Ultimately, Alice Freeman was awarded the CNE PhD Prize for her exceptional presentation.