Rate My Professor Katie Peppercorn

Dr. Katie Peppercorn is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the McCormick Group within the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Otago, School of Biomedical Sciences. Originally from the United Kingdom, she moved to New Zealand in 2002 and has collaborated with Emeritus Professor Warren Tate for over 20 years, initially as an assistant research fellow managing laboratory operations and supporting postgraduate projects. Peppercorn earned her BSc in Biochemistry from the University of Manchester and completed her PhD at the University of Otago in 2022. Her doctoral thesis, titled 'Secreted amyloid precursor protein alpha: effects on the proteome of primary neurons,' explored the protective effects of sAPPα on human neurons, including changes in gene expression profiles in neurons and astrocytes. This research contributes to understanding molecular mechanisms of learning, memory, and potential therapies for Alzheimer's disease, where sAPPα promotes neurogenesis, neurite outgrowth, and memory rescue in animal models.

Peppercorn's research specializations encompass neurodegenerative diseases and post-viral fatigue syndromes, with a focus on neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, DNA methylation, proteomics, and immune cell function. She has made significant contributions to myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) and long COVID studies, including proteomic analyses of immune cells and epigenetic profiling during post-exertional malaise. Key publications include 'A pilot study on the immune cell proteome of long COVID patients shows changes to physiological pathways similar to those in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome' (2023, Scientific Reports), 'Comparing DNA Methylation Landscapes in Peripheral Blood from Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Long COVID Patients' (2025, International Journal of Molecular Sciences), 'Precision Medicine Study of Post-Exertional Malaise Epigenetic Changes in Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Patients During Exercise' (2025, International Journal of Molecular Sciences), and 'Glutamate Receptor Trafficking and Protein Synthesis Mediate the Long-Term Synaptic Depression Induced by Amyloid-β' (2019, Journal of Neuroscience). In 2025, she co-edited the book 'Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) – Methods and Protocols' (Humana), contributing multiple chapters with international collaborators on diagnostics, immunology, and molecular changes. Her work enhances protocols for ME/CFS research and advances brain health therapeutics.