This winter 2016 edition is themed to focus on Applied Molecular Solutions (molecular biology), which is one of Unitec’s Strategic Research Foci.

From its origins in the first half of the 20th Century, molecular biology has rapidly developed to revolutionise biology. With a greater understanding of DNA and genetics, scientists have been able to investigate gene regulation, behaviour and evolution in a range of organisms, including humans. This has created great possibilities for fields such as medicine and agriculture but has also raised some ethical concerns.

Research done at Unitec as part of the Applied Molecular Solutions Research Focus area is taking existing technologies and developing new approaches to address problems and questions generated by our community and industry stakeholders.

Our research is focusing on four main areas: biodiversity assessment; detection of pest species and pathogens and the diagnosis of disease; studying the underlying genetic causes of diseases and their spread; and the assessment of animal welfare.

The vast amounts of genomic data now available to us unlock opportunities for investigating and providing new insights into problems that we have wrestled with for decades. We can create rapid diagnostic tests for diseases that affect humans, crops or livestock; inventory communities of organisms; and we can describe the physiology of an animal or understand how genes function in a given ecological situation.

Some exciting projects are already underway at Unitec, ranging from studying the diet of Westland Petrels, investigating the effects of differences in insect gut microbiomes on their invasiveness, cataloguing the biodiversity of lichens, fungi, beetles, ferns and other organisms, to looking at the underlying genetic causes of behaviour in chickens. Funding for these projects has been received from a range of sources including Auckland Council, Department of Conservation, Australia Paci c Science Foundation, Bio-Protection Research Centre and Unitec.

The challenge now for the Applied Molecular Solutions Research Focus area is to broaden the range of industries and disciplines we’re engaging within the use of molecular tools, and be a catalyst for cutting-edge research at Unitec and beyond.

Dr Dan Blanchon
Associate Professor & Curator Unitec Herbarium Head of Environmental and Animal Sciences