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Enjoy this video of Dr Marie-Claire Smith’s and A/Prof Andrew McDaid’s recent public lecture hosted by AMRF. At “Achieving independence after stroke: Rehabilitation, recovery and robots” we heard notable insights from these two emerging researchers and the people they help. AMRF was pleased to showcase their work on both the hospital-side and the engineering-side of the world-class research happening right here in Auckland around stroke recovery. Read more about Dr Smith’s career progression and personal connection to her stroke research. Click to read more There’s more video from A/Prof McDaid here. Watch his Re-Link Trainer in action and learn about why his work is so important to him. Click to read more

A young researcher returning to Auckland from Oxford will bring home world-class techniques that show deformations in the lens of the eye that cause vision problems as we age. Dr Peter Qiu has returned home to New Zealand and brought with him skills in cutting-edge technology to replicate the ageing lens in the Molecular Vision Laboratory at The University of Auckland. "The spin test system, like the name says, spins the lens to induce deformation and spins the lens to induce deformation, which then allows the stiffness of the lens to be measured. This stiffness is why the majority of the human population needs reading glasses as they age. Together with image processing and computer modelling, we can then extract differences in lens stiffness that occur with age." However, how this increase in lens stiffness occurs is still currently unknown. "We think lens stiffness is due to a loss in the ability of the lens to regulate its internal water content. We'll now be able to test that, and, if we're correct, it may prove possible to use drugs to improve lens water transport and reduce lens stiffness and ultimately reduce the need for reading glasses. "As part of this world-leading group in vision science, the Molecular Vision Lab, I'm in an ideal position to develop targeted pharmacological treatments to restore lens health by using our growing understanding of the molecular and physiological causes of presbyopia." Dr Qiu has been awarded Auckland Medical Research Foundation's Sir Harcourt Caughey award of almost $25,000 to help him undertake this work in Auckland. He says, "I am honoured to be a recipient of the Sir Harcourt Caughey grant and I would like to express my gratitude to the AMRF and its generous donors for this support. This award means that I can immediately integrate my research into the New Zealand research landscape and provided the opportunity to develop my independent research career as a bioengineer in New Zealand."

Read more now in the latest AMRF Newsletter. Read about the latest research and the researchers supported by donors like you including: Research with stroke patients to improve rehabilitation and recovery, sometimes using robots Young and emerging scholarship and fellowship recipients working across the spectrum of health research Emerging researchers in dementia and Parkinson's discuss their career prospects New work looking into the relationship between vaccine hesitancy and maternal health Click below to view and download the PDF newsletter

Young and early career researchers were just some of those fêted at the recent AMRF Research Awards event. As part of the over 60 awards made in 2020 for more than $4.5 million in charitable funding to researchers and research groups across the spectrum of health and medical sciences, here we highlight for special appreciation the recipients of scholarships and fellowships in 2020. These scholars and fellows are at a critical stage of career growth and scientific discovery. They are the future of medical research. "The generous support of this Auckland Medical Research Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship will provide essential funding to support me to progress from an early career researcher to an independent clinical academic. This involves continuing to grow into leading our internationally recognised work." - Dr Marie-Claire Smith 2020 Postdoctoral Fellows Dr Marie-Claire Smith, Department of Medicine, The University of Auckland (left, top image) "TWIST 3: Validation of the Time to Walking Independently after Stroke Tool" Dr Nikki Earle, Department of Medicine, The University of Auckland (left, middle image) Douglas Goodfellow Postdoctoral Fellowship "Multi-omics for ACS: Multi-omics and biomarkers to personalise risk prediction and therapy in acute coronary syndromes" Dr William Schierding, The Liggins Institute (left, lower image) Douglas Goodfellow Postdoctoral Fellowship "3D genome dysregulation: Systematic interpretation of noncoding regulatory (enhancer) mutations driving cancer onset, progression, and treatment" "I'm extremely grateful to the charitable donors who have made this work possible and I hope they, and their loved ones will benefit from my work." - Dr Tim Angeli, 2016 Fellowship recipient 2020 Doctoral Scholars Ms Sarah Kember, Department of Psychology, Massey University (left, top image) "Maternal mental health and vaccination behaviours in Aotearoa: Population immunity in Aotearoa, the relationship between perinatal psychological distress and vaccination behaviour" Dr Robyn May, Auckland Bioengineering Institute (left, middle image) "In the search of vascular culprits: a computational model of the cardiovascular system for newborns and their developmental prognosis" Mr Conor Nelson, Department of Pharmacology & Clinical Pharmacology & Centre for Brain Research, The University of Auckland (left, lower image) "An immunotherapeutic approach to treating cognitive decline in ageing: Anti-GluN1 antibodies as a novel prophylactic therapeutic approach to treating Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive decline" Congratulations to all the recipients of AMRF research funding in 2020 and thank you to the donors who make this possible. Read more here.

