Dr Peter Coyle

Biography/ Background

A/Prof Peter Coyle (BSc, MAppSc, PhD, MAACB) was trained in Clinical Biochemisty at the Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science (IMVS) and has research interests in nutrition, cancer and in trace and heavy metal metabolism. Currently, Peter is Chief Operating Officer of the Hanson Institute and leads the Drugs and Metals Research Group. The main focus of research of the group is in zinc metabolism particularly on how zinc homeostasis is maintained during pregnancy and how it is affected by a diverse range of maternal stresses including infections (viral and bacterial) and exposure to toxins such as alcohol.  Peter has numerous publications in this field and the group is the first to demonstrate that metallothionein, a zinc-binding protein, when induced during pregnancy can cause teratogenicity and neurodevelopmental anomalies. The group has shown that when metallothionein is induced in the mother’s liver by alcohol or by inflammatory cytokines, it sequesters zinc from the mother’s blood into the liver thereby reducing the availability of zinc to the fetus. They have shown that an adequate zinc supply is essential and that even a short-term reduction in maternal blood zinc can irreversibly interrupt development of the fetus. The group is also the first to demonstrate that fetal malformations and cognitive deficits in offspring can be prevented by supplementing the mother’s diet with zinc throughout pregnancy. This work is supported by the NH&MRC. Information on student projects can be obtained from the Hanson Institute website at www.hansoninstitute.sa.gov.au.  Peter is an Affiliate Associate Professor with the Department of Medicine, University of Adelaide.

 

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Entry last updated: Tuesday, 15 Nov 2011