Malaghan Institute of Medical Research

08/12/2025

Super proud of our Dr Kerry Hilligan for being awarded the Peter Doherty Medal and presenting the 2025 Doherty Lecture at the Australian and New Zealand Society for Immunology - ASI scientific meeting in Perth last week. Named after Australian immunologist and Nobel Laureate Peter Doherty, the award recognises an inspirational scientific leader up to 10 years post-PhD.

What a year, Kerry! We can't wait to see what 2026 holds. 👏🏅🔬

08/12/2025

We are always so grateful when community-led events fundraise for the Malaghan Institute. Knowing support comes from all pockets of the country is truly encouraging, and keeps our mission alive as we seek better, safer treatments for all New Zealanders.

Early next year, we're privileged to be the chosen charity for the Queenstown Show Jumping Charity Lunch on Sunday 4 January at the Oliver Road Queenstown Show Jumping Classic 2026.

Tickets are now available for this unforgettable VIP experience including amazing wine and food enjoyed against the stunning backdrop of world-class showjumping and Queenstown’s breathtaking scenery – all in support of life-saving biomedical research! 🐎🥂🏞️☀️

Thank you to our Central Otago Friends of the Malaghan for connecting us with this event and reconnecting us with a very special part of New Zealand.

Find out more about the Oliver Road Queenstown Show Jumping Classic 2026 at www.qtsjc.co.nz

Purchase your tickets for the charity lunch supporting the Malaghan Institute at www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/queenstown-showjumping-charity-lunch-for-the-malaghan-institute-tickets-1975292965433

07/12/2025

On the back of our recent win for breakthrough project at the KiwiNet Awards, Professor Robert Weinkove returned to RNZ Saturday Morning to talk about our CAR T-cell programme and efforts to make this therapy a standard of care in New Zealand.

"We called these trials ENABLE ... and part of the reason, the motivation for conducting our own trials here was to really try and set up the regulatory and clinical infrastructure that we need to develop these kinds of therapies into the future."

Wellington's Malaghan Institute is working to make CAR-T cell therapy - a lifesaving immunotherapy - a standard part of cancer care in New Zealand.

02/12/2025

Research from the Malaghan has found that a type of immune cell resident in the nose may be key to designing more effective vaccines for respiratory infections.

“Your nose has a specialised immune tissue that helps your body stop viruses before they spread,” says postdoctoral researcher Dr Isabelle Montgomerie, who led this research recently published in Mucosal Immunology.

“We found that a type of immune cell called an NKT-cell that lives in the nasal associated lymphoid tissue gives extra help there, letting the body make stronger antibodies than usual. This finding could be a key in designing better nasal vaccines that stop infections from gaining a foothold in the nose, throat or lung.”

www.malaghan.org.nz/news-and-resources/news/the-nose-knows-new-research-explores-next-generation-of-nasal-vaccines

01/12/2025

We are so proud of Dr Kerry Hilligan who on top of her recent Marsden Fund Fast-Start Grant has just been awarded the prestigious Sir Hercus Health Research Fellowship from the Health Research Council of New Zealand for her research into how fungal exposure affects respiratory health.

The prestigious fellowship supports researchers who demonstrate exceptional promise to open new frontiers in health research.

By uncovering both the harmful and protective effects of fungal exposure, Kerry aims to identify early intervention points and new therapeutic pathways. These insights could directly benefit vulnerable New Zealanders and pave the way for the commercial development of urgently needed treatments for respiratory disease.

Says Kerry, "The fellowship will enable me and my team to dedicate ourselves fully to our research, pursuing ambitious, high-impact science and translating our findings into tangible benefits for Aotearoa. I’m incredibly excited about the work ahead – watch this space!”

Meanwhile, this week Kerry is presenting the 2025 Doherty Lecture and will be receiving the Doherty Medal at the annual Australian and New Zealand Society for Immunology - ASI scientific meeting in Perth, recognising an inspirational scientific leader up to 10 years post-PhD.

As Kerry says, "Watch this space!"

https://www.malaghan.org.nz/news-and-resources/news/dr-kerry-hilligan-awarded-sir-charles-hercus-health-research-fellowship

26/11/2025

Every year, our incredible volunteers, the Malaghan Friends, rally our communities together by organising events to raise both awareness and vital funds for the life-changing medical research at the Malaghan.

