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Cure Kids, the largest charitable funder of child health
research in New Zealand, recently announced funding for nine
new research projects designed to improve health outcomes
for tamariki. After receiving a record number of
applications, and completing a rigorous process of peer
review, Cure Kids asked its Medical & Scientific
Advisory Committee to recommend which of the 41 proposals
should be funded. As a result, Cure Kids awarded nine Grants
totaling $1 million.
Frances Benge, Chief Executive of
Cure Kids, says New Zealand researchers proposed a range of
ideas in response to major paediatric health
conditions.
“These projects represent a high level
of innovation in child health research that could have a
significant positive impact on some of the most pressing
health issues facing Kiwi children. These newly funded
projects follow significant breakthroughs over more than 50
years of support from Cure Kids, and we’re looking forward
to seeing this research make a further difference for
children in Aotearoa New Zealand and around the
world.”
This round of grants sees a wide range of
focus areas, from a potential new treatment for children
with an aggressive form of brain cancer, to investigating
how enrolment of pēpi Māori in primary care could improve
immunisation rates, and adapting an international suicide
prevention campaign with a kaupapa Māori approach. This
year one project has an international focus, with
researchers investigating ways to reduce violence against
children in Tonga.
“After 52 years, $60 million of
funding and over 700 research projects for child health
research in New Zealand, we hope Kiwis can see the impact
their donations have had and will continue to have for our
tamariki,” says Benge.
The nine research projects
include:
- Opportunities for Primary Care
action to improve immunisation of pēpi Māori. Dr
Anna Howe and Dr Amber Young will partner with Hāpai te
Hauora to explore how the health sector can be more
responsive to ensure that whānau receive vital support and
information to help them care for their newborn babies. This
research aims to increase the number of whānau enrolled
with primary healthcare providers, to protect Māori
children from vaccine-preventable
diseases. - Designing a diagnostic test for
brain injuries in preterm babies. Associate
Professor Mhoyra Fraser’s research aims to identify which
babies are at risk of brain injuries due to oxygen
deprivation during pregnancy or at birth. The research will
seek to identify a panel of markers that can aid early
detection, and thus better inform primary healthcare teams
on appropriate preventative and therapeutic approaches to
prevent or reduce brain injuries in preterm
babies. - Developing a new treatment for
children with brain cancer, by Professor David
Barker and Dr Lisa Pilkington. Glioblastoma multiforme is
the most aggressive form of brain cancer – children with
this disease survive on average less than 2 years after they
are diagnosed. The researchers are working on a new
treatment that would target brain tumours to extend life for
children who have this devastating
disease. - Collaborating on a monitoring
system for child protection in Tonga. This research
is designed to reduce the country’s high rates of violence
against children. Dr Fiona Langridge and Dr Seini Taufa are
co-designing a data-monitoring system based on international
best practice and adapted specifically for Tonga to support
ongoing efforts to ensure care and protection for
children. - Developing a safer test for joint
and bone infections in children, led by Dr Amy
Scott-Thomas. This study aims to create a new non-invasive
test for bone and joint infections. The technique should
reduce stress and trauma for children being tested by
avoiding needles. If the study is successful, it should also
enable faster diagnosis, and targeted treatments that should
minimise development of antibiotic-resistant
bacteria. - Enhancing treatments for severe
bone infections in children, led by Associate
Professor Simon Swift. The researchers have shown that a
protein found in milk, lactoferrin, has properties which
could boost the effectiveness of antibiotic treatments. They
will combine the lactoferrin with nanoparticles to test
whether it might be safe for use during surgery for children
with acute haematogenous osteomyelitis, a severe bone
infection. - Trialing shorter treatments for
preschool children with asthma, by Dr Alexandra
Wallace. Children with asthma are often treated with three
days of oral steroids, but recent evidence suggests that
children younger than five years might only need one day of
steroid medication to treat wheeze. Dr Alexandra Wallace is
working with an international group of collaborators to
compare treatment durations. If they prove that a one-day
course is effective, guidelines will change to shorten and
simplify treatment and reduce the risks of side
effects. - Testing eyesight for 7-year-olds,
by Dr Rebecca Findlay. Because current screening
tests do not always detect eye problems such as refractive
error, many children start school without the glasses that
could help them to read and learn. This research will test
7-year-olds for refractive error and assess whether issues
with their eyesight have affected their reading, learning,
or development. The broader goal is to improve national
vision screening and eye-care, so that children can get help
for treatable eye problems. - Adapting online
tools to enable safe communication about self-harm and
suicide, led by Associate Professor Sarah Hetrick
and Dr Tania Cargo (Ngāti Maru, Ngāti Manu,
Ngāpuhi). The researchers propose to adapt
an online tool called #chatsafe to help rangatahi, young
people in New Zealand communicate online about self-harm and
suicide without the risk of imitative suicidal behavior
imitation. They’ll convene expert panels that include
rangatahi, young people and Māori to develop a culturally
safe version of #chatsafe.
Cure Kids is
currently funding about 75 research projects totalling $8
million in grants, to solve child health conditions
including childhood cancers, infectious diseases, mental
health issues, and genetic and developmental
disorders.
“Research never rests. There is still so
much to do, but we are proud to be supporting the potential
for the next breakthroughs in child health research right
here in Aotearoa New Zealand,” says
Benge.
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