Professor Bronwen Jane Connor
BsC, PhD
Biography
Bronwen Connor is a professor in Pharmacology and head of the Neural Reprogramming and Repair Lab at the Centre for Brain Research, University of Auckland. Her specific interest is in the development of novel protective or regenerative strategies to treat neurological disease.
Bronwen is a graduate of the University of Auckland, graduating with a BSc in Pharmacology and Physiology in 1994 and a PhD in Neuropharmacology in 1997. She spent 3 years as a post-doctoral fellow at Northwestern University in Chicago, USA. There she undertook ground-breaking research demonstrating the potential use of gene therapy for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.
Bronwen returned to an academic position at the University of Auckland, Department of Pharmacology in 2000. She has worked on a number of strategies for the treatment of neurological disorders including gene therapy for Huntington’s disease, the development of stem cell replacement therapy for Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease, and the identification of novel agents for the treatment of depression. She has also investigated the use of the anti-psychotic agent clozapine for the treatment of multiple sclerosis.
Bronwen’s current research focuses on “reprogramming” human skin cells to human brain stem cells which allows her to generate and study live human brain cells, something researchers have previously been unable to do. This allows her research team to investigate the cause and progression of neurodevelopmental and neurological disorders by reprogramming skin cells from patients with these disorders. This cutting-edge technology will enable her team to identify and test new drugs as well as use a patient’s own reprogrammed brain cells for cell replacement therapy.
In 2018 Bronwen was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her contribution to the treatment of neurological disease.
Research | Current
Research Interests
Teaching | Current
MEDSCI 305: Systems Pharmacology
MEDSCI 717: Advanced Neuroscience; Neuropharmacology
MEDSCi 740: Stem cell biology and transgenics
Postgraduate supervision
PhD students supervised:
Nicole Edwards
Amy McCaughey-Chapman 2018
Rebecca Playne 2017
Amelia van Slooten 2014
Kathryn Jones 2012
Jane Evans 2012
Renee Gordon 2009
Elena Vazey 2009
Andrew Tatterfield 2009
Adrian Kells 2007
Rebecca Henry 2007
Kevin Chen 2007
Distinctions/Honours
2018 Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for contribution to the treatment of neurological disease.
2013 NEXT magazine New Zealand Woman of the Year; Health and Science
Areas of expertise
Neuropharmacology
Neural stem cells
Gene therapy
Direct cell reprogramming
Parkinson's disease
Huntington's disease
Depression
Selected publications and creative works (Research Outputs)
- Robichon, K., Patel, V., Connor, B., & La Flamme, A. C. (2020). Clozapine reduces infiltration into the CNS by targeting migration in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. Journal of neuroinflammation, 17 (1)10.1186/s12974-020-01733-4
- Templeton, N., Kivell, B., McCaughey-Chapman, A., Connor, B., & La Flamme, A. C. (2019). Clozapine administration enhanced functional recovery after cuprizone demyelination. PloS one, 14 (5)10.1371/journal.pone.0216113
- Connor, B., Firmin, E., McCaughey-Chapman, A., Monk, R., Lee, K., Liot, S., ... Jones, K. (2018). Conversion of adult human fibroblasts into neural precursor cells using chemically modified mRNA. HELIYON, 4 (11)10.1016/j.heliyon.2018.e00918
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Kevin Lee, Kathryn Jones - Connor, B. (2018). Concise review: The use of stem cells for understanding and treating Huntington's disease. Stem Cells, 36 (2), 146-160. 10.1002/stem.2747
- Playne, R., Jones, K. S., & Connor, B. (2018). Generation of dopamine neuronal-like cells from induced neural precursors derived from adult human cells by non-viral expression of lineage factors. Journal of Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, 14 (1), P34-P44. Related URL.
Other University of Auckland co-authors: Kathryn Jones - Boix, J., von Hieber, D., & Connor, B. (2018). Gait Analysis for Early Detection of Motor Symptoms in the 6-OHDA Rat Model of Parkinson's Disease. Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience, 1210.3389/fnbeh.2018.00039
- Playne, R., & Connor, B. (2017). Understanding Parkinson's disease through the use of cell reprogramming. Stem Cell Reviews and Reports, 13 (2), 151-169. 10.1007/s12015-017-9717-5
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/2292/41415 - Zareie, P., Connor, B., & La Flamme, A. C. (2017). Amelioration of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis by clozapine is not associated with defective CD4 T cell responses. Journal of Neuroinflammation, 14 (1).10.1186/s12974-017-0842-5
Identifiers
Contact details
- +64 9 923 3037
- +64.9.923.3037
- b.connor@auckland.ac.nz
- Media Contact
Primary office location
M&HS BUILDING 502 - Bldg 502
Level 5, Room 501D
85 PARK RD
GRAFTON
AUCKLAND 1023
New Zealand