Auckland Medical Research Foundation is pleased to support postdoctoral research at the University of Auckland's Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences' annual SUMMIT2020 symposium. With topics including kidney disease, hypertension, digital interventions, neuronal growth, and ranging across a wide spectrum of health research fields, these postdoctoral researchers demonstrated an impressive variety of skills and passion for their work. This critical research career stage, the postdoctoral level, is an important time for early career researchers to establish themselves in a field of study. They must work to produce and publish data while planning for their next career transition and may struggle to achieve salary and research funding due to limited money available in university, government or charitable programmes. This event and its awards offer an opportunity for postdoctoral researchers to set themselves apart in a competitive field. AMRF was pleased to sponsor the Best Oral Presentation,a prize of $3,000 for conference travel, publication fees or related research costs, to Dr Alex Müntz from the Department of Ophthalmology. His work "Extended Screen Time, Blinking And Dry Eye Disease In Young Gamers" was praised for both his presentation style and the important content. Dr Müntz says, "To receive the award for the Best Oral Research presentation is a great honour, given the high scientific calibre of my colleagues’ presentations obviously customary at the SUMMIT Symposium. In my view, this award signals that the key to successful scientific communication in a multidisciplinary environment is simplifying one’s message beyond what may initially seem appropriate or even comfortable. "In my work, I am dedicated to developing interdisciplinary approaches to tackle the complex issues we are facing, and so I believe in simple communication as a basis for fostering collaboration, as well as for ensuring comprehension and thus real educational value. This award reinforces my belief in this approach. "The financial aid, coupled with the generous flexibility in such uncertain times, will be of great assistance towards taking the next step in my work, and is highly appreciated." Read more about the event and all the awardees in the FMHS Postdoctoral Society's newsletter where highlights include keynote speeches from Prof Cindy Kiro (UoA's Pro Vice-Chancellor Maori ) and Dr Brett Cowan (Chief Scientist at the Institute of Environmental Science and Research: ESR).

Diabetes can cause irreparable damage to heart muscle and researchers hope to find a new therapeutic target Normal contraction and relaxation of the heart is controlled by rapid changes in calcium levels. Key proteins in heart muscle cells interact to move calcium ions and change calcium ion concentrations, ensuring regular heart beating. As a result of disease or injury, these normal interactions are impaired and the heart undergoes changes collectively known as cardiac remodelling. The net result is heart damage, with less efficient blood pumping, further affecting the rest of the body. Dr Marie-Louse Ward and her team from the Department of Physiology at The University of Auckland study the effect of cardiac remodelling in people with diabetes. Recently they showed that proteins known as “Epac” can cause alterations in calcium regulation inside heart tissue cells. They now hold an AMRF grant to examine the role of Epac in human heart diabetic disease. They hypothesise that it may be the prolonged or over-activation of these Epac proteins that results in changes to the heart’s ability to synchronise contraction and relaxation. Epac may therefore represent an attractive therapeutic target to improve diabetic heart function. She says, "We know there is a different subcellular abundance and distribution of Epac in diabetic hearts. And we know impaired calcium handling contributes to the development of diabetic heart disease. We're looking to see if the reduced contractile performance of diabetic hearts might result from disrupted energy supply, since this is also dependent on cellular calcium fluxes. "Epac proteins are also located within the mitochondria, and therefore play a role in the energy supply that fuels heart contraction. And since we know Epac plays a role in energy supply in heart tissue, it will be hugely satisfying to tie all the pieces of this story together, and develop a robust rationale to turn Epac into a drug target to help prevent some of the worst impacts of diabetes and diabetic heart disease. "These AMRF funds allow us to investigate those links and we're really grateful for the generosity of donors that enables us to do this work."

