Otago has a rich history of establishing firsts, leading the way in many fields. University of Otago researchers are attracting international attention, with some granted millions of dollars for cutting-edge projects. So what are they up to? Reporter John Gibb does his own research on the researchers.
University of Otago microbiologist Prof Greg Cook and his scientific colleagues have uncovered some key secrets of one of the world's deadliest killers, the bacterium that causes tuberculosis.
They have found that hydrogen is a crucial factor in enabling usually oxygen-dependent mycobacteria - including the microbes that cause Tb - to survive without oxygen in the human body for long periods.
This research is starting to open up dramatic new horizons - and potentially will enable a powerful new generation of antibiotic drugs to be developed.
These would target the enzymes that enable bacteria to produce hydrogen and to generate energy.
Focusing on this ''excellent next-generation drug target'' could also enable scientists to sidestep growing problems with antibiotic resistance in Tb treatment, Prof Cook says.
The new approach could also help deal with another major problem with Tb, the latent infection of an estimated two billion people, about a third of the world's population.
Tb cannot be wiped out until some way is found of dealing with that huge reservoir of latent Tb infection.
Prof Cook said scientists had long been puzzled by how mycobacteria generated energy in oxygen-starved states.
For instance, this occurred in people with latent Tb infections, when Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria were ''walled in by clumps of immune and other body cells''.
But such patients had to be monitored for the rest of their lives because the bacteria could become active again.
Helped by fellow researchers in the US and Germany, the Otago scientists have recently clarified the mechanisms by which the aerobic soil microbe Mycobacterium smegmatis can long persist without, or almost without, oxygen.
This has also deepened understanding of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes tuberculosis.
''Tb remains a huge problem in the 21st century, particularly the global spread of drug-resistant strains.
''We have failed to develop new drugs to combat arguably the most dangerous bacterial pathogen to human health.''
The research is essential given the global spread of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and the desperate need to develop new strategies to combat the threat, he says.
''I have never seen my microbiology career as a job.
''Every day I wake up and can't wait to see what new things we will discover in the lab today.
''I have the best job in the world and I am very fortunate to have found a career that gives me so much excitement, fun and fulfilment.
''Our research could revolutionise the way we treat Tb.''
New drugs that targeted the metabolism of tuberculosis in host tissues were fast-acting against all forms of disease.
This could ultimately shorten therapy for drug-resistant Tb from two years to just months.
Tb is one of the greatest threats to global health, with an estimated 1.32 million deaths from Tb in HIV-negative people and 450,000 deaths in HIV-positive worldwide in 2013.
''Strains of tuberculosis are now circulating the globe that are resistant to all anti-Tb drugs and with no new drugs in the arsenal we may return to the pre-antibiotic era for this disease.''
Born in Taupo, Prof Cook grew up in a rural community, Kaipaki, near Cambridge.
He had a ''very grounded upbringing'', his parents never pressuring him to ''be good at school or sport''.
''As a youngster my idols were not scientists, they were runners like John Walker, Rod Dixon and Dick Quax.
''I wanted to run just like them. My dream was to wear the black singlet with the silver fern.''
He worked ''incredibly hard'' to achieve this dream but was dogged by recurrent injuries and his knees ''couldn't handle the mileage required to make it internationally''.
But he turned that determination and dedication elsewhere and became ''incredibly passionate'' about science.
And he also had ''great early teachers''.
''I did finally get to meet John Walker, not the running great Sir John Walker, but the 1997 Nobel Laureate Sir John Walker'' of the Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, England - and they have worked together since 2008.
''My passion is mountain biking, still running, and being with my family.
''I am lucky that my children both love sport so I get to relive my love of sport through coaching my son's cricket and football teams, and helping my daughter become a rower.''
Prof Cook was recently awarded Otago University's Distinguished Research Medal, the university's highest research award. And he never loses sight of his ultimate goal.
''I feel a strong drive to work on Tb to help the thousands of poor people in Third World countries that die of this disease a day. Many are women and children.''
Because Tb was a disease of poverty ''Big Pharma'' - the major international pharmaceutical industry - had largely opted out of Tb research.
The ''return on investment is too low''.
''This is where academic labs like us can play a leading role that are not driven by the commercial dollar.''
But the researchers always had to work collaboratively and to ''remind ourselves the goal is to produce research that will lead to the discovery of a revolutionary new drug for Tb''.
SNAPSHOT:
Name and age: Greg Cook, 48.
Occupation: University of Otago microbiologist.
Qualifications: PhD, University of Waikato.
Where trained: Thermophile research unit, University of Waikato (PhD); Cornell University, United States, and Kings College London (1992-97) postdoctoral work; Otago University 1998-present.
Proudest moment: Distinguished Research Medal, Otago University 2014.
