Malaghan News and Events

Discovery could lead to greener ways of making drugs

Thu, 17 May 2012 10:44:29 +1200

MEDIA RELEASE FROM VICTORIA UNIVERSITY OF WELLINGTON

Discoveries made during PhD studies by Victoria University graduate Emma Dangerfield could revolutionise the pharmaceutical industry, by allowing drugs to be made in a more environmentally friendly way.

Dr Dangerfield’s formula allows drug molecules to be made in five to eight steps, around half the usual number. Instead of petrol, her system uses water and ethanol, delivering environmental benefits and cutting the costs involved in generating and disposing of waste. It also uses renewable raw materials that come from plants, such as trees, corn and rice husks.

Traditional methods of drug manufacture use toxic organic solvents and petrochemicals, a process that results in around 240,000 tonnes of potentially harmful waste having to be disposed of each year.

The work, which has been patented, is one of two strands of research into carbohydrates - energy-giving sugars and starches – carried out by Dr Dangerfield as part of a joint project between Victoria University and the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research. Dr Dangerfield is being supervised by Malaghan’s Dr Bridget Stocker and Victoria’s Dr Mattie Timmer.

Dr Dangerfield discovered two new chemical reactions and, subsequently, developed a process that uses them to more quickly and efficiently make aza sugars, important molecules in the manufacture of drugs to treat diseases such as diabetes, cancer and viral infections like HIV.

“Rather than just using the technologies we’ve got, I’ve always believed we should be trying to find new, better ways of synthesising molecules,” says Dr Dangerfield.

After proving the viability of the system she developed, Dr Dangerfield went on to investigate how the technology performed in other drug development reactions, with promising results.

The green chemistry research Dr Dangerfield is involved with has been published in six international journals, including Organic Letters, and been cited in top-ranked publications such as Nature Chemistry.

A number of other students working on the joint Victoria/Malaghan research project are continuing to research green chemistry, an area in its infancy but one that Dr Dangerfield says is attracting a lot of international attention.

The other strand of her PhD research was carried out as part of a programme to develop new treatments that use the body’s own immune system to fight cancer.

Her focus was on a very powerful “super” immune cell in the human body, called the iNKT (Natural Killer T) cell, which can give the immune system a giant boost and help it attack and kill cancer cells.

Dr Dangerfield has been identifying compounds called glycolipids that can activate iNKT cells.

Internationally, a number of research groups are studying the activity of iNKT cells and Dr Dangerfield’s work, which is soon to be published in the international journal ChemBioChem, will feed into a growing body of knowledge about how to harness the power of this super cell.

Dr Dangerfield completed undergraduate and Honours degrees in Biomedical Science at Victoria before beginning her PhD in 2008.

“You do count the journey from the start of your university study so it feels great to have reached this particular milestone.”

Long term, Dr Dangerfield intends to continue researching the role carbohydrates play in the immune system.

For more information contact Emma Dangerfield on edangerfield@malaghan.org.nz

Media Release prepared by Shelley Cartwright, Communications Manager, Victoria University.

2012/2013 Entertainment Book

Wed, 02 May 2012 10:16:49 +1200

The new 2012/2012 Entertainment™ Books are now available to purchase!

You can support the Malaghan Institute's fundraising efforts by purchasing your book online - simply click here

Entertainment™ Books are packed with hundreds of up to 50% off and 2-for-1 offers for the best restaurants, cafes, hotel accommodation, attractions and activities. Plus 20% of every book purchased will support the Malaghan Institute's research into cancer, asthma and allergies, arthritis, MS and infectious diseases!

Books for all regions are available. Click on the 'Preview' links below to take a sneak peak.

Auckland $65 Preview

Waikato and Bay of Plenty $55 Preview

Wellington $60 Preview

Canterbury $65 no preview available

Dunedin, Invercargill, Queenstown and Surrounds $55 Preview

Click here to purchase your 2012/2013 Entertainment™ Book

World Day of Immunology 2012

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 19:28:53 +1200

Sunday, 29 April 2012, is World Day of Immunology – a time for us to acknowledge the extraordinary potential of the immunology research being undertaken right here in New Zealand and across the globe.

Immunology is a vibrant and ever-changing branch of biomedical science that deals with the study of the immune system; a complex network of tissues, cells and proteins that scientists at the Malaghan Institute believe hold the key to treating disease.

Every day we are exposed to a wide variety of infectious organisms such as viruses, bacteria and parasites. Our immune system is like our own personal defence force that is ready and waiting to fight the infections that they cause. When we are vaccinated or immunised, what we are effectively doing is providing our immune system with a detailed description of particular ‘nasties’ that could be lurking around the corner, so it defends more quickly and effectively.

What is less well known, is that our immune system can also protect us from developing non-infectious diseases such as cancer. Here the challenge is getting the immune system to really take notice of a developing cancer – something scientists at the Malaghan Institute and around the world also hope to achieve with vaccines. Unlike preventative vaccines such as the flu shot however, a cancer vaccine is given to an individual after they have already shown signs of disease.

By developing immunotherapies and vaccines that supercharge the immune systems of cancer patients, or downregulate the overactive immune responses that give rise to asthma and allergy in certain individuals, our scientists are striving to make a genuine difference to the way we treat disease in this country.

So, on World Day of Immunology, take a moment to stop and reflect on the incredible work your immune system is doing right now, beneath your skin, to keep you well. And if you decide to help it along this winter by getting a flu shot and your arm aches a bit afterwards, don’t worry, it is just your immune system’s way of saying “thanks for the heads up!”

Scope 47 - News under the microscope

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 15:11:27 +1200

Learning from the best

Pictured: Prof Manfred Kopf.

Earlier this year we were fortunate to have two highly respected international immunologists, Prof Manfred Kopf (from Switzerland) and Prof Dan Eilat (from Israel), visit the Malaghan Institute to work with our scientists. This was a great opportunity for both our staff and students to exchange information and ideas with world leaders in the fields of cellular immunology and autoimmunity. Both visiting scientists stated that they were impressed by the facilities at the Malaghan Institute and by the calibre of the research being undertaken here.

An evening at Pah Homestead

Pictured L-R:Prof Graham Le Gros, Sir David Levene and Chairmain Graham Malaghan.

The Trust Board and Director of the Malaghan Institute hosted an evening of conversation and music at Pah Homestead in Auckland, on Sunday 1 April. The Auckland Youth Orchestra entertained 70 guests as they took the opportunity to view the current exhibition in the Wallace Arts Centre. The formalities for the evening included speeches from Sir David Levene and Prof Graham Les Gros, who focused on Positive Philanthropy. It was an enjoyable evening surrounded by great art and good company.

Remembering Sir Paul Callaghan

The passing of renowned physicist and 2011 New Zealander of the Year, Professor Sir Paul Callaghan, on 24 March 2012, saw New Zealanders from all walks of life come together to jointly mourn the loss of an exceptional individual. Malaghan Institute Director, Prof Graham Le Gros says that it was a privilege to have known Sir Paul and that his contribution to science in this country will never be forgotten.

2012/2013 Entertainment Books

The new 2012/2013 Entertainment Books are now available! Did you know that you can purchase a book online and a portion of each book sold comes to the Malaghan Institute to support our research programmes? Books for all regions are available - visit www.malaghan.org.nz/entertainmentbooks to find out more.

Kapiti Bookfair

Thank you very much to the Parawai Lions Club, who nominated the Malaghan Institute as one of the recipients of the proceeds of the Combined Lions Clubs of Kapiti Monster Bookfair held in October 2011.

Recent Grants (Oct 2011 - Mar 2012)

Our sincere thanks to the following Trusts and Foundations for their recent support:
•   Margaret Neave Charitable Trust
•   Southern Trust
•   Springhill Charitable Trust & Frimley Foundation
•   The Trusts Community Foundation

Click here to view the full Scope 47 pdf

Scope 47 - Why cancer research?

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:27:26 +1200

With cancer being a leading cause of death worldwide[1], it seems obvious that it would be an important research focus for any medical research institute. However, this is only one part of the story of why the Malaghan Institute is involved with cancer research in particular.

The idea of a research institute was originally conceived in the early sixties by the Wellington Division of the Cancer Society of New Zealand and the Wellington Medical Research Foundation as it was realised that if research were to be fostered in the Wellington region, steps would have to be taken to provide physical facilities for the work. At that time, relatively little research was being conducted in the area due to a lack of facilities, nor was it customary for Hospital Boards to foster or support research in their hospitals.

When officially opened in 1979, the Institute was originally called The Wellington Cancer and Medical Research Institute (it was renamed the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research in 1986 in recognition of the support of Len and Ann Malaghan), and the research aims were to be split equally between general medical research and cancer.

These days, while the Institute now focuses on a wide range of diseases, we are still committed to research into the causes and treatments of cancers with just over half of all our scientists working on some aspect of cancer research. Our core cancer programmes are focused on exploiting the immune system to treat cancer through the development of vaccines and immunotherapies. Our scientists are also exploring several novel cancer treatment strategies that have the potential to enhance this research, which we highlight in this issue of Scope.

We are very proud of this work and of the fact that we have been able to translate some of our ‘bench’ research into early stage clinical trials, which we will update you on in Scope 48. Cancer affects many people in our communities and any steps we can take toward finding better treatments and cures will be profoundly felt for generations to come.

Click here to view the full Scope 47 pdf

[1] accounting for 7.6 million deaths (around 13% of all deaths) in 2008 (reference: World Health Organization; Globocan 2008, IARC, 2010)

Scope 47 - From the Director

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:20:00 +1200

Cancer has been a plague on our society since the dawn of recorded history.

Since the first description of breast cancer and its treatment in ancient Egypt, scientists and clinicians have been working on a cure for this complex family of diseases – albeit with limited success.

Despite revolutionary advances in medicine and its practice over the past two centuries, cancer treatment has gone through a comparatively slow process of development. To some extent the belief that cancer cannot be cured persists even today.

Although the one-hit cancer cure remains elusive, over recent years several promising drugs have come to the market that extend the lives of cancer patients, such as Herceptin (breast cancer), Glivvec (chronic myeloid leukaemia), and the prostate cancer vaccine Provenge.

Every great success story starts with a single idea and in this issue of Scope we describe three different strategies being developed at the Malaghan Institute for treating cancer. Only time will tell if they make it through the years of rigorous testing to become mainstream therapies used in the clinic, but that is the nature of basic research, and it is a journey we are all committed to seeing through to the end.

Prof Graham Le Gros

Click here to view the full Scope 47 pdf

Scope 47 - Using Vitamin C to boost radiation therapy

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:22:23 +1200

Researchers have found evidence that high dose vitamin C could make brain tumours more susceptible to radiation therapy.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a highly aggressive brain tumour that is ultimately fatal, because it is very resistant to treatments such as radiation therapy.

In radiation therapy a lethal dose of radiation is delivered to a tumour whilst sparing the surrounding healthy tissues as much as possible. Radiation kills both normal and cancerous cells by generating free radicals that destroy their DNA, however healthy cells have repair mechanisms that enable them to recover from the treatment more quickly.

High dose vitamin C also generates free radicals in the acidic, metal-rich environment of a tumour, but not in normal tissues. Dr Patries Herst, a senior lecturer in Radiation Therapy at the University of Otago, Wellington, therefore hypothesised that high dose vitamin C may work synergistically with radiation treatment to increase free radical damage to GBM tumours.

In collaboration with Dr Melanie McConnell, Dr Herst investigated the effect of combining high dose vitamin C with radiation on the survival of cancer cells isolated from GBM tumours. She found that pre-treating GBM cells with vitamin C did indeed make it easier to kill them with radiation.

The use of high dose vitamin C as an anti-cancer treatment is very controversial. Early studies using oral and intravenous vitamin C showed a survival benefit for terminally ill patients but later studies using only oral vitamin C did not. Recent research has shown that vitamin C accumulates in the blood at concentrations high enough to kill cancer cells only when given intravenously.

If carefully designed clinical trials support Dr Herst’s basic research findings that combining high dose vitamin C with radiation therapy improves patient survival, there may be merit in combining both treatments for radiation-resistant cancers such as GBM.

Pictured above: Dr Patries Herst (sitting) and Dr Melanie McConnell

Click here to view the full Scope 47 pdf

Scope 47 - Pulling the plug on cancer

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:25:51 +1200

If you have ever experienced the frustration of a power outage you can appreciate how much we rely on energy to survive. The same is true for cancer cells - only in this case Prof Mike Berridge and his team are happy to be the ones pulling the plug.

It has long been known that cancer cells use nutrients differently than normal cells to produce energy. Elevated glucose uptake for example is a common property of metastatic tumours (cancers that spread). It is this increased need for glucose that makes cancer cells stand out from normal cells on positron emission tomography (PET) scans of tumours.

High glucose uptake is associated with glycolytic metabolism, a term used to describe cells that derive their energy from a pathway that does not involve burning oxygen via mitochondria - the more efficient aerobic energy powerhouses of the cell. Switching to a predominantly glycolytic metabolism has been suggested as a key survival strategy of cancer cells.

To investigate how energy metabolism affects the ability of cancer cells to form tumours and spread, Research Fellow An Tan developed glycolytic models of melanoma and breast cancer cells. The mitochondria in these cells are not able to produce energy, so the cells rely entirely on glycolysis for their survival.

Based on previous findings it was anticipated that these glycolytic cells would be highly cancerous, however An instead found that the cells were unable to metastasise and form tumours in the lungs. Even more surprising, the tumours that did form appeared to have somehow acquired an ability to reactivate their energy-producing mitochondria.

Subsequent analysis of the cells by An and Dr James Baty has revealed a startling new phenomenon in tumour biology. The outcome has therapeutic implications for controlling the growth and metastasis of glycolytic tumours.

Click here to view the full Scope 47 pdf

Scope 47 - The scientists behind our cancer research

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:31:32 +1200

Professor Mike Berridge's history with the Malaghan Institute dates back to the late seventies, when he came to the Institute as the second Malaghan Fellow. Fast-forward to today and Prof Berridge is leading the Cancer Cell and Molecular Biology research team as they apply their knowledge of cell biology to the treatment of human diseases, with a particular emphasis on cancer and diseases involving altered energy metabolism.

The Cancer Cell and Molecular Biology research group emerged in 1980, just a couple of years after the Malaghan Institute opened. Prof Mike Berridge and founding group member An Tan have since worked together on a large number of projects. Along with the help of a steady flow of PhD students, their work has lead to more than 90 international publications, one of which is amongst New Zealand's most highly cited original research papers - a direct measure of its scientific importance.

Currently working alongside Prof Berridge and An are Postdoctoral research fellow Dr James Baty, Research Officer Carole Grasso and MSc student Alanna Cameron. Prof Berridge says of the group, "The spark of excitement and novelty that ignited the group more than 30 years ago remains alive today."

Pictured above L-R: Dr James Baty, An Tan, Carole Grasso, Prof Mike Berridge

Click here to view the full Scope 47 pdf

Scope 47 - Can we treat cancer with bacteria?

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:39:28 +1200

The potential of using bacteria to treat cancer has long been recognised, but can we do so without having to first make the patient sicker?

In the late 1800s American surgeon Dr William Coley made the remarkable observation that erysipelas (Streptococcus pyogenes) infection in cancer patients coincided with a shrinking of their tumours. Coley then used a crude mixture of killed bacteria called ‘Coley’s toxins’, to activate the immune systems of his cancer patients. His theory being that the immune responses elicited by the bacteria were equally capable of destroying tumour tissue. Although Coley’s results were encouraging, there were serious problems with this approach, mostly concerned with how sick his patients got as a result of their treatment.

Fortunately science has progressed much since Coley’s original experiments and controlled injection of mycobacteria is now a standard first line therapy for bladder cancer, although not without its complications.

In view of the varying, but promising, therapeutic activity of bacterial cell wall components in cancer therapy, efforts have been made to identify the molecules responsible for stimulating the anti-tumour immune responses.

Our Immunoglycomics team, led by Dr Bridget Stocker and Dr Mattie Timmer, were the first to determine how the length of a particular mycobacterial cell wall glycolipid influences the immune response. PhD student Ashna Khan was able to demonstrate this by synthesising a series of glycolipids of defined size and screening these against specific immune cells. Her work featured on the cover of the ChemBioChem journal at the end of last year due to its high scientific quality.

Ashna is now collaborating with Prof Franca Ronchese and Sabine Kuhn to develop safe versions of the immune-stimulating bacterial compounds for the treatment of cancer patients.

Pictured above: Ashna Khan

Click here to view the full Scope 47 pdf

Scope 47 - Three generations support the Run for Research

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:49:00 +1200

Your Link

Taking part in the Malaghan Run for Research last month and raising over $1,000 meant something very special to Wellingtonian Marie Gillies.

Ranging in age from nine to 68 years, Marie, along with her two daughters and two granddaughters walked the 7km around the bays of Wellington together in memory of their beloved husband, father and grandfather, Bob, who died of cancer a year ago.

Bob was a fit and active 69 year old, still working and enjoying life when he was diagnosed with lymphoma in November 2010. He sadly passed away, a mere four months later, on 27 March 2011.

“For us as a family, this was a difficult and shocking time and it is only through continuing research into cancer, that treatments can improve, and who knows, maybe a cure will be found,” says Marie.

“It was our pleasure to take this small opportunity to help support the important research work the Institute does. I guess for us, cancer research will always remain an important priority.”

Pictured: Marie Gillies

Click here to view the full Scope 47 pdf

Scope 47 - Run for Research success!

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:52:24 +1200

What a sight it was to see over 12,000 people line Jervois Quay in Wellington on Sunday 26 February for the sell-out 2012 AMI Round the Bays!

This year our involvement in this event was taken to a whole new level after being announced as the event’s new Official Charity Partner. Around 130 people took part in the Malaghan Institute Run for Research and another 150 people took part as Malaghan Charity Runners, helping to raise over $35,000 to support our research.

Melissa Moon, the two-time World Mountain Running Champion, World Stair Racing Champion and Malaghan Institute Run for Research Ambassador gave a motivating speech to the crowd, kicking the event off to a great start on what was a stunning Wellington day.

The Run for Research brought together people of all ages, from all walks of life and fitness levels, however a uniting feature was their motivation to get behind a great cause and support the work of the Malaghan Institute. For some it was the loss of a loved one that drove them to take part and fundraise, for others, simply the knowledge that they were making a difference.

