Developing new therapies to bolster ageing immune systems and better protect older New Zealanders, testing the potential
of traditional medicines to treat respiratory infections such as COVID-19, and creating a database of viruses in animals
unique to Aotearoa are some of the projects being undertaken by the next generation of infectious diseases leaders.
Te Niwha has awarded six emerging infectious diseases research leaders Fellowships to undertake targeted research and
develop the leadership skills essential to strengthening Aotearoa New Zealand’s preparedness for current and emerging
infectious diseases threats.
Te Niwha is Aotearoa New Zealand’s national infectious diseases research platform, with a mission to ensure the country
has the world-class research capability to best prepare for current and emerging infectious disease threats.In addition
to funding research projects, Te Niwha invests in people, training, and collaboration to meet this mission.
Te Niwha Mana Whakahaere Director Te Pora Thompson (Ngaati Hauaa) describes the inaugural one-year Kia Niwha Leader
Fellowships as an intensive programme that was purposely designed with a dual focus to support early to mid-career
researchers in their specialty and lift leadership areas necessary in best protecting New Zealanders from infectious
diseases and their impacts.
“The Kia Niwha Fellowship programme follows the core principles of Te Niwha and supports each Fellow to individually and
collectively lift their leadership in each area – Tiakitanga (Accountability and Integrity), Hononga (Relationships),
Tūhonotanga (Partnerships) and Rangatiratanga (Leadership).
“Fellows have completed one of four compulsory waananga that aim to connect their research with communities, develop
their priorities and leadership, and further learn from international and national tenured and respected infectious
diseases and pandemic leaders,’’ Thompson says.
Below is information on the Kia Niwha Leader Fellows and the one-year projects they will undertake as part of the
leadership programme.
Dr Theresa Pankhurst (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Porou) of the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research. Māori Kia
Niwha Leadership Fellow.
Preclinical development of vaccines that rejuvenate the ageing immune system
The immune system protects people throughout their life from infection and disease. Like people, the immune system grows
and evolves as it encounters new and familiar infectious organisms but also ages, becoming less efficient and effective.
Older immune systems respond less effectively to vaccines, producing fewer protective antibodies and offering less
protection from disease. This is one reason older people need more frequent vaccination. Why this happens is only just
starting to be understood.
‘Germinal centres’ are unique immunological structures that form in response to an infectious disease. RNA technology,
the ability to package cellular instructions – such as a vaccine or therapeutic agent – in microscopic bubbles and
deliver them to cells like a courier service, is revolutionising biomedicine. It may also be the key to boosting ailing
germinal centres by targeting the immune cells inside them. By assisting waning immune cells through targeted RNA
technology, it may be possible to sustain germinal centre efficiency – offering the same protection of a younger,
stronger immune system.
Dr Pankhurst has been seconded to the United Kingdom as part of an international partnership between the Malaghan
Institute of Medical Research (Aotearoa NZ), and the Babraham Institute (Cambridge UK).
Dr Pankhurst will investigate the germinal centre response to mRNA vaccinations – developed by the Malaghan Institute –
and how these change with age – using expertise and resources established by the Babraham Institute. She will also
investigate whether encoding mRNA vaccines with specific ingredients might improve the age-related decline of the
germinal centre, with the goal to identify new vaccines that better protect older members of our communities from
infectious disease.
Dr Natalie Netzler (Ngaati Hamoa, Ngaati Hauaa) of Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland. Pacific Kia Niwha Leader
Fellow
Broad-spectrum antiviral activities within indigenous Pacific traditional medicines
Over many centuries, indigenous healers across Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa region, including Aotearoa New Zealand, have
developed effective traditional medicines that are still widely used today. Traditional healers are often more trusted
and accessible than clinical doctors in remote Pacific villages, with many lacking a hospital.
Studies have found anti-inflammatory, anti-HIV and anti-bacterial activities within indigenous Pacific medicines, but
few studies examine antiviral activities against contemporary respiratory viral threats, such as SARS-CoV-2, which
caused the recent COVID-19 pandemic, measles, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
Dr Netzler will explore traditional medicines suitable for treating respiratory infection through an existing
collaboration with taulāsea (traditional Samoan healers). She will screen medicinal plant extracts for antiviral
activities against viruses including SARS-CoV-2, RSV and influenza.
Through the collaboration with Samoan healers and scientists, unpublished preliminary data shows potential for two
traditional Samoan medicines to treat COVID-19, warranting further investigation.
