Annual Report 2014 | 01 Omrf Council Report From
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20 ANNUAL 14 REPORT CONTENTS OBJECT OF THE FOUNDATION OBJECT OF THE 01 FOUNDATION OMRF There is not one person alive today who has not COUNCIL 02 REPORT FROM THE benefi tted from medical research. DIRECTOR OF 03 DEVELOPEMENT The Object of the Otago Medical Research IT ALL STARTS SOMEWHERE. UNDER THE MICROSCOPE Foundation: Is for the furtherance of The Foundation helps to fund medical research 04 medical research in Otago. projects and scholarships which are highly novel and scientifi cally worthy, but due to their early FUNDING BREAKDOWN We fund world class research, equipment exploratory nature don’t attract the interest of 09 and facilities for Otago’s highly talented larger funding agencies. SCIENTIFIC medical community of scientists, students, However, in the world of medical research what the COMMITTEE REPORT practitioners and lecturers. Foundation launches cannot be underestimated. 10 Once that initial research has been completed and OMRF Our recipients contribute invaluable the answers discovered, it often opens up new 19 GRANTS medical knowledge that can be applied to areas of investigation for bigger entities to develop. medicine and prevention in future, and in So the research never stops and many of our esteemed alumni are now global leaders in their EVENTS doing so we also retain top medical talent 21 and intellectual property in Otago. medical fi elds. EVERYONE BENEFITS FROM 24 CLUB OTAGO MEDICAL RESEARCH IS A LIFE CHANGER. MEDICAL RESEARCH. CHAIRPERSON’S There is not one person who has not benefi tted REPORT YOU’RE A LIFE CHANGER. from answers found through medical research, 26 The answers unearthed through medical research whether that be personally, through parents or irrefutably lead to greater quality of life for society children, partners or siblings, work mates or their FINANCIAL friends. We will all know many who wouldn’t be HIGHLIGHTS – through earlier diagnosis and treatment. Since 28 the Foundation was established in 1967 it has with us had it not been for the discoveries made, identifi ed and funded close to $7 million worth of the earlier diagnosis and less invasive treatment AUDITOR’S grants and scholarships, with much of the work that research unveils. REPORT undertaken now acclaimed around the world. 29 It is irrefutable that from medical research we all benefi t. INFORMATION ABOUT The lives of millions of people have ultimately been THE FOUNDATION improved by the research funded by the Otago 30 Medical Research Foundation. Made possible by you, our generous supporters. LIST OF MEMBERS 31 FUNDING 32 PATHWAYS OMRF ANNUAL REPORT 2014 | 01 OMRF COUNCIL REPORT FROM Professor Barry Taylor Prof J Highton General Medical Staff, Otago District Health Board THE DIRECTOR OF Dean Dunedin School of Medicine ex-offi cio Mr R Bunton Assoc Prof P A Cragg Otago District Health Board DEVELOPMENT Chairperson of Scientifi c Committee ex-offi cio Dr M Coleman Elected by Members of the Foundation To use a Commonwealth Games analogy, we’re Assoc Prof Colin Brown Otago Medical School Research Society Mr K G Dempster out of the blocks and sprinting hard. Elected by Members of the Foundation Mr M C Horne Since its launch into a structured fundraising We were very sad to lose our Patron, Emeritus Professor Deloitte (Secretaries) Mr R P Lewis Barbara Heslop who passed away in late-2013. Barbara was a campaign in early-2010 more than $3 million ex-offi cio Elected by Members of the Foundation terrifi c inspiration to me personally and her reputation globally in new funding had been attracted by March never diminished in retirement. Her philosophy that ‘medical research is all about fi nding out’ will stand the Foundation in Prof A van Rij Dr J McMahon MBE 31 2014, this comprising a mix of charity good stead in the decades ahead. Otago University Faculty of Medicine and trust grants, revenue generated through Elected by Members of the Foundation We are very pleased that Dr Gil Barbezat, another the Foundation’s growing calendar of events, internationally acclaimed Otago-based researcher, has agreed Dr P Gootjes Ms S Saunderson-Warner individual gifting and bequests. to take up the role of Patron and his enthusiasm will serve us well. N.Z. Medical Association (Otago Division) Elected by Members of the Foundation As the Foundation’s profi le builds, so does its ability to establish funding opportunities. That, in turn, increases the My thanks go to all supporters and friends of the Foundation. Mrs. Sarah Ramsay long-term capacity to identify and tangibly support world-class Your generosity and foresight in supporting the terrifi c medical research. work our scientists and researchers undertake is very much Co-opted appreciated. The Foundation prides itself on its ability to identify and nurture research which, although highly scientifi cally worthy, It is irrefutable that from medical research we all benefi t. does not attract attention from larger funding bodies. However, without the