Did you spot our research stories in today's New Zealand Herald? Learn more here! Click to watch video from A/Prof Jane Alsweiler about a $2 treatment that can save babies' brains Click to learn about cancer research in prostate, skin, brain and more Click to learn more and watch video about dementia research from Dr Brigid Ryan And more! Tinnitus research Finding the next antibiotic Covid-19 research

One of New Zealand’s largest and fastest growing health problem is type 2 diabetes (T2D) and it's associated with increased risk of many life-threatening metabolic diseases. T2D occurs when the body’s ability to clear sugar from the blood is impaired resulting in elevated blood sugar levels. High blood sugar dramatically increases the risk of developing many related diseases like cardiovascular disease, liver disease, stroke and microvascular complications that lead to blindness, amputations and chronic kidney failure. Therefore, this disease has a major impact on the health and well-being of more than 250,000 New Zealanders suffering from T2D and their families. Genetics is a major factor contributing to an individual’s risk of developing T2D, along with environment. Even in the same environment, some people are more at risk of developing T2D than others. Recent research discovered that 20-30% of people of Māori and Pacific ancestry living in New Zealand have a small variation in a gene called CREBRF, and this variation can protect against the development of T2D. Dr Troy Merry and his research team in the Department of Nutrition at the University of Auckland and the Maurice Wilkins Centre are working to understand the role of this genetic variant in metabolic disease. He says, "We currently do not know how this variant protects from T2D, but we do know that the pancreas produces a hormone called insulin, and following a meal blood insulin acts to lowers blood sugar levels. "However, when T2D develops, the pancreas’s ability to produce insulin is reduced, causing chronically increased blood sugar levels. "Funds from AMRF will allow us to investigate whether this genetic variant in the CREBRF gene may be protecting the pancreas cells from damage, and whether this leads to a reduced T2D risk in some people of Māori and Pacific ancestry." As an early career researcher this funding will have a major impact on Dr Merry's career. Dr Merry's is an early career researcher, and since returning to New Zealand in 2016 following international training, he has been working to build a research group centred around understanding metabolic disease, like T2D, which have a major impact on the health of New Zealanders. "Because this variant in the CREBRF gene is uniquely found in people of Māori and Pacific ancestry, understanding how this variant protects from T2D could have a major impact on the treatment of T2D in New Zealand" Dr Merry's research shows potential to have a major impact on health care. Understanding how this genetic variant influences T2D risk may guide precision health approaches for Māori and Pacific peoples, and provide new understanding of how to protect the pancreas from dysfunction that causes T2D, potentially leading to the development of new targeted treatment options for T2D. Interested in participating in this research? The researchers are looking for people with Polynesian ancestry to undergo testing like what's shown by PhD student Chris Puliuvea in this video. Text or ring 027 254 1549 to learn more or visit this webpage.

Prostate cancer is the most common malignancy diagnosed in New Zealand men. There are more than 3000 new cases detected each year, with the majority (60%) in men under 70 and around 650 deaths per year. Ethnic disparities in outcomes are well documented for prostate cancer, and despite the fact that Māori men have lower incidence of developing prostate cancer when compared to non-Māori, Māori men have significantly higher mortality rates. The New Zealand Ministry of Health (MOH) published guidelines for prostate cancer management in September 2015, but there continues to be a lack of New Zealand-specific research data required to evaluate the guideline's impact and effectiveness on prostate cancer screening or provide evidence for best practice. Dr Bashar Matti's Masters and PhD research, funded by Auckland Medical Research Foundation, will provide this important New Zealand-specific data. "I'm developing a New Zealand-specific prostate cancer risk calculator, which accounts for the ethnic diversity of our communities." "We've already found in our preliminary work that prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing is much more common than the MOH anticipated. Much more funding and resources need to be allocated to individualise PSA screening in order to improve equity and patient outcomes." He says, "Because New Zealand lacks an organised prostate cancer screening program with dedicated monitoring and quality assurance services, like the existing breast or bowel cancer screening programs, the distribution of the prostate cancer screening pattern, though high, has been inequitable, with Māori men being significantly disadvantaged." "We have discovered there are clear ethnic differences in PSA age-adjusted reference limits, so the current interpretations of 'normal' PSA levels cannot be a 'one-size fits all' approach." Dr Matti's work in the Department of Surgery at the University of Auckland is world-leading and will benefit patients of all ethnicities across New Zealand. He says, "It is so important to improve screening services for prostate cancer in New Zealand because this is frequently a manageable cancer, with timely diagnosis. My data will help guide the development of this program, ensuring men get the individualised service they need and improving patient outcomes. "Thanks to the AMRF and its donors for their support so I can be a part of this research team dedicated to equity- and evidence-based policies for prostate cancer testing and treatment in New Zealand."

