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Liggins Link
October 2024
Kia ora koutou,
Over the last few months, Drs Gergely Toldi and Mariana Muelbert have shared their expertise on proposed changes to the infant formula standard. We’re pleased to share their latest opinion piece for The Conversation, which discusses why New Zealand’s decision to opt out of the Trans-Tasman agreement is a backward step for child health policy.
The Institute’s research on groundbreaking gut microbiome transfers and inequities in critical congenital heart disease healthcare has also been featured in NZ Herald articles. We encourage you to read them if you have a premium subscription.
August and September have been busy with events, including the highly successful University Mānawa Mai Open Day. Our students have been excellent ambassadors for the Liggins Institute at conferences such as HealtheX 2024, delivering high-quality presentations, elevator pitches and posters. Check out the photos from these events.
Finally, I hope to see you at our last public lecture for 2024 on Tuesday, 22 October, ‘Miracle medicine: How antenatal steroids revolutionised neonatal care’. Don’t forget to register for your ticket for this exciting event.
Ngā mihi nui
Justin
Professor Justin O'Sullivan
Director, The Liggins Institute,
University of Auckland
NGĀ KAUPAPA NUI | EVENTS
Photo credit: Baby Amanda Wright, one of the original 'Auckland steroid babies', (above centre) with her cousins Darryl (above left) and Kaine (above right). The three cousins were born within six weeks of each other. Family images from Amanda and Susan Wright.
Public Lecture|Miracle medicine: How antenatal steroids revolutionised neonatal care
6-7pm, Tuesday, 22 October 2024
Join us to hear how NZ scientists have shaped the field of neonatology worldwide – and how our research saves thousands of babies a year.
In this Liggins Institute public lecture, hosted by Distinguished Professor Dame Jane Harding, you will hear about the Auckland Steroid Study and the recent 50-year follow-up. The original landmark study conducted by paediatrician Ross Howie and obstetrician Sir Graham (Mont) Liggins showed that giving steroids to women at risk of preterm birth could accelerate infant lung development. This treatment dramatically improved survival rates among preterm babies all over the world.
Dame Jane will be joined by Professor Stuart Dalziel, Dr Anthony Walters, and researcher Libby Lord. They will discuss how Mont’s work became standard obstetric practice worldwide and the follow-up studies that have continued to prove its efficacy and safety.
Thursday, 10 October 2024
Join leading visionaries online, on Thursday 10 October 2024, and be inspired to advance your career through emerging opportunities and explore postgraduate study options.
Explore Liggins Institute Health Webinars
Hear from William Trubridge, a world record-holding freediver who is merging human potential with technology; Ritesh Shah, who will discuss the transformative power of education during times of upheaval; and Darsel Keane, Director of the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, who will motivate you to develop an innovative leadership mindset as the workplace evolves.
This free online event allows you to select sessions that interest you, add them to your timetable, and view them anytime, anywhere.
Don’t miss the opportunity to future proof the future you.
PITOPITO KŌRERO | NEWS
NZ has opted out of an infant formula standard – the evidence says that’s a backward step
Photo credit: The Conversation / Getty Images
In a thought-provoking opinion piece for The Conversation, Liggins Institute researchers Dr Gergely Toldi and Dr Mariana Muelbert explore why opting out of the trans-Tasman joint infant formula standard is a backward step for child health policy.
Surprise findings: What Kiwis really think about ‘poo transplants’
Professors Wayne Cutfield (left) and Justin O'Sullivan lead the Liggins Institute Gut Bugs Programme.
The gut microbiome is composed of bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms, and aids in digestion and nutrient extraction. It also produces chemicals that influence inflammation, development of fat cells, immunity, mood, appetite and anxiety.
"Changes in the gut microbiome are associated with a large number of conditions. But the cool thing is that the gut microbiome can be manipulated - or restored."
Professor Justin O'Sullivan
The Institute's Gut Bugs Programme is conducting world-first trials using fecal microbiome transfer (FMT), commonly known as "poo transplants", to treat conditions ranging from autism-related stomach issues to life-threatening C. difficile infections.
Visit the Premium NZ Herald article to read more about this innovative research, what Kiwis think about gut microbiome transfers, and how they could become standard treatments in the future
To learn more about the gut bug studies currently underway at the Liggins Institute, visit:
- Gut Bugs Trial - Keen to share your good health with others?
- Gut Bugs for C. Difficile Infection (CDI) Study - Are oral Faecal Microbiome Transfer (FMT) capsules better than vancomycin in treating C. difficile infection (CDI), a potentially fatal condition?
- Gut Bugs in Autism Study - Is gut microbiome transfer an effective therapy option for improving gut issues in autistic people and to improve wellbeing?
- Gut Bugs in Anorexia Nervosa Study - Could microbiome transfer aid recovery in people with anorexia nervosa by restoring a healthy gut microbiome?
The Gut Bugs Programme is generously supported by Rockfield Trust and the Edney family.
From babies' bedsides to bioengineering
Robyn May loves the thought of "turning science fiction into science fact".
There are many ways to improve outcomes for premature babies, says new PhD graduate Robyn May. She chose “sexy maths and statistics”.
Liggins Institute Research Fellow and recent PhD graduate Robyn May is improving outcomes for premature babies by combining her passions for paediatrics and bioengineering with her work on newborn cardiovascular digital twins. Read our news story to learn about her leading-edge research and journey from the wards of South Africa to academia in New Zealand.
Parents of babies with heart defects interviewed in research into why survival is lower for Māori, Asian and Pacific New Zealanders
Dr Simone Watkins carried out the research as part of her PhD at the Liggins Institute.