Indigenous and Western medicines are often used simultaneously, but little is known about the effectiveness of
combinations. Where clinical antivirals are available, such as Paxlovid for COVID-19, Dr Netzler will examine their
combination with traditional antivirals to see if they are effective when combined, or if they cancel out each other’s
activities.
Dr Alice-Roza Eruera (Ngāpuhi-nui-tonu, Ngāti Ruanui) University of Otago, Otakou Whakaihu Waka. Māori Kia Niwha
Leadership Fellow.
Mā te kimi ka kite; visualising native viruses of Aotearoa whānaui
Native animals in Aotearoa New Zealand are hosts to viruses not found anywhere else in the world. Little is known about
these viruses, such as their potential to cause disease or spread to other animals or humans.
AI algorithms such as AlphaFold are used internationally to predict virus components. But they do not have enough
reference models to produce reliable, confident predictions on highly divergent viruses such as those native to
Aotearoa. Future native New Zealand viruses yet to be discovered will likely face the same issues.
Dr Eruera will create 3D structures of native New Zealand viruses and make them freely available as reference models to
guide AI tools. Analysis of these structures will give information about viral evolution and could be used to determine
the risk of spillover from animals to humans by comparing our native viral structures to known pathogens.
Dr Rose Collis – AgResearch
He puna mātauranga rānei te māwhaiwhai? The house of the spider, a spring of knowledge or not?
This research project will provide insights into antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in New Zealand’s environment and develop
strategies to enhance surveillance, strengthen connections between scientific research and community groups, and
contribute to better strategies for mitigating the transmission of AMR.
Dr Rose Collis will compare the potential of māwhaiwhai (spider webs) and freshwater for monitoring biodiversity and
AMR. She will build relationships with mana whenua and community groups to interweave mātauranga Māori and western
science. The project will focus on collecting water samples and māwhaiwhai from sites in the Tararua district,
representing sites with contrasting land-uses such as urban, agricultural, and natural areas.
DNA will be extracted from the environmental samples and analysed using Nanopore long-read metagenomic sequencing to
examine the microbial composition, detect pathogens, and identify AMR genes. Māwhaiwhai and freshwater samples will also
be sent to Wilderlab for environmental DNA analysis to monitor the biodiversity at the sites and assess ecosystem
health.
Dr Andrew Highton - University of Otago, Otakou Whakaihu Waka
Mini-lungs to study viral–immune responses
Mini-lungs are latest technology and grown as three-dimensional cellular structures from adult stem cells present in
donated lung tissue or from lung wash fluid. They are highly representative of human lungs and can be infected with
viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 (causing COVID19), influenza, and those that cause common colds, such as rhinovirus. This
allows for the reaction of the immune system to things such as new viruses to be studied in the laboratory.
The immune system is the most important defence against viral infection. Of particular importance early in viral
infection are immune lymphocytes known as natural killer cells. These can directly kill cells infected with viruses.
Dr Highton will develop a system of mini-lungs and natural killer cells to create an accurate lung disease model system
in the laboratory. This latest technology will allow for the rapid monitoring of emerging viral threats and an
understanding of the immune component of viral defence in lung infections to, ultimately, provide greater protection for
patients.
Dr Nadia Charania - AUT
Applying complexity science to improve outcomes for migrants and refugees during pandemics
Migrants and refugees face a myriad of challenges as they settle in a new country, including language barriers, cultural
differences, and limited access to employment and health services. During the COVID-19 pandemic, migrant and refugee
communities were disproportionately impacted as infectious disease outbreaks amplify existing inequities.
Dr Charania will use a complexity-informed research approach, which unlike traditional research approaches, recognises
dynamic relationships, unpredictability, and uncertainty within systems. Research in this area is limited and, to the
researcher’s knowledge, complexity science has not been applied to improve pandemic outcomes among migrants and
refugees.
Dr Charania will harness the principles of complexity science to improve pandemic prevention, preparedness, and
response, focusing on migrants and refugees who are often overlooked in preparedness efforts. Narratives will be
qualitatively collected from multiple stakeholders, including community members, organisation leaders, and pandemic
planners, to analyse the interconnected factors and produce complexity-informed recommendations that reflect the
realities of migrants and refugees over the phases of a pandemic.
Given the disproportionate burden faced by Māori and Pacific Peoples during pandemics, the results may also support
improved outcomes as the focus is on more equitable and inclusive pandemic preparedness and response.