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Annual Reports The Auckland Medical Research Foundation is pleased to present our 2022 annual report . Download it now (15MB) to read about health and medical research including: ​ Neurons of the hearing system ​ Artificial Intelligence and asthma attack prevention ​ Inaugural early career researcher hui ​ Ground-breaking neuroscience research into early-onset dementia ​ ​And much more! Download 2021 Annual Report 2016 Annual Report 2020 Annual Report 2015 Annual Report 2019 Annual Report 2014 Annual Report 2018 Annual Report 2013 Annual Report 2017 Annual Report 2012 Annual Report "I’ve been really fortunate to have support from AMRF throughout my career. AMRF has absolutely helped me establish myself." Dr David Musson, AMRF Senior Research Fellow ​ Enjoy reading a summary of research highlights in this brief impact report

Donations We are extremely grateful for each and every donation we receive, no matter how large or small it may be. Every dollar counts, and small amounts add up to big ones that help make huge differences to our world in the hands of our researchers. You can choose between a one-off donation, an annual or monthly payment or a set amount over a period of time, and there are several ways in which you can make your donation. ​ If you are considering making a major gift, we would love to speak to you about how we can make your donation meaningful to you and your family. ​ Donations over $5 are eligible for a tax credit equal to one third of your charitable donation. ​ Thank you for helping to create hope, find new cures and provide more effective treatments for those living with life-threatening conditions. Donate now All our operational costs are covered by a generous benefactor – so 100% of your donation goes directly to funding medical research. Learn more Membership Members receive invitations to special events Join now to receive a lapel pin and copies of our newsletters and annual reports Learn more Remembrance Make a gift in memory of a loved one Consider a donation to medical research in lieu of flowers Learn more legacies: A gift in your will Leave a bequest for medical research that is a legacy for life. Learn more Donate any time to our bank account 02-0160-0012991-00 How can we thank you? For a receipt, please email admin@medicalresearch.org.nz The Auckland Medical Research Foundation is a registered charitable entity under the Charities Act 2005 – Registration number is CC22674. Don’t want to donate online? You can download our donation form as a PDF and post it to us at PO Box 110139, Auckland Hospital, Auckland 1148. Or download an automatic payment form to take to your bank. Click here for the PDF . Ensure your name is referenced and contact us for your receipts. View our Privacy Policy here. Have you left us a gift in your will? Please consider sending us a Pledge Notification using this downloadable form . Credit card processing on our site is provided by Payment Express & Direct Payment Solutions. More ways to give together

I'm curious to see if we can improve outcomes for brain cancer patients The first question people ask when given the news that they have cancer is usually “how long have I got?”. If they have a GBM brain cancer the answer can be even more devastating. GBM, short for Glioblastoma Multiforme, is the most common and aggressive brain tumour in adults and has proven to be very hard to treat. But giving a longer and better quality of life is something Auckland researcher Zoe Woolf is passionately working towards. Having seen her aunt’s battle with cancer rob her of her quality of life in just a few months after detection, Zoe is striving to improve outcomes for GBM patients and is making significant in-roads early in her career. “People with GBM have a very poor prognosis – normally the median survival time is about 15 months from diagnosis. This is quite rapid compared to a lot of other types of cancers,” Zoe reveals. ​ Research can mean trial and error, and learning along the way. Although she completed her Bachelor degree only recently, Zoe has already had early successful findings in her research into immune cells in GBM tumours. “I was quite lucky that I was able to make sound findings early in my studies. It’s all about perseverance, because in science progress can often take years,” 22-year-old Zoe says. ​ “The gold standard for medical research is to find a cure. However, realistically for people with GBM, currently it is more about prolonging patient life, and their quality of life. In time, I definitely want to be able to go further with looking for a cure. I have Auckland Medical Research Foundation (AMRF) funding for three years to carry out this research, which holds a strong personal connection to me because of my aunt.” Zoe was about 10 when her aunt was diagnosed with a type of lymphoma that metastasised to her brain. There was little hope for treatment and she passed away two years later. “It was a similar progression to GBM. I remember it not being a long process, and her health deteriorated fast. Seeing a relative go through something like that definitely brings a personal connection to research.” Zoe’s work looks at two types of immune cells that should help fight GBM – microglia and tumour-associated macrophages (TAMs). Research literature documented that microglia may be good cells and TAMs the bad. “These tumour cells are able to manipulate other cells around them into helping the tumour survive. They hijack and influence these other cell types to help themselves divide, grow and spread throughout the brain,” she says. “The major obstacle has been in the inability to differentiate these two cell types. However, we have been able to show that the normal population of immune cells in healthy brain tissue