Lynn Ferguson

Head, Discipline of Nutrition, University of Auckland
Head. Centre for Mutagen Testing
Programme Leader, Objective Leader, Nutrigenomics New Zealand

Research specialty: Nutritional genomics

Academic qualifications

1999 DSc, The University of Auckland, in genetics
1975 D. Phil. (Oxon.), Oxford University, in genetics
1970 MSc (Hons.), The University of Auckland, in genetics

Distinctions/Honours

2007-present Editorial Board Nutrigenetics and Nutrigenomics
2006 Professor Lynn Ferguson was made a Companion of the Queen’s Service Order
2003-present Editorial Board, Food Science and Nutrition Forum
2002-present Editorial Board, Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention
2001 Personal chair, The University of Auckland
2001-present Editorial Board, Cell and Chromosome
2001-present Australasian Managing Editor, Mutation Research
1999 Doctor of Science, Auckland University
1999-present Editorial Board, Food and Chemical Toxicology
1998-present Editor, Mutation Research Special Issues
1993-1998 Editorial Board, Mutation Research Reviews
1993-1998 Editorial Board, Mutation Research, Genetic Toxicology and Environmental Mutagenesis
1993-1998  Editorial Board, Mutation Research, Fundamental and Molecular Mechanisms

Key publications

• Ferguson LR, Philpott M. Nutrition and Mutagenesis. Annu Rev Nutr. 2008 Apr 9.
• Ferguson LR, Browning BL, Huebner C, Petermann I, Shelling AN, Demmers P, McCulloch A, Gearry RB, Barclay ML, Philpott M. Single nucleotide polymorphisms in human Paneth cell defensin A5 may confer susceptibility to inflammatory bowel disease in a New Zealand Caucasian population. Dig Liver Dis. 2008 Apr 2. [Epub ahead of print]
• Ferguson LR.  Is the dietary fibre concept becoming too hard to digest? Br J Nutr. 2008 Feb 29:1-2. [Epub ahead of print]
• Ferguson LR, Philpott M, Dryland P. Nutrigenomics in the whole-genome scanning era: Crohn's disease as example. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2007 Dec;64(23):3105-18. Review.
• Browning BL, Huebner C, Petermann I, Gearry RB, Barclay ML, Shelling AN, Ferguson LR. Has toll-like receptor 4 been prematurely dismissed as an inflammatory bowel disease gene? Association study combined with meta-analysis shows strong evidence for association. Am J Gastroenterol. 2007 Nov;102(11):2504-12. Epub 2007 Sep 10.
•  Browning BL, Annese V, Barclay ML, Bingham SA, Brand S, Büning C, Castro M, Cucchiara S, Dallapiccola B, Drummond H, Ferguson LR, Ferraris A, Fisher SA, Gearry RB, Glas J, Henckaerts L, Huebner C, Knafelz D, Lakatos L, Lakatos PL, Latiano A, Liu X, Mathew C, Müller-Myhsok B, Newman WG, Nimmo ER, Noble CL, Palmieri O, Parkes M, Petermann I, Rutgeerts P, Satsangi J, Shelling AN, Siminovitch KA, Török HP, Tremelling M, Vermeire S, Valvano MR, Witt H. Gender-stratified analysis of DLG5 R30Q in 4707 patients with Crohn disease and 4973 controls from 12 Caucasian cohorts. J Med Genet. 2008 Jan;45(1):36-42. Epub 2007 Aug 10.
• Ferguson LR, Philpott M. Cancer prevention by dietary bioactive components that target the immune response.
  Curr Cancer Drug Targets. 2007 Aug;7(5):459-64. Review.
• Ferguson LR, Shelling AN, Browning BL, Huebner C, Petermann I. Genes, diet and inflammatory bowel disease.
  Mutat Res. 2007 Sep 1;622(1-2):70-83. Epub 2007 Jun 2. Review.
