Prof Margaret Brimble
| Post: | Visiting Fellow (Chemistry) |
| Other posts: | Visiting Scientist (Life Sciences) |
| Personal homepage: | Margaret Brimble homepage |
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Biography
Professor Margaret Brimble is a visiting Professor from the School of Chemical Sciences at the University of Auckland.
Prof Brimble’s research focuses on the synthesis of bioactive natural products and the synthesis of peptides, glycopeptides, and peptide mimetics as potential therapeutic agents. Professor Brimble discovered the drug NNZ2566 that has proven highly successful in phase 2 human trials for the neurogenetic disorder of Rett Syndrome. NNZ2566 is also currently in phase 2 clinical trials for fragile X syndrome and traumatic brain injury. Professor Brimble also established NZ’s first Medsafe-approved laboratory that has manufactured peptide antigens for the clinical trial of melanoma vaccines (MELVAC trial).
In 2012, Dist Prof Brimble was awarded the RSNZ Rutherford medal (NZ’s top science medal), the Hector Medal (Chemical Sciences) and the McDiarmid medal (research for human benefit) and in 2008 the World Class NZ Award for Research, Science and Technology. She was the 2007 L’Oréal-UNESCO Women in Science Laureate for Asia-Pacific in Materials Science and won the RSC Natural Product Chemistry Award (2010), the RACI Adrien Albert Award (2011) and the Novartis Chemistry Award. She has been conferred with two Queen’s honours (MNZM 2004 and CNZM 2012) for her services to science. She is currently Vice-President of the Organic and Biomolecular Division of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry and Chair of the RSNZ Rutherford Foundation having served as a member of the Marsden Fund Council. She won the 2014 Westpac Trust Women of Influence Award in the Science and Innovation category and she is a member of Global Women NZ.