is comprised of predominantly microglia. Brain tumours such as GBM, are comprised less of microglia, and around 80 percent of TAMs. “We want to investigate the two populations separately to see how these cells migrate, how they move through a tumour, how they eat other cells to get rid of them.” Based at the School of Medical Sciences at the University of Auckland, Zoe and her team collaborate with the Centre for Brain Research and Auckland City Hospital, receiving biopsies from patients undergoing brain surgery. “ ​ We are honoured to be able to work with tissue from human patients, you know this is someone’s family that’s going through the same thing as we did. It really humbles everyone, and gives us a lot of drive, and motivates us to research,” she says. “We get the tissue from these patients, and grow human microglia, in a dish. I don’t believe there are many labs around the world that have this resource. That these cells are an exact match to what’s actually in the brain is an extremely valuable resource for research.” Zoe initially intended to be a doctor and was studying bioscience at the University of Auckland – however a lecture by renowned neuroscientist Professor Richard Faull sparked her interest in neurological research. With support from the AMRF’s generous donors, she was awarded a Helen Goodwin Doctoral Scholarship in 2018, providing a springboard for her research. “The scholarship is amazing. I wouldn’t have been able to do a PhD without the AMRF funding. It’s promising to see progress so early in my PhD, and while a cure is a bit off in the distance, that’s definitely somewhere I want to get to in the future.” AMRF Executive Director Sue Brewster praised Zoe as a very worthy recipient of the inaugural Helen Goodwin Doctoral Scholarship, adding that doctoral scholarships are vital in helping young researchers progress and prosper in their studies. “The Gooduck Charitable Trust wanted to be able to make a critical difference in an emerging researcher’s career. Helen Goodwin, the founder of the Trust, has a life-long interest in education and also appreciates the importance and scarcity of funding for medical research in New Zealand. “We’re so pleased Helen has chosen to partner with AMRF to support young and promising researchers at such important stages of their research career.” ​ Here at Auckland Medical Research Foundation, our timeless mission is to ‘fund world-class medical research that provides genuine advances in medical and health science’. We support medical researchers to find cures, help prevent or delay the onset of disease, ease the pain of those with debilitating conditions and provide more effective treatments. To find out about the very latest in medical research, like Zoe’s, sign up here to receive our communications and newsletters. ​

I'm curious to see if we can detect and treat dementia much earlier in life Imagine that you are diagnosed with dementia. You’re told it will progressively deprive you of your ability to think, your personality, and your independence. Now imagine the doctor says your condition could have been treated if it was diagnosed 10 years earlier, but the damage to your brain now is too extensive. An Auckland researcher, Dr Brigid Ryan, has been granted over $300,000 to further the quest to identify dementia years or decades before clinical diagnosis, with the hope that early intervention is possible. ​ “We’re trying to find a way to determine who is in the very early stages of dementia before they have any of these clinical symptoms,” Dr Brigid Ryan explains. “Then potential treatments that come along, or that already exist, could be trialled in those people. ​ “Treatments have been tested on humans and failed. Possibly we’re just giving them too late in the disease. If we were able to give that treatment 10 or 20 years earlier, then maybe those treatments might actually be helpful.” ​ In 2018, Dr Ryan was awarded an Auckland Medical Research Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship, and her team of 11 at the University of Auckland are the world’s first to have long-term access to an Auckland family that has a rare form of early-onset dementia that manifests as young as in their mid 50s. In 2021, Brigid was awarded an AMRF Kelliher Charitable Trust Postdoctoral Fellowship Extension to ensure this world-leading study could continue. ​ Aware that dementia ran in the family and wanting to help future generations, when the matriarch passed away she donated her brain to the Centre for Brain Research. ​ Medical researchers identified that her frontotemporal dementia was caused by a genetic mutation traced back to Wales in 1300AD and is shared by 27 other families around the world. The prevalence of frontotemporal dementia is second only to early-onset Alzheimer’s in those with dementia aged 45-65. Her children have a 50/50 chance of getting it. Four of her six siblings and her father had it. There are more than 25 children in the next generation, with another two generations below them. Who carries the genetic mutation is not divulged. “We’re working with 24 people, aged between 25 and 59. By testing for the gene, we can identify people who are perfectly healthy today, that we know in 10, 20 or 30 years are definitely going to develop dementia,” Dr Ryan says. ​ “The family members who carry the gene that are in that older age group are probably quite close to developing the disease. These are the people in whom you can actually tell that they’re going to develop dementia much earlier than they develop clinical symptoms. We’re trying to look for potential tests that we could do which identify the really early stages of dementia.” Dr Ryan’s work with this family is internationally unprecedented, as no other researchers in the world have had access to families