The event provided an excellent opportunity to reach the wider community and raise awareness of the Malaghan Institute in addition to raising important funds. To capitalise on this opportunity, the Institute was also supported by Lexus of Wellington who loaned a Lexus RX SUV that was branded with decals for the period leading up to the event.

This year marked the beginning of a great partnership between the Malaghan Institute, AMI Insurance and Sport Wellington and it is fantastic to have the opportunity to get the Malaghan name out there and associated with such a well known and loved community focused event.

We have been humbled by the enthusiasm and dedication of the individuals and teams who took part in the Run for Research and the support of those in the community who donated. Thank you to everyone involved for making the 2012 Run for Research such a great success!

Pictured above: the pre-event Run for Research team photo

Thank you to the following organisations for their amazing support of the 2012 Run for Resarch:

AMI Insurance, Sport Wellington, Clemenger BBDO, Lexus of Wellington, Z Energy

Click here to view the full Scope 47 pdf

Taking on tuberculosis

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 09:20:17 +1300

With tuberculosis (TB) infection rates higher per capita than the United States, Canada and Australia, World TB Day on Saturday, 24 March 2012, was a timely reminder of New Zealand’s vulnerability to this often overlooked disease.

Tuberculosis is one of the world’s deadliest diseases and is responsible for nearly two million deaths annually. In New Zealand it is estimated that one person a day is newly diagnosed with TB, with the disease more prevalent in conditions of household crowding and relative poverty.

TB is caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which is spread from person to person through the air. On rare occasions the immune system of an affected individual can eradicate the bacteria, however in most cases the bacteria lie hidden in specialised granulomas in the lungs, where they avoid detection. TB bacteria are slow-growing and insensitive to drugs and thus require long-term multi-drug therapy to prevent resistance. Taken together, these factors create unique challenges for the development of new therapeutics to treat TB disease.

World TB day commemorates the date in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch announced his discovery of M. tuberculosis. This year the slogan to mark the date was “Stop TB in my Lifetime,” a goal that can only be achieved if scientists, clinicians and public health officials work together to develop more effective therapies for treating those at highest risk.

“New Zealand scientists have made a number of critical contributions to the global effort to fight TB,” says Infectious Diseases scientist Dr Joanna Kirman.

Dr Kirman heads a research team at the Malaghan Institute focused on reducing the incidence of TB in New Zealand through the development and implementation of more effective TB vaccines.

“The current TB vaccine, BCG, fails to reliably protect against adult TB lung disease,” she says. “Efforts to develop a new more effective vaccine for TB have been hampered by a lack of understanding of the immune response required for long-term protection.”

Identifying which components of the immune system are the most critical for protecting against TB is akin to finding the proverbial needle in a haystack. To get around this onerous undertaking, Dr Kirman and colleagues developed a novel strategy that involved trapping immune cells at specific sites in the body, and then looked to see how this influenced the ability of the immune system to protect against TB.

“Our research showed that a vaccine needs to drive the protective cells to the lung if we want to achieve good protection against TB,” says Dr Kirman.

Complementing this work is a drug discovery platform involving the Malaghan Institute’s Immunoglycomics team, led by Dr Bridget Stocker and Dr Mattie Timmer.

“The objective of our research is to better understand the mechanisms by which distinct bacterial components, such as those found on the surface of M. tuberculosis, modulate the host immune response,” says Dr Stocker.

Her team were the first to determine how the length of a particular mycobacterial cell wall glycolipid can influence the activation of the immune response. PhD student Ashna Khan was able to demonstrate this by synthesising a series of glycolipids of defined size and screening these against specific immune cells. Her work was published recently in the international scientific journal ChemBioChem, where it featured on the front cover.

Dr Stocker and colleagues are also developing a unique drug delivery system that specially targets macrophages, the immune cells within the granulomas where the M. tuberculosis bacteria reside.

“Our goal is to be able to deliver TB drug(s) directly to the site of infection,” says Dr Stocker. “This will lead to a higher therapeutic index of any given TB-drug. In addition, the immunostimulatory properties of the molecules we are using make it easier to kill the bacteria.”

It is anticipated that the knowledge and technologies emerging from these Malaghan Institute research programmes will lead to the development of better therapeutics and vaccination strategies for the treatment of individuals with TB. In doing so, the Malaghan Institute is proud to be able to make a small, but significant contribution to the ‘call for a world free of TB’.

Link to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website to learn more about tuberculosis

Read more about TB control in New Zealand

Paying tribute to Sir Paul Callaghan

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 09:39:52 +1300

“The passing of renowned physicist Professor Sir Paul Callaghan on Saturday following a long battle with aggressive bowel cancer is a tremendous loss,” says Malaghan Institute Director Prof Graham Le Gros.

“Sir Paul was a truly great New Zealander with an electric personality,” he says. “It was a privilege to have known him.”

Born in Wanganui, Sir Paul studied physics at Victoria University of Wellington, before undertaking his PhD at the University of Oxford, England. From here Sir Paul went on to establish a career in science in New Zealand that was distinguished with awards and accolades too numerous to list. Most noteworthy of which was the Rutherford Medal – New Zealand’s top science award that recognises a lifetime of exceptional contribution to the advancement of science in this country.

A natural communicator, Sir Paul will also be remembered for his unique ability to engage people, and get them thinking and talking about science.

"Sir Paul had a lovely way with everyone, no matter what their background, and gave you the sense that we all have something to contribute to this great game of life," says Prof Le Gros.

"He was generous with his time and praise of anyone who had a go."

"I am really sorry we couldn't do more together."

On behalf of everyone at the Malaghan Institute we offer our heartfelt condolences to the Callaghan family.

Link to Sir Pauls’ obituary in the Dominion Post to learn about his first scientific experiments – “blowing up rocks with Molotov cocktails.”

Read more about Sir Paul Callaghan in the stuff.co.nz article and tvnz national news.

Photo of Prof Sir Paul Callaghan courtesy of Matt Grace, Victoria University of Wellington.

Run for Research success!

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 10:09:23 +1300

What a sight it was to see over 12,000 people line Jervois Quay in Wellington on Sunday 26 February for the sell-out 2012 AMI Round the Bays!

This year our involvement in this event was taken to a whole new level after being announced as the event’s new Official Charity Partner. Around 130 people took part in the Malaghan Institute Run for Research and over 150 people participated as Malaghan Charity Runners, helping to raise over $35,000 to support our research.

Melissa Moon, the two-time World Mountain Running Champion, World Stair Racing Champion and Malaghan Institute Run for Research Ambassador, gave a motivating speech to the crowd, kicking the event off to a great start on what was a stunning Wellington day.

The Run for Research brought together people of all ages, from all walks of life and fitness levels, however a uniting feature was their motivation to get behind a great cause and support the work of the Malaghan Institute. For some it was the loss of a loved one that drove them to take part and fundraise, for others, simply the knowledge that they were making a difference.

The event provided an excellent opportunity to reach the wider community and raise awareness of the Malaghan Institute in addition to raising important funds. To capitalise on this opportunity, the Institute was also supported by Lexus of Wellington who loaned a Lexus RX SUV that was branded with decals for the period leading up to the event.

This year marked the beginning of a great partnership between the Malaghan Institute, AMI Insurance and Sport Wellington and it is fantastic to have the opportunity to get the Malaghan name out there and associated with such a well known and loved community focused event.

We have been humbled by the enthusiasm and dedication of the individuals and teams who took part in the Run for Research and the support of those in the community who donated. Thank you to everyone involved for making the 2012 Run for Research such a great success!

Thank you to the following organisations for their amazing support of the 2012 Run for Research:

Three years of Real Estate and Research

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 14:55:38 +1300

The Malaghan Institute is very honored to have received a third donation from Just Paterson Real Estate in memory of Sally Paterson who sadly passed away from brain cancer in 2009.

Just Paterson co-director, Ian Paterson, launched their ‘Blue September’ promotion in September 2009 as a way for Sally’s family, colleagues and clients to create something good out of their loss.

Since then, Just Paterson has been able to raise funds for the Malaghan Institute’s brain cancer research through agent fee donations, company contributions and gifts from the community. Their first donation was gifted in May 2010 and was a staggering $60,000. This was followed in 2011 with another $50,000 and, just this week, Ian was proud to be able to personally present another cheque for $45,000 to Prof Graham Le Gros.

Prof Le Gros says “the support we have received from Just Paterson over the past three years has been phenomenal. In addition to the money donated, Ian has also done an amazing job of promoting our work and this support has been instrumental in accelerating our research programme. We are proud to be in a partnership with such a wonderful Wellington company and are happy to be able to help honor the memory of Sally through our cancer research.”

The Love Boat Ball

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 15:01:54 +1300

150 ‘love boat themed’ guests gathered at the Floating Pavilion at Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour on Saturday 25th March for great night of fun and entertainment. DJ Grant Marshall got the crowd up and dancing, while the Photo Booth Fun team ensured guests are left with a reminder of the evening.

The Malaghan Institute are the recipients of the fundraising from this evening and over $12,000 was raised by an amazing group of hard working and generous people.

We would like to thank Treasury Wine Estates, Continental Cars, APN Media, Red Bull, VNC for their support to help make the evening a great success.

Celebrating three generations of philanthropy

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 11:01:38 +1300

Behind every name there is a story. For the Malaghan Institute that story begins in 1960s Wellington, with Tip Top co-founder Mr Len Malaghan, his wife Ann and their united belief that supporting quality research is the key to curing cancer. Five decades later, Len’s grandson Matt is proudly continuing the Malaghan family legacy of philanthropy.

As a young man Len Malaghan was a cheese and butter maker at the Tapanui Co-Operative Dairy Factory. At age 20 he qualified to be a manager but was considered too young for a senior position within the Dairy Division of the Department of Agriculture, which instead gave him the opportunity to train under a visiting ice-cream manufacturer from the United States.

This led to a passion for ice cream and in 1935 Len and Ann opened a milk bar in Manners Street, Wellington, specialising in ice cream and milkshakes. This humble enterprise took Wellington by storm and before long had expanded into New Zealand’s iconic Tip Top Ice-Cream Ltd.

At the peak of his career Len was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease, a cancer originating from white blood cells called lymphocytes. During his treatment Len recognised the value of medical research, so he and Ann established a medical research trust by gifting shares in their company to the Wellington Medical Research Foundation. This was used to establish the Len and Ann Malaghan Medical Research Trust and the Wellington Cancer and Medical Research Institute, later renamed the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research.

In the 44 years since Len passed away, at the relatively young age of 61, his family have worked tirelessly to ensure his vision is recognised. As Chairman of the Trust Board since 1990, son Graham has successfully overseen the rebuilding of the Malaghan Institute into New Zealand’s largest independent medical research organisation. While grandson Matt, a businessman in his own right, is a Trust Board member responsible for governing the Institute’s fundraising initiatives. The major annual event of which is the Wellington AMI Round the Bays fun run.

Not content to simply watch from the sidelines, Matt decided to compete in this year’s ISC Lenco Half Marathon. What’s more, he and wife Deborah were the top fundraisers of the Malaghan Institute Run for Research team, raising $2850 towards the Institute’s research programmes.

Matt says he has always run for fitness, but had never completed a half marathon before. “With the Malaghan Institute as the official charity partner of the 2012 AMI Round the Bays, this was the perfect platform for me to take my running to the next level,” he says.

With Matt involved Deborah says she didn’t get much of a choice about entering, having completed a half the previous year, but was very happy to participate because it was for a good cause. “The only thing I regret is that I didn’t beat Matt as so many supporters had encouraged me to do,” she says.

Matt came home in 1:57 hours, while Deborah was just a few minutes behind at 2:07 hours. Both of them say they will be back again next year.

Institute Director Prof Graham Le Gros says he has a great respect for the Malaghan family, and for Matt’s personal achievement in the RTB fun run.

“It is hard not to get caught up by Matt’s enthusiasm and ‘can do’ attitude,” says Prof Le Gros. “Matt made time in his hectic schedule to train, fundraise, and raise awareness of the Malaghan Institute – and he did this ultimately to improve the lives of other people. This is something I know his grandfather would be proud of and I hope others will be inspired by Matt’s example.”

Dr Anne La Flamme speaks about her MS research on Radio New Zealand

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 09:30:07 +1300

Dr Anne La Flamme, an immunologist at Victoria University of Wellington, oversees the Malaghan Institute's multiple sclerosis (MS) research programme. One of the primary goals of Dr La Flamme's research is the development of new treatments for MS patients that do not respond to current medications.

She is also interested in the role of a specific class of immune cells, the macrophages, in the regulation of pro-inflammatory diseases such as MS.

Last night Dr La Flamme spoke about some of her research on Radio New Zealand's Our Changing World programme, as part of Brain Awareness Week.

You can listen to Dr La Flamme's interview here

AMI Round the Bays - a great success story!

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 10:38:36 +1300

What a great day. The weather was perfect, there were over 12,000 people on the start line, with 128 Run for Research participants, 154 Charity Runners and we raised over $35,000.

Thank you to all who made the day such a success by running, walking or supporting us. In the lead up to the event we had some great community and corporate involvement - with particular thanks going to AMI Insurance, Sport Wellington, Clemenger BBDO, Lexus of Wellington, Z Energy and Lithotech of Auckland.

It was lovely to meet so many people at the Malaghan tent afterwards and see our t-shirts proudly worn.

We can't wait until next year, keep training!

Top fundraisers

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 10:46:53 +1300

We're proud of our top fundraisers, congratulations for doing the event and we appreciate all the support you've received from your friends and family.

Our five top Run for Research fundraisers are:
- Matt Malaghan - raised $2, 850. Visit his page here
- Michael Woodside - raised $2,139. Visit his page here
- Bary Hollow - raised $1,875. Visit his page here
- Mary Fawcett - raised $1,120. Visit her page here
- Marie Gilles - raised $1,085. Visit her page here

If you'd like to donate to these amazing people please visit their pages above, they will remain online until the 29 March 2012.

And an enormous thank you to all our fundraisers who helped us raise over $35,000, what a great success!

Show your support and sponsor someone in the Run for Research!

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:22:13 +1300

We have been humbled by the dedication of the individuals and teams who are raising funds for the Malaghan Institute and we are grateful to everyone who has supported the Run for Research so far.

The Run for Research has brought together people from all walks of life, and fitness levels – however a uniting feature is their motivation to get behind a great cause and support the work of the Malaghan Institute. For some it is the loss of a loved one that has driven them to take part and fundraise, for others, the knowledge that they are making a difference.

Now is your chance to show your support of these awesome individuals and teams. Please consider sponsoring someone doing the Run for Research – your donation will not only encourage them to give it their all, but will help our scientists on the journey to discover cures for cancer, asthma and allergy, arthritis, MS and infectious disease.

To make a donation simply visit www.runforresearch.co.nz, click ‘Sponsor a Friend’ and choose someone who is supporting the Malaghan Institute.

Or you can choose someone below:

• Malaghan Institute Staff
Malaghan staff are lacing up their sneakers and taking part in the Run for Research for the second year “running” and hope that you will support the team.

• Melissa Moon
We're thrilled to have our good friend and awesome Kiwi runner Melissa Moon joining us in the Run for Research at the upcoming AMI Round the Bays event. Melissa, the two-time World Mountain Running Champion and World Stair Racing Champion is the Malaghan Institute Ambassador.

• Carol Price
Carol Price, of Whitianga, is another inspiring individual who has joined the Run for Research. At 67, Carol has been living with rheumatoid arthritis for more than 16 years. “Like so many people, I have family members who have died of cancer and a friend who is currently battling melanoma. Medical research has helped people conquer previously fatal conditions, so we owe it to ourselves, our families, friends and community to help scientists continue on this quest.”

We all know someone affected by cancer, asthma, arthritis, MS or infectious disease and this is your chance to help us help them. Please show your support as “Every Step Brings Us Closer to a Cure”.

Maureen Archer’s Everest Marathon

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:31:49 +1300

Travelling all the way to Nepal may seem like a long way to go to run a marathon, but for Maureen Archer it was well worth the journey. While many were preparing for Christmas, Maureen was taking part in the Everest Marathon - the highest in the world with a starting point 5184m above sea level, just below Everest base camp.

Along with the six months of training, fundraising was a key part of Maureen’s journey. Maureen raised over an amazing $4,000 for charity, with half going to the Everest Fund to promote health and education in rural Nepal, and the other half to support cancer research at the Malaghan Institute – specifically melanoma research.

“I am very grateful for all the sponsorship as my husband Denis died as a result of a metastatic melanoma in his brain, and any funding that can help research in this field is just so worthwhile,” says Maureen. “My daughter Kylie also raised $4,000 for the Institute when we completed the New York marathon two years ago and this was a great way to continue our family’s support of the work the Malaghan Institute does.”

Maureen says the biggest challenge was getting to the start line and acclimatizing. They achieved this by trekking for 12 days on rough tracks and steps - including a visit to Sir Edmund Hillary’s school village. A typical day saw the group of around 60 people being woken at 6am with bed tea, getting their bags out by 6.30am for porters to load yaks, breakfast at 7am and on the track by 8am. After stopping for lunch at noon they were back on the track until around 4.30pm when they then sorted their tents, unpacked their bags again, did their washing (both clothes and themselves in freezing cold rivers) and finished up with dinner.

“We were very fortunate that the weather behaved itself and was actually about 10 degrees warmer than normal, but still very cold as soon as sun went down and our washing was instantly frozen solid”, says Maureen. “The coldest night we had frost on the inside of tent and outside of sleeping bag when woke up – just as well I was sleeping with my wooly hat on (the one my seven year old grandson said I wasn’t to wear anywhere else but Nepal).”

Maureen’s group was joined by 23 Nepali runners at the start line, “at minus 6 degrees – us mere mortals were in hats, jackets, thermals, they had shorts/ shirts and took off like rockets which at that altitude is very hard to do.”

“After a couple of days at Namche Bazaar we had a very long day trekking back to Lukla to catch the very small plane back to Kathmandu a very chaotic city which certainly grows on you. What an adventure - I would recommend it to anyone.”

Greig and Willie’s Sahara Charity Challenge – 2013

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:34:45 +1300

Local Wellington fitness gurus Greig Rightford and William Tokona are in training and set to take part in the gruelling Marathon De Sables in early 2013. The legendary six day, 243km endurance race across the Moroccan Sahara is described by event organisers as “quite simply the toughest footrace on earth.”

