Cutting edge research by Auckland medical explorers

Cutting edge research by Auckland medical explorers

Three cutting edge medical and health research projects gained Explorer Grant funding this week.

The grants to University of Auckland researchers were three of nine made nationwide by the Health Research Council.

“Explorer Grants are unlike any of our other funding opportunities,” says HRC Chief Executive Professor Kath McPherson. “They fund research that might seem ‘out-there’, but which actually has a very good chance of making a transformative change to how we manage New Zealanders’ health.”

“It might be high risk, but with that also comes the potential for high reward,” she says.
The three projects are;
• Associate Professor Trevor Sherwin (Ophthalmology), Project title, ‘One cell, two phenotypes: capturing pluripotency for tissue repair’, 24 months, $150,000
• Research fellow, Samantha Marsh, (School of Population Health), Project title, ‘Using principles of the ‘slow movement’ to prevent obesity from birth’, 24 months, $150,000
• Post-doctoral researcher, Dr Wilma Waterlander, (National Institute of Health Innovation), ‘Nutrition 2.0: Toward a food systems approach for public health nutrition’, 24 months, $150,000
Associate Professor Trevor Sherwin, (Ophthalmology) specialises in cornea research with interests varying from cell reprogramming, ocular stem cells and corneal engineering to the pathogenesis of corneal dystrophies.

In this project, he leads a research team that includes Professor Colin Green and Dr Carol Ann Greene. They have set out to establish whether tissue engineering can be used to permanently reshape and stabilise the cornea of the eye, providing treatment for visual defects.

They developed an innovative approach using an eye drop solution to reshape and stabilise the cornea in a controlled manner.

“The research will lead to benefits for people who require treatment for conditions resulting from blinding corneal eye pathology, targeting in the first instance those with keratoconus,” says Dr Sherwin.

“The technology is expandable to multiple tissue regeneration indications with our second target being to treat those with myopia,” he says. “Both of these conditions have a high prevalence in the New Zealand population.”

He says Maori are disproportionally affected by keratoconus and the research should have significant impact upon their health needs.

“The treatment will reduce the chronic waiting list for donor corneas in New Zealand, of which currently 50 percent are used to treat end-stage keratoconus patients, so indirectly providing benefit for those with other eye conditions awaiting corneal transplant.

“Upon completion, the team will translate the technology to biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies in the ocular care market,” says Dr Sherwin. “The development of this novel therapy in New Zealand will place the research group at the forefront of applied tissue engineering biology.”

Research fellow, Samantha Marsh, School of Population Health, says childhood obesity remains one of the most pervasive and challenging public health issues facing New Zealand.

She says a revolutionary approach to the issue is needed.

“Change in the social environment, in particular an increased pace of life, has been identified as an important driver of childhood obesity, yet has not been pursued as a target for intervention.”

“We propose an initiative built on principles of the ‘Slow Movement’ (that encourages a slower pace of life) to prevent obesity in infants and toddlers,” she says.

“This challenges conventional practice as it targets social change and questions the belief that ‘speed’ and technology positively impact on health.”

It offers a new approach to obesity prevention as it attempts to address a complex issue (obesity) by providing a blueprint for a simple lifestyle movement.

This approach nurtures children’s innate desire to be physically active (through play), allocates enough time to meals and meal preparation to encourage healthy dietary behaviours, and builds resilience in the child so they are better prepared to deal with their environment.

“In keeping with the ‘Slow Movement’, the initiative will be based on principles of sustainability, respectfulness, and equity,” says Samantha. “Focus groups and key informant interviews will help inform development of a ‘Slow Parenting’ co-design intervention, which will target obesity in infants and toddlers.”

Post-doctoral researcher, Dr Wilma Waterlander, from the National Institute of Health Innovation, says unhealthy diets are a key contributor to mortality in New Zealand and we need workable solutions to improve population diets.

“Food is not just about health. The NZ food system is the major contributor to the economy and is driven by concepts of consumption-based growth, (selling as much food as possible),” says Dr Waterlander. “Nevertheless, public health research often solely focuses on health aspects of food without really considering how these fit in the wider society or food system.”

The research aims to transform the public health nutrition discipline by moving towards system science and integrating critical social sciences, political economy and public health as a way forward.

It takes a participatory action approach and involves different stakeholders including farmers and food processing sectors that can help understand the system by changing it, says Dr Waterlander.

ENDS

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