Rate My Professor Tim Prickett

Tim Prickett, holding an MSc and PhD from the University of Otago, serves as Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Medicine at the University of Otago, Christchurch, and is a member of the Christchurch Heart Institute. His research specializes in cardioendocrinology, with a primary focus on natriuretic peptides, including A-type (ANP), B-type (BNP), and particularly C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) and its precursor NT-proCNP. Prickett has contributed significantly to understanding the physiological roles of these peptides in cardiovascular health, inflammation, cardio-metabolic conditions, heart failure, and skeletal growth disorders. Collaborating extensively with Emeritus Professor Eric Espiner, his work has advanced the measurement of these hormones in blood for diagnosing and managing heart disease, building on three decades of research at the Christchurch Heart Institute. Notable achievements include a world-first study demonstrating CNP's protective role against inflammation-induced vascular damage, linking elevated CNP levels to stiffer arteries, impaired heart function, higher fat levels, and reduced kidney function in healthy cohorts aged 28 and 50. Prickett has secured substantial research funding, including over $154,000 from NZ Lottery Health Research in 2023 for two projects at the Christchurch School of Medicine, Heart Foundation grants, and $112,205 from the Health Research Council in 2025 for investigating natriuretic peptide metabolism and insulin resistance.