IRANZ news briefs
Dame Patsy Reddy, Sir Ashley Bloomfield, and David Downs will join the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research's trust board at its AGM this December. Photo montage: Malaghan Institute of Medical Research.
IRANZ welcomes new member: Estendart Research Limited
The Independent Research Association of New Zealand (IRANZ) is excited to welcome Estendart Research Limited (ERL) as its newest member, following the upcoming members' meeting in late November.
ERL, based in Palmerston North, is a distinguished contract research organisation (CRO) known for its robust experience in studies compliant with international standards like Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) and Good Clinical Practice (GCPv), crucial for regulatory submissions to local (ACVM, APVMA) global agencies such as the FDA and EMA in human and veterinary life science. Their strategic location alongside Massey University and Crown Research Institutes AgResearch and Plant & Food Research Ltd enhances their access to a network of academic, veterinary, and scientific expertise, along with extensive animal research facilities.
As New Zealand's longest-standing GLP-compliant test facility, ERL has upheld GLP accreditation since 1997, with rigorous bi-annual audits by IANZ. Led by Dr Shirli Notcovich, a seasoned veterinary researcher, ERL's team is highly skilled in managing diverse species research trials, ensuring studies meet stringent international standards.
IRANZ will be delighted to bring ERL's expertise into the fold, reinforcing the quality and diversity of research in New Zealand.
Lincoln Agritech: Breaking the Wall of hidden waters
IRANZ warmly congratulates Alice Sai Louie from Lincoln Agritech Ltd for placing second in the Falling Walls Lab competition. Alice placed second for her innovation of repurposing existing fibre optic telecommunications networks with distributed temperature sensors for real-time groundwater flood monitoring.
Three placegetters were selected from the finalist participants from around Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific Island Nations who pitched their innovative breakthrough ideas at the Falling Walls Lab Aotearoa New Zealand event held by Royal Society Te Apārangi this month, with support from the German Embassy in Wellington, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (through the Catalyst Fund) and EURAXESS Australia & New Zealand.
The participants each had the opportunity to showcase their innovative research, scientific idea, or evidence-based initiative, and explain how it could make a difference for society in a three-minute presentation.
Motu Research announces winners of the Āheitanga Scholarship 2024
Motu Research is proud to announce the recipients of the 2024 Āheitanga Scholarship, an award designed to bolster research capacity within Aotearoa's Māori community. This year, two exceptional university students of Māori descent have been selected to share the $10,000 scholarship pool, supporting their academic and research endeavours over the coming year.
New appointments to Malaghan Board
Dame Patsy Reddy, Sir Ashley Bloomfield and David Downs will join the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research's trust board at its AGM this December.
“I am delighted Dame Patsy, Sir Ashley and David will be joining the Malaghan - it is a privilege to have people of this calibre become part of our team. Their collective knowledge and expertise will undoubtedly enhance our efforts to make a meaningful impact on healthcare in New Zealand and beyond,” says Chair Sir Paul Collins.
Bragato: Viva la varietal revolution
New Zealand's wine industry is "severely lacking in any diversity", says the head of a Bragato research programme working to secure a repository of grapevine genetics, including disease resistant vines.
One aspect of Bragato Research Institute's (BRI) Grapevine Improvement Programme is developing new clones of Sauvignon Blanc with diverse traits, with plans for a collection of 12,000 unique vines to reduce risk and grow quality.
But programme leader Dr Darrell Lizamore says importing disease resistant vines (DRV) from Europe is another important piece of the puzzle, giving growers the opportunity to plant new varieties bred from contemporary and disease resistant parent stock, such as wild American vines that evolved alongside powdery and downy mildew pathogens.
Dragonfly: Rapid identification of avian flu viruses
'Understanding avian influenza variants in New Zealand' is a collaborative project between Dragonfly Data Science and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).
High pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) — also known as avian flu — is a viral disease that is affecting domestic and wild birds around the world.
New Zealand remains free from high pathogenicity avian flu, while its low-pathogenic counterpart is endemic within the country. However, the full distribution and genetic structure of the variants present in New Zealand remain largely unknown.
To address this knowledge gap, a new project has been launched by MPI and Dragonfly, aimed at sequencing 300 virus isolates collected by MPI since the 1970s. A detailed database will be invaluable for distinguishing between an imported highly-pathogenic strain and existing low-pathogenic variants.
HERA: Industrial coatings protecting steel
When it comes to protecting structural steel from harsh conditions, the right industrial coating can make all the difference. Volkan Yakut, HERA's Operations Manager and AMPP Certified Coating Inspector, highlights the importance of standards like AS/NZS 5131 in ensuring coatings are applied correctly to enhance durability and prevent costly failures.