“It’s just so insane… isn’t it? To not only run in the searing heat and sand swept terrain of the Sahara, but also ensure one’s safety against the perils of sandstorms, quicksand, cobras and scorpions that occur and inhabit the desert,” says Greig.

“It’s what makes it so appealing,” says Willie. “It’s the possible danger to one’s own safety and well-being that attracts me to this event. It allows you to examine your physical and mental capabilities, in a way that very few people will encounter in their lifetime.”

How they handle the physical and mental challenge of competing in such an event is a main driver in the pair entering this desert race. A no less important motivation to them is providing inspiration to clients, friends and family - that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things - with the right attitude, planning and preparation.

“I want to do this event because I feel like this race is the answer to the question I've had since I was little,” says Greig. “Can I run a little further, can I extend myself a bit further - I need to do this event to find out the answer.”

Greig and Willie also wanted to use the opportunity to make a difference. “We thought that it would be great to represent an organisation that has a positive impact in the Wellington community and after reviewing several charities, we agreed on the Malaghan Institute. It had the appeal of being a local organisation with global implications,” says Greig.

On Wednesday, January 25th, Greig and Willie gave the public an insight into their incredible stamina and perseverance. Taking one hour shifts, they ran a full 12 hours on a treadmill in the middle of Wellington’s Midland Park. After hitting their 120km target by 3pm they decided to carry on and by 6pm they finished on an incredible 149.56km. Not only was this effort amazing in itself, they also raised $1374.90 for the Malaghan Institute and were featured on TV One’s Breakfast Show.

Greig and Willie encourage you to support their fundraising efforts for the Malaghan Institute. They have set a significant goal of raising $50,000 and every donation counts. To view their fundraising page and sponsor them online visit: http://www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/SaharaCharityChallenge2013/

You can also visit their Facebook page by clicking here or searching Sahara Charity Challenge.

Punching holes in dendritic cells - could this be the key to controlling asthma?

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:48:30 +1300

Asthma remains one of the most prevalent allergic diseases in the world. It is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways, characterised by wheezing, coughing, chest tightness and shortness of breath.

Specialised white blood cells called Th2 T cells are known to play an essential role in the pathogenesis of asthma. They are activated by immune cells called dendritic cells (DC) in response to harmless environmental allergens such as house dust mites or pollen. Once activated, the Th2 T cells release cytokine proteins, which recruit inflammatory cells into the airways, causing asthma.

The allergen induced Th2 immune pathway to asthma

One of the most puzzling things about allergic diseases is that different people react in different ways. While particular tree pollens might stimulate the allergic Th2 pathway in some individuals, causing them to develop hay fever or asthma, others will be completely unaffected by them.

The steroid inhalers that are currently used to treat asthma work by reducing the airway inflammation so it is easier to breathe. Although effective at relieving the downstream symptoms of asthma, they do not treat the actual cause of the disease and their non-specific mechanism of action can leave users more susceptible to common infections such as influenza.

Malaghan Institute scientists believe that a more effective approach would be to stop the asthma pathway by targeting therapies against the dendritic cells that are responsible for activating the disease-causing Th2 T cells.

Previous work at the Malaghan Institute and other laboratories had shown that activating another class of T cells called cytotoxic T lymphocytes, or CTLs, prevented the development of airway inflammation. However, the mechanism used by the CTLs to suppress disease was still unclear.

“We know that killing by CTLs is important for rejecting tumours and for eradicating cells infected with viruses, but the importance of killing in controlling asthma and allergy has not really been considered,” says Prof Franca Ronchese.

With the support of the Health Research Council of New Zealand, Dr Noriyuki Enomoto and Prof Ronchese (pictured above) undertook further research to determine how the CTLs were able to stop airway inflammation, and they discovered that this phenomenon was dependent on their ability to release a protein called perforin.

Perforin is a protein found in the granules of CTLs. Upon its release, perforin inserts itself into the membrane of a target cell, forming a pore. This sets off a pathway that leads to the cells death.

Prof Ronchese and colleagues used several different approaches to show that if the CTLs were unable to release perforin, they were unable to prevent the development of acute asthma. Their results, which have just been published in the international Journal of Immunology, also indicated that the likely target of the CTLs’ killing activity were the airway dendritic cells.

“Our work has revealed a previously unappreciated mechanism for CTL regulation of the immune response, which may be relevant to the pathogenesis of allergic asthma,” says Prof Ronchese. “We believe that activated CTLs can kill allergen-presenting dendritic cells in the airways by effectively ‘punching’ holes in them.”

“With fewer dendritic cells around to activate the disease-mediating Th2 cells in the airways, there is consequently less allergic airway inflammation.”

The above work was undertaken using an acute model of allergic asthma. Prof Ronchese’s research team is now developing a more clinically relevant chronic model of asthma to investigate the potential of exploiting CTL activity for the treatment of individuals with established allergic airway inflammation.

“Unlike steroid treatment, immune therapies that use allergen-specific CTL are not expected to be broadly immunosuppressive, and may lead to improved treatments for asthma and other allergic diseases,” says Prof Ronchese.

This work was supported by a research grant from the Health Research Council of New Zealand and infrastructure funding from the Maurice Wilkins Centre of Research Excellence.

Publication details

Enomoto, N, Hyde E, Zhi-Iong Ma J, Yang, J, Forbes-Blom E, Delahunt, B, Le Gros G, Ronchese F (2012) Allergen-specific CTL require perforin expression to suppress allergic airway inflammation. J Immunol, 188: 1734-41

Link to Pubmed abstract

AMI Round the Bays Charity Runner - ENTRIES NOW CLOSED

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 13:58:29 +1300

Entries for AMI Round the Bays Charity Runner are now closed.

We have had an overwhelming number of people enter for AMI Round the Bays as a Charity Runner. Thank you for your entry and support of the Malaghan Institute. If you missed out on entering event, you can still take part by supporting someone who is running here.

Good luck for the day and don’t forget to visit us in the Malaghan Institute tent at the finish line.

If you still need to make your AMI Round the Bays Charity Runner payment, please click here to pay by credit card.

If you have any questions please contact Viv Bernard + 64 4 499 6914 or vbernard@malaghan.org.nz

Vitamin C may enhance radiation therapy for aggressive brain tumours

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 12:43:24 +1300

MEDIA RELEASE by AINSLIE TALBOT from the University of Otago.

Recent research by the University of Otago, Wellington has shown that giving brain cancer cells high dose vitamin C makes them much more susceptible to radiation therapy.

The study, carried out in association with Wellington's Malaghan Institute was recently published in Free Radical Biology and Medicine.

Lead author Dr Patries Herst together with Dr Melanie McConnell investigated how combining high dose vitamin C with radiation affected survival of cancer cells isolated from glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) brain tumours, and compared this with the survival of normal cells.

They found that high dose vitamin C by itself caused DNA damage and cell death which was much more pronounced when high dose vitamin C was given just prior to radiation.

Herst says GBM patients have a poor prognosis because the aggressive GBM tumours are very resistant to radiation therapy. "We found that high dose vitamin C makes it easier to kill these GBM cells by radiation therapy".

She says there has long been debate about the use of high dose vitamin C in the treatment of cancer. High dose vitamin C specifically kills a range of cancer cells in the laboratory and in animal models. It produces aggressive free radicals in the tumour environment but not in the environment of healthy cells. The free radicals damage DNA, which kills the cells, but the high concentration necessary to kill cancer cells can only be achieved by intravenous injection.

However, these promising findings have so far not been validated in clinical studies. "If carefully designed clinical trials show that combining high dose vitamin C with radiation therapy improves patient survival, there may be merit in combining both treatments for radiation-resistant cancers, such as glioblastoma multiforme," says Dr Herst.

This study was funded by the Wallace Family Estate, Genesis Oncology Trust and a University of Otago Research Grant.

Melissa Moon - The Cure for Fatigue

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:15:18 +1300

We're thrilled to have our good friend and awesome Kiwi runner Melissa Moon joining us in the Run for Research at the upcoming AMI Round the Bays event. Melissa, the two-time World Mountain Running Champion and World Stair Racing Champion is the Malaghan Institute Ambassador.

To help runners on the day, we asked Melissa what inspires her to train hard, run fast and prepare for her races. She gave us an awesome playlist of songs that we've called the Cure for Fatigue, which you can download from iTunes here.

Melissa says music is very important to her and she always selects a couple of songs that connect her with a particular race. For her recent New York Empire State Building win it was Lady GaGa's 'You and I' where she talks about the city of New York and 'just knowing when something feels right'.

At AMI Round the Bays you'll see a couple of different ways we're helping you get through the race. Keep an eye out for our special cures for common running ailments like demotivation. It might be just what you need to keep up with Melissa.

Every Step Brings Us Closer to a Cure.

To read more about the Empire State win click here, or visit Melissa's blog here to read more about her race and what music means to her.

Melissa Moon and Matt Malaghan interviewed on Newstalk ZB

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:20:28 +1300

On Saturday 4 February, Malaghan Institute Run for Research Ambassador, Melissa Moon and Trust Board member, Matt Malaghan were interviewed on Newstalk ZB. Melissa and Matt spoke with Jason Pine about the upcoming AMI Round the Bays event for which the Malaghan Institute is the official charity partner. If you missed the interview you can catch it here.

AMI Round the Bays is taking place on Sunday 26th February in Wellington. People taking part can choose to Run for Research to raise money and awareness for the Malaghan Institute by being sponsored for their run.

You can support Melissa and Matt as they run for research by visiting Run for Research and making a donation. Or if you would like to become a hero and run for research yourself you can sign up today here.

Support the Run for Research

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 12:26:55 +1300

We are pleased to share the exciting news that the Malaghan Institute is the new Official Charity Partner of the 2012 AMI Round the Bays event in Wellington on Sunday 26 February!

As the Official Charity Partner we will be promoted during the lead up to the event and on the day. Anyone who registers to take part can choose to ‘Run for Research’ and fundraise to support the Malaghan Institute.

Join the Run for Research!

You can raise money to support our research by choosing to ‘Run for Research’ when you register for AMI Round the Bays.

To register now or for more information please visit www.amiroundthebays.co.nz. You can easily set up a Run for Research fundraising page at the end of the registration process, or alternatively visit www.runforresearch.co.nz.

The event, which attracts over 11,000 people, has a 7km fun run or walk option as well as the ISC Lenco Half Marathon run or walk. Both distance options take advantage of the beautiful inner harbour bays before converging on Kilbirnie Park for the ‘finish line festival’.

As an added incentive to register early, you will be able to workout for free at Les Mills from the moment you register until event day. The sooner you register the sooner you can take advantage of this fantastic offer.

Sponsor someone taking part

If you are unable to take part in this event, you can still show your support by sponsoring someone you know who is ‘Running for Research’, or by sponsoring a Malaghan scientist or staff member who is taking part. Just visit www.runforresearch.co.nz and click on ‘sponsor a friend’ in the top navigation bar.

Help spread the word by forwarding this on to your friends, family and colleagues

Please spread the word and help make the Run for Research fundraiser a great success. With your help we can increase awareness of the research being conducted by the Malaghan Institute right here in New Zealand.

Please support the Run for Research as "Every Step Brings Us Closer to a Cure"

Lexus of Wellington gets behind the Run for Research

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:17:12 +1300

Lexus of Wellington have come on board to support the Malaghan Institute by loaning a fabulous RX SUV to promote the Malaghan Institute Run for Research. From mid-January until race day this branded vehicle, with petrol kindly sponsored by Z Energy, will be out-and-about in Wellington to help raise awareness and support for the Run for Research.

Lexus Manager, Bryan Loxton handing over the keys to Victoria Hale from the Malaghan Institute

Greig and Willie’s Rocky Road to the Sahara 2013

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:52:08 +1300

Update – 8 February 2011

Not only did Greig and Willie feature on TV One’s Breakfast Show, they hit their 120km target by 3:00pm and decided to continue on to complete a full 12 hours!! By 6pm, they finished on an incredible 149.56km, and raised $1374.90 for the Malaghan Institute!

Thank you to all those who stopped by Midland Park on January 25th and showed their support by making a donation. To view Greig and Willie’s fundraising progress, or to sponsor them online please visit: http://www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/SaharaCharityChallenge2013/. You can also visit their Facebook page by clicking here or searching Sahara Charity Challenge.

Media link: http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/capital-life/6310655/Desert-marathon-for-Wellington-pair

25 January 2011

Local Fitness gurus Greig Rightford and William Tokona invite the Wellington public down to Midland Park, Wellington CBD on Wednesday 25 January to witness them train for the gruelling Marathon De Sables, the legendary 6 day, 243km endurance race across the Moroccan Sahara.

Greig and William are running in aid of the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research.
On Wednesday Greig and Willy will be running on treadmills provided by Les Mills Extreme, taking one hour shifts to run 120km.

Come down to cheer them on and find out more about their incredible journey and how they are helping the Malaghan Institute.

To support their incredible efforts you can sponsor them online by visiting:
http://www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/SaharaCharityChallenge2013/ . You can also visit their Facebook page by clicking here or searching Sahara Charity Challenge.

“It’s just so insane… isn’t it? To not only run in the searing heat and the sand swept terrain of the Sahara, but also to ensure one’s safety against the possible perils of sandstorms, quicksand, cobras and scorpions that occur and inhabit the desert.”- Greig Rightford

“It’s what makes it so appealing. It’s the possible danger to one’s own safety and well-being that attracts me to this event. It allows you to examine what your physical and mental capabilities are, in a way that very few people will encounter in their lifetime” – William Tokona

Greig and Willie’s Central City Training Run

Midland Park

Wednesday 25 January, From 8.30am-6.30pm

Update – 8 February 2011:

Thank you to all those who stopped by Midland Park on January 25^thand showed their support by making a donation. To view Greig and Willie’s fundraising progress, or to sponsor them online please visit: http://www.fundraiseonline.co.nz/SaharaCharityChallenge2013/.

Media Links:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/capital-life/6310655/Desert-marathon-for-Wellington-pair

The Love Boat Ball 2012

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:12:28 +1300

Dress up in your favourite gear as The Love Boat takes you to Acapulco!

Date: Saturday 24th March

Time: 7.00pm – 12.30am

Place: The Floating Pavillion, Viaduct Harbour

Cost: $135 pp

The Love Boat Ball is a brilliant night, where you can party with friends and all for a great cause. Our renown New Zealand DJ will be on board to play the best music to have you dancing all night long. The cost of your ticket includes all drinks (open bar) and a "fork and walk" dinner. In addition, there will be a silent auction with many exciting products and services for you to bid on.

Love Boat Balls, held in Auckland and London have raised over $100,000 for the Malaghan Institute.

The Love Boat Ball was launched in Auckland and after a few years set sail to London. In 2010 the Event returned to Auckland for its 10th anniversary. Due to the success of this event and through popular demand, the Love Boat Ball will again take place in Auckland in March 2012.

Please join us for a night of fun and festivities in support of this great charity.
For further information or to book your tickets, please visit www.loveboatball.co.nz

Shaving for Cancer

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:15:27 +1300

Six weeks ago, in the midst of preparing for their final high school exams, two very caring Year 13 girls from Wellington, Catherine Tomlinson (Kat) and Harriet Small (Harry), did something wonderful.

Recently, Kat and Harry's friend, Harriet, was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma (bone cancer), and after starting chemotherapy she began to lose her hair.

Kat and Harry said "we can't stop the cancer and we can't go through chemo for her but the one thing we can do, is make going bald a little bit easier, by shaving our heads with her. We don't want her to be bald alone, so instead we shall all be bald buddies!"

Not only did they shave their hair, Kat and Harry decided that they wanted to take the opportunity to turn their shave into a fundraiser for the Malaghan Institute to aid cancer research. Their aim was to get people to sponsor them and show their support and love for their friend Harriet, and the work of the Malaghan Institute.

After receiving an amazing amount of support from friends, family and even people they have never met, their efforts raised over $4,300! The money raised will support research being undertaken by Malaghan Institute Cell Survival Group Leader, Dr Melanie McConnell, into how to combat those cancer cells that can survive chemotherapy and potentially cause relapse.

We would like take this opportunity to thank everyone who got behind Kat and Harry and showed their support. To Kat, Harry and Harriet – thank you for your kindness and thoughtfulness in choosing to support the Malaghan Institute. You are an inspiration and have shown the amazing love and connection you have with each other.

A passion for making ‘stuff’ sees Janice Cheng reap research awards

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 13:27:50 +1300

Nothing beats the simple pleasure of making 'stuff'. It might be building a deck, baking a loaf of bread from scratch or helping a child create a fort out of cardboard boxes and multiple rolls of sticky tape.

For some lucky individuals, such as Immunoglycomics PhD student Janice Cheng, making 'stuff' is part of her daily job. A skill which saw her take out the prestigious title of overall winner of the Postgraduate Research Excellence Awards at the VUW Victorias Awards Dinner on Friday, 2nd December. That same week Janice was also awarded the Student Paper Competition Prize at the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry (NZIC) Conference in Hamilton.

So what is the secret to Janice's success? A big part of it has to be her drive and passion for research, which is evident in everything that she does. Even having an arm in plaster for most of this winter didn't dampen Janice's enthusiasm - although it did make working in the lab a little more challenging!

"The most exciting part about being a research organic chemist is being able to make specific molecules that are tangible -you can see them, either as a crystalline powder, a thick oil or even fluorescent green crystals," says Janice. "While results are generally published as percentage yields (a measure of how successful the reaction was), it is even more satisfying when we can literally see our results, something physical that we can see and touch."

"The other aspect of my work that I enjoy is the problem-solving required to take a starting material and make it into the target molecule - this is where our knowledge, skills and creativity as organic chemists really come into play," she says.

Janice's lateral thinking skills were put to the test this year when she was tasked with attaching a fluorescent probe to the marine sponge derived compound a-galactosylceramide (a-GalCer). a-GalCer significantly amplifies the anti-tumour immune responses elicited by a cancer vaccine, and the probe will enable scientists to learn more about how it does this.

Janice published her work describing the elegant synthetic strategy she used to prepare the labelled a-GalCer in the leading international journal Carbohydrate Research, which specialises in carbohydrate chemistry. It was this pivotal publication that won Janice the VUW Postgraduate Research Excellence Award.