• Ferguson LR, Shelling AN, Lauren D, Heyes JA, McNabb WC; Nutrigenomics New Zealand. Nutrigenomics and gut health. Mutat Res. 2007 Sep 1;622(1-2):1-6. Epub 2007 May 5.
• Philpott M, Mackay L, Ferguson LR, Forbes D, Skinner M. Cell culture models in developing nutrigenomics foods for inflammatory bowel disease. Mutat Res. 2007 Sep 1;622(1-2):94-102. Epub 2007 May 5.
• Shelling AN, Ferguson LR. Genetic variation in human disease and a new role for copy number variants.
  Mutat Res. 2007 Sep 1;622(1-2):33-41. Epub 2007 May 5. Review.
• Hüebner C, Petermann I, Browning BL, Shelling AN, Ferguson LR. Triallelic single nucleotide polymorphisms and genotyping error in genetic epidemiology studies: MDR1 (ABCB1) G2677/T/A as an example. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2007 Jun;16(6):1185-92.
• Nelson SM, Ferguson LR, Denny WA. Non-covalent ligand/DNA interactions: minor groove binding agents.
  Mutat Res. 2007 Oct 1;623(1-2):24-40. Epub 2007 Apr 6. Review.
• Ferguson LR, Denny WA. Genotoxicity of non-covalent interactions: DNA intercalators. Mutat Res. 2007 Oct 1;623(1-2):14-23. Epub 2007 Apr 6. Review.
• Browning BL, Huebner C, Petermann I, Demmers P, McCulloch A, Gearry RB, Barclay ML, Shelling AN, Ferguson LR. Association of DLG5 variants with inflammatory bowel disease in the New Zealand Caucasian population and meta-analysis of the DLG5 R30Q variant. Inflamm Bowel Dis. 2007 Sep;13(9):1069-76.
• Love DR, Lan CC, Dodd A, Shelling AN, McNabb WC, Ferguson LR. Modeling inflammatory bowel disease: the zebrafish as a way forward. Expert Rev Mol Diagn. 2007 Mar;7(2):177-93. Review.
• Ferguson LR, Philpott M, Karunasinghe N. Oxidative DNA damage and repair: significance and biomarkers.
  J Nutr. 2006 Oct;136(10):2687S-9S.
• Karunasinghe N, Ferguson LR, Tuckey J, Masters J. Hemolysate thioredoxin reductase and glutathione peroxidase activities correlate with serum selenium in a group of New Zealand men at high prostate cancer risk.
  J Nutr. 2006 Aug;136(8):2232-5.
• Ferguson LR. Nutrigenomics: integrating genomic approaches into nutrition research. Mol Diagn Ther. 2006;10(2):101-8. Review.
• Ghosh D, Skinner M, Ferguson LR. The role of the Therapeutic Goods Administration and the Medicine and Medical Devices Safety Authority in evaluating complementary and alternative medicines in Australia and New Zealand. Toxicology. 2006 Apr 3;221(1):88-94. Epub 2006 Feb 14.
• Hoffmann GR, Yin CC, Terry CE, Ferguson LR, Denny WA. Frameshift mutations induced by four isomeric nitroacridines and their des-nitro counterpart in the lacZ reversion assay in Escherichia coli. Environ Mol Mutagen. 2006 Mar;47(2):82-94.
• De Flora S, Ferguson LR. Overview of mechanisms of cancer chemopreventive agents. Mutat Res. 2005 Dec 11;591(1-2):8-15. Epub 2005 Aug 16. Review.
• Ferguson LR, Bronzetti G, De Flora S. Mechanistic approaches to chemoprevention of mutation and cancer.
  Mutat Res. 2005 Dec 11;591(1-2):3-7. Epub 2005 Aug 10.
• Ferguson LR, De Flora S. Multiple drug resistance, antimutagenesis and anticarcinogenesis. Mutat Res. 2005 Dec 11;591(1-2):24-33. Epub 2005 Aug 8. Review.
• Ferguson LR. Does a diet rich in dietary fibre really reduce the risk of colon cancer? Dig Liver Dis. 2005 Mar;37(3):139-41. Epub 2004 Dec 15. No abstract available.
• Harris PJ, Chavan RR, Ferguson LR. Production and characterisation of two wheat-bran fractions: an aleurone-rich and a pericarp-rich fraction. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2005 Jun;49(6):536-45.
