Wellington-based medical researchers have received up to $228,138 in Research For Life’s first funding round for 2024.

 Research For Life funds innovative quality research undertaken by researchers in the early stages of their careers who through their work will advance  the quality of healthcare in the Wellington region and beyond.

 This round saw fourteen researchers receive research grants up to the value of $212,714 to undertake innovative medical research and six travel grants, totaling $15,424 to assist local researchers meet the cost of presenting their research at medical conferences. The successful applicants were: 

Dr Hannah Lee-Harwood

Dr Hannah Lee-Harwood received a Research for Life grant of up to $13,950 to undertake research that will support the clinical progression of niclosamide, a repurposed anti-parasite drug that is under current evaluation as an antibacterial drug candidate. Owing to the widespread emergence of life-threatening antibiotic resistant bacterial pathogens, new antibiotics are urgently needed. Niclosamide is a promising candidate that has strong anti-bacterial activity. However, to support its clinical development, it is important to perform a comprehensive assessment of the future mechanisms of antibiotic resistance that are likely to emerge. Using an innovative method to search for potential resistance genes present in environmental bacteria, Hannah has shown that there are several classes of gene that encode niclosamide-detoxifying protective elements. She is now testing these to assess the risk they pose, and identifying alternative antibiotic sensitivities that arise as bacteria gain resistance to niclosamide. These insights will inform potential countermeasures to combat future strains of niclosamide-resistant bacteria.

Dr Kathryn Hally

Dr Kathryn Hally, Lecturer at the University of Otago Wellington (UOW), has received a Research For Life grant of up to $11,274 to characterise the function of monocytes in response to a heart attack. Monocytes are an important circulating immune cell that migrate into the affected heart tissue and are involved in healing after a heart attack. It was previously thought that monocytes are helpful in this context by supporting tissue repair. However, Kathryn and her research team have recently demonstrated that monocytes remain activated up to 10 days after a heart attack. Constant activation of these cells may maintain an inflammatory environment within the heart tissue, and lead to harm. To strengthen these findings, this current research aims to understand how monocytes function during this time after a heart attack: are monocytes involved in maintaining inflammation or facilitating tissue repair? This research will involve analysing monocytes from a biobank of cryopreserved peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) that have previously been collected from heart attack patients, and will be conducted by Michael Roberts, a BBioMedSc(Hons) student at UOW. Michael will be supervised by Kathryn, alongside Dr Ana Holley, Lecturer at UOW, and AProf Peter Larsen, Head of Department of Surgery and Anaesthesia at UOW. 

Ceridwyn Jones

PhD student Ceridwyn Jones received a Research for Life grant of up to $16,472 to undertake research to investigate the neutrophil response to anti-platelet therapy. Anti-platelet therapy is the gold standard treatment to manage heart attacks and prevent recurrent cardiovascular events in Aotearoa New Zealand, however a third of New Zealander’s will still experience a recurrent event within a year after their heart attack. Ceridwyn’s research is exploring the off-target effects of anti-platelet therapy on neutrophils, as a key mediator of inflammation after a heart attack. Ceridwyn is in the third year of her PhD at Victoria University of Wellington. 

Thomas Bird

Thomas Bird was awarded up to $15,303 to undertake research of FAM171 proteins, an understudied family of neuronal receptors with implications in Alzheimer’s disease. Thomas’ research will provide fundamental knowledge of the structure and function of these proteins that will broaden our understanding of Alzheimer’s Disease and may aid in the development of new treatments. Thomas is a PhD student at Victoria University of Wellington. 

Brianna Otto

Brianna Mouariki Otto has received a Research for Life grant of up to $12,500 to carry out research on the interactions between the human pathogen Bartonella quintana and innate immune cells. B. quintana causes a disease known as trench fever in humans hosts but can also persist chronically in the bloodstream. It also causes serious complications, such as endocarditis, in some patients. Very little is understood about how B. quintana avoids the immune response to cause disease. Preliminary data suggests that B. quintana resides in an uncharacterised vacuole in host macrophages and that it avoids or delays the bactericidal activity of macrophages. The aim of this research is to determine how long B. quintana survive inside macrophages and to use microscopy and staining of cellular markers to characterise the vacuoles that B. quintana resides in. The function of macrophages following phagocytosis will also be assessed. 

