The Malaghan Institute of Medical Research
Introduction
The Malaghan Institute is New Zealand's leading independent
medical research institute and holds a special and distinctive
place in the New Zealand health research scene. Our scientists
specialise in the fields of Cancer, Asthma, Multiple Sclerosis,
Tuberculosis and Arthritis. They seek to discover ways to harness
our body's immune system to fight these diseases and deliver
medical research discoveries that provide tangible health benefits
to New Zealanders.
The Institute's research activities, purchase of equipment and
fellowships are entirely dependent on donations, bequests,
corporate sponsorships and contestable grants.
A brief outline of some recent achievements is detailed below.
Scientific Research Programmes:
Creating a potential vaccine against
Melanoma
The Malaghan Institute is leading the charge to find better ways
to treat cancer. Using knowledge gained from its scientists'
ground-breaking discovery that dendritic cells can be used to kill
cancer cells, a human phase III clinical trial has been started
here in New Zealand to treat Melanoma. Based on community support
and donations, the Institute has established a specialised GMP
(Good Manufacturing Practice) laboratory for the manufacture of
vaccines for patients. The phase III clinical trial will need to
run for the next two years and aims to treat over 200 patients.
This leading edge research desperately needs support for the
clinical trial work if it is to have a chance of creating better
and more effective cancer treatments. We would also like to see
whether the dendritic cell vaccine approach can be used against
certain untreatable forms of brain cancer. This is a new initiative
that requires funding.
Asthma
Most people will know someone affected by asthma, especially in
children. Severe disease is very hard to treat and can result in
death. While many groups seek to identify the initial triggers that
cause asthma, Malaghan Institute scientists have taken the approach
that we need to find new immune therapeutic approaches to treat
this frightening disease. The Asthma Group, headed by Prof Graham
Le Gros, has discovered that certain types of viral and bacterial
infections can stop the development of asthma. His group is using
this knowledge to develop effective strategies that can be used to
treat this disease. One such approach is a form of immune therapy,
which can divert the allergic response against the allergens that
cause asthma to a more benign form that does not lead to
disease.
Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple Sclerosis is a tragic and debilitating disease. No-one
knows yet what starts the disease process and we don't have
effective ways to treat it. Working off ground-breaking discoveries
by Assoc Prof Thomas Bäckström and colleagues, there is the
potential to create novel immunotherapeutic agents for the
treatment of organ-specific autoimmune diseases such as Multiple
Sclerosis. This research lies at the core of one of the most
cutting-edge areas of immunology, the manipulation of a specialised
immune cell type called regulatory T cells for therapeutic purposes
and offers new hope for tackling this difficult disease.
Infectious Diseases
Tuberculosis (Tb), kills 2-3 million people worldwide every year.
Also viruses such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and
rotavirus can cause disease in infants and the elderly. Currently
we do not have effective vaccines in New Zealand against any of the
pathogens described above, nor are we assured that future vaccines
created internationally will work in our unique environment. Dr
Joanna Kirman's group is currently developing a novel smart vaccine
against Tuberculosis and is undertaking trials in the New Zealand
community to discover why our virus infections are so severe.
Arthritis
Arthritis can be a severe and crippling disease. The current drugs
used to treat arthritis also create their own problems. Malaghan
Institute scientists seek to discover better drugs that have less
side-effects. The biodiversity of New Zealand's marine and
terrestrial organisms represents huge potential for the
identification of novel bioactive molecules for drug development.
This programme has identified several lead anti-inflammatory
compounds that are currently being evaluated for the treatment of
inflammatory diseases such as arthritis.
Your support and how we can be contacted:
The research programmes at the Malaghan Institute need support if
they are to continue. If you have any questions or require further
information please contact Prof Graham Le Gros, Director of
Research, at glegros@malaghan.org.nz,
or visit our website at www.malaghan.org.nz