who have the gene mutation, instead working with smaller groups of unrelated people. The research requires the family to undergo annual tests at the university including neuropsychological assessments of their thinking abilities to look for any subtle changes. They test their sense of smell, as there is evidence it is affected early in other diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Eye exams look for changes in the retina and blood tests are conducted to look for any markers that could lead to a diagnostic blood test that determines the risk of dementia. Findings may also be beneficial for researching Alzheimer’s. With a grandmother who has dementia, Dr Ryan knows first-hand how difficult it is to see someone you love lose themselves to the condition, and is mindful it is much harder to see this happen earlier in life. “It is all so much more affecting for these people, because they’re still bringing up children, and still have jobs. It has much more of a profound impact on them. “Working with this family is really motivating. It’s hard to come to terms with knowing the people you are getting to know are eventually going to be struck by this disease. But having a personal connection makes it much easier to understand just how profoundly affecting dementia is. “Whenever any of us spend time with the family we come back to work just buzzing to carry on. It’s really valuable having their input and knowing, together, we are working on something that could help inform earlier detection and treatment of dementia and ultimately enhance a person’s future quality of life.” Dr Ryan tempers that by saying an analogy she heard is that current dementia treatment is like trying to stub out a match when the forest fire has already been lit. “We need to stop the fire from being lit in the first place.” Being able to research this family gives the team the best chance yet of making a positive difference. However the longevity of the project relies solely on funding. Dr Ryan estimates half her time is spent in the lab, the other half sees her co-ordinating the team and applying for more research funding. “Sometimes that’s just passed off as strange behaviour when you get a bit older,” Dr Ryan says. “But it quickly becomes apparent that it’s more serious than that. ​ “It’s really vital to have this support from the Auckland Medical Research Foundation. We really want to follow this family for as many years as we can as we are in the unique position of working with them long-term, seeing the ongoing changes that happen as the disease progresses and relating this back to more effective detection and treatment of dementia. Due to this ongoing funding, Dr Ryan and her team are now able to begin analysis of their first 3-year dataset. The results suggest that very early changes in language, cognition, and the sense of smell can be identified through their testing. “Although our analyses of blood-based biomarkers have been delayed due to the 2021 lockdown, these analyses are now underway. In addition, we have received more funding to continue this long-term study until 2025. “The Foundation is providing more than just funding, they are providing hope for the future.” ​ Here at Auckland Medical Research Foundation, our timeless mission is to ‘fund world-class medical research that provides genuine advances in medical and health science’. We support medical researchers to find cures, help prevent or delay the onset of disease, ease the pain of those with debilitating conditions and provide more effective treatments. To find out about the very latest in medical research, like Dr Ryan’s, sign up here to receive our communications and newsletters. ​ Zoe Wolf: brain tumour researcher Are you curious about brain tumour research? Click here! Dr Brigid Ryan: Early-onset dementia Are you curious about neuroscience? Click to learn more! Dr Cherie Blenkiron: cancer researcher Are you curious about cancer research? Click to learn more! Zoe Wolf: brain tumour researcher Are you curious about brain tumour research? Click here! 1/3

How Do I Support AMRF? Donate today! You are the ones who make transformational research possible and we are extremely grateful for every donation we receive from you, no matter how large or small it may be. Every dollar counts, and small amounts add up to big ones that help make immense differences to our world in the hands of our researchers. It’s your choice and we’ve made it as easy as possible for you to make the life-changing difference you want to. To give a one-off donation or a set-and-forget regular gift, use the Donate Now bar below and select your ‘donation frequency’ in the drop down menu. ​ Membership ​ If you are interested in an annual or life membership, we’ve provided two options for you to explore and support us in our mission. ​ Donate now Join us with a membership Remembrance A donation in remembrance of a loved family member or friend is a special and impactful way to honour their memory and you can choose to donate in their name. If you are donating in memory of a friend, we can send a note to the family to let them know. Remembrance Bequests: A gift in your will You may choose to leave a gift in your will – a legacy that will live on in your name (or anonymously if you prefer) and make a lasting difference. We would be honoured to be named in your will and to fulfil your wish to continue making a difference in the lives of so many. Click through for more information on how to leave a bequest or to contact us directly. Leave a gift If you are considering making a major gift, we would love to speak to you about how we can make your donation meaningful to you and your family. Or if you wanted to ask us anything about donating to medical research, please just call us on +64 9 923 1701. We welcome your call.

