Cynthia Sun

Team Leader and Principal Scientist

Biotechnologies

Leading protein and enzyme biotechnology research

I'm currently the Team Leader and Principal Research Scientist in the Advanced Protein Science team within the Biotechnologies group. I have deep experience and expertise in the field of biochemistry around biotransformation, protein extraction, glycoenzymes and bioassays.

Working alongside a team of exceptionally talented and smart individuals is a core motivation as we get challenged daily by customer requested projects needing research. My understanding of the complexities of proteins and enzymes enables me to lead the development of innovative biotechnological solutions.

Our team have received repeated R&D contracts from several international companies for new drugs and alternative proteins R&D projects. Additionally, in areas of recombinant protein purification and scale-up downstream processing, we have been working with biotech companies from NZ and overseas in the emerging synthetic biology industry.

As a member of the NZ Institute of Food Science and Technologies, I actively engage with fellow professionals in the field, staying updated with the latest trends and breakthroughs in the industry.

Throughout my career, I have been committed to research excellence to advance our understanding of proteins and enzymes and their industrial applications.

Areas of expertise

Biochemistry
Process development for protein/enzyme extraction
Biotransformation including both synthesis and hydrolysis, especially applications with glycoenzymes, proteases and lipid related enzymes.
Characterisation of enzymes and proteins
Bioassay development.
Bioassay-guided bioactive product development

Education

PhD in Biochemistry, The University of Auckland, 2000

Memberships and awards

Member of NZ Institute of Food Science and Technologies

Selected publications

Biotransformation of flavonoid conjugates with fatty acids and evaluations of their functionalities, Sun, C.Q.; Johnson, K.D.; Wong, H.; Foo L.Y., Front. Pharmacol. - Ethnopharmacology, 2017 https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2017.00759.
Recombinant, Truncated B. circulans Keratanase-II: Description and Characterisation of a Novel Enzyme for Use in Measuring Urinary Keratan Sulphate Levels via LC-MS/MS in Morquio A Syndrome, Steward, M.; Berezovskaya, Y.; Zhou, H.; Shediac, R.; Sun, C.; Miller, N.; Rendle, P., Clinical Biochemistry, 2015, 14(12). DOI: 10.1016/j.clinbiochem.2015.03.024.
A new assay for determining ganglioside sialyltransferase activities in ovine and bovine organs, Sun, C.Q.; Hubl, U.; Hoefakker, P.; Vasudevamurthy, M.K.; Johnson, K.D., PLOS One, 2014. 10.1371/journal.pone.0094206.
Biotransformation using recombinant CMP sialic acid synthetase and α-2, 6-sialyltransferase: enzymatic synthesis of sialosides, Hubl, U.; Sun, C.; Zhang, S.; Watt, D.; Kim, S.; Ryan, J.; Johnson, K., Ameri. J. Biochem and Biotech., 2012, 8(4), 288-303. DOI : 10.3844/ajbbsp.2012.288.303
The products from lipase-catalysed hydrolysis of bovine milkfat kill Helicobacter pylori in vitro, Sun, C.Q.; O’Connor, C.J.; MacGibbon, A.K,H.; Roberton, A.M., FEMS Immunol. Med. Microbiol. 2007, 49(2), 235-242.