Latest Lottery grants fund wide range of health research

Thursday 14 April 2016

Latest Lottery grants fund wide range of Otago health research

University of Otago researchers have been awarded around $1.7M in funding from the Lottery Grants Board to support studies focusing on improving New Zealanders’ health.

The grants support the purchase of research equipment, scholarships, and the pursuit of research projects that translate into meaningful health outcomes and community benefit.

Researchers from across the University’s three main campuses in Dunedin, Christchurch and Wellington have received 19 translational research grants, and six equipment grants. A full list appears below.

Dr Philippa McDowall (Paediatrics, Wellington) also received a $98,805 Postdoctoral Fellowship in the funding round, while Dr Tristram Ingham (Medicine, Wellington) gained a $105,000 PhD Scholarship.

Nationally, 42 project and equipment grants in the Lottery Health Research 2015/2016 funding round were supported with a total of $2.6M being distributed.

Otago’s new translational research projects involve a wide variety of health-related topics. They range from developing a better model of Alzheimer’s disease to developing wool-derived proteins as bone graft substitutes to assessing the fairness of decision making in the NZ Health Sector.

Also among the projects are studies on topics such as investigations into a potential new target in treating cardiovascular disease, New Zealand’s gun control policy, and high-intensity interval training in type 2 diabetes.

Otago’s Lottery Health grants 2015/2016

Lottery Health Research Projects

Sleep apnoea in older adults: presentation and treatment experiences
Dr Angela Campbell (Medicine, Wellington)
$24,763

Heating for health in arterial disease
Associate Professor James Cotter (Physical Education, Sports and Exercise Sciences)
$111,348

Brain Imaging in Anorexia Nervosa
Professor Dirk De Ridder (Surgical Sciences)
$23,643

Developing wool-derived proteins as bone graft substitutes
Associate Professor George Dias (Anatomy)
$60,000

The endothelial glycocalyx of arteries – a major player for blood pressure regulation and a new target for the treatment of cardiovascular disease
Dr Martin Fronius (Physiology)
$100,000

Tāku Reo, Tāku Mauri Ora: My Voice, My Life – A self-e-management recovery resource
Dr Sarah Gordon (Psychological Medicine, Wellington)
$57,000

Developing a better model of Alzheimer's disease
Dr Stephanie Hughes (Biochemistry)
$26,000

Mechanism of the exacerbation of influenza virus pathogenesis in metabolic and cardiovascular disorders
Dr Matloob Husain (Microbiology & Immunology)
$45,000

Screening for early-stage bowel cancer with M2-PK
Dr Jacqueline Keenan (Surgery, Christchurch)
$40,916

Characterising NZ families with inherited thrombocytopenia to enhance diagnosis and treatment
Dr Liz Ledgerwood (Biochemistry)
$88,800

How is epithelial ion transport maintained? Implications for hypertension
Associate Professor Fiona McDonald (Physiology)
$60,000

Elucidation of the role of iron homeostasis in gout susceptibility
Dr Cushla McKinney (Biochemistry)
$51,000

Development of small molecule inhibitors to enhance anti-cancer immune responses
Associate Professor Alexander McLellan (Microbiology & Immunology)
$41,840

Healthy public policy: Where to for gun control?
Ms Marie Russell (Public Health, Wellington)
$68,800

Cooking with confidence: Providing adolescents with tools for a healthy life
Dr Paula Skidmore (Human Nutrition)
$52,940

Kids’Cam GAME study: Gambling Access and Marketing Exposure
Associate Professor Louise Signal (Public Health, Wellington)
$58,804

Assessing the fairness of decision making in the NZ Health Sector
Professor Tim Stokes (General Practice & Rural Health)
$51,950

How does purchasing a mobility scooter impact upon an individual's physical activity, health and mobility in the community?
Professor John Sullivan (School of Physiotherapy)
$52,543

High-intensity interval training in type 2 diabetes. Does it improve brain blood flow, cognitive function and reduce the risk of cerebrovascular disease?
Dr Luke Wilson (Medicine)
$50,000

Lottery Health Research Equipment

Direct Electron Detector for Cryo-Electron Microscope
Dr Mihnea Bostina (Microbiology & Immunology)
$120,000

regenHU 3D Discovery Bioprinter
Dr Jaydee Cabral (Chemistry)
$100,000

Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry (DXA) Scanner
Associate Professor Jeremy Krebs (Medicine, Wellington)
$125,820

PeriCam PSI System
Associate Professor Ping Liu (Anatomy)
$107,709

AKTA pure 25 M1 with fraction collector F9-C
Associate Professor Brian Monk (Oral Sciences)
$109,133

Chromatographic Purification System for Fluorescent and other Proteins
Dr Sigurd Wilbanks (Biochemistry)
$81,608

Lottery Health Postdoctoral Fellowship

Promoting Healthy Sleep for Children Living in Deprivation
Dr Philippa McDowall (Paediatrics, Wellington)
$98,805

Lottery Health PhD Scholarship

Risk factors for Hospitalisation with Acute Respiratory Infections among Maori and Pacific Children
Dr Tristram Ingham (Medicine, Wellington)
$105,000

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