Foundation acting as a catalyst for this EXECUTIVE SECRETARIES investigation to be established, more in-depth study simply wouldn’t occur. We are the rippa-rugby of medical research! Mr K G Dempster - Chairperson Deloitte Our funding base expands monthly. There is a growing list Assoc Prof P A Cragg - Deputy Chairperson of individuals who are now regular benefactors, a number Deloitte representative - Secretary/Treasurer HONORARY SOLICITOR of business owners lend their support through ‘sponsoring’ annual summer research scholarships, several gaming machine Mr J Anderson trusts have now made a number of donations, and many SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE (Gallaway Cook Allan) within the charitable industry are fi nancially supportive of the Assoc Prof P A Cragg - Chairperson Foundation’s vision. Physiology Department The Foundation’s annual golf tournament, with OceanaGold AUDITORS partnering up as the major naming rights sponsor, is now seen Otago Medical School Members Crowe Horwath as a ‘must play’ event and raises signifi cant funds in its own (see report on page 10) right. Club Otago, a lunch club open to individual and corporate supporters alike, is growing at an exceptional rate and now boasts more than 100 subscribing members. The Foundation DIRECTOR OF PATRON has developed partnerships with RD Petroleum in offering a Dr. Gil Barbezat fuel card to supporters and with Payless Energy, which donates DEVELOPMENT funds as residential and business account holders switch their electricity needs. Mr S. Davie The Foundation’s Bequest Society is also gaining a greater awareness. Steve Davie And the annual dinner is easily the best of its type in Otago. Director of Development 02 | OMRF ANNUAL REPORT 2014 OMRF ANNUAL REPORT 2014 | 03 UNDER THE MICROSCOPE With Parkinson’s, timing is everything. The release of chemical neurotransmitters In June 2008, along with collaborators Dr Eng 1. Create a biological from brain cells (neurons) happens in Tan (Department of Chemistry) and Prof Brian package (liposome) milliseconds but developing a technology Hyland (Department of Physiology), John was from the same awarded an Annual Grant from the Foundation substance as human to mimic this natural release has been for a project entitled 'Targeted magnetically cells, containing the a much slower process for Associate controlled delivery system for bioactive drug of choice. Professor John Reynolds (Department chemicals'. A complicated title for what was of Anatomy). John’s research into an basically a two part idea: 2. Have a controller of the liposome for timing the effective treatment for Parkinson’s began precise and manageable release eight years ago with funding from the of the drug. Foundation. It will be at least another In Parkinson’s disease it is the death of the dopamine eight years before a clinical trial neurons and resulting lack of dopamine which results in shaky slow movements and/or rigidity in the body. The current becomes a reality and his team’s treatment of choice replaces the lost dopamine with a chemical novel treatment for Parkinson’s called levodopa, but because it is given as a tablet, it literally disease can be touted as fl oods the brain causing numerous side affects including What is most exciting about John’s work is that in the future uncontrolled movements. John’s desire is to develop a drug other drugs used in neurology research might be able to be ‘newly discovered’. which can mimic the natural release of dopamine from the packaged and released using the same technology. Although biological packages in very specifi c brain areas, providing a the big idea is compelling, the specifi c detail of the research treatment which will improve the signs and symptoms of the work was described by his wife (an ex journalist) as a little less disease, without the unwanted side affects. exciting for non-scientists. Obviously, like dopamine, John’s science can sometimes be diffi cult to package and deliver. John describes the initial research funded by the Foundation as a ‘crucial stepping stone’ for his present work. The money awarded by the Foundation allowed John and the team to begin the investigation into the various ways to release the drugs on demand from the liposomes using different controllers. During the 2008 Foundation funded project John and colleagues established how an effective amount of drug could be controllably released without disturbing other normal brain functions, a vital fi rst stage in the work. John says that the Foundation grant was extremely benefi cial, because it was during that fi rst set of experiments they discovered the initial JOHN’S DESIRE IS control system they had considered was not ideal, so could set about fi nding others. TO DEVELOP A John’s research is a great example of why the money granted DRUG WHICH CAN by the Foundation is enormously important to researchers. In comparison to many of the government funded grants it’s MIMIC THE not a huge amount of money; however it helps people get started on their research path.