Dialogue July 2009 | Issue 17 Fold here Fold here FreePost Authority 197380 Friends of the Liggins Institute PO Box 110085 Auckland 1148 New Zealand ✁ ✁ A year of Team McMillan and The Liggins Institute – a partnership of excellence evolution: Team McMillan BMW and MINI support the Liggins Institute's every time a friend or associate of the Institute purchases a quest for a healthy start to life. They underwrite the production new or approved used BMW or MINI; please mention this costs of this newsletter, and will donate $500 to the Institute advertisement at the time of purchase. looking back and looking forward Team McMillan Locally owned and operated The Ultimate by the name you’ve trusted since 1956 BMW Experience Conveniently undercover and centrally located at 7-15 Great South Road, Newmarket. Open 7 Days | Weekdays 8am-6pm Saturday 9am-5pm | Sunday 9am-4pm. 09 524 3300 | 0800 188 388 [email protected] | [email protected] | Big on economy • The Ultimate Driving Machine including Effi cientDynamics® | Small on price • Trustworthy and Award Winning Sales and Service Teams www.teammcmillan.com | Serious fun • Exclusive Client Privileges • Caring for our Community A year of evolution: Dialogue Evolution of an institute looking back and July 2009 | Issue 17 The Liggins welcomes a new Director Professor Wayne Cutfield has been appointed developing the Institute’s international For his part, Professor Cutfield relishes the the second Director of the Liggins Institute partnerships in epigenetic research. opportunity to lead the Liggins Institute. following a competitive selection process led by looking forward The University of Auckland Vice Chancellor Announcing the new appointment, the Vice “In a short time the Liggins has achieved a Professor Stuart McCutcheon. Chancellor said he looked forward to the commanding international reputation in leadership that Professor Cutfield would bring biomedical research through its world class Professor Cutfield succeeds founding Director to the Liggins. He acknowledged Professor researchers and the strong leadership and The year 2009 holds a special place in our present: in our bodies, our health, Professor Peter Gluckman who resigned from Gluckman’s contributions in establishing the research profile of its founder Peter Gluckman,” history; it moves from Charles Darwin’s our intellect and our philosophies. In a his directorships of the Institute and the Institute and the NRCGD, describing them he says. 200th birthday in February to the different time frame we consider how National Research Centre of Growth and as very important parts of the University’s commemoration of 150 years since the the more rapid processes of Development (NRCGD) to avoid potential effort to grow its national and international “My mission is to provide an environment in publication of his landmark On the development during early life overlay A year of conflicts of interest in taking up his part time contribution in research and postgraduate which every Liggins researcher can deliver Origin of Species in November. our genetic inheritance to determine our evolution: appointment as the first Chief Science Advisor education. world class research. The range of skills and future health and that of our children. the cutting-edge technologies we have in the In this issue of Dialogue our stories looking back and to the Prime Minister of New Zealand from 01 “It is a sign of a healthy vibrant institute with a Institute give it a unique capacity to deliver highlight aspects of the Liggins In a sense the Liggins Institute is also looking forward July. Professor Gluckman will continue to be long term future that we can look to the next high quality translational research that spans Institute’s central research theme which evolving as leadership passes to a new based at the Liggins Institute where he intends generation of leadership,” adds Professor the full spectrum of basic laboratory-based asks what makes us what we are. We generation and its research focus on to be a very active member and researcher. Gluckman. “I have always believed that no-one science, through pre-clinical and clinical studies introduce the Liggins’ annual lecture what makes a healthy start to life is “After 21 years in academic management, this should lead an organisation for too long and it and on to health policy. It is the breadth of this series, which looks back at how evolution strengthened through expanded change in role will give me more time to do is indicative of the maturity of the Liggins translational research that really sets the by natural selection has contributed to national and international partnerships. what I love best, developing research concepts Institute that we can find such excellent Institute apart from other biomedical research and encouraging the Institute’s emerging leadership within. I have every confidence that institutes.” researchers,” he says. “I shall continue to under the leadership of Professor Cutfield and develop my current research portfolio focusing his Deputy Director, Professor Murray Mitchell, The Institute has a focused research theme of on what determines a healthy start to life, the the Institute will continue to grow and enhance a ‘healthy start to life’. Professor Cutfield says interface between evolution and medicine and its research reputation and its contributions to that within this theme he would like to see a Contents developmental biology at the human- the public understanding of science.” greater strategic emphasis on discovering agricultural interface, and at the same time what is the full impact of nutrition during A year of evolution: looking back critical developmental phases, from before and looking forward 2 conception through to adolescence, on the health of New Zealanders throughout Evolution of an institute 3 their lives. Singapore collaboration brings “We are well positioned in this area with mutual benefits 4 broad-based skills in nutrition research but we will need to strengthen our expertise Singaporean partners join Epi Gen 4 further if we want to capture a leadership role Singapore collaboration brings Darwin’s legacy pg6 in the field. New research centre will focus mutual benefits pg4 on foods for health 5 “Further, our interest in this field will extend beyond human health to the agricultural arena Darwin’s legacy 6 through collaborative strengthening of our Lessons from the past can enrich relationship with AgResearch and other medical education 7 agricultural providers. Team gets behind neonatal research 8 “At the same time, I see the Institute continuing to develop and refine its roles in the public Growing old before you are born 10 understanding of science and the LENScience programme for high school students.” Note to Friends 12 A graduate of The University of Auckland’s Gifts kick-start young careers 13 School of Medicine, Professor Cutfield has an Team gets behind neonatal Gifts kick-start young careers international reputation for his clinical research Seminars via satellite 14 research pg8 pg13 in the discipline of paediatric endocrinology and as an academic leader. He is Chair of the New Zealand Growth Hormone Committee and Director of the Institute’s Maurice and Dialogue is published by the Liggins Institute. The Liggins Institute is the leading Office of the Director: Liggins Institute, The Agnes Paykel Clinical Research Unit – a Previous issues of Dialogue are available partner in the National Research University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, specially designed children’s research facility from the Institute. They can also be accessed Centre for Growth and Development, Auckland, New Zealand, tel +64 9 923 2305, where he leads a highly productive research as PDFs at www.liggins.auckland.ac.nz. one of New Zealand’s Centres of [email protected] group focused on a broad range of clinical Stories may be reproduced with Research Excellence. endocrine research topics. acknowledgement. www.liggins.auckland.ac.nz Professor Wayne Cutfield 2 | Dialogue July 2009 Dialogue July 2009 | 3 Singapore collaboration brings New research centre will focus mutual benefits on foods for health Liggins Institute researchers are joining a major research effort to halt the escalating incidence of Partnership builds on common strengths in developmental biology obesity and diabetes in Asian populations The Liggins Institute and AgResearch have put the official seal on a “Improving our knowledge of these early life processes will give us the Officials estimate that 300 million people collaboration that will maximise the research capability of both capacity to manipulate parameters, such as nutrition during pregnancy, world-wide will be diabetic by 2025 - and most organisations in the field of growth and development. to influence the settings of the genetic switches that children and animals of them will be in Asia. In an effort to reverse are born with,” says Professor Gluckman. “The idea is to improve the The Pastoral Foods for Human Health Research Centre has been this trend Singaporean researchers have match between the pre-birth environment and the worlds that they will established at the Liggins Institute, with scientists from AgResearch turned to scientists at the Liggins Institute. grow up in.” joining their Liggins colleagues in research that is applicable to the Professor Peter Gluckman now leads (on a part health and development of both humans and farm animals. The Centre is Armed with this knowledge, scientists in the Centre will work to develop time basis) a new