Janice also won the Student Paper Prize for the presentation she gave on her a-GalCer work at the annual NZIC conference. No stranger to communication prizes, having won the Vic International category of VUW's 3 Minute Thesis Competition earlier this year, Janice says that oral presentations haven't always been easy for her.

"Being able to effectively communicate my research to any audience is a personal challenge I give myself. I didn't start off very well, and I remember numerous nervous talks that I have presented during my Honour's year."

"I am definitely not a natural orator, but I want to be better at it," she says. "The challenge is different with every presentation because the target audience is different. Being smack in the middle of two fields (chemistry and biology) also means that I constantly find myself having to figure out how best to pitch my story so I don't lose my audience. It is a fine balance."

At the NZIC conference, Janice presented to an audience specialising not only in organic chemistry (the type of chemistry she does at the Malaghan Institute) but also to those who work in other fields such as inorganic chemistry and physical chemistry.

"Winning the NZIC Student Paper competition gives me more confidence for presenting to diverse audiences, but it also reminds me that there is still room for improvement," says Janice.

Next year Janice plans to be back in the chemistry lab making more novel glycolipids, so she can wrap up her research and write up her PhD thesis. We can be rest assured that Janice will tackle this next lot of challenges with the same vigour that has helped make 2011 such a successful year for her.

Read more about Immunoglycomics research at the Malaghan Institute

Listen to a Radio NZ interview with Janice Cheng and Immunoglycomics Research Group Leader Dr Bridget Stocker, on adjuvants and cancer vaccines

Wellingtonians can ‘Run for Research’ with the Malaghan Institute on board for AMI Round the Bays 2012

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:19:34 +1300

The Malaghan Institute of Medical Research is pleased to announce its partnership with Sport Wellington and AMI Insurance as the Official Charity Partner for the annual AMI Round the Bays fun run and walk.

Being the Official Charity Partner means that participants can choose to ‘Run for Research’ and raise money to support the Malaghan Institute. Sport Wellington will also promote the important work of the Institute leading up to the event and on the day through all official communication channels.

The Malaghan Institute is New Zealand’s leading independent medical research facility and is based at Victoria University of Wellington’s Kelburn Campus. The scientists at the Malaghan Institute are dedicated to finding a cure for cancer, asthma, arthritis, MS and infectious diseases.

Viv Bernard, Malaghan’s National Development Director, says that through the support of organisations such as AMI Insurance and Sport Wellington the Malaghan Institute can continue to fund its groundbreaking research.

“The AMI promise – to care, assist, and deliver - is the basis for their relationship with us and we can’t wait to run side by side with AMI and Sport Wellington on 26 February next year” says Viv.

Sport Wellington’s CEO Paul Cameron says, “it is fantastic that Sport Wellington can support such a great, local institution. By aligning with another of AMI Insurance’s charity partners we are showing we are committed to standing alongside AMI Insurance, as they are committed to standing alongside one of Wellington’s iconic summer events.”

Viv Bernard says “although we have been operating since 1979 the amazing research we do, and the fact that we’re in Wellington isn’t widely known, so to be able to leverage off the AMI Round the Bays media partners, such as ZM and the Dominion post, as well as the chance to raise funds for research is a fantastic opportunity for us”.

AMI Round the Bays 2012 takes place on Sunday 26 February 2012. Registrations will open on Friday 4 November and participants will be able to register to ‘Run for Research’ at amiroundthebays.co.nz

Prof Graham Le Gros wins at the 2011 Wellingtonian of the Year Awards

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 10:21:03 +1300

We are very proud to announce that Malaghan Institute Director, Prof Graham Le Gros, has won the Science and Technology category of the 2011 Wellingtonian of the Year Awards (The Wellys).

The Science and Technology award is presented in association with Hutt City Council, in recognition of the "intellectual capital of Wellingtonians". Lower Hutt Mayor Ray Wallace, who presented Graham with his award, says that "He [Graham] is an excellent example of the science, research and technology professionals who add vibrancy and innovation to our region and make a positive contribution to society." Read more >>

Graham is an incredible mentor and inspiration to all of us that work at the Malaghan Institute. His passion for immunology is evident in everything that he does. Whether it be presenting his latest research finding to an international scientific audience, or educating the community about the wonders of science – Graham's indepth knowledge, quick wit and crooked smile are always on hand to entertain and inform.

The Welly Award is a wonderful recognition of the quality research Graham is pioneering at the Malaghan Institute, right here in Wellington.

Link to the Stuff website to read a full list of 2011 Welly Award winners

Read more about the Wellingtonian of the Year (Welly) Awards

Read more about the 2011 Wellys Finalists

Read a recent media release on Prof Le Gros' food allergy research

Dr Bridget Stocker wins Easterfield Medal - in recognition of significant research by an emerging chemist

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 15:25:51 +1300

Being awarded the Royal Society of Chemistry Easterfield Medal at the 2011 New Zealand Research Honours Dinner is a fitting end to what has been an incredible year for Dr Bridget Stocker.

Dr Stocker currently leads the Immunoglycomics research team at the Malaghan Institute, and has an adjunct position with Victoria University of Wellington. She has presented her scientific research at numerous international conferences and to community groups, has published more than 30 peer-reviewed articles, and has featured on Radio New Zealand National on several occasions.

Earlier this year Dr Stocker was invited to present a public seminar as part of the 2011 Royal Society of New Zealand Marie Curie Lecture series. She also appeared on the cover of a special issue of the international European Journal of Organic Chemistry dedicated to leading international 'Women in Chemistry' and was the recent recipient of the 2011 Royal Society of New Zealand Manhire Prize for Creative Science Writing.

The Easterfield Medal is given in honour of the late Sir Thomas Hill Easterfield, who was well known for his contribution in the field of chemistry. The medal recognises quality and original chemistry research undertaken in New Zealand by individuals within 10 years of their formal training.

"I am very honoured to receive this award," says Dr Stocker. "It isn't easy establishing a research career in New Zealand, constantly being at the mercy of limited funding, and it is nice that the award recognises this."

Dr Stocker was the top graduating Victoria University of Wellington BSc(Hons) student in 2000, and continued on at the University for her PhD, focusing on the total synthesis of several anticancer agents. Following a brief period as a lecturer, Dr Stocker was awarded a FRST Bright Futures Post-Doctoral Fellowship in 2004 and spent two years at the prestigious Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, where she completed the first total syntheses of several complex mycobacterial glycans. In 2006, Dr Stocker returned to New Zealand and established an Immunoglycomics research programme at the Malaghan Institute in collaboration with partner Dr Mattie Timmer, a Senior Lecturer from Victoria University's School of Chemical and Physical Sciences.

"I am really proud of the work that we are doing here in Wellington and what we have achieved over the past few years," she says. "It has been challenging at times, but the highs definitely outweigh the lows."

Dr Stocker specialises in synthetic chemistry, with a particular interest in understanding the role of carbohydrates in immune responses. In addition to an impressive publication record, Dr Stocker has patented a novel 'protecting-group-free' strategy that her research group uses to synthesise novel glycolipids for the treatment of diseases such as cancer, asthma and tuberculosis.

"2011 has been a really intense year for me and my research team," says Dr Stocker. "We have all worked really hard and have faced some significant obstacles along the way."

"As I say to my students however, it is important to follow your goals and take people's criticism in an intelligent and constructive way. But don't forget that it is just their opinion. Do what you believe is right and always give your very best - if you believe in what you are doing, then all the hard work is worth it in the end."

Dr Stocker will receive her medal at the annual conference of the New Zealand Institute of Chemistry in Hamilton later this month. As part of the award, Dr Stocker will present a two-week lecture series in the United Kingdom in 2012 or 2013.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Please contact Dr Bridget Stocker on 04 499 6914 ext 813 or bstocker@malaghan.org.nz for more information.

RELATED LINKS

Link to the Royal Society of New Zealand website to read a media release on the outcomes of the 2011 NZ Research Honours Awards Evening

Read more about Dr Stocker’s other major win at the 2011 NZ Research Honours Awards Evening – the Manhire Prize for Creative Science Writing

Dr Bridget Stocker’s tribute to Marie Curie takes out the 2011 Manhire Prize for Creative Science Writing

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:23:18 +1300

At last nights 2011 New Zealand Research Honours Dinner, Dr Bridget Stocker was awarded the fiction category of the Royal Society of New Zealand Manhire Prize for Creative Science Writing.

Held in partnership with the New Zealand Listener Magazine and the Institute of Modern Letters at Victoria University, the purpose of the competition is to "encourage exciting science communication through the written word," and Dr Stocker won the judges over with her tribute to Nobel Laureate Marie Curie entitled "Radium – A Love Story". Dr Stocker's story will be published in the Listener along with the winning non-fiction entry by Dr Joanna Wojnar.

Using the pen name M.Curie, Dr Stocker takes the reader back to early 19th century Paris, and into the mind of her protagonist Madame Marie Curie. Through her use of beautiful imagery and descriptive prose reminiscent of the era, Dr Stocker successfully recreates an evening alone with the famous chemist and physicist, as she reflects on her discovery of radium. Dr Stocker's knowledge of chemistry and her personal experiences of working in the laboratory help give the story its very realistic feel.

"M. Curie – The Radium Institute, Rue d'Ulm, Paris, 1934

I wait impatiently in my office, the nib of my pen poised above the page. Writing your story, from your birth and christening to your slow demise, is just a means to fill the time. I am to explain the principles of 'the Curie', the rate of your decay, and yet my mind wanders. To write about the end is a travesty. I must focus on how it began. First, I need to be alone."

Reproduced with permission from Dr Bridget Stocker. Link to the Royal Society website to read Dr Stocker's full winning entry, "Radium - A Love Story"

"I felt compelled to write this story on Marie Curie given that I'd taken part in the RSNZ Marie Curie lecture series and featured on the cover of a chemistry magazine celebrating the life of Marie Curie," says Dr Stocker. "That said, I almost didn't enter because I was running out of time – but I'm glad that I did!"

"Marie has always inspired me because of her unfailing dedication and hard work," says Dr Stocker. She had a lot against her at the time because she was a woman in a male-dominated area."

"Despite these challenges, Marie never waivered in her desire to turn her discovery of radium into something that could alleviate suffering. She has often been painted as a nerd or a geek. I wanted to show another side of Marie, as a real person with feelings and passion."

Writing has always been a keen interest of Dr Stocker's but with the demands of university study, was not something she took seriously until moving to Switzerland following the completion of her PhD in Chemistry in 2004. Whilst a post-doctoral fellow at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (Zurich), Dr Stocker did not buy a television or install a phone, and made the most of her quiet evenings alone at home to begin writing a novel.

What started as a hobby became more serious when she returned to New Zealand and, in 2008, was accepted into the Victoria University of Wellington Iowa Creative Writing Workshop (fiction stream).

"I would like to acknowledge my mentor from the Iowa programme, Monica Bergers, for supporting me in the early stages of my writing," she says. It was through her guidance that I gained the confidence to continue with this 'hobby' and feel comfortable sharing my stories with others."

Dr Stocker went on to receive a Creative New Zealand Mentor fellowship with Barbara Else (2008-2009), and was then taken on board by Chris and Barbara Else of the TFS literacy agency.

"Barbara and Chris are amazing and saw something interesting about my work, even though, when reading back through my old drafts now, I think oh God, some of that was really bad! In fact Chris asked me recently if I was now 'coming out' (as a writer) - and I suppose I am!"

Dr Stocker is currently working with Barbara and Chris on the completion of her first novel.

She still does not own a television.

CONTACT

Please contact Dr Bridget Stocker on 04 499 6914 ext 813 or bstocker@malaghan.org.nz for more information

RELATED LINKS

Link to the Royal Society of New Zealand website to read more about the Manhire Prize and the full manuscript of Dr Stocker's "Radium – A Love Story"

Link to the Royal Society of New Zealand website to read a media release on the Manhire prize, with a comment on Bridget's story by judge Jo Randerson

Read more about Dr Stocker's other major win at the 2011 NZ Research Honours Awards Evening – the Easterfield Medal for Chemistry

Dr Peter Ferguson speaks about magnetic nanoparticles on Radio New Zealand

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:44:12 +1300

Wellington clinician Dr Peter Ferguson featured on Radio New Zealand's Our Changing World programme last night.

In his interview with Ruth Beran, Dr Ferguson spoke about the PhD research he undertook at the Malaghan Institute on magnetic nanoparticles. Dr Ferguson has used these novel particles, which were developed by Assoc Prof Richard Tilley and colleagues from Victoria University of Wellington, to improve the contrast of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

MRI uses a powerful magnetic field and radio frequency pulses to provide an unparalleled view inside the human body. However, the technology does have its limitations, particularly when it comes to visualising very small tumours. Working in collaboration with Wellington Hospital, Dr Ferguson was able to show that the superior magnetic properties of the nanoparticles developed by Assoc Prof Tilley's team, significantly enhanced the utility of using MRI for a number of medical applications.

Link to the Radio New Zealand website to listen to Dr Ferguson's interview and to read more about his research.

Dr Ferguson completed his PhD at the Malaghan Institute earlier this year and now works at Wellington Hospital. He continues to support the Malaghan Institute's cancer research programme in an advisory role as a Research Consultant.

Link to the Victoria University website to read more about Dr Ferguson.

Three pioneers of the immune system awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Medicine

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:46:48 +1300

Immunology was a standout winner at this year’s Nobel Prize Ceremony.

The 2011 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine went to three immunologists who have dedicated their careers to understanding the extraordinary intricacies of our immune systems.

The Nobel Prize was divided, one half jointly to Bruce A. Beutler and Jules A. Hoffmann "for their discoveries concerning the activation of innate immunity" and the other half to Ralph M. Steinman "for his discovery of the dendritic cell and its role in adaptive immunity".

Link to the Official Nobel Prize Web Site to read more

Sadly, Prof Steinman died just a couple of days before the announcement by the Nobel Foundation but will keep his award. Read more >>

This announcement has been received with great enthusiasm by all of us here at the Malaghan Institute, where our scientists are focused on developing novel strategies for harnessing the strength and potency of the immune system to fight disease.

The discoveries published by Beutler, Hoffman and Steinman have played a pivotal role in shaping the Malaghan Institute’s research programmes.

On behalf of everyone here at the Malaghan Institute we offer our heartfelt congratulations to Bruce Beutler and Jules Hoffman, and to the Steinman family in memory of Ralph’s pioneering research.

Read more about the Malaghan Institute's immunology research

Gouty arthritis - more than a pain in the big toe!

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 11:27:54 +1300

Gout is an extremely painful recurring arthritic disease affecting a great number of New Zealanders, and is the main focus of the Arthritis & Inflammation Group, led by Dr Jacquie Harper.

Gout is caused by the build-up of crystals of uric acid in the joints, which trigger an inflammatory immune response. It is this immune response that is responsible for the swelling, heat and intense pain felt in the affected joint.

The main risk factor for gout is hyperuricaemia or high levels of uric acid in the blood. Hyperuricaemia can occur for a number of reasons including genetics, poor renal function or excessive cell death following injury. In 20% of hyperuricaemics, uric acid crystallises in the extremities resulting in gout.

Acute gout is the most common form of the disease, where an individual will often go to bed feeling fine, but wake in the morning with a painful swollen toe that stays that way for up to two weeks. If acute gout doesn’t self-resolve, it can progress into tophaceous gout – a crippling and debilitating condition where excessive crystal build-up can lead to irreversible joint damage.

Dr Harper’s research is currently focussed on understanding how the immune system reacts to these crystals. Previously it was believed that particular immune cells called monocytes enter the inflamed joint and change into cells that resolve inflammation. However her team has now shown that these cells in fact develop into proinflammatory macrophages and are primed to exacerbate inflammation in the presence of ongoing crystal deposition in the joint. Their work suggests that these monocytes might be an effective drug target for future therapies aimed at easing the pain of acute gouty arthritis.

Call for volunteers for gouty arthritis clinical study

Dr Harper’s research group are undertaking a gouty arthritis clinical study in collaboration with Wellington Rheumatologists Dr Andrew Harrison and Dr Rebecca Grainger, and they are currently seeking volunteers.

This study builds on previous clinical work published by this team in the Journal of Rheumatology last year, which revealed vital information showing that hyperuricaemia may increase inflammatory immune responses to the uric acid crystals. Gout patients about to commence urate lowering therapy are now being recruited for a follow-up clinical study that will investigate the effects of lowering blood uric acid levels on their inflammatory immune response to uric acid crystals.

Please contact Dr Harrison on aharrison@wnmeds.ac.nz if you would like information on how to be involved in this study.

When a baby's cough and cold turns into something a lot more serious

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:48:54 +1300

The leading cause of hospitalisation of babies and infants in New Zealand is bronchiolitis - a viral infection of the small airways in the lungs that causes severe breathing difficulties.

Visit an early childhood facility and you can guarantee that there will be at least one child there with a finger strategically placed to sample the delights of the contents lurking up their nose. Dr Joanna Kirman’s Infectious Diseases team is interested in the same thing, only a sterile swab is used to do the digging!

Dr Kirman is part of an international collaborative study led by Dr Tristram Ingham from the Wellington Asthma Research Group, University of Otago, Wellington, involving over a thousand Wellington children under the age of two. The purpose of the study is to understand why some kiwi kids, particularly Māori and Pacific infants, are more likely to develop severe lower respiratory tract infections and require hospitalisation. The ‘nasal samples’ will be tested by Dr Kirman to determine what respiratory viruses are present in them - one of several different risk factors being explored in the study.

The researchers will also investigate whether vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased bronchiolitis severity. Vitamin D is produced in human skin when the body is exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light, such as sunlight. During winter months, when bronchiolitis infections are most common, children tend to spend more time indoors and therefore produce less vitamin D.

By identifying the specific risk factors that contribute towards New Zealand’s high bronchiolitis hospitalisation rates, Dr Kirman and colleagues will be able to provide recommendations for intervention strategies that mitigate their impact.

Why avoiding eating peanuts may not save your child from developing food allergy

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 10:59:41 +1300

MEDIA RELEASE

Research at the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research has highlighted a process by which children might become allergic to peanuts, without ever tasting them.