How donations are used Here at Auckland Medical Research Foundation we are unique – unique in that all of our operating and administration costs are covered by a separate charitable fund. What does this mean for you? This means that every single cent of your donation goes directly into the reason you joined with us – to make a difference in the lives of others! 100% of your donation goes into the heartland of medical research. 100% of your donation funds hope to find new cures, helps to ease the pain of those with terminal conditions and provides more effective treatments for people living with all types of medical diseases and conditions. ​ ​ Your donation will fund researchers working across the spectrum of medical and health science, from our immensely talented young scientists just starting out,through to those at the break-through stages of their career. ​ Your donation supports the highest quality medical research. ​ At the heart of our funding excellence is our Medical Committee, a panel of internationally recognised independent clinicians and scientists who rigorously evaluate all research applications. ​ All of our funding is contestable - from clinical trials and improving patient outcomes right through to blue sky research – and you can be assured your donation will be supporting research of the highest quality. ​Support from people like you has helped to kick-start the careers of New Zealanders who have gone on to be recognised as world-class leaders in research. Sir Brian Barratt-Boyes, Professor Sir Peter Gluckman, Professor Sir Graham Liggins, Dr Shirley Tonkin, and Distinguished Professor Dame Jane Harding are just a few of those great scientists. ​ There is growing demand for medical research funding. ​ Just like the demand for new cures and more effective treatments is increasing, so too is the demand for medical research funding. Every year the requests to fund medical research projects, travel grants, doctoral scholarships and postdoctoral fellowships outstrips the funding we have available. ​ On behalf of our researchers who will receive your support, thank you for your help in growing the critical funding required for the future of all our health – today, tomorrow and for generations to come. ​ Awarded Grants Learn More

What we do Our timeless mission started back in 1955 and to this day “funding world-class research that provides genuine advances in medical and health science” remains our steadfast purpose. Our donors help us to fund researchers to do what they do best – medical research! Our commitment is to support medical researchers in their vital work and this comes in all shapes and sizes. We provide funding for specific research projects across the spectrum of medical and health science. ​ We provide grants for researchers to attend conferences (virtually or in-person) and build local, national and international collaborations. ​ We award doctoral scholarships and postdoctoral fellowships for our young and upcoming researchers and also provide repatriation fellowships to ensure the best of our research talent returns to our homeland. Our donors help us to find solutions Our donors tell us they love the fact 100% of their donation goes directly into finding solutions to treat and prevent all sorts of diseases, conditions and disorders. ​ It is important to give our donors the highest level of confidence in our research funding process and that is why our selection standards have been gold standard ever since our inception. We cannot thank the highly qualified and experienced clinicians and scientists enough for the gift of their time to serve on our Medical Committee . ​ While many researchers receive government funding for their work, we know it is never sufficient. Our support provides vital seed funding to ensure research is not only started but is able to progress beyond just the initial investigation stage. Please join us in our mission to fund researchers who are making a life-changing difference to the health of all New Zealanders. ​ AMRF Learning Centre The AMRF Medical Sciences Learning Centre was opened by Prime Minister Helen Clark in 2005, and funded by donors to celebrate the Foundation’s 50th Anniversary. The Centre has won a national architecture award and houses the medical school’s anatomy and pathology collections. AMRF Auditorium The AMRF Auditorium at The University of Auckland's Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences was made possible through a generous benefactor in 2012. AMRF Learning Centre The AMRF Medical Sciences Learning Centre was opened by Prime Minister Helen Clark in 2005, and funded by donors to celebrate the Foundation’s 50th Anniversary. The Centre has won a national architecture award and houses the medical school’s anatomy and pathology collections. 1/2 Support AMRF Latest stories Many medical scientists who received AMRF funding in the early parts of their careers have subsequently gone on to establish international careers and be recognised with distinguished awards in New Zealand. These include: ​ Prof Innes Asher Respiratory Paediatrics ​ Sir Brian Barratt-Boyes Cardiothoracic Surgery ​ Prof Garth Cooper Molecular Endocrinology ​ Prof John Fraser Immunology ​ Prof Sir Peter Gluckman Paediatric Medicine ​ Distinguished Prof Dame Jane Harding Neonatology ​ Prof Kaye Ibbertson Endocrinology ​ Prof Sir Graham Liggins Paediatric Medicine ​ Prof Robyn North Obstetrics