Industrial coatings not only protect against corrosion but also offer benefits like fire resistance and abrasion protection. For structural steel, standards such as AS/NZS 5131 and AS/NZS 2312 outline requirements for surface preparation, coating application, and inspection, which are essential for achieving long-lasting performance.
Surface preparation, which includes cleaning and abrasive blasting, is key to coating success, as nearly 70% of coating failures stem from poor preparation. Methods like spraying or brushing must be carefully chosen to suit the project, especially when using high-performance coatings on complex structures like bridges and industrial plants.
Inspection throughout the coating process - before, during, and after application - is critical to ensure standards are met.
Malaghan visiting researcher: Prof Archa Fox
Professor Archa Fox recently visited the Malaghan Institute from the University of Western Australia, Perth. She is a recognised leader in RNA biology whose expertise thrust her into the spotlight during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Malaghan RNA researcher named KiwiNet Emerging Innovator
Dr Rebecca McKenzie has been selected as a 2024 KiwiNet Emerging Innovator for her research developing novel RNA therapeutics.
Dr McKenzie, who is a project leader in the Malaghan Institutes' RNA technology development facility and one of seven pillar leads in the national RNA development platform has been developing research-grade RNA products for use in research projects across New Zealand.
“I'm very excited to be selected to join the programme and am looking forward to developing my commercialisation skills which I believe will be essential to support translational science coming out of the RNA platform,” says Dr McKenzie.
“The programme will help me on my current journey with the central RNA production facility where we are working to find our market and develop a service model to bring RNA technology to New Zealand.”
Malaghan: Five areas of research advancing CAR T-cell therapy
Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has been transformative in the treatment of certain blood cancers, offering hope where conventional treatments have been unsuccessful.
This cutting-edge approach involves engineering a patient's T-cells to recognise and attack cancer cells. However, while CAR T-cell therapy has shown remarkable success, it is still in its infancy as a treatment. Malaghan Institute scientists Danielle Blud, Dr Patricia Rubio-Reyes, Dr Rachel Perret and Clinical Director Dr Robert Weinkove recently published a review article in Seminars in Hematology which outlines various strategies being implemented both here at the Malaghan and internationally to improve CAR T-cells to enhance therapeutic efficacy while minimising adverse effects.
A recent article by Malaghan researchers outline five areas being worked on by researchers across the globe to improve and expand the use of CAR T-cell therapy in the fight against cancer.
Bragato: Water use efficiency of rootstock
Rootstocks play a crucial role in grape cultivation across New Zealand, significantly impacting vine performance, longevity, and the efficiency of water and nutrient uptake. The selection of the right rootstock is a pivotal decision for grape growers when considering new planting materials.
In response to the challenges posed by climate change, a new project has been launched to explore the potential of drought-tolerant rootstocks as a sustainable adaptation strategy. This initiative seeks to understand how various rootstocks can enhance climate resilience, sustainability, profitability, and quality within the wine industry, enabling producers to make more informed decisions for their operations.
The Bragato Research Institute (BRI) studied the Water Use Efficiency (WUE) of 11 rootstocks, measuring carbon gain per water loss, in an established vineyard, offering valuable insights for future planting strategies.
Dragonfly helps with silky shark monitoring
Silky shark are caught as bycatch in tuna fisheries, their Pacific population has been heavily impacted. Work by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) aims to reduce the bycatch, and there are signs that the Pacific population is recovering.
It is important work, as around half the world's tuna fisheries come from this region. Understanding how tuna fishing impacts the range of marine species is critical to improving the sustainability of the fishing.
Working with WCPFC and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), Dragonfly Data Science has used advanced data analysis techniques to assess the shark population trends in the western and central Pacific Ocean, to introduce more sustainable tuna fishing practices.
Dr Philipp Neubauer, Dragonfly's director and fisheries scientist, said tuna fishing was here to stay - as long as tuna stocks were healthy. That posed the question: “How can you minimise impact on other species while maintaining the economic output of the tuna fisheries for the island nations?”
For those wanting more technical information, the report on this work is available here: https://www.dragonfly.co.nz/publications/neubauer_stock_2024.html
Bragato welcomes Ross Wise
Bragato Research Institute is delighted to announce Ross Wise MW has been newly appointed as Viticulture and Innovation Lead.
Ross is a viticulturist and winemaker currently based in British Columbia's Okanagan Valley. He began his career in Hawkes Bay, completing a Bachelor of Viticulture and Advanced Diploma in Wine Science at the Eastern Institute of Technology. Since then, Ross has worked in viticulture, winemaking, and consulting roles across many wine regions of New Zealand and Canada.
Date posted: 11 November 2024