Rate My Professor Safina Gadeock

Dr. Safina Gadeock serves as a Research Fellow in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology within the University of Otago's Division of Health Sciences. She earned her PhD from the University of Otago, with her doctoral thesis titled "Human Colonic Organoids: An Epithelial Barrier Model of Crohn's Disease." Her research centers on epithelial and immune cell dynamics in the context of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). Employing patient-derived 3D intestinal organoids, Gadeock examines epithelial stem cell injury, repair mechanisms, and barrier function. Her studies have identified an inherent stem cell-dependent developmental defect in the epithelium and barrier integrity of IBD patients. Furthermore, she has elucidated novel roles for TNF signaling through TNFR1 in the specification and function of colonic mesenchymal cells, the maintenance of the epithelial stem cell niche, and the regulation of deep crypt secretory cells. Current investigations focus on Type I interferon targets as predictors of clinical non-response to anti-TNF therapies in IBD patients and their influence on epithelial innate responses to commensal metabolites like butyrate.

Gadeock's work leverages organoid models to simulate mucosal healing processes in IBD, paving the way for personalized therapeutic screening. Notable publications include "Type I interferons in inflammatory bowel diseases: balancing barrier integrity, repair and inflammation in the intestinal epithelium" (Frontiers in Medicine, 2025, co-authored with M.R. King and R.A. Kemp); "An autologous colonic organoid-derived monolayer model to study immune:bacterial interactions in Crohn's disease patients" (Clinical & Translational Immunology, 2022, co-authored with H.C.K. Angus, P.C.M. Urbano, and others); "Assessment of source material for human intestinal organoid culture for research and clinical use" (BMC Research Notes, 2022, co-authored with P.C.M. Urbano, H.C.K. Angus, and others); and "Sprouty2 limits intestinal tuft and goblet cell numbers through GSK3β-mediated restriction of epithelial IL-33" (Nature Communications, 2021). She advises research for MICR 360, BBiomedSc, BSc(Hons), PhD students, medical resident fellows, and postdoctoral fellows. Professional memberships encompass the New Zealand Society of Gastroenterology (since 2015), Gut Health Network, Live Human Tissue Network, Maurice Wilkins Centre, Australian Society of Immunology, and American Gastroenterological Association.