Welcome from Institute Director Professor Frank Bloomfield
Welcome to the first edition of Liggins Link. This is our new bi-monthly e-newsletter to keep you up to date with our research and how it can make a difference to parents and children and many future generations to come.
You are receiving this because you are one of those generous people who has supported us over the years by either attending one of our charity events, volunteering to be part of a clinical trial or you have made donations to support our students and research. We couldn't do what we do without your support so thank you all very much.
The Liggins Institute is committed to developing research strategies that focus on understanding the long-term health consequences of early life events. In particular, we know that nutrition is potentially one of the most important environmental factors that can determine our health in later life. Liggins Institute researchers have shown that alterations in nutrition of the mother, fetus and newborn may lead to chronic metabolic diseases in adulthood such as diabetes, obesity and heart disease. Understanding how these early-life environmental signals lead to adult disease and then developing interventions to address this underpins the Institute's vision of A Healthy Start for a Healthy Life.
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Congratulations to Professor Wayne Cutfield
Professor Cutfield, (pictured left alongside Hon Steven Joyce Minister of Science and Innovation, and Utufiu Niko Head Boy of Tamaki College) will head A Better Start National Science Challenge. This nationwide project aims to address the issues of obesity in teenagers. The project was launched in South Auckland in February this year.
It's our Anniversary
This year marks the 15th anniversary of the Liggins Institute. To celebrate the special occasion we're delighted to invite you to a public lecture and cocktail reception. The event takes place at 6pm on Wednesday 10 August at the Liggins Institute at the University's Grafton campus. You'll enjoy a series of fascinating mini lectures by key Liggins staff and students to showcase some of the exciting research we're currently working on. We hope to welcome as many of our supporters as possible so please mark it in your calendars now. The event is free but you must register to secure your place
A little sugar can protect a newborn baby's brain
A spoonful of sugar helped Mary Poppins make the medicine go down but our very own Distinguished Professor Jane Harding says it can also help protect fragile newborn babies' brains...check out her research in this video. Professor Harding is looking to recruit a further 2000 mothers and babies for her trial.
This work is generously supported by a gift from Biomed.
Promising results for cerebral palsy sufferers
Liggins Institute research fellow Dr Silmara Gusso is trialing a novel treatment using vibration plates to improve the range of motion for teenagers with cerebral palsy. After 20 weeks of training, Silmara and her team found multiple benefits. "Some kids were walking 30 per cent further", she says. "Confidence improved: kids who used to walk around holding onto rails are now walking around the school with their chins up."
The trial involved the patients standing barefoot on a vibration plate where the see-saw movement, stimulating movement similar to walking, is thought to improve communication between the muscles and spine to assist with balance and co-ordination. Watch the full story on One News.
The research was funded by Jubilee Crippled Foundation Trust and the Sir David Levene Foundation.
Philanthropic support for two new PhD Scholarships
Finding support for PhD students can be very difficult. Researchers frequently have to apply for funding 12 months in advance and then wait a further 6-8 months for an outcome, by which time students have either gone elsewhere or given up on their research dream and gone into the workforce. Thanks to the generosity of two local families, the Liggins Institute offered two new scholarships last month: the Sir Colin Giltrap PhD Scholarship for Type 1 Diabetes in Childhood and the Boyd-Clarke PhD Scholarship.
New HVN Director appointed
Joanne Todd has been appointed Challenge Director for the High Value Nutrition National Science Challenge. Joanne joins us from Fonterra, where she has worked in a variety of nutrition and innovation management roles, most recently as Global Manager Innovation (Anchor).
Joanne brings a wealth experience in consumer-led innovation, including a sound understanding of the global consumer goods market and international regulatory environments.
She has worked across many areas including maternal, paediatric, immunity and mobility platforms, and has extensive media experience having been spokesperson on nutritional science relating to consumer brands.
Joanne holds a Master of Science in Human Nutrition from the University of Otago, and an Advanced Certificate in Marketing from the UK Chartered Institute of Marketing.
Joanne commences her post as Challenge Director on 29 August.
Liggins creates a stir at Perinatal Society Annual Congress
Liggins staff and students dominated the speaker programme and the awards at the Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand Annual Congress in Townsville, Australia, last month. As well as giving an impressive 22 presentations during the Congress, the Liggins team also scooped the following awards:
PSANZ Nutrition Research Award - Barbara Cormack
PSANZ New Investigator Award for the best oral presentation in the discipline of Allied Health - Barbara Cormack
New Investigator Award for the best poster presentation in Allied Health - Barbara Cormack
PSANZ President’s Award for the best poster presentation at the Congress - Julie Brown
PSANZ New Investigator Award for the best poster presentation in the discipline of obstetrics and gynaecology - Emma McGoldrick (pictured above)
Anna Ponnampalam wins Innovation Award
Congratulations to Anna Ponnampalam who won $1,000 towards her research project in the Velocity Innovation Challenge. Velocity is an entrepreneurial development programme that helps to get great ideas off the ground with a number of different challenges throughout the year.
Anna entered ‘Intruder Watch’ – a proposal to develop a non-invasive test using biomarkers to diagnose endometriosis.
If you would like any information on giving support to the Liggins Institute please contact Development Manager Dr Nicole Bassett. Email n.bassett@auckland.ac.nz or feel free to call her on 021 2462801.
All donations received by the Liggins Institute are 100% used for research purposes or scholarships for students. There is no overhead costs associated with your donation.
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Professor Frank Bloomfield
Director, The Liggins Institute, University of Auckland
