Contact details +6449793906
Dr Penny Truman DipBusStud, PhD
Senior Lecturer
Doctoral Supervisor School of Health SciencesMy most recent projects in biotoxins have involved looking at biological assay methods for anatoxin-a variants, so that we can assess their relative toxicity. An MSc project to look at the effect of these toxins on cells in culture is available.
My tobacco work has seen the group identify six new monoamine oxidase inhibirtors from tobacco smoke, and work is on-going to look at the biochemistry of their interaction with the enzyme, and the behavioural effects of these inhibitors, in strengthening nicotine dependence.
This work also has implications for e-cigarettes. They should be less addictive than tobacco smoking, but are they? There are a number of MSc level projects that could be developed in this area.
I have come to Massey from a background in Government science, working for a Crown Research Institute, ESR.
My research expertise is in biological assessment of toxic exposures. I have several years of experience in monitoring of marine and freshwater biotoxins, where my recent work has been in assesing the biological activity of new marine biotoxin variants; helping to decide how they should be regarded from a food safety perspective.
My main research focus is on addictive substances in tobacco smoke - nicotine's "partners in crime", Can we use what we learn to help more people to stop smoking?
Professional
Contact details
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Ph: 63906
Location: 3C13
Campus: Wellington
Qualifications
- Diploma in Business Studies - Ƶ (2009)
- Doctor of Philosophy - University of Otago (1983)
Research Expertise
Research Interests
1. Marine Biotoxins: management of marine biotoxin contamination of shellfish, particularly saxitoxins and ciguatoxins
2. Freshwater biotoxins: finding effective biological methods for rapid monitoring of the toxicity of cyanobacterial blooms
3. Determining the chemicals responsible (with nicotine) for tobacco dependence. their identity, and biochemical and behavioural effects (working with Victoiria University of Wellington)
4. Tobacco control policy: how can what we are learning be used to assist decisions on policy direction?
Research Opportunities
- MSc level studies on the addictiveness of e-cigarettes (01/03/2019) Interviewing vapers to assess their level of dependence. Possibly use of electronic surveys, depending on the research question decided on.
- Monoamine oxidase inhibitors from tobacco smoke (01/03/2019) Looking at the effects of these inhibitors on neural cells in culture: now filled
- Biological methods for the detection of cyanotoxins (01/03/2019) Use of cell culture methods to detect and characterise cyanobacterial toxins in culture.
Thematics
Health and Well-being
Area of Expertise
Field of research codes
Environmental Monitoring (050206):
Environmental Science and Management (050200):
Environmental Sciences (050000):
Medical And Health Sciences (110000):
Neurosciences (110900):
Neurosciences not elsewhere classified (110999)
Keywords
marine biotoxin analyses
cyanobacterial toxins
protein biomarker discovery
tobacco dependence
monoamine oxidase inhibitors
monoamine oxidase inhibitors
E-cigarettes
Research Projects
Completed Projects
Project Title: Changing our view of tobacco dependence; The monoamine oxidase inhibitor story - Penny Truman
Date Range: 2017 - 2019
Funding Body: Health Research Council of New Zealand
Project Team:
- Dr Penny Truman - Project Leader
Project Title: PSAF: A new monoamine oxidase inhibitor from tobacco smoke
Date Range: 2016 - 2020
Funding Bodies: Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment; Massey Ventures Ltd
Project Team:
- Dr Penny Truman - Project Leader
Research Outputs
Journal
[Journal article]Authored by: Bromhead, C., Kim, N., Kruger, M., Mallard, B., Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Page, R., Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Page, R., Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Edwards, P., Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Journal article]Authored by: Truman, P.
Book
[Chapter]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Chapter]Authored by: Truman, P.
Report
[Technical Report]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Technical Report]Authored by: Truman, P.Contributed to by: Truman, P.
[Technical Report]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Technical Report]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Technical Report]Authored by: Truman, P.Contributed to by: Truman, P.
[Commissioned Report]Authored by: Truman, P.
Conference
[Conference Paper]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Conference Poster]Authored by: Page, R., Palmer, B., Truman, P.
[Conference Paper]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Conference Poster]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Conference Oral Presentation]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Conference Oral Presentation]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Conference Oral Presentation]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Conference Oral Presentation]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Conference Other]Authored by: Truman, P.Contributed to by: Truman, P.
[Conference]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Conference]Authored by: Truman, P.
Other
[Oral Presentation]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Oral Presentation]Authored by: Truman, P.
[Oral Presentation]Authored by: Truman, P.
Consultancy and Languages
Consultancy
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2009 to 2012
- Ministry of Primary Industries
Assessing the toxicity of complex marine biotoxin mixtures -
2012 to Aug 2015
- Ministry of Health
Emerging issues in Environmental Health -
2011
- Cawthron Institute
Brevetoxin and ciguatoxin analyses -
June 2015 to Aug 2015
- Ministry for the Environment
Benthic cyanobacteria, towards consistent regulation -
July 2016 to June 2018
- Cawthron Institute
Biological methods to detect anatoxin-a, a cyanobacterial toxin sometimes found in streams, rivers and lakes -
June 2016 to Dec 2016
- Laurelton Research Ltd
Testing for monoamine oxidase inhibitory activity in e-cigarette liquids -
Oct 2015 to July 2016
- Toboacco Control Research Turanga
Web based survey of e-cigarette users -
Dec 2016 to Dec 2017
- Laurelton Research Ltd
Testing e-liquids for toxicity -
Sept 2017 to Mar 2018
- Ministry of Health
Member of Technical Advisory Group: electronic cigarette regulation
Teaching and Supervision
Summary of Doctoral Supervision
Position | Current | Completed |
---|---|---|
Main Supervisor | 0 | 1 |
Co-supervisor | 1 | 1 |
Current Doctoral Supervision
Co-supervisor of:
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Jangrez Khan
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Doctor of Philosophy
Role of titanium dioxide (TiO2) in the onset and progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
Completed Doctoral Supervision
Main Supervisor of:
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2023
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Sa Weon Hong
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Doctor of Philosophy
Biochemical characterisation of six novel monoamine oxidase inhibitors identified in tobacco smoke
Co-supervisor of:
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2023
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Prakshit Niraula
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Doctor of Philosophy
Investigating the Impact of Tobacco Particulate Matter and selected components on Monoamine Oxidase Activity, Protein Expression, and Gene Expression