Life changing research grants: Canterbury Medical Research Foundation
The bugs in our tummies are being put under the microscope to see how they influence bowel cancer.This is one of eight research projects underway thanks to $824,037 of Major Projects Grants recently announced by the Canterbury Medical Research Foundation.
Director Melissa Haberfield says investing in world-class research is critical, and the Foundation is proud to be supporting emerging talent as well as experienced researchers.
“It is a privilege to be able to financially support some of the brightest talents in our region. The research this funding enables will result in better health and wellbeing outcomes for the people of Canterbury and the world,” says Melissa.
New Zealand has one of the highest rates of bowel cancer in the world, with approximately 3000 people diagnosed every year and 1200 deaths.
Canterbury has almost twice the national average with 113 cancers found per 100,000 people compared to a national average of 65.7.
Postdoctoral fellow Dr Annika Seddon, a biochemist/cell biologist who has received a $110,000 grant from the Foundation to study bowel cancer, says New Zealand’s bowel cancer statistics are a major health concern.
“The funding from the Canterbury Medical Research Foundation will enable us to better understand this disease in a New Zealand context, which will have a major impact on prevention and treatment.”
Annika says there is mounting evidence to suggest gut bacteria and inflammation play a role in bowel cancer.
Her research will investigate if compounds produced by gut bacteria enhance production of oxidants in immune cells and how these oxidants change chemical signatures on the DNA of bowel cancer cells that affect their function.
“We hope this research will lead to new strategies for preventing or slowing the progression of this devastating disease. The ultimate goal is to save lives,”
says Annika.
Ongoing funding
The Canterbury Medical Research Foundation is the largest independent not-for-profit funder of medical research in the South Island, offering Canterbury-based researchers more than $1 million annually.
“Over the last 62 years, the Foundation has funded more than $32 million of health research. This incredible investment in the health and wellbeing of our community is made possible thanks to our loyal supporters, donors and members whose gifts enable world-class research to take place, leaving a lasting legacy for future generations,” says director Melissa Haberfield.
For more information on other research projects underway thanks to funding from the Canterbury Medical Research Foundation go to www.cmrf.org.nz.
