David Mottershead

Biography

I joined the School of Pharmacy as a Lecturer in Biochemistry & Cell Biology at the beginning of 2016. From the beginning of 2009 until 2014 I was a Senior Research Fellow in the School of Paediatrics and Reproductive Health, at the University of Adelaide (Australia) heading up a group researching the oocyte-secreted factors GDF9 and BMP15. More recently (2015) I established a biotech consulting company (Mottasis Oy Ltd) based in Helsinki, Finland, specializing in the area of mammalian cell expression of recombinant proteins. My PhD research was carried out in the Biochemistry Dept. at the University of Adelaide (1990), which was followed by a number of Postdoc positions (Boston (USA), Sydney (Australia), Helsinki (Finland)). My research interests remain in particular with the growth factors GDF9 & BMP15, focussing on structure/function relationships, signal transduction mechanisms and the development of novel forms with applications for infertility treatment. 

Research Interest

In my research I focus on two growth factors produced by oocytes and which are essential for fertility in mammals, namely growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) and bone morphogenetic factor 15 (BMP15). These two proteins are members of the large transforming growth factor beta (TGF-b) family which share structural similarities and mechanisms of action.