Rate My Professor Louise Paton

Dr. Louise Paton is a Research Fellow in the Department of Medicine at the University of Otago, Christchurch, and a key member of the Christchurch Heart Institute. She specializes in proteomics and advanced mass spectrometry techniques applied to cardiovascular research. Paton graduated from the University of Canterbury with a double major Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Plant and Microbial Sciences. She subsequently completed her Master of Science in Plant Biotechnology at the same institution. Paton was awarded a Bright Future Enterprise Scholarship, which supported her PhD in Biochemistry, undertaken under the supervision of Professor Dame Juliet Gerrard. Her doctoral research focused on proteomics and protein assembly. Following her PhD, she served as a protein chemistry technician at the Wool Research Organisation of New Zealand and later as a Scientist at Canesis Inc. In 2005, she joined the Centre for Free Radical Research as Proteomics Research Manager, a role she maintained until 2020 when she transferred to the Christchurch Heart Institute as Scientific Officer (Proteomics).

Paton possesses extensive expertise in biochemical and protein chemistry methods, including ELISA, chromatography, cell culture, and bacterial culture. Her mass spectrometry proficiency spans qualitative and quantitative analysis of proteins, peptides, and small molecules, as well as structural determination. Her research contributes to understanding oxidative stress, mitochondrial biomarkers, and cardiovascular diseases. Key publications include 'Biomarkers of oxidative and mitochondrial stress are associated with accelerated pace of aging at midlife in a birth cohort' (Journals of Gerontology Series A, 2025, co-authored with King-Hudson et al.); 'Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3): A biomarker of coronary artery disease induced myocardial ischaemia' (European Heart Journal Open, 2025, with Lee et al.); 'CNDP2: An enzyme linking metabolism and cardiovascular diseases?' (Journal of Cardiovascular Translational Research, 2025, with Ocariza et al.); and 'CNDP2 is a potential modulator of heart failure outcomes' (Proceedings of the 17th GeneMappers Conference, 2024). She has secured significant funding, including a Canterbury Medical Research Foundation Major Projects Grant in 2023 for investigating Lac-Phe levels in relation to ischemic heart disease, a CMRF Project Grant of $109,843, an Accelerator Grant for the project 'Te Ao Marama: Integrating Māori wisdom and thought into Heart Research,' and in 2025, a Heart Foundation Project Grant and Research Fellowship. These achievements underscore her impact in translational biodiscovery and heart research.