Auckland Medical Research Foundation

29/09/2026

Could diet help improve both gut and mental health symptoms for people living with IBS?

Thanks to AMRF funding, Dr Nicola Gillies is leading the DUAL Study, exploring whether dietary approaches can support people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) who also experience symptoms of anxiety and/or depression.

The study is recruiting adults aged 18-65 from anywhere in Aotearoa New Zealand. Participants will receive support from the research team throughout the eight-week study, along with a food hamper and vouchers to recognise their time and effort.

If you or someone you know may be eligible, find out more and complete the screening questionnaire here:
https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/fmhs/research/research-study-recruitment/research-study-recruitment-a-l-fmhs/dual-study---dietary-interventions-for-gut-and-mental-health-sym.html

Please help us spread the word by sharing this post. Together, we can support research that aims to improve health and wellbeing for New Zealanders.

27/09/2026

We're proud to support researchers sharing discoveries that help improve our understanding of POTS and related conditions. 14th International Society of Autonomic Neuroscience Conference in Bologna, Italy,

Congratulations to AMRF-funded PhD researcher Greer Pugh, who received the prize for Best Poster Presentation (clinical) at a prestigious international autonomic neuroscience conference in Italy.
Read more: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7510087826114281473

EFAS - European Federation of Autonomic Societies

We're proud to support researchers advancing understanding of complex health conditions. This is an outstanding achievement for AMRF-funded researcher Greer Pugh, who was recognised at this prestigious international scientific congress with a prize for Best Poster Presentation while presenting her l...

08/09/2026

Thanks to support from our donors and supporters, AMRF has awarded a Project Grant to researcher Dr Julia Shanks, whose work could help improve life for thousands of New Zealanders living with heart failure.

Around 40,000 people in Aotearoa are affected by heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), a condition that can make everyday activities like climbing stairs or carrying groceries exhausting. Julia's research is exploring a new treatment approach that could help the heart perform better during physical activity, with the goal of restoring independence, improving quality of life, and reducing pressure on our healthcare system.

This is exactly why AMRF exists. Every year, outstanding researchers bring forward ideas that have the potential to transform health outcomes. Yet many projects cannot proceed without philanthropic support. As our recent campaign highlighted, medical breakthroughs don't happen by chance. They happen because researchers are given the opportunity to pursue bold ideas.

When you support AMRF, you're backing researchers like Julia who are working to improve health for future generations.

Because our lives depend on it.

Learn more: https://www.medicalresearch.org.nz

06/09/2026

Every breakthrough starts with an idea. But without funding, even the most promising ideas can remain just that.

Dr Jay Gong and Dr Henry Wei saw a challenge facing New Zealand's health system every day. While more than 20,000 people wait for a colonoscopy, specialists spend hundreds of hours reviewing referral letters to determine who needs to be seen most urgently. For patients who may have bowel cancer, every delay matters.

Rather than accepting the problem, Jay and Henry set out to solve it.

Read more here:https://www.medicalresearch.org.nz/post/ai-bowel-cancer-colonoscopy-research-nz

They developed an AI-assisted tool designed to help specialists review referrals more quickly and consistently, while keeping clinicians firmly in control of every decision. The goal is simple: help patients at highest risk get the care they need sooner and free up specialist time for direct patient care.

This year, their project was one of the research initiatives supported through AMRF funding. It has the potential to improve health outcomes for thousands of New Zealanders and create a more efficient and equitable healthcare system.

But for every project we fund, many others miss out.
In our latest granting round, AMRF approved $1.19 million in funding after receiving almost $10 million worth of applications. Limited funding meant many worthwhile projects could not be supported.

For more than 70 years, AMRF has backed researchers whose discoveries have transformed healthcare in New Zealand and beyond. Today, researchers are tackling some of our biggest health challenges, including cancer, dementia, Parkinson's disease, heart conditions, stroke and more.

AMRF receives no government funding. We rely on the generosity of donors, trusts and philanthropists who believe better health outcomes begin with supporting great researchers.

Thanks to a generous endowment, 100% of donations go directly to medical research.

When you support AMRF, you're helping researchers like Jay and Henry turn promising ideas into solutions that could change lives.

Our lives depend on it.

04/09/2026

Medical research doesn't just improve lives. It helps give the next generation the healthiest possible start.

