FMHS research gains $4m in Marsden funding

Research projects responding to national and global health and environmental challenges have won Marsden funding for scientists working in the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland.

Why do our hearts fail at high temperatures? Investigating the effect of heat stress on mitochondria from healthy and diseased hearts
Amelia Power (fast-start $360,000 over three years)
Dr Amelia Power, Department of Physiology, will study how heat stress affects mitochondria in healthy and diseased hearts.

All human hearts are vulnerable to heat stress, and heat-induced heart failure will only become a more pressing issue as the planet continues to warm.

In this project, Power will investigate the role of mitochondria in determining heat tolerance of healthy and diseased hearts.

Hot weather makes the heart work harder, increasing the energy required to keep it beating.

Our heartbeats are usually powered by organelles inside of our heart cells called mitochondria, which use oxygen to convert chemicals from food into energy the cell can use. However, at very high temperatures, mitochondria become damaged or ‘leaky’, preventing them from generating the energy needed for heart cells to maintain our heartbeat.

What determines the “critical temperature” when heart mitochondria fail, and how is this altered in people with cardiovascular disease?

In this project, Power will investigate how mitochondria in healthy and diseased heart cells respond to heat stress. They will use live heart tissue isolated from healthy patients and those with heart disease to determine whether diseased hearts are more sensitive to heat.

Advanced microscopy techniques will then be used to examine what high temperatures do to mitochondria from healthy and diseased hearts on the nanoscale level.

Finally, Power will investigate whether drugs that stabilise the mitochondrial membrane could protect us from heat-induced heart failure.

The findings from this study will have significant implications for public health and cardiovascular health outcomes on a global scale.

Developing a vaccine for Group A Streptococcus
Thomas Proft ($941,000)
Professor Thomas Proft and his team from the Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology will investigate a new potential vaccine for Group A Streptococcus.

Their research has previously identified a novel Group A Streptococcus virulence factor – ‘complement evasion factor’ – and they will now focus on this protein to develop a vaccine against Group A Streptococcus disease, such as rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease which mainly affect Māori and Pacific children and young people.

Understanding mantis shrimp vision
Misha Vorobyev ($941,000)
Dr Misha Vorobyev, School of Optometry and Vision Sciences, will study the vision of colourful, tropical mantis shrimps, known for their sophisticated eyes and powerful strike.

The research will explore how these shrimps, known for their two protruding eyes, judge distances so accurately. Each eye has two zones and they use a unique form of vision called ‘monocular stereopsis’.

This project will involve optical studies and behavioural experiments, providing insights into evolution of animal vision and depth perception.

Researching harmful brain scarring
Justin Rustenhoven ($941,000)
Dr Justin Rustenhoven, Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, will investigate meningeal fibrosis, a condition where excessive scar tissue forms in the membranes surrounding the brain.

When meningeal fibrosis occurs, it can disrupt the normal function of these membranes, leading to problems with the brain’s ability to clear waste products.

This can result in the build-up of harmful substances, which may affect brain function, especially in older adults or after a traumatic brain injury.

This research aims to develop treatments to improve brain health in ageing people and those with traumatic brain injuries by preventing meningeal fibrosis.

The importance of colony 'clocks' for honeybee behaviour
Guy Warman ($941,000)
Associate Professor Guy Warman from Anaesthesiology will lead a project on chronobiology or biological timing.

Just like humans, honey bees have a complex social structure controlled by a daily (circadian) 'clock'. This clock is at the heart of the colony structure, and without it a colony cannot function.

In this project, the University's chronobiology group will use cutting-edge technology to non-invasively study the bee clock and understand ways to manipulate it to improve the health and management of bees in Aotearoa.

This work will also provide invaluable information about how complex clock systems, such as those in our own brains, work to generate coordinated daily rhythms of sleep and wake.

About the Marsdens
Te Pūtea Rangahau a Marsden is managed by Royal Society Te Apārangi on behalf of the New Zealand Government with funding from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

All Marsden Fund grants are distributed over three years and are fully costed: paying for salaries, students and postdoctoral positions, institutional overheads, and research consumables.