Prof Graham Le Gros, Director of the Malaghan Institute, leads a team of researchers looking at the early immune responses that take place during the development of food allergy, of which peanut allergy is the most dangerous and long-lasting.

“A child doesn’t just suddenly become allergic to peanuts,” says Prof Le Gros. “Their immune system has to have seen the peanuts beforehand, and become sensitised to them. It is the resulting runaway immune response that is responsible for the symptoms of food allergy such as swelling, skin irritations and breathing difficulties.”

“Parents of allergic children will often say however that their child has never eaten peanuts, so we wanted to know how and why these children go on to develop peanut allergies.”

To answer this question Prof Le Gros and senior allergy researcher Dr Elizabeth Forbes-Blom developed unique laboratory food allergy models to investigate whether other routes in the body, such as skin contact, were relevant for sensitising the immune system to peanuts.

These investigations were conducted using mice with fluorescent (glow in the dark) tags - when the mice experience an allergic reaction the affected cells glow, allowing researchers to see why they react. Their findings have just been published in the international journal of Clinical & Experimental Allergy.

“We know that children with recognised peanut allergies can have severe allergic reactions to skin creams or oils containing peanut extracts, without having to actually eat the products,” says Prof Le Gros. “This is why early childhood centres in New Zealand are zoned completely peanut free.”

“Recent clinical and experimental investigations also suggest an intriguing correlation between the development of peanut allergy, food exposure through the skin and the presence of eczema in early childhood,” he says.

The skin of most patients with eczema is colonised with Staphylococcus aureus, and particular toxins produced by these bacteria can make their allergic skin irritations significantly worse. These same infections are also being increasingly implicated in the development of food allergies.

“We sought to bring all this information together and use our models to ask the question – what happens at the cellular level when the skin of an individual with eczema (and most likely a Staph infection) comes into contact with peanut extract? Are they more likely to go on to develop a peanut allergy?”

In short, their answer was “yes”.

Prof Le Gros’ team showed that specific bacterial products known as superantigens can amplify the immune response that develops in response to peanut extract coming into contact with the skin. On subsequent skin exposure, the allergic immune response to peanuts was even stronger, even in the absence of the bacterial toxins.

“Previous clinical data suggest that repeated exposure of the skin to peanuts can lead to the development of peanut specific allergic immune responses,” says Prof Le Gros. “Our data show how this could be happening at the cellular level and highlight the importance of concomitant Staph infections in amplifying this process in individuals with eczema.”

“Collectively these studies support the view that under some circumstances, having a child’s skin come into contact with certain foods such as peanuts is all that is required for them to develop an allergic immune response – something that needs to be taken into consideration when developing treatments for food allergy sufferers.”

This research was funded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand, the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology, Lotteries Health Research, The Dr Marjorie Barclay Trust and the Wellington Medical Research Foundation.

For more information, please contact:

Prof Graham Le Gros on +64 4 499 6914 ext 822 or email glegros@malaghan.org.nz.

About the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research

The Malaghan Institute of Medical Research is New Zealand’s leading vaccine and immunology research institute and is based at Victoria University of Wellington’s Kelburn campus. The Institute operates independently and is a charitable trust. Researchers at the Malaghan Institute are focused on developing innovative ways to harness the strength and potency of the immune system, the body’s own natural defence against disease, to treat cancer, asthma and allergy, arthritis, multiple sclerosis and infectious disease.

Supporting information

Download a pdf of this media release.

Link to the TVNZ website to view a "Special Report" on the Malaghan's food allergy research, which aired on ONE news on Mon 19 September 2011.

View another recent media release on the Malaghan's food allergy research.

Prof Graham Le Gros interviewed on Radio New Zealand

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:59:42 +1300

Director of the Malaghan Institute, Prof Graham Le Gros, was interviewed about his food allergy research by Mary Wilson for Radio New Zealand's Checkpoint programme this evening.

Prof Le Gros and Dr Elizabeth Forbes-Blom have just had a paper published in the journal of Clinical & Experimental Allergy, in which unique GFP-reporter mice were used to investigate whether other routes in the body, such as skin contact, were relevant for sensitising the immune system to peanuts. Read more >>

Prof Le Gros spoke about the main outcomes of this research, which showed at the cellular level, how early childhood eczema and skin infections can predispose an individual to the development of food allergy.

Link to the Radio New Zealand website to listen to Prof Le Gros' interview

Read more about Prof Graham Le Gros

Read more about Asthma and Allergy research at the Malaghan Institute

Antiques Roadshow - 15 & 16 Oct

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:06:18 +1300

The First New Zealand Antiques Roadshow is an event being organised by the Wairarapa Friends of the Malaghan Institute. Campbell Moon, antiques dealer & accredited valuer, is the event coordinator and has organised what promises to be a fantastic, one-off event for antique lovers everywhere!

Experts available during the two day event will come from across the North Island. It will be the first time in New Zealand that so many Antiques experts will be available to appraise and objectively value items in their various specialty categories.

The event will be held at the Tauherenikau Racecourse on 15 & 16 October, 10.00am - 3.30pm daily.

Entry is $10pp (under 12 free) and fully accredited valuations are available from just $20 per item.

All proceeds from the event will be donated to the Malaghan Institute.

View the event brochure

View the event poster

Fantastic Fundraising from our Taupo Friends

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:08:33 +1300

The past three months have been very busy for our Taupo Friends group, with two successful fundraising events being held.

The first, a Bridge Tournament, was held in June and saw over 80 people attend the evening. A great time was had by all and the committee raised over $2000 for the Institute's research programmes.

Following on from that sucess, the Taupo Friends then held a Fashion Show in late August. This event was hosted by Jennifer Mayer - owner of 'Pear Tree Fashions' and 'Flirts', two local Taupo clothing boutiques. This event was very well received with over 100 people, all ladies, attending the event. Ticket sales generated another amazing donation to the Institute of $2450.

On behalf of the scientists here at the Malaghan Institute, we would like to thank the hardworking committee for their efforts and committment to our cause.

For more information about supporting a local Friends event, please contact Tanya Fulcher on 04 499 6914 ext 811 or tfulcher@malaghan.org.nz

Malaghan PhD Student up for Prime Ministers Prize

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:09:37 +1300

Top achieving Malaghan PhD student, Emma Dangerfield, has been announced as a finalist for 'The Prime Minister's MacDiarmid Emerging Scientist Prize'. Emma flew to Auckland in late August to address the panel with a ten minute speech. The panel, which featured three leading New Zealand Scientists, then finished the interview with a 20 minute question session.

The Prime Minister's MacDiarmid Emerging Scientist Prize is for an outstanding emerging scientist undertaking research for a PhD or within five years of the date of the award of their PhD. If successful, Emma will be awarded $200,000 to use in her future work.

Announcement of the winner will not take place until January 2012, but we wish Emma all the best in this endeavour.

Our Food Allergy Research profiled on TV ONE

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:11:56 +1300

TVNZ reporter Rebecca Edwards visited the Malaghan Institute on Wednesday 14th September to film an interview with Prof Graham Le Gros about his Food Allergy research. Having the filming on site was very exciting and we are looking forward to watching the story and seeing Prof Le Gros live in action on national TV - it will be wonderful exposure for the Malaghan Institute.

***UPDATE***

Link to the TVNZ website to view the "Special Report" on the Malaghan's food allergy research, which aired this evening on ONE news.

View a recent media release on the Malaghan's food allergy research

Dr Bridget Stocker interviewed on Radio New Zealand

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:51:06 +1300

The Malaghan Institute's Dr Bridget Stocker, who heads the Immunoglycomics research group, was a feature guest on Radio New Zealand's Nine To Noon show this morning.

Dr Stocker was recently recognised in a special edition of the European Journal of Organic Chemistry, dedicated to women in chemistry who have made a significant contribution to their field and spoke about some of her research in her interview with Kathryn Ryan.

She also gave her opinion on some of the challenges faced by young scientists trying to establish a career in research in New Zealand.

Listen to Dr Stocker's Radio New Zealand interview or link to the Radio NZ website to download the interview file.

Read more about Dr Bridget Stocker

Read more about Dr Stocker's recognition in the EurJOC Women in Chemistry publication

Read more about an earlier interview of Dr Stocker with Ruth Beran from Radio New Zealand's Our Changing World programme on her cancer research

Malaghan scientists tackle New Zealand’s food allergy epidemic

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 11:23:06 +1300

The prevalence of allergic disease in this country is among the highest in the world, with 1 in 5 New Zealanders affected by food allergy, asthma, eczema or hay fever.

“For parents of young children, asthma and allergy are of major concern,” said Director of Research Prof Graham Le Gros. “Food allergies are especially relevant because of their impact on a child’s quality of life.”

“Parents of allergic children have a lot to consider when it comes to sending their child to preschool and school, birthday parties or playdates, because of the potential risks of exposing their child to allergy-inducing foods,” says Prof Le Gros.

Food-induced allergic reactions can range from mild discomfort to serious and life threatening events, with anaphylaxis (the rapid onset of breathing difficulties, skin reactions, vomiting) the most severe form of food allergy.

“Until we know why some children react to particular foods in this way, we cannot begin to address how best to treat them,” says Prof Le Gros. “Despite extensive research into the potential epidemiological, genetic or clinical associations of allergic disease, little progress has been made in this area.”

Food allergies occur when the immune system, which normally serves to protect us against parasites, viruses and bacteria, mounts an attack on harmless food components such as proteins. The particular proteins that trigger this immune response are called allergens.

Prof Le Gros and colleagues believe that the answer to treating food allergy lies in understanding how these foods set off the allergic immune response, and why it only happens in some individuals.

“There are few treatment options for individuals with allergic disease,” says Prof Le Gros. “Patients are advised to avoid the allergen (especially in the case of foods) and are offered the drugs corticosteroids, which act by suppressing all immune responses regardless of whether they are beneficial or harmful.

Desensitisation therapy, where a patient is gradually exposed to an allergen in a controlled manner to get their immune system used to seeing it, is currently the only curative option available, however, it is not always effective and the mechanism by which it acts is not well understood. Prof Le Gros says that further research on better treatments and on the immune mechanisms involved in controlling allergic disease is needed.

Working alongside Dr Elizabeth Forbes-Blom, a Research Fellow at the Malaghan Institute who specialises in food allergy, Prof Le Gros will use the HRC funding to develop new food allergy disease models.

“We will use these models to reveal for the first time the earliest cellular and molecular events involved in sensitising the immune cells in the gut to food allergens,” says Prof Le Gros. “These models will also support further research into the identification of improved strategies for treating food allergy.”

One such therapeutic strategy that has shown promising results in asthma disease models is the targeted killing of the immune cells that are responsible for setting off the allergic immune response. In an earlier HRC funded research project, Prof Franca Ronchese and colleagues showed that by exploiting the killing activity of specialised immune cells called cytotoxic T lymphocytes, they can reduce allergic airway inflammation and alleviate the symptoms of asthma.

With the support of the HRC, Prof Ronchese will now extend these studies further to determine if this therapy is equally effective in reducing inflammation in other tissues affected by allergic disease such as the gut (food allergy) or skin (eczema).

“With the HRC funding the Malaghan Institute is now uniquely placed to better address New Zealand’s growing food allergy problem,” says Prof Le Gros. “The new knowledge generated from the two funded research programmes will improve our ability to treat allergic diseases more effectively and with fewer side effects, which will lead to significantly improved outcomes for allergy sufferers.”

Dr Bridget Stocker acknowledged for her significant contribution to chemistry

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:08:16 +1300

2011 is the International Year of Chemistry, commemorating 100 years since Madame Marie Curie was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

To mark the occasion, the international European Journal of Organic Chemistry has published a special issue dedicated to Women in Chemistry, and Dr Bridget Stocker, who heads the Malaghan Institute’s Immunoglycomics group, was one of two New Zealand female scientists selected to feature in it - the other being Prof Margaret Brimble from The University of Auckland.

The journal states that “this issue was compiled to highlight women in organic chemistry who have made a significant contribution to their field,” which is an incredible testament to the work that Dr Stocker and her team are doing here at the Malaghan Institute.

Dr Stocker’s research is focused on understanding the role of carbohydrates in biology, and applying this knowledge to the development of more effective therapies for diseases such as cancer, tuberculosis, and asthma.

In addition to contributing a research paper to the journal, where she describes some of her latest carbohydrate synthesis work, Dr Stocker was also asked to comment on the biggest challenge facing female organic chemists.

She responded, “Guilt. I think that many women have a hard time in striving to achieve without feeling guilty. To succeed in science, or in any career for that matter, focus and commitment are needed. Women may feel that they are neglecting other areas of their lives when focusing on their careers and may push themselves too far and too thin to compensate for this. Of course, men have the same pressures, though I feel that they are better able to accept the choices that they make without the associated ‘guilt’. Women should have more confidence with their choices without feeling like they need to do everything. Fortunately, as society becomes more gender equitable, men and women are better able to share the demands of life so that they can both achieve their goals.”

Dr Stocker’s research made the front cover of the European Journal of Organic Chemistry earlier this year and her PhD student Anna Win-Mason was pleasantly surprised to see it being showcased several times at the recent Eurocarb conference in Naples. Anna’s conference presentation on her latest synthetic chemistry research was also selected for a special edition of the Journal Carbohydrate Research. Another great acknowledgment of how well the Malaghan’s Immunoglycomics research is being received by the international scientific community.

Link to the Women in Chemistry special issue on the EurJOC website

Read more about Dr Stocker’s Immunoglycomics research

Read more about Dr Stocker’s Royal Society of New Zealand Marie Curie public lecture that she gave in New Plymouth in March of this year

Wellington Mayor visits the Malaghan Institute

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:07:48 +1300

Following on from her recent visit to the Malaghan Institute to open the NZASI Conference, Celia Wade-Brown, Mayor of Wellington, returned for a personal visit of the facility on Tuesday the 9th of August.

Accompanied by Graham Le Gros, Research Director and Viv Bernard, National Development Director, Mayor Wade-Brown was escorted around the lab facilities. She stopped to discuss with staff the many different aspects of research undertaken within the institute and was able to draw upon her own scientific knowledge in an active discussion about the Flow Cytometry lab.

As a committed Wellington organisation the Malaghan Institute was grateful to be able to host Mayor Wade-Brown and showcase some of the ground breaking work we do, as well as introduce our brilliant staff. We welcome this recent and increased contact with Mayor Wade-Brown and her enthusiastic support for the scientific community in Wellington.

Malaghan scientists shine at national immunology conference

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:09:13 +1300

Last month 115 research scientists from across New Zealand converged on Wellington for the 2011 NZASI Immunology Conference.

This year the meeting acknowledged New Zealand’s founding immunologists with new student, research technician and postdoctoral fellow speaker prizes and we are very proud to announce that Malaghan scientists took away the three top awards:

Mr Martin Hunn – Winner of the Buck Immunology Travel Award for Best Student Oral Presentation

Martin is a Neurosurgeon at Wellington Hospital who joined the Malaghan Institute in 2009 to undertake his PhD in Dr Ian Hermans’ Vaccine Research Group. He is investigating the therapeutic potential of using immunotherapy to treat patients with high grade glioma.

Lindsay Ancelet – Runner-up for the Buck Award

Lindsay is a PhD student in Dr Joanna Kirman’s Infectious Diseases Research Group, studying the immune responses that result from oral administration of the tuberculosis vaccine. Currently the Tb vaccine is injected under the skin, but oral delivery has many advantages over this approach such as reduced cost, avoidance of needles and a reduced risk of disease transfer.

Fenella Rich – Winner of the Marbrook Award for Best Research Officer Presentation

Fenella is a senior research officer in the Infectious Diseases Group, and has been collaborating with Prof Franca Ronchese’s Immune Cell Biology Group to use microbial ‘danger signals’ to boost the immune response against cancer. Cancers work hard to evade recognition by immune cells and suppress their activity. Fenella’s research suggests that incorporating microbial components into immunotherapy regimes will help overcome these cancer survival mechanisms and thus improve their effectiveness.

Dr Elizabeth Forbes-Blom – Winner of the Heslop Immunology Travel Award for Best Postdoctoral Presentation

Elizabeth is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Prof Graham Le Gros’ Asthma and Allergic Diseases Research Group, who has played a pivotal role in establishing a food allergy research programme at the Malaghan Institute. Her research is focused on identifying the early events that take place during an allergic immune response, so that we can better understand why particular foods stimulate these effects in some individuals.

Malaghan Institute Student Open Days

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:14:17 +1300

Considering postgraduate research in 2012 or beyond?

Interested in allergy, arthritis, asthma, cancer, infectious disease?

Ever wondered what happens at the Malaghan Institute?

Come and find out!

The Malaghan Institute of Medical Research is hosting an open day for VUW students. Hear about our research, discover opportunities for summer studentships, Honours, MSc and PhD research, see the labs, and talk to current Malaghan postgraduate students.

When: Tuesday August 2nd, 12-1pm, and Thursday August 4th, 1-2 pm (same programme both days)
Where: Malaghan Institute Seminar Room
What: Short presentations from the Malaghan's research groups, describing their research programmes with a focus on potential thesis projects. This will be followed by a Q & A session with current postgraduate students and a tour of the Institute's laboratories.

Further information

View a map of the Kelburn campus. The Malaghan Institute is located in the Central Services Building.

Read more about Postgraduate Study at the Malaghan Institute

Read more about the diseases we research

Malaghan scientists tackle New Zealand’s food allergy epidemic

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:15:15 +1300

MEDIA RELEASE

The Malaghan Institute of Medical Research has been given the green light to launch a new food allergy research platform, with the Health Research Council of New Zealand (HRC) funding two project grants totalling $2.4 million, to Professor's Graham Le Gros and Franca Ronchese.

The prevalence of allergic disease in this country is among the highest in the world, with 1 in 5 New Zealanders affected by food allergy, asthma, eczema or hay fever.

"For parents of young children, asthma and allergy are of major concern," said Director of Research Prof Graham Le Gros. "Food allergies are especially relevant because of their impact on a child's quality of life."

"Parents of allergic children have a lot to consider when it comes to sending their child to preschool and school, birthday parties or playdates, because of the potential risks of exposing their child to allergy-inducing foods," says Prof Le Gros.

Food-induced allergic reactions can range from mild discomfort to serious and life threatening events, with anaphylaxis (the rapid onset of breathing difficulties, skin reactions, vomiting) the most severe form of food allergy.

