February 2025: Dragonfly Data Science are excited to collaborate with Ōamaru Blue Penguin Colony on a project to modernise its data management systems, and to help learn about the daily lives of little blue penguin or kororā.

Ōamaru Blue Penguin Colony (OBPC) attracts thousands of visitors annually to visit kororā in its natural environment, and is a well-known South Island tourism operator. To better understand and support blue penguin, OBPC has been working beyond its public-facing programmes to collect three decades worth of data on the little blue penguin population. The data are a valuable source of information on the penguin's population and behaviour that has the potential to help with the conservation of this species around the country.

Dragonfly Data Science have been enlisted to help organise and streamline these historical data, and to carry out some exploration of the data. They will then be used to create educational materials to engage OBPC visitors.

Dragonfly Director of Data Science, Finlay Thompson, is looking forward to bringing life to this dataset, and ultimately, to learn more about this native New Zealand species.

“Having the foresight to begin monitoring Ōamaru kororā back in 1993 provides this colony with a real advantage,” says Finlay.

Little blue penguin (Eudyptula minor) at Ōamaru. Photo: Louise Thomas.

February 2025: PhD student Jasmine (Jaz) White, a researcher at the Gillies McIndoe Research Institute, has published a significant review in the Journal of Translational Medicine examining glioblastoma's tumour microenvironment (TME) and its role in treatment resistance and recurrence. This collaborative work with Gillies McIndoe, Victoria University of Wellington, and Wellington Regional Hospital has earned Jaz first place in the university's 2024 'Best Review' award.

Glioblastoma (GB) is the most aggressive primary brain tumour in adults, with a median overall survival of approximately 12 months. Despite intensive treatment—including surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy—tumour recurrence is nearly inevitable, often with increased aggressiveness. This treatment failure is largely attributed to the interaction between GB cells and the TME, which fosters therapy resistance.

A major limitation in GB research has been the inability of current models to fully replicate the complex TME. However, advancements in organoid models are providing new hope, enabling better understanding of tumour-TME interactions and potential treatment strategies.

“This paper addresses the many factors that must be considered when designing GB research models with the overall aim of improving the clinical relevance of GB research,” says Jaz.

PhD student Jasmine (Jaz) White. Photo: Gillies McIndoe.