A Haematologist and Transfusion Medicine Specialist based in Dunedin Dr Jim Faed is working for the University of Otago and the NZ Blood Service and leads the SCSNZ research team. He’s had a long standing interest in research in immunology, blood products and the health of blood donors. His research has included developing specialised methods for growing white blood cells in the laboratory to study antibody production. Those studies are now proving to be of great value as methods are developed for growing cells that maybe used for research on tissue repair. Dr Faed was initially approached for advice on setting up the Spinal Cord Society Laboratory in Dunedin in 2002 and was later asked to help lead the scientific development work. His background knowledge of haematology, blood and bone marrow has been invaluable in this work and has helped to provide the links for obtaining bone marrow tissue for research studies. In the past two decades his experience of Medicines Licensing systems through the Blood Service has also been important for providing insights into the systems that will be needed for producing cells that can be safely used for human treatments.

Dr Paul Turner joined the Spinal Cord Society Research lab as a Research Scientist in December of 2010. His role is to run the day to day business of a translational research laboratory and in conjunction with Dr Jim Faed to investigate new ways to harvest and grow stem cells from volunteers who donate bone marrow . He also serves on the Zentech Bioethics Committee, which oversees pharmaceutical bioequivalence studies on volunteers in Dunedin.He’s originally from Wellington where he completed his BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry in 1992. From there he moved to Auckland to gain a PhD in Chemistry at the Cancer Society Research Laboratory in 1997. To gain international experience he worked in Canada, then Germany before returning to New Zealand 4 years later in 2001 to begin a research career in neurobiology at Otago University.

Charlotte Wilson began work with the Spinal Cord Society Research Laboratory in June 2011 as a part time Assistant Research Fellow. Her work primarily involves optimizing the growth of stem cells that originated from bone marrow donations and general laboratory maintenance. Her research background includes a PhD in Microbiology that sought to identify genes important for bacteria to inhabit the gastrointestinal tract and a Masters degree in Biochemistry, which investigated a protein predicted to be involved in the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

Bhairavi Paranjpe joined the Spinal Cord Society Research Laboratory in May 2005. She has a Masters degree in Statistics and has also completed a Diploma of Teaching from the Dunedin College of Education.