Charity golf tournaments are one way they do this – a legacy that goes back decades. This year our Hawke’s Bay Friends celebrated their 25th tournament, and our Wellington Friends marked an amazing 26 years! With perfect weather and a brilliant turnout of teams, both events were full of friendly competition, connection, generosity and good laughs.

We continue to be blown away by the kindness of everyone who gets behind these tournaments – the individuals, businesses and partners who donate their time, prizes and passion to help make a difference.

A huge thank you to our wonderful Friends, and to our charity partners Lexus and JB Were. We’re so grateful to have you in our corner.

26/11/2025

A big Malaghan welcome to our 2025/26 summer students! We’re excited to kick off another summer with a talented group of students from universities around New Zealand.

Summer or practicum placements are an important part of any young scientist's training, and we thrive on the new ideas, energy and hard work these future leaders bring to our organisation.

This year we have a record-breaking 10 students joining us to work on projects ranging from cancer, allergy and infectious disease research, to gut health and RNA technology

Welcome all!

24/11/2025

Our warmest congratulations to Malaghan PhD Student Rebecca Palmer who has been awarded the 2025 Brett Delahunt PhD Research Prize! 🎓🔬🏅

This award recognises excellence at doctoral level and is a great testament to all of Bex’s hard work and dedication.

Bex was also recently awarded the Maurice Capstick Travel Award to present her research at the World Immune Regulation Meeting in Switzerland in 2026.

Congratulations Bex! Well deserved. 👏

23/11/2025

It was a pleasure to welcome Professor Richard Ferrero from Melbourne's Hudson Institute of Medical Research to the Malaghan to discuss all things Helicobacter pylori – from pathogenesis to new therapeutic approaches to eradicating this stomach cancer causing bacterium.

Prof Ferrero has provided valuable advice on establishing preclinical models of H. pylori in our facility and will be a valuable collaborator as our own clinical programme gears up.

21/11/2025

A huge congratulations to our cytometry superstar Sam Small who has been selected as an Emerging Leader by the International Society for Advancement of Cytometry.

Flow cytometry is a key analytical technology that underpins much of the research at the Malaghan, enabling our researchers to study the properties and functions of immune cells. It requires specialised, highly trained technicians to get the most out of our cytometers.

The ISAC Emerging Leader Program is a highly competitive four-year initiative that supports and develops the next generation of leaders in this field.

Congratulations Sam - well deserved! 🌟

19/11/2025

This week marks World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week. Antimicrobial resistance remains a significant global health threat, contributing to longer illness, reduced treatment effectiveness and mortality.

At the Malaghan Institute, Research Officer Georgina Wheller is part of an important project aiming to better understand the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant H.pylori in New Zealand. Her research aims to inform more effective treatment approaches and ultimately help reduce the burden of stomach cancer.

https://www.malaghan.org.nz/news-and-resources/news/tracking-the-journey-of-the-shapeshifting-bacteria-behind-stomach-cancer

12/11/2025

As we mark a milestone with the delivery of our 50th CAR T-cell dose this month, we celebrate a significant anniversary that helped set it all in motion – enabling the manufacturing of cutting-edge cell therapies and laying the groundwork for pioneering clinical trials.

Twenty years ago, in 2005, the Malaghan Institute achieved its first GMP – Good Manufacturing Practice – licence, the green light from Medsafe that our laboratories had met the exacting standards required to prepare, process and culture human tissues for advanced cell therapies.

Five years later, in 2010, Health Minister Hon Tony Ryall opened our state-of-the-art Keith and Faith Taylor Cancer Research Laboratories. At the time, director Professor Graham Le Gros spoke to the shared vision for the labs and the years invested in developing the necessary knowledge, techniques and protocols to translate cancer immunotherapies into a clinical setting.

He also highlighted the critical role of philanthropy in ensuring ground-breaking research translates into improved health outcomes for New Zealanders – something that has remained a constant.

https://www.malaghan.org.nz/news-and-resources/news/celebrating-milestones-in-bringing-life-saving-cell-therapies-to-new-zealand