Thanks to support from our donors and supporters, AMRF has awarded funding to Dr Sally Mackay and her research team to investigate the growing market of commercial foods for infants and toddlers in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Pouches, snacks and toddler milks are now a common part of family life, yet there is surprisingly little New Zealand-specific evidence about what's in these products, how they're marketed, and how they influence parents' feeding decisions. Most existing research comes from Australia, despite differences in our communities, retail environment and lived experiences.

Over the next two years, the team will audit infant and toddler foods sold across New Zealand, assess their nutritional quality and marketing claims, and work directly with caregivers, including Māori and Pacific whānau, to better understand what shapes feeding choices.

The findings will help inform trans-Tasman food regulations and provide practical, evidence-based guidance for families raising young children. Because the first few years of life play a critical role in shaping lifelong health, nutrition and wellbeing, the impact of this work could extend far beyond infancy.

This is why AMRF supports researchers. Every year, talented researchers bring forward ideas that can improve health outcomes for New Zealanders, but many cannot proceed without philanthropy. By backing researchers like Dr Sally Mackay and her team, our donors help ensure important questions are answered and better health solutions can be found.

Because our lives depend on it.

Learn more about the research you can support on our website: https://www.medicalresearch.org.nz - link in bio.

21/08/2026

Hear from Prof Alys Clark about her research to 'raise the profiles' of the uterus and placenta in her interview on RNZ. These amazing and complex organs deserve the spotlight for the important role they play for us all.

Despite hosting the start of every human life, the uterus is studied far less than other organs.

19/07/2026

Every breakthrough begins with a researcher.

Our latest Momentum update shares inspiring stories of researchers improving lives, remembers the remarkable Professor Alistair Gunn, and celebrates the progress being made towards launching the Futures Fellowship Fund to support researcher careers.

Read more and discover how donor support is helping create healthier futures across Aotearoa New Zealand.

Read more: https://www.medicalresearch.org.nz/post/momentum-progress-in-medical-research-through-new-leadership-with-lasting-impact

Support researchers: https://www.medicalresearch.org.nz/make-a-donation

Medical research changes lives. Across Aotearoa New Zealand, researchers are advancing new treatments, improving health outcomes, and tackling some of the biggest challenges in cancer and neonatal health.

01/07/2026

Congratulations to the Fetal Physiology and Neuroscience Team for this notable award and recognition of their work to protect babies' brains.

You can read our recent tribute to Prof Gunn here:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1DQy5fdvb3/

A University of Auckland team responsible for optimising life-saving treatment for oxygen-deprived infants has won the Prime Minister's Science Prize 🏆

Find out more below 🔗

14/05/2026

We join many tributes across Aotearoa and globally honouring the life of Professor Alistair Gunn.

Prof Gunn’s research led to the development of therapeutic hypothermia (brain cooling after oxygen deprivation): a simple, safe and globally adopted treatment protecting newborn babies’ brains after oxygen deprivation at birth. His work continues to save countless lives and enable millions of children to grow and thrive without disability.

For us at AMRF, this legacy is deeply personal. Prof Gunn acknowledged our early support helping his team develop the first cooling machines and undertake the critical studies making this breakthrough possible. Those studies established how and when cooling could protect the newborn brain, laying the foundation for international clinical trials that followed and for a treatment now used internationally.

He once described therapeutic hypothermia as “an overnight success, after 20 years of preclinical research”—a reflection of his persistence, scientific rigour, and commitment to improving outcomes for babies and their families.

Behind his extraordinary impact was scientific brilliance, and a deeply human presence. He is remembered by colleagues globally as kind, generous, quietly determined, endlessly curious. He was known as a mentor who gave his time freely, a collaborator who lifted others, and a person whose warmth was felt in every interaction.

Tributes shared across the global research and clinical community speak to a life defined not just by achievement, but by character. He was known to be a brilliant colleague, an outstanding researcher and human being, humble and supportive, and someone whose work profoundly improved the life chances of so many. Others recall his encouragement of early-career researchers, his thoughtful questions, and genuine care he showed to those around him.

His legacy continues in clinicians who carry forward his work, researchers he inspired, and families whose lives are forever changed because of his dedication.

06/05/2026

AMRF-supported researcher A/Prof Amy Chan aims to bring asthma deaths to zero. Together, your support turns possibility into progress.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/morningreport/audio/2019034004/how-smartwatches-could-be-used-to-predict-asthma-attacks

Explore how digital markers in asthma can predict an asthma attack before it happens. Learn how technology can transform asthma attack management.