Dr Kathryn Hally

Dr Kathryn Hally has received a $15,770 Research For Life grant to explore how platelet activation changes after vascular surgery. Although a necessary process, surgery is associated with significant activation of platelets, the clotting cells in blood. As these cells are hyperactivated after surgery, they may contribute to the risk of experiencing a cardiovascular event after surgery such as a heart attack. Patients that are undergoing surgery to treat peripheral vascular disease are at a heightened risk of these types of events, because they often have several cardiovascular risk factors. Kathryn’s research aims to investigate the change in platelet activation that occurs over time after vascular surgery. The research team will use this information to study platelet activation biomarkers for their ability to predict risk following vascular surgery in future research. This current research will be conducted by Emma Thompson, a BBioMedSc(Hons) student at UOW, who will be supervised by Kathryn and Professor Anne La Flamme (Te Herenga Waka). 

Dr Kit Moloney-Geany

Dr Kit Moloney-Geany and Alfonso J. Schmidt received up to $24,139 as part of a Research for Life grant to explore how the lungs develop immunity towards the flu virus. By using cutting-edge technologies, the research team will use a specialised microscope to isolate desired regions in flu-infected mouse lung tissue. By isolating specific structures known as tertiary lymphoid structures, the researchers will be able to analyse the interactions and development of individual cells that are vital to fighting the flu virus. By better understanding how these structures are formed, the research team hopes to inform on what components of a vaccine would be needed to induce these structures and boost the potency of flu vaccines. 

Dr Ross van de Wetering

Dr Ross van de Wetering received a Research for Life grant of up to $13,195 to investigate a novel treatment avenue for Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, age-related neurodegenerative condition that is becoming increasingly prevalent in our aging population, yet there are currently no safe and effective treatment options. His research will investigate the role of myelin, the substance that wraps and insulates the nerve fibres of the central nervous system, in the development of Alzheimer’s disease and if restoring myelin health is a viable treatment strategy. Dr Ross van de Wetering is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Victoria University of Wellington’s School of Biological Sciences. 

Brooke Waldram

Brooke Waldram received a Research for Life grant of up $13,351 to investigate the effect of kappa opioid receptor (KOR) agonists on CD4+ T helper cell responses. These cells can be either pro- or anti-inflammatory and play a key role in the initiation and progression of multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system. The KOR agonist nalfurafine has been shown to reduce disease severity and promote remyelination in an animal model of MS. This research aims to understand the immunomodulatory effects of nalfurafine treatment and how it might alter CD4+ T cell responses in models of MS. Brooke is a master's student supervised by Prof Anne La Flamme at Victoria University of Wellington.

Zoë King

Zoë King has received a Research for Life grant of up to $13,800 to undertake research into the mechanisms underlying development of liver fibrosis during Bartonella henselae infection. B. henselae is an underdiagnosed but prevalent bacterial pathogen in New Zealand. Transmitted to individuals from infected cats, B. henselae typically causes a self-limiting illness, cat scratch disease. However, some patients develop serious complications from the infection, including liver infection and fibrosis. Fibrosis, characterised by the proliferation of extracellular matrix proteins, such as collagen, contributes to numerous diseases. The aim of this research is to characterise the interactions between B. henselae and liver cells, including those that promote fibrosis, and to identify B. henselae virulence factors that are involved. Findings could lead to better prevention, treatment, and diagnosis of B. henselae liver infections. 

MacKenzie Kiernan

Mackenzie Kiernan from Victoria University of Wellington has received a Research for Life grant of up to $19,410 to assess the clinical relevance of a new treatment for multiple sclerosis. This chronic inflammatory condition results in the breakdown of nerves, potentially leading to significant pain and eventual paralysis in individuals affected. This novel treatment has demonstrated excellent pre-clinical efficacy and the aim of this research is to determine whether it could be an effective treatment for multiple sclerosis. 

Elysha-Rose Grant

Elysha-Rose Grant received a Research for Life grant of up to $13,450 to investigate potential treatments for multiple sclerosis. Multiple sclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects approximately 1 in 1000 people in Aotearoa New Zealand, and results in symptoms that include vision loss, fatigue, and paralysis. In Elysha’s research, she will investigate how a potential therapeutic impacts the function of B cells and microglia, immune cells that play an important role in multiple sclerosis. Elysha-Rose Grant is a PhD student under the supervision of Professor Anne La Flamme at the School of Biological Sciences, Victoria University of Wellington. 

Dr Kirsty Danielson

Dr Kirsty Danielson received a Research for Life grant of up to $16,100 to undertake research on how tumour cells talk to immune cells in bowel cancer. Bowel cancer affects more than 1200 New Zealanders every year and studying the way that tumour cells interact with the immune system could help with the development of new treatments. Dr Danielson is Group Leader of the Surgical Cancer Research Group at the University of Otago, Wellington. 

