Paul Harris

Paul obtained a PhD in organic/organometallic chemistry at the University of Auckland in 1999 followed by post-doctoral positions in Pierre et Marie Curie Universite in Paris and RMIT in Melbourne. He returned to the University of Auckland in 2001 to take up a position as peptide chemist with Neuren Pharmaceuticals (a “spin out” biotech company from the University of Auckland) and took a lead role in the development of  the recently FDA-approved peptide analogue  Daybue™ for which he is a named co-inventor.

He then had an ongoing collaboration with Prof Steve Kent (University of Chicago), and introduced SPPS and native chemical ligation at the University of Auckland.   His research group is currently focussed on the synthesis, purification, and characterisation of complex biologically-active peptides and proteins by solid and solution phase methodologies with a particular focus on antibacterial peptides, cancer targeting peptides and total chemical synthesis of lipo-and glycoproteins.