Christine Coe Winterbourn CNZM is Professor of Pathology at the University of Otago, in New Zealand.
Her research in the biological chemistry of free radicals earned her the 2011 Rutherford Medal [1] [2] and the Marsden Medal, [3] the top awards from each of New Zealand's two top science bodies.
Winterbourn studied chemistry at Auckland University, followed by a PhD in biochemistry from Massey University. [3] Her PhD thesis [4] was an investigation of the lipid metabolism of mammalian erythrocytes, exploring changes in the lipid profiles in these cells as a function of the cells' age. She did postdoctoral work at the University of British Columbia, Canada. [3] Her career since then has been spent at the University of Otago, Christchurch, where she has a chair in the Pathology Department.
Winterbourn took a position at the University of Otago's Christchurch medical school in 1970. She set up her own laboratory in 1979/80, which grew into the Centre for Free Radical Research. [5]
Her work explores the fundamental biochemistry of free radicals, which can have both beneficial and harmful effects in the body. She was one of the first scientists to demonstrate that human cells produce free radicals as part of their normal function. At low levels, they are essential to life, and contribute to the body's defences against infection, as well as playing a critical role in intracellular signalling. At higher levels, they can lead to oxidative stress, which has been implicated in a wide range of human diseases. Winterbourne did early work to document some of the chemical reactions of free radicals that occur in diseases such as cancer, stroke, coronary heart disease and arthritis. [6] [7] [8]
She was the first female recipient of the Rutherford Medal. [1] In the 1997 Queen's Birthday Honours, Winterbourn was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit, for services to medical research. [9] She was promoted to Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 2012 Queen's Birthday and Diamond Jubilee Honours, for services to science. [10]
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Free radical researcher Professor Christine Winterbourn wins New Zealand’s top science and technology honour, the Rutherford Medal
Christchurch biochemist and ground-breaking free radical researcher Professor Christine Winterbourn is the first woman scientist to be awarded New Zealand's top science and technology honour in its 20-year history.
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