Matthew Munro

Matthew Munro received a RFL grant of $ 14,000 to research meningioma,, the most common brain tumour, with incidence rates three times greater in women than men. Patients with symptoms can undergo surgical removal, but high-grade cases are likely to recur due to tumour cell invasion into the brain. However, if invasion were slowed or prevented, recurrence would be less likely, and more cases could be monitored without requiring removal and associated post-surgical morbidity. We have preliminary evidence that the Pharmac-subsidised drugs sunitinib, mebendazole and everolimus can reduce meningioma invasion. In this context, I will identify differences between pre- and post-drug treated meningiomas. We will perform a thorough proteomic and metabolomic analysis to determine the mechanisms through which repurposed drugs affect cellular invasion. Understanding the unique molecular mechanisms involved in meningioma invasion and progression will help identify potential therapeutic targets. Our goal of identifying repurposed drugs that are off-patent and relatively inexpensive aims to contribute to health care equity for all New Zealanders by enabling wider access to treatment throughout the community. 

Kayden Borchowsky

Kayden Borchowsky, a medical honours student in the Department of Surgery and Anaesthesia at the University of Otago, Wellington, received a travel grant of $492 to present his research at the 2024 RANZCOG Annual Scientific Meeting in Wellington. Kaydens's research focuses on finding non-invasive methods for diagnosing endometriosis with the hopes of streamlining diagnosis so that people can get the treatment they require faster. 

Dr Kathryn Hally

Dr Kathryn Hally, Lecturer at the University of Otago Wellington (UOW), has received a travel grant of $3,352 to present her research at CYTO2024, which is hosted by the International Society for the Advancement of Cytometry (ISAC). Kathryn’s research focuses on utilizing spectral flow cytometry for biomarker discovery. She will be presenting her work on characterising how monocytes (an immune cell in the blood) change their function after a heart attack. Understanding how these cells change will allow Kathryn and her research team to assess whether monocytes are good biomarkers for determining health after a heart attack. She will also be co-presenting a workshop focusing on best practices for longitudinal studies using flow cytometry, which is an area of particular interest for cytometrists at the UOW campus. The knowledge gained from CYTO2024 will be passed on to these users to collectively upskill the campus on how to execute these studies in future research. 

Abby Martin

Abby Martin is a PhD student at Victoria University of Wellington. She received funding from Research for Life of up to $2,440 to attend the Options XII for the Control of Influenza 2024 conference in Brisbane, where she presented her current research on respiratory virus vaccines. Abby’s research interest lies in the development of circular RNA as a potential future vaccine candidate for respiratory viruses such as influenza and SARS-CoV-2. Through this research, she wishes to assess whether these vaccines confer better immune responses compared to linear mRNA vaccines, therefore paving the way for the future of RNA vaccines in Aotearoa. 

Sonja Hummel

Sonja Hummel, a PhD candidate at the University of Otago, Wellington, received a travel grant of $2,940 to present her Research For Life funded prospective interventional research study at the Vascular Discovery scientific meeting in Chicago, IL, USA, in May this year. Her prospective interventional study investigated the effects of dual anti-platelet therapy, also known as DAPT, on neutrophils, platelets, and their molecular interplay. Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs) are released by neutrophils, an important cell of the immune system, as a last resort mechanism of the immune system to fight infections while platelets help in maintaining homeostasis by coagulating when blood vessels experience injury. Sonja’s research investigates how DAPT, the most common medication prescribed for individuals diagnosed with a heart attack, affects the interaction between NETs and platelets with the aim to improve the pathway of care of patients suffering from heart attacks. 

Ceridwyn Jones

Ceridwyn Jones, a PhD student in the School of Biological Sciences at Victoria University of Wellington, received a travel grant of up to $3,000 to present her research findings at the International Society for Advancement of Cytometry’s annual scientific meeting in Edinburgh this year. Ceridwyn’s research interest lies in the development of cytometry-based methodologies to investigate neutrophil-mediated inflammation. Her intention is to characterise the role of neutrophils in inflammation after a heart attack, to inform the development of novel therapeutics and improve outcomes after a heart attack. 

Devlin Forsythe

Devlin Forsythe, a PhD student at Victoria University of Wellington, received a travel grant of up to $3,200 to attend the 2024 meeting of the European Association of Neuro-Oncology, in Glasgow. Devlin is a cancer researcher who is particularly interested in the immune response to the highly lethal brain cancer, glioblastoma. His research has produced a new model of this cancer with the aim of improving the research of immunomodulating therapies in this incurable disease.