Dr Keely Oldham, recipient of Medicines New Zealand’s 2026 Innovation Jump Start Award
University of Waikato early-career researcher Dr Keely Oldham has received a national award for her work on developing bacteria-killing viruses as a potential new weapon against antibiotic-resistant infections.
The postdoctoral fellow was named the recipient of Medicines New Zealand’s 2026 Innovation Jump Start Award at a ceremony held at Parliament on Wednesday, receiving up to $30,000 in research and career support funding.
The award is part of Medicine New Zealand’s Value of Medicines Awards, which supports emerging researchers and potential future leaders to establish their careers and advance biopharmaceutical research that could improve health outcomes for New Zealanders.
Dr Oldham's research focuses on phage therapy, which uses viruses known as bacteriophages, or phages, to infect and kill bacteria and could provide an alternative or complement to antibiotics.
"Bacteria are becoming resistant to antibiotics faster than new antibiotics can be developed," Dr Oldham says.
Dr Oldham receiving her award by MP Dr Parmjeet Parmar
"Receiving this award not only helps me explore new ways to treat these infections but gives me that extra piece of encouragement that I'm spending my time where it's most needed," Dr Oldham says.
“This award will help me establish myself as an early-career scientist and support my work in the rapidly advancing field of phage research."
One of the challenges with phage therapy is that bacteria have their own immune system that protects them against phages, limiting their effectiveness.
Dr Oldham is investigating whether phages can be engineered to overcome these defences, using a newly discovered defence enzyme from Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a bacterium that can cause serious and difficult-to-treat infections.
"If we can help phages overcome those bacterial defences by engineering them with enzymes that disable the bacteria's immune response, this could be an important step towards developing more effective treatments for antibiotic-resistant infections."
Medicines New Zealand has recognised researchers undertaking innovative medicines research through its Value of Medicines Awards since 2011.
Giving her acceptance speech at Parliament.
Todd Krieble, Chairman of Medicines New Zealand, says through these awards they are actively supporting New Zealand’s science and health research.
“The awards reflect the importance of a strong research and development ecosystem in New Zealand, and we are proud to acknowledge and support the New Zealanders who already are and who will in the future contribute to that,” he says.