I'm curious to see if soil will provide the world's next new anti-biotic Antibiotic resistance is one of the most pressing public health issues of modern times. Antibiotics are needed to combat bacterial infections, but an arms race between humans and bacteria sees an increasing number of bacteria surviving treatment with our current antibiotics, leading to the emergence of ‘superbugs’ that are difficult or impossible to treat. Every year 700,000 people die of resistant infections – a truly shocking figure. ​ “Resistant infections are difficult to treat, and require costly and sometimes toxic medications. Despite the urgent demand for new antibiotics, the antibiotic pipeline has failed to keep pace with the escalation of drug-resistance, with only nine new antibiotics approved between 2005 and 2014.” Ghader’s research is focused on finding new targets and processes in the fight against antimicrobial resistance. The collaborative project brings together a team of talented researchers from the University of Auckland, Auckland City Hospital and a Chinese research group, with the aim of developing an effective technology to produce large quantities of a newly-discovered compound that shows promising antibacterial properties. “We are excited, as we can show that this antibiotic outperforms current ‘last resort’ antibiotics, however the amount that we can get from its natural source is very limited. The next step is to establish an innovative technology to produce these on a larger scale,” says the biochemist from the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Auckland. This platform technology will be of global interest, given the production of new antibiotics is urgently required worldwide. ​ “New Zealand, just like any other country, is also at risk. The use and misuse of antimicrobial medicines, as well as international travel and trade, are the key drivers in the spread of resistance, leading to the increased morbidity and mortality in our community. That’s why we believe working on new generations of antibiotics is incredibly important.” Ghader has funding for two years from the AMRF, an investment that was integral to progressing his work. ​ “We want to use pioneering methods to produce this antibiotic in the lab, that we hope will lead to creating a large number of antibiotics from this particular family. We have already proved that these work. The funding that we’ve obtained through AMRF is crucial to establish our cutting-edge methodologies.” The antibiotic the team has identified is produced by bacteria in soil, that “produces compounds that could kill other bacteria but not themselves,” Ghader says. “There are millions of bacteria competing against each other for the nutrients, and whatever they might need.” Born and raised in Iran, Ghader came to New Zealand in 2004 to do his PhD. He now lives in Auckland with wife, Zahra, and two Kiwi daughters, Sevin and Sevda. Ghader says the AMRF funding not only provides Kiwis a better chance in the fight against antimicrobial resistance, it also has the potential to make a global impact. In addition, the funding from the AMRF helps Ghader train the next generation of scientists in New Zealand. “Training and keeping talented young scientists in New Zealand is a priority for me; keeping our hard-working and innovative research thinkers here, retaining their amazing ideas and dedication to benefit New Zealand.” ​ Here at Auckland Medical Research Foundation, our timeless mission is to ‘fund world-class medical research that provides genuine advances in medical and health science’. We support medical researchers to find cures, help prevent or delay the onset of disease, ease the pain of those with debilitating conditions and provide more effective treatments. To find out about the very latest in medical research, like Dr Bashiri's, sign up here to receive our communications and newsletters. ​ ​

I'm curious to see if New Zealanders hold clues to any side-effects of worldwide prem baby medication It is a treatment given to pregnant women whose babies are at risk of being born premature. It has been used around the world for literally millions of expectant mothers for decades. Yet the long-term effects of antenatal corticosteroid exposure are unknown. Now New Zealand is leading world-first research into any possible detrimental outcomes for those babies. ​ Corticosteroids are recommended for women at risk of preterm birth before 35 weeks – one in 12 babies are born before 37 weeks – to reduce potential breathing problems for the baby, and improve their likelihood of survival. New Zealand carried out the world’s first research to assess the effectiveness of corticosteroids between 1969-1974. It resulted in the treatment being adopted around the globe. ​ But are there long-term side effects? Researcher Dr Anthony Walters is being funded by the Auckland Medical Research Foundation to assess if later in life there is a propensity for health issues or