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Malaghan: Phase 2 clinical trial underway
July 2024: A phase 2 clinical trial of a new CAR T-cell therapy is getting underway at Wellington Hospital this month, on the back of promising phase 1 results that suggest improved safety compared with leading commercial CAR T-cell therapies, while remaining highly effective for B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas.
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is a personalised cell therapy, in which a patient’s own immune cells are reprogrammed to recognise and eliminate cancer cells. Malaghan Institute Clinical Director Dr Robert Weinkove says commencing a phase 2 trial is a major step towards CAR T-cell therapy becoming a standard of care for certain blood cancers in New Zealand.
“We have final regulatory and ethical approvals, our first site is ready to go, and clinicians around New Zealand have been advised of the criteria and how to refer patients. We hope this new trial will confirm effectiveness and safety of our new NZ-developed CAR T-cell therapy and result in registration for routine use in New Zealand and overseas.”
The ENABLE-2 team. Image: Malaghan Institute of Medical Research.
Aqualinc: Out of sight, front of mind
July 2024: Groundwater has been referred to as the hidden resource because it is usually “out of sight, out of mind”. But for Canterbury’s rural communities, groundwater has been front of mind for decades; providing water supplies for irrigation, stockwater, farm and domestic use. In the July issue of Canterbury Farming Newspaper, Dr Andrew Dark from Aqualinc talks about groundwater as an energy source and how irrigation from groundwater has transformed the landscape and socio-economic fabric of parts of the Canterbury Plains that were previously highly drought-prone.
"Whether this transformation has gone too far, both in terms of the volumes of water abstracted and the introduction of contaminants related to land-use to the groundwater system, is a topic of intense debate."
There are several facets of groundwater systems that are beginning to receive more attention, including the role of groundwater in flooding, its contribution to hazards for the built environment, and its potential as an energy source.
Ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) have been a feature of the post-quake rebuild for Christchurch, with several large building projects incorporating them. Image: Aqualinc Research.
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Welcome to the Independent Research Association of New Zealand
IRANZ is an association of independent research organisations. IRANZ represents the collective interests of members by undertaking activities aimed at creating a positive operating environment for Independent Research Organisations in New Zealand.
IRANZ member organisations make vital contributions to a broad range of scientific fields, and offer an important complement to university-based and Crown Research Institute research. Our smaller sizes and greater flexibility provide an environment that is particularly conducive to innovation and end-user engagement.
IRANZ member organisations:
- Are ‘independent’ (non-government owned);
- Carry out high-quality scientific research, development or technology transfer;
- Have strong linkages with end-users;
- Work in a diverse range of settings and subject specialities;
- Derive a significant portion of their work from Government research contracts;
- Collaborate with universities, Crown Research Institutes and research departments of industrial organisations; and
- Having varying governance and ownership arrangements.
Find out more about IRANZ and our members by checking out our News page.