$24.8m awarded to top research programmes

$24.8m awarded to top research programmes

Media Release

6 June 2013

The HRC today announced more than $24.8 million in funding for five research programmes, including one that will investigate the potential of a skin lesion-causing virus contracted from sheep to offer new treatments for skin wounds and burns.

The large complex ‘orf virus’, which is most commonly seen in people who come into contact with infected sheep, causes severe skin lesions that, remarkably, heal without scarring. Professor Andrew Mercer from the University of Otago and his colleagues have discovered many novel proteins in the virus that may explain this phenomenon. He has been awarded $4,937,329 from the HRC to develop these orf viral proteins into new therapeutics to help treat acute and chronic conditions.

“This somewhat paradoxical but beneficial use of viruses is a new development with potential benefits to a wide range of human conditions, including skin wounds, cancer, inflammatory disorders and viral infection,” says Professor Mercer.

“The success of large DNA viruses such as the orf virus is linked to their expression of an astonishing array of proteins that manipulate responses to infection. Some of these viral proteins are secreted from infected cells and dampen inflammation or increase blood supply to infected tissue, while others work within infected cells to protect the virus from our defences.”

Allergy specialist Professor Graham Le Gros and his team from Wellington’s Malaghan Institute of Medical Research will receive $4,999,796 to identify the cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for the development of allergic diseases.

New Zealand has one of the highest rates of allergic diseases in the developed world, with up to 20 per cent of the population affected – mainly young people of working age and their children.

Professor Le Gros’ team, who recently helped discover a unique type of immune cell that has the potential to cause skin allergy, will focus on the early “sensitisation” phase of allergic disease, when a person is first exposed to an antigen.

“Currently, health practitioners, public health authorities and scientists can’t provide a rational explanation for the increase in allergic disease prevalence or effective strategies for dealing with the significant disease morbidity. The food industry in New Zealand has no viable rational to guide its food processing strategies and is vulnerable to market perception in the absence of scientific evidence,” says Professor Le Gros.

“This research programme is equipped to discover the initial sensitisation phase of allergic disease, which is the area most likely to yield gains in improved understanding and therapeutic approaches.”

Professor Peter Hunter from The University of Auckland will lead a programme worth $4,993,669 to better understand the links between abnormal electrical rhythm in the heart (arrhythmia) and an increase in connective tissue between muscle cells. His team will use a combination of 3D electrical recordings, structural imaging and computer modelling to test their ideas, in partnership with leading North American and European researchers.

“The calibre of this year’s applicants was once again extremely high, which reflects the great talent out there in New Zealand’s research community. The successful programmes cover some of the biggest health issues facing the country and will potentially have a significant impact on the future health of New Zealanders,” says HRC Chief Executive Dr Robin Olds.

For details of the 2013 HRC programme recipients, see below or go to www.hrc.govt.nz/funding-opportunities/recipients.

2013 HRC programme recipients:

Professor William Denny, The University of Auckland
Rational design of kinase inhibitors to target cancer
60 months, $4,923,458

Professor Peter Hunter, The University of Auckland
Mapping determinants of arrhythmia in structural heart disease
60 months, $4,993,669

Professor Graham Le Gros, Malaghan Institute of Medical Research, Wellington
Immunotherapy of allergic diseases
60 months, $4,999,796

Professor Andrew Mercer, University of Otago
Exploiting the therapeutic potential of viruses
60 months, $4,937,329

Associate Professor Cliona Ni Mhurchu, The University of Auckland
Effective interventions and policies to improve population nutrition and health
60 months, $4,994,336

ENDS

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