conditions not experienced by their peers. With the initial group of babies now in their fifties, this is the longest study of antenatal corticosteroid exposure in the world. ​ “I was curious to know what this treatment that is used around the world, every day, is doing in the long term. If we were to find that there was a difference in any of these conditions, we would have the potential to screen people earlier. And if we don't find any difference, that gives a lot more confidence to people giving the treatment.” ​ Walters describes antenatal corticosteroid exposure as “the gold-standard treatment”. It was pioneered by renowned New Zealand researcher Mont Liggins, to help mature baby's lungs. But at what unknown cost? ​ “Having a medication or having something happen whilst you're in the womb can potentially have impacts on not only your health, but potentially the health of the next generation down,” Walters, 31, explains. “So we want to make sure that's not something that the steroid medication could be impacting on too.” ​ This includes assessing any propensity for heart conditions and strokes, bone health and asthma. “We know that [in utero medication] can impact your behaviour as well so we're also looking at social aspects – depression, bipolar. And whether they're employed or not.” ​ Just over 1100 mothers and 1200 babies were part of the original cohort and half had a placebo and a half had the steroid treatment. ​ The cohort was followed up when they were 30, where there were some findings that could indicate a higher risk of developing diabetes as they got older. Type 2 diabetes is less prevalent at 30 than it would be for those in their fifties, making this an optimal time to reassess the group. ​ The four-year project forms the endocrinology fellow’s PhD at the University of Auckland – but he has now been stalled by the Covid-19 pandemic, delaying his work by months, if not years. ​ Lockdowns have prevented face-to-face assessments and being able to track people through their last known address. ​ “That's something we couldn't really do at all during the lockdown times,” he says. “We work through NHI numbers and the electoral roll. Sometimes we're using Facebook, looking people up, helping us reach some people we couldn't track otherwise, people overseas for example.” The AMRF funding includes financial support for that face-to-face research. ​ “Being able to dedicate my time to doing this and to focusing on the research itself, rather than constantly worrying where the next bit of money is coming from, that's invaluable,” he says. ​ This project is one of more than 70 projects funded by AMRF that are now significantly stalled due to Covid-19. AMRF recognised the need for an emergency Covid-19 Relief Fund, to ensure research projects impacted by the pandemic can recover from months of Auckland’s extended lockdowns. ​ The pandemic has caused major disruptions for researchers unable to work for 190 days during the 2020 and 2021 lockdowns. ​ Walters says the team is utilising online avenues where possible, including data linkage where participants give permission for access to routinely collected information. For example, education details through the Ministry of Education. ​ “The data linkage is a novel way of getting a lot of the information so that we can do a bit more without necessarily having to inconvenience people.” ​ None of the research team know who received the steroid nor who is in the placebo until the end of the study, to ensure there is no bias. Previous researchers were able to reach just over 500 of the original 1200 and Walters wants anyone born pre-term at National Womens Hospital between 1969 and 1974 to contact the team via the Auckland Medical Research Foundation website, to ascertain if they were part of the original cohort. Think this is you? Click here to get in touch. ​ “There's obviously going to be some people that might not necessarily know they were in the trial. But hearing from the people that are out there who were part of it, would be very useful.” ​ Walters is cognisant that during a time when Covid-19 has caused so much turmoil, he has the security of funding for his work. ​ “I am incredibly grateful to the AMRF for giving me the security of funding for the duration of my PhD programme, allowing me to really dedicate my time to undertaking this important research. ​ “The travel grant will give me the invaluable opportunity to share some of this important research internationally, once travel is possible again, and the project expense funding will cover the costs of additional clinical and laboratory assessments to give us as complete a picture as possible of the long term effects of antenatal corticosteroids” Here at Auckland Medical Research Foundation, our timeless mission is to ‘fund world-class medical research that provides genuine advances in medical and health science’. We support medical researchers to find cures, help prevent or delay the onset of disease, ease the pain of those with debilitating conditions and provide more effective treatments. To find out about the very latest in medical research, like Dr Walter's, sign up here to receive our communications and newsletters.

