Rate My Professor Greg Giles

Dr. Greg Giles is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, University of Otago, and serves as Co-Director of the Biomedical Sciences Teaching Programme in the Faculty of Biomedical Sciences. He holds a BSc (Hons) and PhD. His academic career at the University of Otago centers on advancing knowledge in pharmacology through research and teaching in biomedical sciences.

The research of Dr. Greg Giles and his group investigates biological reduction and oxidation (REDOX) reactions, fundamental to energy metabolism, signal transduction, enzyme function, and immune system defence. Cells rely on antioxidant networks involving enzymes, vitamins, and reductants to maintain reducing environments; failures result in oxidative stress, contributing to diseases including cancer, aging, diabetes, cardiovascular dysfunction, and dementia. The group pursues drug discovery to safeguard cells from oxidative damage and translate findings into therapies. Key interests encompass medicinal chemistry, drug design, free radical biology, nitric oxide, antioxidants, cancer, stroke, heart disease, and dementia. Dr. Giles' scholarship is evidenced by more than 5,300 citations on Google Scholar. Influential publications include 'Sulfur and selenium: the role of oxidation state in protein structure and function' (Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2003), 'Metal and redox modulation of cysteine protein function' (Chemistry & Biology, 2003), 'Reactive sulfur species: an emerging concept in oxidative stress' (2002), 'Hypothesis: the role of reactive sulfur species in oxidative stress' (Free Radical Biology and Medicine, 2001), and 'Multiple roles of cysteine in biocatalysis' (Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 2003). Recent works feature 'Photoactivation of tDodSNO induces localized vasodilation in rats: Metabolically stable S-nitrosothiols can act as targeted nitric oxide donors in vivo' (Nitric Oxide, 2022) and 'SMA-BmobaSNO: An intelligent photoresponsive nitric oxide releasing polymer for drug nanoencapsulation and targeted delivery' (Nanotechnology, 2022). His contributions have shaped understanding of redox processes in disease and therapeutic development.