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Liggins Link—August 2026
Kia ora koutou,
In this edition of the Liggins Link, we feature the $1.44 million HRC investment in the innovative PLATIPUS research platform, led in New Zealand by Professor Katie Groom. We also highlight the potential of AI for early bowel cancer diagnosis, with an opinion piece and media coverage featuring Dr Theo Portlock, and a link to Dr Catriona Miller speaking about a role for digital twins in healthcare. Theo and Catriona's work exemplifies our commitment to supporting emerging researchers to establish distinctive areas of research and develop them towards future impact. Together, these stories reflect an important part of the Liggins model: supporting established research leaders while creating the environment in which the next generation can establish and grow. Your support helps make this possible.
Thank you to everyone in our community who attended our recent public lecture and to our speakers, Professor Frank Bloomfield, Dr Barbara Cormack, and Dr Tanith Alexander, for sharing their research and insights. If you missed ‘Tiny babies, big questions: the high-stakes science of early nutrition’, the recording is now available to watch online.
Finally, we celebrate recent achievements by staff recognised in the University of Auckland 2026 Celebrating Research Excellence Awards. The team behind the Carosika Collaborative was honoured for their impactful research, and Dr Mark De Hora received an award for his outstanding doctoral thesis. These awards recognise two very different but equally important dimensions of research excellence at Liggins: translating research into better health outcomes and developing the next generation of outstanding researchers. Well done.
Ngā mihi nui
Justin
Professor Justin O'Sullivan
Director, Liggins Institute,
Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland
PITOPITO KŌRERO | NEWS
World-first research platform transforming care around babies born too soon
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Million-dollar government funding will support a new clinical trials platform producing evidence on how to prevent preterm birth and treat babies born too soon. The Health Research Council (HRC) is investing $1.44 million to bring the innovative PLATIPUS research platform to hospitals across Aotearoa. Led in New Zealand by Professor Katie Groom from the Liggins Institute, the funding establishes New Zealand as a full partner in the trans-Tasman PLATIPUS (PLatform for Adaptive Trials In Perinatal UnitS) initiative. It also supports one of the first PLATIPUS projects, PROMOAT, a clinical trial to determine the best antibiotic treatment for pregnant women whose waters break early. |
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AI promises breakthrough in bowel cancer detection
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Earlier diagnosis of bowel cancer is the promise of using artificial intelligence to analyse people's gut samples to predict whether they are at risk of the disease. Researchers would train the AI on stool samples discarded after being tested as part of New Zealand's bowel screening programme. The screening tests, called a Fecal Immunochemical Test, or FIT, look for traces of blood in a person's stool, which is a risk factor for bowel cancer. The test is designed to detect tiny amounts of blood not visible to the naked eye. Research fellow at the Liggins Institute Dr Theo Portlock said once the test was done, AI could be trained on the remaining stool sample with the hope of identifying a person's risk factor with up to 90 percent accuracy, helping earlier diagnosis. |
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- Interview with Dr Theo Portlock on RNZ Nights: Bowel cancer on the rise for under-50s | RNZ
- Expert opinion piece from Dr Theo Portlock: Bowel cancer is surging in under-50s – here’s how AI could catch it early - Newsroom
Newborn genomics research and digital twins with Dr Catriona Miller
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Our 25th Anniversary research video series continues with postdoctoral researcher Dr Catriona Miller. In this short video, Catriona shares how her research is helping advance healthcare for babies through innovative approaches and new technologies. Watch now to learn more about the people and research behind the Liggins Institute. |
Public Lecture – Tiny babies, big questions: the high-stakes science of early nutrition
Professor Frank Bloomfield
Last month, we were delighted to host our latest Liggins Institute public lecture, ‘Tiny babies, big questions: the high-stakes science of early nutrition.’
A huge thank you to Professor Frank Bloomfield, Dr Barbara Cormack and Dr Tanith Alexander for sharing their expertise and the latest research on neonatal nutrition, preterm birth and lifelong health outcomes. The presentations sparked thoughtful discussion, with many insightful questions from the audience. It was wonderful to continue the conversation over drinks and nibbles afterwards.
Dr Barbara Cormack
Dr Tanith Alexander
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Professor Wayne Cutfield awarded 2026 College Medal
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Earlier this year, Professor Wayne Cutfield was awarded the 2026 College Medal by The Royal Australasian College of Physicians. He was interviewed by Kathryn Ryan on RNZ Nine to Noon about his background and career in medicine. |
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WHAKAMIHI | CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations to the team behind the Carosika Collaborative on receiving a University of Auckland 2026 Celebrating Research Excellence Award for Research Impact.
The team, Professor Katie Groom, Dr Lisa Dawes, Dr Briar Hunter, Ms Tina Allen Mokaraka (Liggins Institute), Dr Lynn Sadler (Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences), Professor Judith McAra-Couper (AUT) and Associate Professor Liza Edmonds (Victoria University of Wellington), have developed a national, transdisciplinary stakeholder-led initiative to improve preterm birth outcomes and equity for whānau and communities. Their approach has led to Taonga Tuku Iho, national best practice guidelines for preterm birth care, and a real-time reporting system, including the Carosika Core Outcomes set.
The University of Auckland awards recognise researchers whose work is delivering significant impact across science, engineering, health, the humanities, and society. Visit our news story, University applauds Celebrating Research Excellence Award winners, to find out more.
Congratulations to Liggins Institute graduate and Honorary Research Fellow Dr Mark De Hora. Mark's thesis, 'Use of Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry to Improve Newborn Screening for Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia in New Zealand', was selected as one of the five recipients of the Vice-Chancellor’s Prize for Best Doctoral Thesis, 2025.
This award is a significant achievement. Five awards were made from 18 nominations, out of a total of 598 theses across all University of Auckland faculties last year. Well done, Mark and his supervisors, Professor Paul Hofman and Dr Ben Albert.
Congratulations to Liggins Institute doctoral candidate Dalia Kadow, who qualified for the University of Auckland Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Finals. The judges were extremely impressed with her presentation and awarded her an SGS wildcard ticket.
Dalia, who has only been in New Zealand since May, highlighted the importance of trust, partnership and cultural understanding in health research, with a presentation titled ‘Kawakawa, tikanga and trust’. Working alongside Māori communities and practitioners of rongoā Māori, her research explores how future health studies can be shaped through meaningful collaboration from the outset.
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Congratulations to Liggins Institute doctoral candidate Meiliana Meiliana, who successfully defended her thesis ‘Guidance for nutrition and nutrition research for preterm infants’ in April. The examiners complimented Meiliana on the huge amount of work included in a clear, well-written thesis and recommended that her PhD be awarded, subject to only minor corrections. Her final thesis has now been submitted and accepted. |