I am curious

COVID-19 RESEARCH FUNDS AMRF have pledged $500,000 for immediate COVID-19 related medical research. The Auckland Medical Research Foundation have made available an urgent, fast-tracked fund specifically for COVID-19 medical research. Responding to a surge in demand for research funding and a clear urgency in the need for research in this topic, we have applied the same urgency to complete our application and review process for awarding funds at an accelerated pace. We understand exactly how vital it is that this research begins within a very short time frame, providing the quickest possible response to the unprecedented need during this pandemic. ​ To learn more about the need for COVID-19 related funding and our part in the provision of this vital support, click here to read an excellent recent news article on the subject of Covid-19 research funds. Our Covid-19 Research Fund Recipents: AMRF Simulating surgeries to save lives Read more now in the latest AMRF Newsletter - latest health and medical research and the doctors and scientists supported by donors like you AMRF Researchers offered $1.36m rescue package AMRF launches emergency Covid-19 Relief Fund to ensure recovery of health and medical researchers impacted by the pandemic in Auckland AMRF Update! Whitu, well-being intervention for teens: Publication Success for a mobile app to help teens improve their mental well-being against anxiety and depression while dealing with Covid-19 pandemic. What does the funding cover? ​ Open to researchers whose principal investigators are based in the Auckland/ Northland region, AMRF has granted up to a maximum of $100,000 for each research project, from an initial investment of $500,000. This is over and above the Foundation’s average of more than $3.5 million – granted annually for a wide range of medical research each year – including dementia, cancers, stroke treatments, antibiotic development, heart health and youth mental health. ​ The fund focuses solely on biomedical, clinical and population-health research, specifically investigating COVID-19, its impact and outcomes. Our aim is to fund a wide range of research covering focus areas such as bio-medical studies and identifying new treatments through to studies exploring the societal impacts of the lockdown. ​ ​ Why is it important? ​ Our reasoning is simple. If we don’t gather the data about what we are learning during this pandemic, we are doomed to be no further ahead next time, and the experts are all saying there will be a next time. COVID-19 – like the flu, may never be truly eradicated, and there may be other world-wide pandemics in our future. The lessons we learn from this will be applicable to the next one, and it is vital that we ensure that this information is there when we need it. While researchers around the globe are working towards a cure for the virus, AMRF are providing funding to a wide range of applications, looking not only at prevention and treatment strategies but also at isolation measures and impacts, including recuperation and anxiety as well as research projects focused on gathering large datasets in population health. ​​ ​ How do I help? ​ With a high demand for research grants and our current fund only able to support a small percentage of the huge number of applications we receive, further funding is crucial to ensure that potentially vital research is able to go ahead. Please donate today using the form linked below and help us to support ground-breaking research taking place right here by our nations most highly skilled medical researchers. You can also sign up at the link below to stay up to date with our latest research through our newsletters. Make a Donation Receive Updates about our Research Keep Me Updated Thanks for submitting! Who is AMRF and what do you do? ​ AMRF was established in 1955, and in its 65 years has invested more than $80 million into a wide range of medical research. An endowment funds all of AMRF’s administration costs, enabling 100% of donations to go directly to medical and health research. AMRF’s key focus is to financially support medical researchers and their projects led out of the greater Auckland region, assist in furthering their international collaborations and gaining invaluable off-shore knowledge along with repatriating medical researchers and scientists back to New Zealand.

Privacy Policy The Auckland Medical Research Foundation (‘AMRF’) is committed to protecting your privacy. ​ Any personal information provided to us is held with the utmost care and will not be used other than as described in this privacy policy. AMRF recognise that your relationship with us is voluntary, and as such, your privacy will be held in the strictest confidence. AMRF will ensure that any personal information provided to us will be treated in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020 and not be used or disclosed other than as described here. ​ Donation Guidelines Information about donations is handled with respect and confidentiality to the extent provided by law. ​ Some donors prefer anonymity. AMRF will respect the wishes of contributors who prefer their gift to remain confidential. AMRF do not lend, exchange, rent or sell our donor lists to other organisations. ​ The personal information you provide when making an online donation, purchasing a membership, applying for funds or becoming a volunteer will be protected by AMRF, and will not be disclosed to any third parties. You can opt out at any time. ​ What information AMRF collect AMRF collects and uses various personal information from individuals that includes: name, amount donated, dates of donations, address, telephone numbers, e-mail address, comments, attendance at events and date of birth. ​ Security of information held AMRF holds personal information at the AMRF office: Level 3, 81 Grafton Road, Auckland. ​ AMRF will ensure your personal information is kept secure and confidential, using up-to-date methods and systems which meet current industry standards. This includes the following: ​ Only our staff and those who perform services on our behalf, and