"Until we know why some children react to particular foods in this way, we cannot begin to address how best to treat them," says Prof Le Gros. "Despite extensive research into the potential epidemiological, genetic or clinical associations of allergic disease, little progress has been made in this area."

Food allergies occur when the immune system, which normally serves to protect us against parasites, viruses and bacteria, mounts an attack on harmless food components such as proteins. The particular proteins that trigger this immune response are called allergens.

Prof Le Gros and colleagues believe that the answer to treating food allergy lies in understanding how these foods set off the allergic immune response, and why it only happens in some individuals.

"There are few treatment options for individuals with allergic disease," says Prof Le Gros. "Patients are advised to avoid the allergen (especially in the case of foods) and are offered the drugs corticosteroids, which act by suppressing all immune responses regardless of whether they are beneficial or harmful."

Desensitisation therapy, where a patient is gradually exposed to an allergen in a controlled manner to get their immune system used to seeing it, is currently the only curative option available, however, it is not always effective and the mechanism by which it acts is not well understood. Prof Le Gros says that further research on better treatments and on the immune mechanisms involved in controlling allergic disease is needed.

Working alongside Dr Elizabeth Forbes-Blom, a Research Fellow at the Malaghan Institute who specialises in food allergy, Prof Le Gros will use the HRC funding to develop new food allergy disease models.

"We will use these models to reveal for the first time the earliest cellular and molecular events involved in sensitising the immune cells in the gut to food allergens," says Prof Le Gros. "These models will also support further research into the identification of improved strategies for treating food allergy."

One such therapeutic strategy that has shown promising results in asthma disease models is the targeted killing of the immune cells that are responsible for setting off the allergic immune response. In an earlier HRC funded research project, Prof Franca Ronchese and colleagues showed that by exploiting the killing activity of specialised immune cells called cytotoxic T lymphocytes, they can reduce allergic airway inflammation and alleviate the symptoms of asthma.

With the support of the HRC, Prof Ronchese will now extend these studies further to determine if this therapy is equally effective in reducing inflammation in other tissues affected by allergic disease such as the gut (food allergy) or skin (eczema).

"With the HRC funding the Malaghan Institute is now uniquely placed to better address New Zealand's growing food allergy problem,"says Prof Le Gros. "The new knowledge generated from the two funded research programmes will improve our ability to treat allergic diseases more effectively and with fewer side effects, which will lead to significantly improved outcomes for allergy sufferers."

For more information, please contact:

Prof Graham Le Gros on +64 4 499 6914 ext 822 or email glegros@malaghan.org.nz.

About the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research

The Malaghan Institute of Medical Research is New Zealand's leading vaccine and immunology research centre and is located at Victoria University of Wellington's Kelburn campus. The Institute operates independently and is a charitable trust. Researchers at the Malaghan Institute are focused on developing innovative ways to harness the strength and potency of the immune system, the body's own natural defence against disease, to treat cancer, asthma and allergy, arthritis, multiple sclerosis and infectious disease.

The 'Art of Giving' to cancer research

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:10:10 +1300

The Art of Giving, a Wellington based company launched in 2010, has just this month added a special item to their range of exclusive artwork, stationery and giftware.

The newly produced Art of Leadership Booklet, created by New Zealand Artist, Liane Ashman and Penny Robson, MBA, B.Comm (Hons), has been designed to inspire leadership excellence and raise money for cancer research. For every booklet sold, 50% of the purchase price will support the Malaghan Institute’s cancer research programme.

Each of the founding directors of The Art of Giving have experienced first-hand the devastating impact of cancer on their loved ones and have been inspired to support cancer research through their business.

Copies of the booklet can be purchased online for $11.99 each by visiting www.theartofgiving.co.nz.

Art of Leadership Booklet

Whether you are leading an organisation, a small team, a project, or taking personal leadership for a work role, family or your life, we encourage you to take a look at leadership with the new visual booklet - the art of leadership. Combining art and business, the booklet has been specifically designed to inspire thinking, conversation and action around leadership. And it's for a great cause!

This pocket size booklet includes all 15 artworks from the art of leadership series, with the artist’s interpretation and an inspirational quote from a famous leader or management expert (Daniel Goleman, Tom Peters, Edward de Bono, and more…). The 42 page booklet is wiro bound so pages stay open easily and there is space at the back to record your own ideas, actions and quotes.

You can use the booklet as a fun, yet structured way to initiate individual thinking or conversations with team members around leadership actions. You can then use the artworks as reminders for particular actions or areas you would like to focus on to improve the effectiveness of your leadership.

New Zealand artist, Liane Ashman, spent over a year creating ‘the art of leadership’ series of 15 original artworks for this project. The focus for the artworks are 6 key leadership actions compiled by University lecturer and strategic manager, Penny Robson. The booklet includes inspirational quotes from well-known leaders and management experts, including Tom Peters, Daniel Goleman, Edward de Bono, Peter Senge and Rosabeth Moss Kanter - whose representatives have wished the pair success with raising money for cancer research through this initiative.

Purchase copies of the booklet - the art of leadership - for yourself, your team or your organisation - available online at www.theartofgiving.co.nz.

Changes afoot in the fundraising team

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:14:08 +1300

The Malaghan Institute Fundraising team is currently undergoing some major changes with our Marketing & Communications Manager, Annabel Lush, moving on to a new position with the Heart Foundation; as well as welcoming the new National Development Director, Viv Bernard, to the team.

Annabel has been with the Malaghan Institute for almost two years, beginning in a part-time capacity as our Northern Region Development Coordinator in August 2009. She has been full time as our Marketing & Communications Manager since January 2011 and has already made a big impact for the Institute. Annabel has been instrumental in the roll-out of our new brand and is glad to have had the chance to be involved in such an important phase of development for the Malaghan Institute. As our only Auckland based employee, Annabel has also had a major hand in supporting the Auckland Friends of the Malaghan Institute and their annual Golf Tournament, as well as raising our profile in the area.

We will be sad to see her go, but wish her all the best in her future endeavours.

In the meantime, we have also welcomed our long awaited National Development Director, Viv Bernard, who comes to us from Te Papa where she was the Manager of Sponsorship and Development. The role of National Development Director is a newly created position which will work very closely with Institute Director, Prof Graham Le Gros, in order to focus the Institute on achieving its goal of becoming a nationally recognised research organisation and also to generate more funds to support those research operations.

Viv brings a unique blend of skills to the role, including corporate development, relationship management and marketing. She is very excited to be part of the Malaghan Institute and is looking forward to steering the Institute toward a new level of success.

$20,000 for MS research

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:15:36 +1300

The Malaghan Institute has, for the second year running, been grateful recipients of the funds raised from The Great New Zealand Trek. On June 8, trek organiser Steve Old, presented a cheque for $20,000 to Institute Director, Prof Graham Le Gros and MS researcher, Dr Anne La Flamme.

The funds will go directly to Dr La Flamme for her research into finding new therapies for MS and into understanding what immune factors control brain inflammation. Dr La Flamme was also lucky enough to join this year’s trek in February and met many of the intrepid trekkers who return year after year, donating to MS research in a very unique way.

History of the Trek

It all began in 1995 in Australia when Trek Manager, Steve Old, helped organise a charity horse ride for the Yooralla Society. It was a huge week long challenge involving 350 horse riders and the worst weather in 40 years! However it was a success and gave him the idea to organise a similar event back home in New Zealand.

The first Great New Zealand Trail Ride was held in 1996 on the Coromandel Peninsula with 483 horses and riders instantly becoming the largest ride of its kind in the world with $40,000 raised for Multiple Sclerosis. Steve's mother had passed away with MS in 1993.

Since then, the format has changed and The Great New Zealand Trek started in 2006 from the top of NZ as an annual week-long event to allow, not just horse riders but everyone the opportunity to trek the length of the country or parts of it on horseback, mountain bike or by walking at their own pace with full support.

What has remained the same is the aim is to raise funds to help to find a cure for Multiple Sclerosis.

Kitty Johnson, one of the Trek Organisers and Trustee of The Great New Zealand Trek Charitable Trust is calling this year's trek an "awesome event". It's a special week of camaraderie and an opportunity to meet new people while going to places very much off the beaten track, with a unique support team ensuring everyone gets the most from the experience - and supporting a great cause.

For more information on The Great New Zealand Trek and to find out how you can get involved, please visit their website at www.greatnewzealandtrek.com.

A cancer drug from the sea

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:18:44 +1300

It is known that white blood cells called T cells can kill tumour cells. Vaccines that stimulate the activity of T cells therefore hold considerable promise as new therapeutic agents.

In 2010, Dr Ian Hermans was awarded $4.5 million from the Health Research Council of New Zealand to engage New Zealand leaders in the fields of immunology, chemistry, oncology and clinical-grade manufacturing, to design, manufacture, and trial new anti-cancer vaccines.

A significant focus of this five-year programme is a melanoma clinical trial that will assess whether the activity of the cancer vaccine can be enhanced by the inclusion of the novel synthetic compound α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer). This clinical trial, which will start recruiting patients at the end of 2012, is the culmination of years of extensive preclinical work at the Malaghan Institute. These studies have shown convincingly that anti-tumour vaccines incorporating α-GalCer induce significantly stronger anti-tumour responses than those without it.

α-GalCer is a derivative of a natural compound isolated from a marine sponge by the pharmaceutical division of the Japanese Kirin Breweries back in 1993. It has been reported to have potential in the treatment of several diseases including cancer, malaria, type I diabetes and MS, and equally importantly, has been shown to exert its therapeutic activity via its ability to activate a subset of T cells found in the blood known as invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells.

The discovery of α-GalCer was remarkable, and given its considerable therapeutic potential, much effort has been spent in developing robust routes for its synthesis and also to determine exactly how it works.

In order to understand more about how α-GalCer is able to stimulate immune responses during cancer immunotherapy, Janice Cheng, a PhD student in the Malaghan Institute’s Immunoglycomics Group, devised a highly efficient strategy for producing a specialised version of the compound with a fluorescent probe attached to it.

The advantage of the labelled α-GalCer, is that it can be ‘seen’ with the appropriate technology, which will enable researchers to gain a better understanding of how it interacts with immune cells to stimulate their anti-tumour activity.

Janice has recently published her work in the international scientific journal Carbohydrate Research, where she describes how the labelled α-GalCer was made, and importantly, how it is functions just the same as its unlabelled counterpart. This is important if it is to be an effective molecular tool for studying α-GalCer function.

Last month we reported that Janice was competing in Victoria University’s 3 Minute Thesis Competition. We are very happy to inform you that Janice went on to win the Vic International (English as a second language) category, where she was applauded for the effective and engaging way in which she spoke about her research on α-GalCer.

The collective knowledge gained from using the new α-GalCer probe, combined with outcomes from basic research being undertaken in the Institute’s Vaccine Research Group with α-GalCer, will be vital for interpreting the results of the melanoma vaccine clinical trial.

It will also be essential for making informed decisions on how to improve the effectiveness of the cancer vaccine therapy even further.

Mentoring the next generation of immunologists

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:32:50 +1300

In comparison to international research organisations such as the National Institutes of Health in the US, or the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne, Australia, the Malaghan Institute is relatively small, both in terms of research budget and staff numbers. However, Malaghan Institute scientists continue to make a significant impact in the global scientific arena and students who complete their postgraduate training at the Institute are sought after around the world.

A lot of this success can be attributed to the Malaghan Institute’s focus on mentoring. The Institute’s research groups do not operate as islands, but instead promote the sharing of information and skills, whilst encouraging active discussion and lively debate – the ideal learning environment for young scientists entering the field of research.

Later this week our young scientists will have the opportunity to expand their knowledge even further at the 2011 annual meeting of the 2011 annual meeting of the New Zealand branch of the Australasian Society for Immunology.

115 research scientists from across New Zealand are registered to attend the conference, which will be divided into sessions on infection and immunity, inflammation, vaccines and tumour immunotherapy. The conference will feature keynote speakers from Singapore, Japan and Australia.

“This meeting is an ideal forum for eminent New Zealand immunologists to enthuse our young scientists with their visions of the future for immunology research in this country,” said Dr Joanna Kirman, conference organiser and head of the Malaghan Institute’s Infectious Diseases research group.

“We are also acknowledging New Zealand’s founding immunologists with new student, research technician and postdoctoral fellow speaker prizes,” said Dr Kirman. “Speakers are encouraged to present their research in a short ten minute talk and will be judged both by the quality of their presentation and how well they handle questions afterwards.”

“Immunology is an exciting and fast-moving discipline,” says Dr Kirman. “It is important that New Zealand scientists are able to attend this meeting, as it provides an opportunity for us to develop new collaborations, share resources and unpublished findings from our laboratories. This meeting is also particularly valuable as it offers many students their first chance to present their research at a formal meeting.”

Dr Kirman would like to acknowledge the following organisations for helping make this conference possible: Immunet (University of Otago), the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research, Victoria University of Wellington, and The University of Auckland; major sponsors BD, Norrie Biotech, Abacus ALS, Beckman Coulter, and Stem Cell Technologies; and Huntingtree Bioscience Supplies and Sapphire Bioscience.

For further information please contact Dr Joanna Kirman on +64 4 499 6914 or jkirman@malaghan.org.nz.

Wellington Friends Winter Cocktail Party

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:09:05 +1300

The very impressive Premier House was the setting for a recent fundraising event organised by the Wellington Friends of the Malaghan Institute.

Over 150 people gathered at the beautiful premises in Wellington on the evening of June 9 for a winter cocktail party. Sean Plunkett was MC for the evening and guests had the opportunity to mix and mingle while listening to pianist Jennifer Timmings and enjoying quality food and wine.

The night was a huge success with over $7,000 raised for the Institute. We would like to acknowledge the efforts of our volunteer committee, the Wellington Friends of the Malaghan Institute, in organising such a successful event to raise both awareness of and funds for the Malaghan Institute. A special thank you also to all the generous sponsors: Spy Valley Wines, Zibibbo Restaurant & Bar, Lion Nathan, SHOTT Beverages, Marianne Muggeridge and Inspire Photography.

Media Release: $4.5 million investment into development of cancer vaccine

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:22:22 +1300

Treating cancer patients with a vaccine is one step closer to reality as a result of $4.5 million investment of Health Research Council of New Zealand funding in cancer research.

Dr Ian Hermans, who heads the HRC-funded cancer vaccine research programme at the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research, based at Victoria University of Wellington's Kelburn campus, says the funded study has developed from more than a decade's worth of research into developing techniques that train a patient's immune system to fight their cancer.

While the research will focus specifically on targeting melanoma, it is anticipated that the methodology being developed could be applied to other cancers in the future.

The therapeutic vaccine approach differs from the preventative vaccines used to protect against diseases such as measles or the flu because the cancer vaccine is designed to be given to an individual after they have already shown signs of disease.

"It is known that white blood cells called T cells can kill tumour cells," says Dr Hermans. "The cancer vaccines, which are custom-made for each cancer patient, are designed to stimulate the activity of these cancer-fighting immune cells."

Developing the vaccine is a team effort involving key researchers from the Malaghan Institute, The University of Auckland's School of Biological Sciences and Department of Chemistry, Cancer Trials NZ, Industrial Research Ltd in Lower Hutt, and Wellington Hospital's Blood and Cancer Centre.

"Our vision is to bring together the best expertise in New Zealand to deliver more effective cancer vaccines," says Dr Hermans. "New Zealand's leading immunologists and chemists will design and manufacture the vaccines, and the country's leading clinical researchers will test them in patients."

Dr Hermans believes that immunotherapy is one of the most promising new approaches for treating cancer.

"Currently, cancer patients moving into late stage malignancy are offered therapies such as surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy," says Dr Hermans.

"While effective to some degree, these treatments are often not durable, and can be accompanied by unacceptable toxicity. As many cancers can potentially respond to immune activation, an effective vaccine-based strategy with a good safety profile could alleviate suffering on a large scale."

Dr Hermans says that before this can happen, more research is needed to improve the effectiveness of the cancer vaccine.

"The vaccination technology so far tested in cancer patients is far from optimal, especially when compared to immune responses induced naturally to infection. Practical new vaccine formulations are therefore required to elicit the full potential of the immune system to eliminate tumour tissue."

The vaccines will be prepared in a state-of-the-art facility opened last month at the Malaghan Institute, which has been designed specifically to facilitate the preparation, processing and culture of human tissues for vaccine production under the exacting standards required for Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP).

The building of these laboratories was a joint initiative with Victoria University and the K.I.A. Taylor Charitable Trust and represents a unique long term commitment by these parties to ensure New Zealand has the necessary infrastructure for the development of human vaccines against cancer.

The programme also benefits from novel manufacturing techniques developed at The University of Auckland and Industrial Research Ltd to provide synthetic components of the vaccine that help ‘target' the immune response to cancer cells.

"It's all about knowing what structures to target in the cancer cells, and then maximising the immune response to those targets," says Dr Hermans.

"Over the years we have developed some new ideas about achieving strong immune responses and we are particularly fortunate in New Zealand that we have developed the appropriate expertise and infrastructure to actually try them out in cancer patients. It will take five years to determine if our strategy works. Regardless of the outcome, we will generate new information to move forward - we are in this for the long-haul."

$1.2 million HRC project grants were also each awarded to Malaghan Institute researchers Prof Graham Le Gros and Prof Franca Ronchese. Prof Le Gros, Director of the Malaghan Institute, will use his funding to develop novel vaccine approaches for protecting against helminth parasites, while Prof Ronchese's project grant will be used to investigate the cytotoxic T lymphocyte-mediated immunotherapy of allergic airway inflammation.

"Translating quality basic research into novel clinical therapies for treating disease is no easy undertaking," says Prof Le Gros. "It takes time, patience, and an extensive network of clinical and research partners. The HRC funding is a fantastic endorsement of the research skills of the scientists and clinicians involved."

All media enquiries should be directed to Dr Ian Hermans on +64 4 499 6914, or Prof Graham Le Gros on +64 4 499 6914 ext 822.

The Malaghan Institute of Medical Research is New Zealand's premier vaccine and immunology research centre and is based at Victoria University's Kelburn campus, Wellington. The Institute operates independently and is a charitable trust. Researchers at the Malaghan Institute are focused on developing innovative ways to harness the strength and potency of the immune system, the body's own natural defence against disease, to treat cancer, asthma, arthritis, multiple sclerosis and infectious disease.