• Lim CC, Ferguson LR, Tannock GW.  Dietary fibres as "prebiotics": implications for colorectal cancer.
  Mol Nutr Food Res. 2005 Jun;49(6):609-19. Review.
• Ferguson LR, Zhu ST, Harris PJ. Antioxidant and antigenotoxic effects of plant cell wall hydroxycinnamic acids in cultured HT-29 cells. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2005 Jun;49(6):585-93.
• Nelson SM, Ferguson LR, Denny WA. Demonstration by real-time polymerase chain reaction that cellular DNA alkylation by novel aminoindoline compounds affects expression of the protooncogene c-myc. Chem Res Toxicol. 2005 Feb;18(2):239-48.
• Torous DK, Hall NE, Illi-Love AH, Diehl MS, Cederbrant K, Sandelin K, Pontén I, Bolcsfoldi G, Ferguson LR, Pearson A, Majeska JB, Tarca JP, Hynes GM, Lynch AM, McNamee JP, Bellier PV, Parenteau M, Blakey D, Bayley J, van der Leede BJ, Vanparys P, Harbach PR, Zhao S, Filipunas AL, Johnson CW, Tometsko CR, Dertinger SD. Interlaboratory validation of a CD71-based flow cytometric method (Microflow) for the scoring of micronucleated reticulocytes in mouse peripheral blood. Environ Mol Mutagen. 2005;45(1):44-55.
• Philpott M, Ferguson LR. Immunonutrition and cancer. Mutat Res. 2004 Jul 13;551(1-2):29-42. Review.
• Collins AR, Ferguson LR. Nutrition and carcinogenesis. Mutat Res. 2004 Jul 13;551(1-2):1-8. Review.
• Ferguson LR, Karunasinghe N, Philpott M. Epigenetic events and protection from colon cancer in New Zealand.
  Environ Mol Mutagen. 2004;44(1):36-43.
• Nelson SM, Ferguson LR, Denny WA. DNA and the chromosome - varied targets for chemotherapy.
  Cell Chromosome. 2004 May 24;3(1):2.
• Ferguson LR, Philpott M, Karunasinghe N. Dietary cancer and prevention using antimutagens.
  Toxicology. 2004 May 20;198(1-3):147-59. Review.
• Kestell P, Zhu S, Ferguson LR. Mechanisms by which resistant starches and non-starch polysaccharide sources affect the metabolism and disposition of the food carcinogen, 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline.
  J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci. 2004 Mar 25;802(1):201-10.
• Philpott M, Gould KS, Lim C, Ferguson LR. In situ and in vitro antioxidant activity of sweetpotato anthocyanins.
  J Agric Food Chem. 2004 Mar 24;52(6):1511-3.
• Karunasinghe N, Ryan J, Tuckey J, Masters J, Jamieson M, Clarke LC, Marshall JR, Ferguson LR. DNA stability and serum selenium levels in a high-risk group for prostate cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2004 Mar;13(3):391-7.
• Thoma C, Green TJ, Ferguson LR. Citrus pectin and oligofructose improve folate status and lower serum total homocysteine in rats. Int J Vitam Nutr Res. 2003 Nov;73(6):403-9.
• Ferguson LR, Lim IF, Pearson AE, Ralph J, Harris PJ. Bacterial antimutagenesis by hydroxycinnamic acids from plant cell walls. Mutat Res. 2003 Dec 9;542(1-2):49-58.
• Whiteside G, Ferguson LR, Denny WA, Weir IE. Mode of cell death induced in Chinese hamster cells by sequence-selective DNA minor groove binding nitrogen mustards: comparison with untargeted mustards and with Hoechst 33342. Oncol Res. 2003;13(11):491-502.
• Ferguson LR, Zhu S, Kestell P. Contrasting effects of non-starch polysaccharide and resistant starch-based diets on the disposition and excretion of the food carcinogen, 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (IQ), in a rat model. Food Chem Toxicol. 2003 Jun;41(6):785-92.