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From the Director - Professor Graham Le Gros

24 October 2013

During the past year we have witnessed the coming of age of immune therapy. With the recently reported successes of the immune activating agent anti-PD-1 in cancer clinical trials, the huge potential of immune therapy is starting to be realised.

We have been focused on building an expertise in immunology here at the Malaghan Institute for a number of years. It is our point of difference from the majority of other medical research institutes. By working with an extensive network of national and international research partners, clinicians, industries and community representatives, we can bring this expertise to bear on issues of greatest need here in New Zealand.

Fundamentally, it is our relevance to the community that supports us that matters most. Cancer remains a national priority and we have a mature cancer vaccine programme founded on decades of experience. Alongside this we have a rapidly developing programme in an area of emerging importance – gut health, which impacts on diseases ranging from food allergy through to diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease.

We are committed to using all our resources to fulfil the Malaghan vision and transform basic health discoveries into improved outcomes for all New Zealanders.

This article features in the November 2013 issue of our Scope newsletter (Issue 52).  Download the full newsletter here - 611 KB (PDF)