To download a pdf of this release please click here

Malaghan PhD student Janice Cheng shines in 3 Minute Thesis Competition

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:25:00 +1300

We are very proud to announce that one of our up-and-coming young scientists, Ms Janice Cheng, has won the Vic International (English as a second language) category of Victoria University's 3 Minute Thesis Competition (3MT).

First held at the University of Queensland in 2008, the 3MT is an exercise in developing academic and research communication skills in which PhD and Masters students are given three minutes to present an engaging and dynamic talk on their thesis topic.

Janice was one of four students selected to represent the Science Faculty at the University finals on the 7th June, which is a fantastic achievement given the large number of students competing in the event and the high calibre of their presentations.

Janice is a PhD student in the Malaghan Institute's Immunoglycomics Group, and chose to present one particular area of her research – the development of a 'glowing glycolipid' to understand cancer vaccination – at the competition. With such a complicated subject area and only three minutes to speak this was never going to be an easy undertaking, but Janice is a natural communicator and found it helpful to draw on analogies from everyday events to relate her research to a general audience.

"The immune system is able to detect and eradicate cancer cells," says Janice. "This interaction is stimulated by a cancer vaccine but we are always looking at ways we can improve its effectiveness. One way we can do this is through the use of an adjuvant."

Janice is working with a glycolipid adjuvant derived from marine sponges. "Although we can see immune cells under a microscope we cannot see a glycolipid," says Janice. "My research has therefore been focused on labelling the glycolipid with a fluorescent dye so we can determine how it interacts with immune cells to stimulate their anti-tumour activity. This information will be vital for us to make informed decisions on how we can improve the effectiveness of the vaccine therapy."

Janice has just had her work outlining the chemical synthesis of this labelled compound published in the international scientific journal of Carbohydrate Research –another great achievement for someone so early on in their career.

Janice says that the biggest thing she has learnt from this experience is the power of effective communication. "While we know that the research we are doing here at the Malaghan Institute is something very special - and so are happy to give up our weekends and evenings to continue it - this is of little value if we cannot communicate its significance to people outside the Institute."

"It doesn't matter if we are speaking to the general public, students interested in a career in science, or politicians deciding how much government funding to allocate to research – we have to be clear and efficient in what we say if we are to get these people on board with what we are doing," says Janice. "This is a skill I feel every scientist needs to be able to grasp."

Janice was commended by the judges for her enthusiasm for her work and for the way in which she represented the Malaghan Institute and VUW's science faculty.

On behalf of everyone at the Malaghan Institute we congratulate Janice and wish her well in her future research endeavours.

Media release: Reduce, reuse, recycle – targeting the three R’s of cancer survival

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:06:14 +1300

Solid tumours such as brain tumours are highly resistant to chemotherapy and radiation. One reason for this is a 'reduce, reuse, recycle' strategy that these tumours use to survive treatment. By developing a cancer drug that targets this recycling pathway, Malaghan Institute of Medical Research scientists have struck upon a novel approach for combating otherwise resistant and aggressive cancers.

As part of a collaborative cancer drug discovery programme with Prof Rob Smith from the Department of Chemistry at Otago University, and Dr Lesley Larsen from the New Zealand Institute for Plant and Food Research Ltd, senior Malaghan Institute scientists Prof Mike Berridge and Dr Melanie McConnell developed and tested a series of novel anti-cancer drugs.

One of these compounds, PMT7, was chosen as a candidate for further study based on its ability to kill certain types of previously drug-resistant cancer cells.

"Tumours grow and survive in relatively hostile environments within the body," said Dr McConnell. "They are under attack from the body's defences and have only limited availability of oxygen and nutrients to sustain their rapid growth."

It is now understood that cancer cells rely heavily on an energy-production pathway called glycolysis to meet their energy needs when oxygen levels are low, while different recycling and salvage mechanisms such as autophagy are used to survive starvation.

"Autophagy is a form of cellular recycling where a cell starts breaking itself down and reusing its components to sustain its growth," said Dr McConnell. "It is often induced in response to chemotherapy, where it aids cancer cell survival."

"We discovered that one of the ways PMT7 works is by blocking autophagy - in doing so it kills the highly resistant glycolytic cancer cells that rely on this pathway in order to survive," she says.

Their work, which has just been published in the international scientific Journal of Cellular Biochemistry, suggests that PMT7 and its derivatives could be used to eradicate populations of cancer cells that are resistant to traditional therapies.

"Killing cancer cells by directly blocking glycolysis has been studied for decades but also leads to the death of normal cells that depend on glycolysis for energy production, such as rapidly growing T cells," says Dr McConnell. "Our research suggests that a more effective scenario would be to target the cancer cells vulnerable spot – its need to undergo recycling to prevent starvation under conditions of stress."

This approach could potentially leave normal cells unharmed, thus reducing the likelihood of unwanted side-effects, because healthy cells growing in a nutrient and oxygen rich environment do not need to use these recycling mechanisms.

"By developing a drug that specifically targets the cancer cells that survive chemotherapy treatment, we have a greater chance of completely eradicating a patient's cancer," says Dr McConnell. "While PMT7 is not the ideal drug, with relatively high concentrations needed for maximum efficiency, it provides a promising lead compound to derive new drugs from."

Developing cancer drugs that complement existing chemotherapies by also blocking the cancer cells ability to recycle is a promising new area of drug discovery that warrants further investigation.

The Malaghan Institute would like to acknowledge the Genesis Oncology Trust, the Cancer Society of New Zealand and Sir Roy McKenzie for supporting this research.

For more information, please contact:

Dr Melanie McConnell on +64 4 499 6914 ext 857 or email mmcconnell@malaghan.org.nz.

About the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research

The Malaghan Institute of Medical Research is New Zealand's premier vaccine and immunology research centre and is based at Victoria University of Wellington's Kelburn campus. The Institute operates independently and is a charitable trust. Researchers at the Malaghan Institute are focused on developing innovative ways to harness the strength and potency of the immune system, the body's own natural defence against disease, to treat cancer, asthma and allergy, arthritis, multiple sclerosis and infectious disease.

Click here to download a pdf (285 KB) of this media release.

Rotorua Aikido Club honours Adam Cooper

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:56:09 +1300

The Institute recently received a donation in support of our cancer research, from the Rotorua Aikido Club. The funds had been raised from a memorial seminar held for a very special and valued member of the club. People attended from all over New Zealand to remember and honour Adam Cooper, who was only 30 years old when he lost his battle with cancer in April 2010.

The tribute page set up for Adam includes these words, “Adam was one of those people that made the world a better place just by existing and we will all miss him terribly - he trained with anyone and everyone and it was always a joy when he popped up at your dojo as you knew the energy on the mat that night would be terrific. Adam leaves behind him a huge hole in the NZ Aikido community.”

We were humbled to learn a little more about Adam’s accomplishments and how much he had inspired and motivated others. He had reached the level of 4th Dan in Aikido and was a highly respected practitioner, who taught students at all levels. Aikido is a non-violent martial art using technical skills to re-direct the opponent’s force to resolve conflict.

The Rotorua Aikido Club where Adam first developed his passion for Aikido was established in 1986 by Dianne and Paul Haynes. His dedication and skill saw Adam well-respected throughout the country and The Aikido Club of NZ states that it is a huge loss to Aikido to no longer have him as a role model and teacher.

Adam was also a chiropractor, graduating from the NZ College of Chiropractors in 2003 and then returning as a supervisor. He worked tirelessly to support the students, even when he was very unwell.

As a result, the Alumni Association of the College has established an award in his memory. The Dr Adam Cooper Chiropractic Practice Scholarship is for excellence and was presented for the first time to 3rd year student Kayla Radovanich.

Adam’s impact is clearly substantial and his family, friends and colleagues will ensure that there is a lasting legacy.

The Malaghan Institute is extremely grateful that Adam’s wife and family chose the Institute as the recipient charity for the proceeds of the Aikido memorial seminar. We would also like to thank the Rotorua Aikido Club for contacting the Institute and making the donation to us in Adam’s memory.

Introducing a new look for the Malaghan Institute

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:58:07 +1300

This month the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research launches a new look for its brand featuring a new colour scheme and logo to improve our visibility and the consistency of our communications.

The history of the Institute goes back over 40 years to the early 1960s when eminent Wellington surgeon Mr Tom Collins, the Wellington Division of the Cancer Society, and the Wellington Medical Research Foundation, recognised the need for an independent medical research institute.

On 26 July 1979 the Wellington Cancer and Medical Research Institute was opened in rented premises in the Wellington School of Medicine. In 1986 the name of the Institute was changed to the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research in recognition of the generous support by the late Mr Len Malaghan and his wife, Mrs Ann Malaghan. The Malaghan family remain extremely supportive of the Institute today, with Len's son Graham and grandson Matt on the current Board of Trustees, and daughter Margaret a long time member of the Auckland Friends Committee.

The familiar red and blue logo for the Institute was created over 20 years ago and has stood the test of time extraordinarily well.

During this period, the Institute has moved into new premises on the Kelburn campus of the Victoria University of Wellington and, under the directorship of Prof Graham Le Gros, expanded its profile and influence to become a national entity. The Malaghan Institute is now recognised as New Zealand's leading independent biomedical research facility with programmes focused on treatments and cures for cancer, asthma, arthritis, MS and infectious diseases.

External research conducted last year indicated that while the Malaghan Institute was highly regarded by those that were aware of its research and goals, the brand needed refreshing to better reach out to new audiences with the Institute's key messages.

A thorough examination of the brand followed with the opportunity to identify what makes the Malaghan Institute so unique and special. As a result, the colour palette has changed to warm hues of red and orange, and the logo is also new – a bold "M" with sweeping strokes to represent the links between the past and the future.

It can also represent the juxtaposition of the structure of scientific research with the promise of hope that it brings.

The Malaghan Institute also has a strong new message for people to quickly understand what its motivation and purpose is all about:

"Research is our journey. Cure is our destination."

Celebrating Day of Immunology 2011

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:00:39 +1300

Since 2005, the 29th of April has marked Day of Immunology in many countries across the globe.

This year's event fell on the same day as the Royal Wedding so 'marriage' between the immune system and microbes was chosen as the theme for the Malaghan Institute's Day of Immunology celebrations.

A series of short public lectures were given by senior Malaghan Institute Immunologists Prof Graham Le Gros, Dr Joanna Kirman and Dr Anne La Flamme, discussing how microbes can be used to regulate immune responses that affect diseases including cancer, asthma, diabetes and atherosclerosis.

"While some microbes can be linked to disease in humans," says Dr Joanna Kirman, Infectious Diseases Group Leader at the Malaghan Institute, "others can help promote a healthy life and we can use them to fight disease. The balance between microbes and humans is delicate and complex."

The lectures took place at Victoria University of Wellington and were followed by a 'reception' where attendees had the chance to speak directly with our presenters.

"A Marriage of Convenience – Partnering with microbes for better health" public lecture, 29 April 2011

The Malaghan Institute also hosted a quiz night on the 5 May called "Plagues and Pestilence". With this event we endeavoured to nourish the public with immunology in the guise of pizza and crisps, and stimulate their minds with interesting facts about the immune system.

“Plagues and Pestilence” Quiz night, 5 May 2011

Both events were filled to capacity making this year's Day of Immunology celebrations our most popular yet.

We would like to acknowledge the Australasian Society for Immunology for supporting our 2011 Day of Immunology events.

Please keep an eye on our website to find out more about our plans for the 2012 Day ofImmunology.

Plagues and Pestilence Quiz Nite - A FREE event to celebrate Day of Immunology

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:09:59 +1300

REGISTRATIONS FOR THE QUIZ ARE NOW CLOSED.

What: Plagues and Pestilence Quiz Nite
Why: To celebrate International Day of Immunology
When: Thursday 5 May 2011, from 6 pm
Where: Alan MacDiarmid Building, rooms AM102 and AM104, on Victoria University's Kelburn Campus
Who: Anyone can be involved, no scientific knowledge necessary. Get a team together (max of 6 per team) or go it alone. Prizes and refreshments will be provided.

Click here to download a printable pdf of the Quiz Nite flyer.

For further information please contact Tanya Fulcher on 04 499 6914 ext 811 or tfulcher@malaghan.org.nz.

Today is the World Day of Immunology

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:20:43 +1300

Since 2005, the 29th of April has marked Day of Immunology in many countries across the globe. Established by the European Federation of Immunological Societies, its primary goal is to strengthen public awareness of the importance of the immune system to each person's health and wellbeing.

Here in New Zealand researchers at the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research, New Zealand's premier immunology research centre, are always keen to promote the day and the key messages that are so relevant to the work that they undertake.

Many diseases such as asthma, arthritis and multiple sclerosis result from an inappropriately operating immune system. Scientists at the Malaghan Institute believe that understanding immunology is therefore key to developing treatments to help manage and reduce the debilitating effects these diseases bring.

This year the Malaghan Institute has teamed up with Victoria University of Wellington and the Australasian Society for Immunology to present a series of short talks on the 29th April, discussing how microbes can be used to regulate immune responses that affect diseases including cancer, asthma, diabetes and atherosclerosis.

"While some microbes cause illness in humans," says Dr Joanna Kirman, Infectious Diseases Group Leader at the Malaghan Institute and one of the speakers at the event, "others can help promote a healthy life and we can use them to fight disease. The balance between microbes and humans is delicate and complex."

It's a challenge to promote the event this year with the date coinciding with the Royal Wedding in London and its unprecedented media coverage. However, the Institute is thrilled that the public seminar is booked to capacity well in advance.

Places are still available for the more light-hearted free quiz evening "Plagues and Pestilence" taking place from 6pm on Thursday 05 May at Victoria University's Kelburn campus.

"We delayed the date of the quiz," explains Dr Kirman, "so that students will be back from their mid-semester break. We have put together some humorous questions with more serious underlying messages regarding immunology and our research."

No scientific knowledge is necessary and teams are encouraged to get together and come along. Refreshments will be provided so reservations are necessary. Click here for more information and to book your place.

Or contact Tanya Fulcher on 04 499 6914 x 811 or tfulcher@malaghan.org.nz

For more information on the Day of Immunology, please contact Dr Joanna Kirman on 04 499 6914 ext 856 or jkirman@malaghan.org.nz.

Want to know more ...
In 2008 young Italian Director Luca Sabbioni produced an award winning short film depicting the importance of immunology called "The Immunology Knight", which can be viewed here (you will need to scroll down the page to see the clip).
Click here to download a pdf of this media release
Click here to download a flyer of the Plagues and Pestilence Quiz Nite

About the Malaghan Institute
The Malaghan Institute of Medical Research is New Zealand's premier vaccine and immunology research centre and is based at Victoria University's Kelburn campus, Wellington. The Institute operates independently and is a charitable trust. Researchers at the Malaghan Institute are focused on developing innovative ways to harness the strength and potency of the immune system, the body's own natural defence against disease, to treat cancer, asthma, arthritis, multiple sclerosis and infectious disease.

A Marriage of Convenience - FREE public lecture

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 11:39:35 +1300

The date of the Royal Wedding between Kate and William, April 29th, is also International Day of Immunology. You are invited to celebrate this auspicious day with us by attending a FREE public lecture entitled "A marriage of convenience: partnering with microbes for better health" from 11 am, 29 Apr 2011 at Laby Lecture Theatre 118, Victoria University of Wellington.

A series of short talks will be given by local scientists discussing how microbes can be used to regulate immune responses that affect diseases such as atherosclerosis, asthma, cancer and diabetes.

REGISTRATIONS FOR THIS LECTURE ARE NOW CLOSED.

For further information please contact Tanya Fulcher on 04 499 6914 ext 811 or tfulcher@malaghan.org.nz.

Click here to download a printable pdf of the lecture flyer.

Click here to download a map of Victoria University's Kelburn campus, where the event is being held.

We are also hosting a Plagues and Pestilence Quiz Nite as part of our Day of Immunology celebrations. Please click here for more information.

Radio interview with Malaghan scientists on Adjuvants and Cancer Vaccines

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:54:22 +1300

Last night Malaghan Institute scientists Dr Bridget Stocker and Janice Cheng spoke to Ruth Beran on Radio New Zealand's Our Changing World programme about their work in developing more effective glycolipid adjuvants for use in cancer immunotherapy.

Summary of the interview (copied from Our Changing World website):

"Adjuvants are compounds that stimulate the body's immune system to fight diseases such as viruses or cancers. They are an essential ingredient in vaccines, and with colleagues at the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research, Bridget Stocker and PhD student Janice Cheng are developing better adjuvants for personalised cancer vaccines.

Bridget Stocker heads the Immunoglycomics Research Group and is particularly interested in the role carbohydrates play in the immune response. The adjuvants being developed are glycolipids, and by synthesising a green fluorescent version of the glycolipid, it is hoped to better understand how they work and thereby develop better vaccines.

On Tuesday 22 March, Bridget Stocker spoke in New Plymouth as part of the Marie Curie Lecture Series - a year-long national tour of talks by female New Zealand chemists in honour of Curie's Nobel Prize in Chemistry."

You can listen to Bridget's and Janice's interview by clicking here.

Click here to listen to a previous Our Changing World story on the development of personalised cancer vaccines at the Malaghan Institute, and here for a story on sorting cells.

A puzzle, a paradox and ultimately a promise of more effective cancer treatments

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:09:48 +1300

A scientific theory is like a jigsaw puzzle. To help piece it together scientists carry out experiments and the results they generate are evaluated carefully to determine where they fit within the overall picture. Sometimes areas of the puzzle come together easily, other times, such as the recent discovery by Prof Franca Ronchese and colleagues, we can be left wondering if the puzzle will ever be solved!

Prof Ronchese and Dr Ian Hermans both head research programmes at the Malaghan Institute focused on exploiting the power and specificity of the immune system to fight disease. For over a decade they have been working on the theory that a vaccine created from a patient's own immune cells and tumour tissue can be used to treat their cancer. Tumours differ from normal cells but they don't always activate a spontaneous immune response in the same way that a virus would. This is because tumours have numerous escape strategies that they use to avoid detection. The cancer vaccine works by helping the immune system to ‘see' the tumour, whilst also providing it with the appropriate signals required to kick-start it into action.