are authorised to handle your information, will have access to your personal information; We will not retain any of your information for any longer than is required by us except to fulfil our legal obligations or where you have consented; We will, with your assistance, endeavour to keep your personal information accurate, complete and up-to-date. ​ How AMRF use that information AMRF will use contact information (e-mail, telephone numbers and address) of individuals: To distribute receipts for donations/memberships; To send donor/membership acknowledgement letters and thank supporters for their donations; To inform supporters about upcoming fundraising and other activities of AMRF; For internal analysis and record keeping; For direct mailings; To contact you (either directly or by appointing another organisation) to carry out market research and surveys; For the ordinary operation of its business including: to identify an individual; to provide supporters and applicants with products and services they require including the administration and management of those products and services; for researching and developing AMRF’s products and services including an understanding of a supporter’s and applicants communications needs for the purposes of enhancing or improving AMRF’s products and services; informing supporters and applicants of changes to AMRF’s products and services; and to conduct appropriate checks regarding the provision of the products and services to a supporter or applicant; For any other purpose indicated at the time of supply of the information to AMRF; Staff and volunteers assume all donations are to be publicly announced unless the donor explicitly indicates otherwise. Comments given in donor/membership forms may be used in promotional materials while comments sent to us via email, fax or telephone are kept strictly confidential. ​ Access and Correction of Information You have the right to access and request a correction to your personal information. To ensure that your recorded personal information is accurate and up-to-date, or to opt out, please notify AMRF by email admin@medicalresearch.org.nz or by phone 09 923 1701. ​ Financial information All access to donor financial information is strictly limited to staff who need to process this data. AMRF uses Windcave for online payment processing which protects personal information to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards. AMRF does not store, nor does it have access to, your credit card information, bank account numbers, or other account data sent to those processing services. ​ If AMRF decide to change the privacy policy, AMRF will post those changes here so you are always aware of what information AMRF collect, how AMRF use it, and under what circumstances, if any, AMRF disclose it. If at any point AMRF decide to use personally identifiable information in a manner different from that stated at the time it was collected, AMRF will notify you by way of an email or post. You will have a choice as to whether or not AMRF may use the information in this different manner. AMRF will use information in accordance with the privacy policy under which the information was collected. ​ Cookies By using the AMRF website, mobile website, or applications, you confirm that you agree to the use of cookies [small files hosted on your computer or device] and similar technologies in accordance with this cookie policy. ​ AMRF may collect and/or retain personal information about you as a result of you using our site. AMRF only use this information in aggregate and it cannot be used to personally identify you. AMRF do not collect identifiable information about you while you browse our website unless you choose to give it to us. ​ AMRF may use third party vendors, including Google, to show our ads on other internet sites and use cookies to serve ads based on your preferences. You may opt out of Google’s use of cookies by searching for Google’s opt-out page. ​ You can block some or all cookies by manually adjusting the cookie settings on your internet browser. ​ Privacy breaches If AMRF believe that there has been a privacy breach, AMRF will identify the issue and take steps to minimise any harm. If AMRF believe the breach has caused, or is likely to cause serious harm, AMRF will contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner and those who may be affected by the breach. If you believe there has been a privacy breach you should report the breach or potential breach to AMRF's Privacy Officer by email admin@medicalresearch.org.nz . ​ The Privacy Officer will review any complaint or reported breach. The Privacy Officer will respond to the complainant or reporter outlining next steps and their reasons for taking those steps. The Privacy Officer will also consider whether any privacy breach is a notifiable breach, therefore requiring notification to the Privacy Commissioner and affected individuals under the Privacy Act 2020. ​ Disclaimer This website is for information only. It is not intended to replace medical or healthcare advice provided by a qualified medical practitioner. Any person requiring medical advice or treatment should seek proper care from an appropriate provider. ​ AMRF aims to ensure that all website information is from reliable and reputable sources and is accurate, and AMRF accept no responsibility for the manner in which this information is subsequently used. ​ AMRF is not responsible for the content or reliability of any external websites that AMRF do not own or manage, that this website links to. AMRF does not necessarily endorse the views expressed within them nor guarantee they will be active and function correctly at all times. Listing shall not be taken as endorsement of any kind. ​ The information contained on this website is derived from a number of sources. While AMRF has taken all reasonable steps to ensure that all information is from reliable and reputable sources and is accurate, it accepts no liability or responsibility for any acts or omissions, done or omitted in reliance in whole or in part, on the information. Updated 7 September 2021