From fine wine to the immune system

The aroma of a fine wine and auto-immune disease may seem a world apart, but to Heather Brown it's not a giant leap of logic to go from one to the other.

The 23-year-old is investigating potential improvements to smell compounds in wine at the University of Auckland's wine science group. But next year she will travel to Cambridge University in Britain to study for her PhD in immunology after winning a Woolf Fisher Scholarship.

"It's quite a change, but I've studied immunisation before and there are a lot of transferable skills," said the Auckland student.

Ms Brown is one of three students awarded the scholarship, worth $100,000 a year.

She recently finished a Bachelor of Science Honours degree in biochemistry and molecular biology and will take up the fellowship in Cambridge next October where her work will surround immunology and the disease lupus, a chronic illness in which the immune system becomes hyperactive, for unknown reasons, and attacks normal tissue.

"I am really hoping to be exposed to areas of molecular biology and medical research that I have never come across before, and get ideas and directions for further research."

The Woolf Fisher Trust was established by Fisher & Paykel co-founder Sir Woolf Fisher in 1960, and rewards excellence in education. The other winners, who will be presented with their awards at a celebration dinner tonight, are Ranald Clouston of Victoria University of Wellington and Elizabeth Cottrell of the University of Otago.

Dr Nigel Evans, Secretary of the Woolf Fisher Trust, said while the scholars had first-class academic records there was more to the award than just good marks.

Sir Woolf Fisher admired integrity, kindness, generosity, leadership and boldness of vision, along with exceptional zeal, keenness and capacity for work, he said.