One such signal is a compound from marine sponges called α-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer), which has been shown in laboratory studies to stimulate even greater vaccine induced anti-tumour immune responses when used in combination with the dendritic cell vaccine. Last year the Health Research Council of New Zealand awarded funding to Dr Hermans and colleagues to use α-GalCer in combination with the dendritic cell vaccine in a clinical trial for melanoma.

Malaghan PhD graduate Dr Helen Simkins has just had work published in the international scientific Journal of Leukocyte Biology showing, somewhat unexpectedly, that α-GalCer also causes the death of a specific population of host dendritic cells. The death of these cells occurs shortly after vaccination and appears to be the consequence of the intense inflammation caused by α-GalCer. In doing so, Dr Simkins' research has revealed an apparent paradox - α-GalCer stimulates potent anti-tumour immune responses, whilst also signalling the destruction of the cells required for the responses to happen!

So what does this mean for the cancer vaccine? Prof Ronchese emphasises that these results should definitely not prevent the use of α-GalCer in T cell based immunotherapies, it is still the most promising and powerful adjuvant we have to date. Intriguingly, the results suggest that protecting dendritic cells from death might make the effects of α-GalCer even more powerful. What they also show however, is that there are still many pieces missing from this puzzle that need to be addressed if we are to fully understand the extraordinary intricacies of the immune system and how best to tap into them to treat disease.

Dr Bridget Stocker to give free public lecture in New Plymouth on 22 Mar 2011

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:15:00 +1300

2011 is the International Year of Chemistry and on 22 Mar 2011 Malaghan senior research scientist Dr Bridget Stocker will give a seminar on "Chemistry, Immunology and the Sweet Stuff" as part of the Royal Society of New Zealand's Marie Curie Lecture Series.

In 1911 Marie Curie received a Nobel Prize in chemistry and Dr Stocker is one of several leading female chemists from around New Zealand that are presenting free public lectures on how chemistry affects and improves our lives and our society, in honour of Curie's groundbreaking research.

"To most people, the term ‘sugar' refers to crystals used to sweeten food but to a chemist, it's the generic term given to a class of compounds which play an important role in a variety of biological events," said Dr Stocker.

"This lecture looks at the sugars that decorate the surface of pathogens and how sugar-derivatives and mimics can be used to develop drugs and better vaccines for diseases such as cancer and tuberculosis."

Dr Stocker's lecture is free and open to the public and we invite you all to attend.

What: Free Public Lecture by Dr Bridget Stocker on "Chemistry, Immunology & the Sweet Stuff"
When: Tuesday, 22 Mar 2011 at 6 pm
Where: Govett Brewster Art Gallery, New Plymouth

About Dr Stocker

Dr Stocker was awarded the Victoria University of Wellington Gold Medal for the top graduating BSc(Hons) student across all science disciplines in 2000, and continued on at Victoria University for her PhD, focusing on the total synthesis of several anti-cancer agents. Following a brief period as a lecturer at Victoria University, Dr Stocker was awarded a FRST Bright Futures Post-Doctoral Fellowship in 2004 and spent two years at the prestigious Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, where she completed the first total synthesis of several complex mycobacterial cell wall components. In 2006, Dr Stocker returned to New Zealand, and currently leads the Immunoglycomics group at the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research, a programme established in 2007 in collaboration with Victoria University of Wellington and with a focus on understanding the role of carbohydrates in immunology.

For more information

Please contact lectures@royalsociety.org.nz or 04 470 5770.

The Royal Society of New Zealand has also produced a pdf flyer on Dr Stocker's talk, which can be downloaded from their website by clicking here.

Media Release: Working towards a cure for Multiple Sclerosis

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 10:34:34 +1300

There is currently no cure for Multiple Sclerosis (MS) - however scientists at the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research believe that specialised cells found in the blood might hold the key to improving the quality of life of the thousands of New Zealanders affected by this disease.

In an ‘Outstanding Observation' published recently in the international scientific journal Immunology and Cell Biology, Dr Jacquie Harper, Thomas Bäckström and Clare Slaney describe how blood cells called monocytes may play a part in the development of MS.

MS is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system that affects one in every 1,500 New Zealanders and can render an individual unable to write, speak or walk.

The Malaghan research, which was funded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand, showed that the ability of the blood monocytes to suppress inflammation is impaired in an experimental model of MS.

"As such, these monocytes are no longer able to prevent inflammatory cells from destroying the central nervous system of MS sufferers," said Dr Harper.

"If we can find a way to reactivate suppressor function in the monocytes of MS sufferers, we might be able to provide a new treatment for MS that could delay or even prevent the progression of this
disease."

Dr Thomas Bäckström was instrumental in laying the groundwork for the Malaghan study. He recently returned to Sweden to take up the position of Director of the T Cell Biology Department at Scandinavia's biggest pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk. Dr Bäckström says that we all have these monocyte suppressor cells in our blood. The new challenge is to find tools to help them do a better job at controlling inflammation to treat dreadful diseases like MS.

"Because MS hits adults in their prime, it dramatically reduces quality of life," said coauthor and Malaghan MS Research Associate Dr Anne La Flamme. "Current treatments are not equally effective in all MS patients and often have side-effects associated with medium to long term use, so there is a desperate need for safer, more effective MS therapies."

Next week Dr La Flamme will participate in stage six of the Great New Zealand Trek, as it journeys the length of the country on horseback, mountain bike or by walking, to raise funds to help the Malaghan continue its groundbreaking research and find a cure for MS.

Please contact Dr Jacquie Harper on +64 4 499 6914 or jharper@malaghan.org.nz for enquiries related to this discovery. For more information on Malaghan MS research please contact Dr Anne La Flamme on +64 4 463 6093 or anne.laflamme@vuw.ac.nz.

About the Malaghan Institute

The Malaghan Institute of Medical Research is New Zealand's premier vaccine and immunology research centre and is based at Victoria University's Kelburn campus, Wellington. The Institute operates independently and is a charitable trust. Researchers at the Malaghan Institute are focused on developing innovative ways to harness the strength and potency of the immune system, the body's own natural defence against disease, to treat cancer, asthma, arthritis, multiple sclerosis and infectious disease.

Please click here to download a pdf of this media release.

Hugh Green Charitable Trust supports Malaghan Flow Cytometry

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:03:31 +1300

If you have ever tried to hunt out the few remaining black jellybeans in the pick & mix confectionery bin, or chased that elusive single cherry around the large tin of fruit salad, then you have just an inkling of the patience required to be a flow cytometrist.

For Malaghan Flow Cytometry Manager, Kylie Price, searching for a single cancer cell or immune cell in a sample containing millions of other cells is just one of the challenges that she faces daily - and she wouldn't have it any other way.

Her long hours and hard work have been recently recognised by the Hugh Green Charitable Trust, which has made a generous donation to support her work and the pivotal role that the Flow Cytometry Suite has in the research undertaken at the Malaghan Institute.

So what exactly is flow cytometry and how does it work? Essentially a flow cytometer uses lasers to activate fluorescent dyes that have been deliberately attached to cells of interest via an antibody specific to that type of cell. "Unlike jellybeans or cherries" says Kylie, "cells cannot be distinguished by the naked eye, so dyes are used to help the flow cytometrist ‘see' the cells they are interested in. These cells can then be separated from all the others so they can be studied further".

Kylie, with her new title of Hugh Green Flow Cytometry Fellow, explains that the application of this technology is immense. "For instance, there is new understanding that when a cancer-killing immune cell goes inside the tumour mass the tumour itself produces chemicals that act to slow down the cancer-killing cell. Flow cytometry enables us to purify this immune cell and to determine what type of stimulus is needed to wake it up and re-instigate the cancer-killing activity".

The level of detail and knowledge required today in immunology research would not be possible without the availability of a Flow Cytometry Suite and Kylie's expertise. The Malaghan, as New Zealand's leading independent medical research facility with programmes focused on treatments and cures for cancer, asthma, arthritis, MS and infectious diseases, is proud to host the busiest flow cytometry facility in the country and provides access to state-of-the-art equipment unavailable elsewhere in Australasia.

The Hugh Green donation is the "cherry on the top" that will ensure that the suite will continue to operate under Kylie's watchful eye for the benefit of all the Malaghan scientists.

Media release: Malaghan Institute research reveals clue to tackling tuberculosis

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 09:31:34 +1300

Tuberculosis (Tb) kills more people worldwide than any other bacterial disease. Recent research from the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research suggests that understanding how the immune system responds to Tb is the key to tackling this deadly disease.

Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs, leading to a persistent cough, night sweats, and weight loss. It is spread through the air when an infected individual coughs or sneezes, and is more prevalent in conditions of household crowding and relative poverty.

Tb bacteria are very slow growing, so it can take several weeks, months or even years from the initial exposure before a person develops symptoms of disease - as evidenced by a recent case of Tb in a Palmerston North high school, which has been linked to a 2006 outbreak.

With current vaccines only having limited reliability, along with the emergence of drug-resistant strains, there is an increasing need for the development of more effective Tb vaccines.

"Our struggle to develop a more effective vaccine has stemmed in part from a poor understanding of the immune mechanisms that orchestrate protection against Tb," said Dr Joanna Kirman, who heads the Malaghan Institute Infectious Diseases research programme.

"If we can identify the critical players, and the factors that contribute to their protective nature, then we are far better placed to develop a better Tb vaccine," said Dr Kirman.

By taking a closer look at how the immune system responds to Tb infection, Dr Kirman and colleagues have revealed a new target for vaccine design and have just had their cutting-edge work published in the international European Journal of Immunology.

Identifying which components of the extensive network of cells, tissues and organs that constitute the immune system are the most critical for protecting against Tb, is akin to finding the proverbial needle in a haystack.

To get around this onerous undertaking, Dr Kirman and colleagues developed a novel strategy that involved trapping immune cells at specific sites in the body, and then looked to see how this influenced the ability of the immune system to protect against Tb.

In doing so, they were able to show that following vaccination, the immune cells present at the site of infection in the lungs play an essential role in controlling the growth of Tb bacteria in the early stages of disease.

"Our research suggests that a vaccine needs to drive the protective cells to the lung if we want to achieve good protection against Tb," said Dr Kirman.
This research will contribute to the strong international effort being made towards the development of an effective Tb vaccine.

Searching for an effective therapy for rare lung disease

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 11:03:19 +1300

LAM or Lymphangioleiomyomatosis is a devastating progressive lung disease that few have heard of. However, for the 21 New Zealand women who suffer from the disease, LAM is a big deal.

LAM causes shortness of breath, chest pains, coughing and lung collapse and there is no known cure. Because LAM is so rare it doesn't receive a lot of attention. Malaghan Institute scientists Prof Mike Berridge and Dr James Baty hope to change this by using their innovative cancer research to help LAM sufferers in a small but significant way.

Although LAM is not presently classified as a cancer, LAM cells have cancer-like properties such as loss of cell growth control, mutations and the ability to spread elsewhere in the body. With support from the NZ LAM Trust and the LAM Australasia Research Alliance, Dr Baty is taking a closer look at LAM cells to find out if there is a small population of cells with cancer stem cell-like properties. If these cells exist in LAM, they will need to be targeted for effective LAM therapy.

Dr Baty says the driving force behind his research is his desire to help people for whom there are very few treatment options currently available. He enjoys the challenge of deciphering the many signalling pathways involved with cell growth, proliferation and survival that are deregulated in LAM patients, and believes the most effective approach for treating these individuals might be with immunological therapies and/or drug treatments currently in use for cancer patients.

Both Dr Baty and LAM Trust Director Bronwyn Gray recently attended the 1st European LAM Conference held in Udine, Italy.

Understanding cell death could lead to breakthrough in motor neurone disease

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 09:45:50 +1300

Senior Malaghan Institute scientist Dr Melanie McConnell has built an entire research programme around finding ways to identify and kill cancer stem cells - a rare population of cells found within tumours that are thought to be the main cause of relapse and metastasis. Ironically, this research has led to an innovative spin-off programme focused on keeping cells alive.

Cancer stem cells have the unique ability to renew themselves and use an extensive network of survival mechanisms to evade chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments. As her understanding of these survival pathways grew, Dr McConnell realised that cancer stem cells might just hold the secret to extending the life of cells that die prematurely, such as in motor neurone disease.

Patients with motor neurone disease suffer increasing weakness of the muscles, due to the death of the neurons that feed into them and there is currently very little that can be done to stop this. Dr McConnell with support from the estates of Ellen, Sinclair, Barbara and Alison Wallace, hopes to develop approaches that actually prolong the survival of neurons - a creative flip-side to her usual role of trying to kill cancer stem cells.

Opening of Keith and Faith Taylor Cancer Research Laboratories

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:09:13 +1300

On Wednesday 5 May, the Health Minister Hon Tony Ryall will open the Keith and Faith Taylor Cancer Research Laboratories at the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research. The building of these laboratories is a joint venture with Victoria University and the K.I.A. Taylor Charitable Trust and represents a unique long term commitment by these parties to ensure New Zealand has the necessary infrastructure for the development of human vaccines against cancer. The state-of-the-art laboratories have been specifically designed to facilitate the preparation, processing and culture of human tissues for vaccine production and meet the exacting standards required for Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP).

The new facility will significantly enhance the efforts by HRC funded scientists at the Malaghan Institute who are dedicated to the development of immunotherapy as an effective means for treating cancer. This novel approach to cancer therapy exploits the sensitivity and potency of the immune system, which can be directed to seek out and destroy tumour cells through the use of custom-made vaccines. Although still in its infancy, immunotherapy offers one of the most exciting new approaches for treating cancer as it holds the promise of being able to effect a total cure with minimal side-effects and complements existing therapeutic approaches.

Institute Director Prof Graham Le Gros pointedly notes that it has already taken a decade's worth of funding by the HRC, the New Zealand Cancer Society and the Wellington Medical Research Foundation to develop the necessary knowledge, techniques and protocols required for translating this form of immunotherapy into a clinical setting. This has included two previous clinical trials, and a current Phase I trial headed by HRC Clinical Training Fellow Martin Hunn that is assessing the feasibility of using cancer vaccines in combination with temozolomide chemotherapy to treat patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme.

Prof Le Gros indicated that the vision for the new GMP laboratories is that they will be available to support cancer researchers nationwide and enable larger more challenging clinical trial protocols to be undertaken for the treatment of cancers such as melanoma and breast cancer. It also underlines the critical role that private individuals can play through philanthropy in ensuring groundbreaking research translates into improved health outcomes for New Zealanders.

Green Chemistry

Thu, 17 May 2012 11:47:05 +1200

Drug discovery can often require the use of large amounts of chemicals, which can have a detrimental effect on the environment. In fact, it is estimated that each year the pharmaceutical industry generates over 240,000 tonnes of toxic waste from the organic solvents and associated chemicals used to make target compounds.

To address this issue in the Immunoglycomics programme, PhD student Emma Dangerfield has developed novel ("green") methodologies for the synthesis of iminosugars, a class of drugs currently used in the treatment of a variety of diseases. Her approaches are not only greener than many (using solvents such as water and ethanol instead of petrol), but also yield high quantities of drugs in fewer steps, thus reducing the total amount of waste generated.

The compounds are synthesised from renewable, naturally occurring starting materials (sugars), and are easy to purify because there are fewer contaminants to have to remove at the end.

To date Emma's methodology has been used to prepare potential drug compounds for the treatment of tuberculosis, cancer and diabetes. Emma's methodology, which has been patented, was published in the international journal of Organic Letters last year.

Although the optimisation of greener strategies is an on-going process, we are excited about the opportunities that this research brings and the realisation that it is possible to find new ways to treat disease and care for the environment at the same time.

Glioblastoma Multiforme (Brain Cancer) Clinical Trial

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:23:45 +1300

In late 2008 the Malaghan Institute initiated a Phase I clinical trial to test the feasibility and safety of using dendritic cell vaccines in combination with temozolomide chemotherapy for the treatment of patients with recurrent glioblastoma multiforme, a highly aggressive brain tumour with a 100 % fatality rate.

Dendritic cells are a rare group of immune cells in the body that can activate T cells, considered the foot soldiers of the immune response, to destroy cancer tissue.

The brain cancer trial is the culmination of over a decade of basic cancer immunotherapy research at the Malaghan Institute and is being overseen by the Head of the Institute's Vaccine Research Group, Dr Ian Hermans, in collaboration with Wellington Hospital neurosurgeon Mr Martin Hunn, and Dr David Hamilton from the Wellington Blood and Cancer Centre.

It is anticipated that the trial will involve 12-17 patients that meet a strict set of eligibility criteria. The custom-made vaccines used in the trial are created by loading dendritic cells isolated from the patient's blood with tissue from their surgically-removed tumour. It is hoped that the T cells will be selectively activated to destroy brain tumour cells.

The patients will initially receive three vaccine treatments at two-week intervals, before being given the chemotherapy drug temozolomide. Once chemotherapy has been started, the vaccines and the chemotherapy will then each be given to the patients monthly for up to six months.

The trial has been made possible by a grant from the Cancer Society of New Zealand.

Enrolments for this trial have closed due to the required number of patients being met.

Click here to read more about our GMP accredited vaccine production laboratory.

Stumbling block for cancer vaccine – stepping stone for asthma vaccine

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 11:46:16 +1300

Prof Franca Ronchese and colleagues at the Malaghan Institute have spent over 15 years developing a cancer vaccine that works by stimulating the immune system to attack a patient’s tumour. One of the biggest hurdles they have faced is maintaining the intensity of the immune response over time.

Part of the reason for this is that under certain conditions specialised cells called cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) attack and kill the dendritic cells before they can do their job. Although dendritic cell killing is a stumbling block for a cancer vaccine, Prof Ronchese made the pivotal connection that this same phenomenon could be used to tone down the immune response in diseases where the immune system is overactive, such as asthma. Her research group went on to make the striking discovery that stimulating CTLs to get rid of dendritic cells in the airway prevented the development of allergic airway inflammation in an experimental model of acute disease.

This exciting research received HRC funding earlier this year to further explore the potential of CTL immunotherapy as a treatment for allergic asthma. This is a fine example of how a problem presented in one area of research has the potential to provide a breakthrough in another. The key to undertaking science that redefines our understanding and treatment of disease is in recognising such opportunities when they appear.