Clinical trial will show if different blood pressure management during clot retrieval can improve outcomes from stroke. Stroke is the third most common cause of death in New Zealand. It's one of the leading causes of long-term disability at all ages. Stroke is a devastating disease with lifelong disability, dependence on others for care and very high mortality. The burden on patients, carers, health care providers and society will be higher in the most severe strokes. Patients suffering from ischaemic stroke caused by a blood clot in the brain can undergo a life-saving clot retrieval procedure if they get to hospital within the first six hours of onset. The clot can be removed using a mesh like retrieval device, freeing the clot from the brain. The MASTERSTROKE clinical trial brings together anaesthetists, radiologists, neurologists, research scientists and patients from all over New Zealand into a clinical trial to investigate if augmenting blood pressure management during this surgery can improve patient outcomes. Dr Doug Campbell from the Department of Anaesthesia at Auckland District Health Board leads the team studying this sometimes underestimated factor in this procedure. "Many anaesthetic drugs can affect the blood flow within the brain. There is a possible mechanism of benefit from an increased blood pressure target," he says. "Just a few points difference in blood pressure readings may really change the patient's chances for better recovery. "The intervention of blood pressure augmentation tested in this study adds no additional healthcare costs and would be immediately available to all patients having clot retrieval in New Zealand with more benefit to Māori who form a higher proportion of stroke patients. "Endovascular clot retrieval is already a highly effective therapy and we think we can make it even better. These further therapeutic improvements will reduce disability, improve quality of life and reduce healthcare costs."

A new research study will focus on the analysis of a newly discovered signal in the blood that could be used early in cancer patients' treatment with immunotherapies, such as Keytruda, to detect whether the treatment is working for them. "As we know for all cancer treatments, there can be significant side effects from immunotherapy and so early detection helps avoid those and can allow a doctor to quickly respond, revise and select a different treatment," says Dr Cherie Blenkiron, co-lead investigator of the work based at the University of Auckland's Departments of Molecular Medicine and Pathology and Obstetrics and Gynaecology with Dr Colin Hisey. "Our project will analyse the usefulness of this new blood marker in New Zealand melanoma patients for the first time, and we will also develop a tool, a microfluidic device, that will offer quick and inexpensive testing." Once developed, these devices can be simply altered to detect a range of blood markers for use as ‘point-of-care’ tests to guide clinical decisions across a range of diseases, not only for people diagnosed with cancers. We believe that these tests, performed on a tiny blood sample, could become a simple and accessible aid to benefit all cancer patients and particularly overcome challenges for rural New Zealand patients. "As a Biologist and a Bioengineer our different viewpoints are very complementary and will help to tackle clinical problems through finding the right biological marker and at the same time to develop ways of testing that can be used almost immediately by our hospital laboratories," says Dr Hisey. AMRF donors are committed to supporting early career researchers. Dr. Blenkiron is in the process of establishing her new cancer biology laboratory, focusing on the analysis of extracellular vesicles, while Dr Hisey is a young investigator forging his research path into developing better tools and methods for understanding of how cancer cells talk to one another to enable their survival. This AMRF funding therefore provides significant support for both researchers at pivotal points in their research careers. It supports development of their ‘liquid biopsy’ research programme and provides educational opportunities for students in biomedical and bioengineering sciences. On a personal level, the opportunity to spend our days developing new tools that could one day be used to improve the lives of people undergoing cancer treatment is humbling. Read more about Dr Blenkiron's AMRF funded skin cancer research here.

Read about the latest research supported by donors like you including: small projects with big impact for treating drug resistant bacteria young and emerging researchers working across the spectrum of health research at the HealtheX awards Northland researchers and their impact on their community fertility research that can change lives! Click below to view and download the PDF newsletter