Dr Simone Watkins and fellow researchers from the Liggins Institute have uncovered important insights into why survival rates for babies with critical heart defects are lower for Māori, Pacific, and Asian New Zealanders. Their qualitative study, which involved interviews with health professionals and parents and was recently published in BMC Health Services Research, concluded that:
“According to the experiences of parents and healthcare professionals, persisting inequities in quality of CCHD healthcare (communication, education, support and shared decision-making) occur by ethnic group, with the NZ healthcare system privileging European families.”
Read the Premium NZ Herald article to learn more about the research and read the experiences of parents and healthcare workers who participated in the study.
Young children have a different immune response to COVID – Expert Reaction
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New research from France shows that children under 5 years old have a weaker immune response to COVID-19 than older children and adults. Dr Gergely Toldi, Senior Lecturer in Neonatology at the Liggins Institute recently provided an expert opinion on the findings of this study for the Science Media Centre. |
Take 10 with... Jody Van Dyk
Take 10 with... Jody Van Dyk
Meet Jody Van Dyk, the project manager of the Liggins Institute’s Newborn Genomics Programme. Her work, which focuses on rapid whole genome sequencing for newborns in acute care, is part of a collaborative effort that could potentially transform their health outcomes. Discover more about Jody’s day-to-day activities, the diverse team she collaborates with, and their hope to make a difference in Aotearoa New Zealand.
The Newborn Genomics Programme is generously supported by Tautoko Trust, The Kelliher Charitable Trust and Dines Family Charitable Trust.
A busy Mānawa Mai Open Day for the University and the Institute
The Mānawa Mai Open Day on Saturday, 24 August, was a big success and extremely busy. We had approximately 160 people through our tours of the Clinical Research Unit and the research laboratory, a phenomenal achievement. We truly enjoyed meeting those Liggins Link subscribers who visited our stand and toured our facilities.
Katie Borroz, Clinical Research Services Manager of the Human Health Research Services Platform, and doctoral candidate Catriona Miller. |
Visitors to our stand solving the pattern recognition puzzle used to measure child development in clinical studies. |
HealtheX 2024 Celebrating student research
Cristal Salatas receiving her certificate for first runner-up in the 3-Minute Elevator Pitch Competition.
The HealtheX 2024 conference, which celebrates student research, was held on Friday, September 6. It was brilliant to see such a strong Liggins Institute contingent participating.
Congratulations to Cristal Salatas, who came first runner-up in the 3-Minute Elevator Pitch Competition for her talk “Investigating and mapping the factors associated with preterm birth in New Zealand: cross-sectional geospatial study".
Well done to all our students who took part:
- Meiliana Meiliana (3-Minute Elevator Pitch Competition)
- Suci Hermita (3-Minute Elevator Pitch Competition)
- Woroud Alzaher (Oral Presentation)
- Libby Lord (Oral Presentations)
- Clare Gebbie (Oral Presentation)
- Anna Behling (Oral Presentation)
- Catriona Miller (Oral Presentation/Poster)
- Simone Watkins (Poster)
- Tram Bui (Poster)
- Ayamita Paul (Poster)
- Anja Bronnert (Poster)
- Lilia Delgado Paramo (Poster)
Cristal Salatas is supported by a PhD scholarship generously donated by the Boyd-Clarke Foundation.
Meiliana Meiliana presenting at HealtheX. 
Catriona Miller presenting at HealtheX. 
Anna Behling presenting at HealtheX. 
Lilia Delgado Paramo at HealtheX. 
Tram Bui with her poster at HealtheX. |
Suci Hermita presenting at HealtheX. 
Woroud Alzaher presenting at HealtheX. 
Clare Gebbie presenting at HealtheX. 
Anja Bronnert with her poster at HealtheX. 
Ayamita Paul with her poster at HealtheX. |
WHAKAMIHI | CONGRATULATIONS
Minah Kim receiving her prize at Queenstown Research Week.
Congratulations to doctoral candidate Minah Kim, who won the poster presentation prize at the Cancer Satellite at Queenstown Research Week last month.
Congratulations to Professor Justin O'Sullivan who has been awarded the Custom Science Award for Research Excellence 2024 by the New Zealand Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Congratulations to Esther Calje, who recently passed her PhD oral exam. Her thesis has been placed on the Dean of Graduate Studies’ List for excellence achieved at a doctoral level.
Esther’s thesis, “Addressing the evidence gaps to optimise care for women with more severe postpartum anaemia in Aotearoa, New Zealand,” was supervised by Prof Katie Groom, Dr Charlotte Oyston, Dr Joy Marriott and Prof Frank Bloomfield. It delivers an important overview of the incidence and management of postpartum anaemia in Aotearoa, New Zealand, as well as the inequities and pitfalls of current variations in practice.
Her PhD research provided the foundation for a future multi-centre randomised, controlled, non-inferiority trial with a cost-effectiveness analysis of intravenous iron and/or blood transfusion to treat severe postpartum anaemia (Mama FIT Trial). This study will deliver gold-standard evidence to support national clinical practice guideline recommendations.
NGĀ MIHI NUI | THANK YOU
Thank you to all our generous donors. You help us undertake groundbreaking research that changes the lives of mothers and babies every day and will impact generations to come. We could not do that without your support, and we are incredibly grateful.
If you are not already a donor, we would love to welcome you to the Little Liggins family. Feel free to contact us anytime if you would like to visit the Institute or discuss supporting any aspect of our research.
