Investing in better health

Are you curious about what stops your body working? Auckland medical researchers are.

Ten projects have been awarded funding by Auckland Medical Research Foundation, to help them in their quest for cures and better treatments.

The projects recently awarded $1.24 million include using bacteria to improve cancer treatments, predicting what tumours will recur, using an eye test to diagnose ADHD and engineering new antibiotics.

‘‘Through the curiosity and tenacity of these researchers, we may find cures, improved treatments, and greater understanding of a wide range of conditions. But this cannot happen without investing in research. This funding gives them assurance they can continue their vital work,’’ AMRF chief executive Sue Brewster says.

The funding takes AMRF’s total investment in medical research in the past year to $4.13m.

Projects to get funding include diagnosing ADHD in children and postoperative delirium.

‘‘The calibre of medical research being done in Tāmaki Makaurau is impressive,’’ Brewster says.

‘‘As a region we should be proud to be part of the quest to advance medical treatments and improve the quality of life of thousands of New Zealanders,’’ Brewster says. ‘‘The foundation is grateful to the generosity of Aucklanders, who help make this research possible.’’

The projects to receive Auckland Medical Research Foundation funding are:

Investigating whether a simple eye test can diagnose ADHD in children.

Improving ways of predicting which central nervous system tumours are most likely to recur.

A clinical trial of breathing in preschoolers who suffer from wheezing.

Whether engineered bacteria can help fight cancer by enhancing immunotherapy.

Widening a cancer trial of an enzyme that sabotages immunotherapy treatments.

How gut bacteria affects immune cells in newborns and allergies and auto immune disorders later in life.

Understanding cochlear damage through 3D imaging to greater understand hearing loss.

Trialling an anti-inflammatory drug on babies with a brain injury as a result of loss of oxygen or blood supply at birth.

If ‘‘light’’ rather than ‘‘deep’’ anaesthesia during surgery could reduce rates of postoperative delirium.

Discovering if compounds can be added to existing antibiotics that have become ineffective, to combat the looming global health crisis.

Passengers landing at Auckland Airport have endured a bumpy ride as Cyclone Gabrielle continues to lash the country.

Flights resumed at the airport on Tuesday after being halted on Monday due to the high winds and heavy rain lashing the region.

However, about 4pm, Air New Zealand said domestic flights had been halted again for the remainder of the day due to strong winds.

The airline’s international flights were still going ahead.

Alison Rigby had flown from London through Dubai to get to Aotearoa for her niece’s wedding on Saturday.

However, she caught ‘‘the tail end of the cyclone’’ on Tuesday afternoon.

‘‘We weren’t sure whether we were going to be able to land or whether we were going to have to head down to another airport, but thank goodness it was absolutely fine,’’ Rigby said.

Rigby said she was ‘‘so grateful’’ to have got through but warned ‘‘it’s absolute chaos’’ at the arrivals terminal.

Przemyslaw and Anna made it to Tāmaki Makaurau from Poland after three flights and a five-hour delay.

‘‘We just wanted to sleep. We were very tired,’’ Anna said.

’’The last flight was a bit bumpy, especially as we got closer to New Zealand,’’ Przemyslaw added.