Mātai team at ISMRM 2024 in Singapore. L-R Dr Mark Bydder, Dr Daniel Cornfeld, Leigh Potter, Taylor Emsden, and Dr Eryn Kwon.

(Left): Taylor Emsden presented a poster "Targeted MRI (tMRI) of Small Changes in the T1 of White Matter of the Brain in Methamphetamine Dependency Before and After Abstinence" on behalf of Paul Condron. (Middle) Ed Clarkson (ABI & Mātai) presents on MRI biomarkers of concussion. (Right) Dr Eryn Kwon presents on "Two Novel Applications of 3D Amplified MRI (aMRI)" on behalf of Dr Haribalan Kumar (Mātai GEHC Scientist). 

(Top): Dr Daniel Cornfeld presents at the "MR Physics for Clinicians" course at the ISMRM Educational Session. (Left) Dr Itamar Terem (Stanford and Mātai visiting scholar) presents on collaborative work on aMRI biomarkers of dementia. (Right) Megan Soo (Auckland Bioengineering Institute) gave a talk on paediatric lung modelling using data from the Mātai 3T GE scanner. 

Congratulations to the Mātai Medical Research Institute and University of Auckland team, and all our collaborators, on a successful ISMRM 2024 in Singapore.
 
We are incredibly proud of the work of our team and collaborators. Each project reflects a commitment to advancing MRI research and improving patient outcomes through innovative imaging techniques. Below are details on the diverse abstracts and talks that were presented. 

1. The Rugby Connectome: A Longitudinal Analysis of Structural Connectivity in an Adolescent Cohort with Repeated Head Impacts. Clarkson E, Tayebi M, Schierding W, Condron P, Potter L, Maller J, Qiao M, Fernandez J, Holdsworth S, Kwon E, McGeown J, Shim V.

2. Recognition of Delayed Hypoxic Leukoencephalopathy after a Severe Drug Overdose Using a Divided Subtracted Inversion Recovery (dSIR) Sequence. Condron P, Newburn G, Tayebi M, Kwon EE, Griffin M, Scadeng M, Holdsworth S, Cornfeld D, Bydder G.

3. Targeted MRI (tMRI) of Small Changes in the T1 of White Matter of the Brain in Methamphetamine Dependency Before and After Abstinence. Condron P, Newburn G, Kwon E, Emsden T, Bristow B, Tayebi M, Ngarimu T, Mohi W, Holdsworth S, Cornfeld D, Scadeng M, Bydder G.

4. Validation of a High Contrast Technique and T1 Values Obtained by Divided Subtracted Inversion Recovery (dSIR). Bydder M, Ali F.

5. Two Novel Applications of 3D Amplified MRI (aMRI). Kumar H, Condron P, Cornfeld D, Terem I, Kwon E, Gale J, Wilson G, Danesh-Meyer H, Holdsworth S

6. Feasibility of MRI-Based Lung Tissue Mechanics Computational Models of the Paediatric Lung. Soo M, Kumar H, Cornfeld D, Condron P, Emsden T, Potter L, Holdsworth S, Tawhai M, Chan H-F

7. Revealing Abnormal Brain Motion in Patients with Neurodegenerative Diseases Using 3D Quantitative-Amplified Magnetic Resonance Imaging (3D q-aMRI) - A Preliminary Study. Terem I, Younes K, Vossler H, Mormino E, Holdsworth S, Setsompop K

8. Contrast Mechanisms. Weekday Course Session - Physics for Clinicians & Data Scientists, Physics & Engineering Summit. Cornfeld D

Our collaborative work in amplified MRI will be featured at the Royal Society's prestigious "The Pulsing Brain" meeting this week in Brighton, United Kingdom, on June 26-27, 2024.

The Theo Murphy meeting will cover:

• The brain's pulsing dynamics and their implications.
• The development of mathematical models to enhance our understanding of the brain.
• Showcasing existing data and pioneering methods in medical imaging, including MRI and ultrasound.
• Key questions driving the clinical translation of new imaging methods.

For more details, see the event page.

Ultra-High Contrast MRI: Using Divided Subtracted Inversion Recovery (dSIR) and Divided Echo Subtraction (dES) Sequences to Study the Brain and Musculoskeletal System

Leg image using dES on the right shows much greater clarity in the fascial layers compared with a standard image on the left.

We're excited to announce a new paper led by Mātai clinical lead Dr Daniel Cornfeld. The paper shows how a new framework for understanding and applying MRI techniques can detect minute changes in brain white matter and musculoskeletal imaging. This could improve diagnostic accuracy and offer new insights into structural changes across a number of medical conditions. See the paper.

  Measuring global cerebrovascular pulsatility transmission using 4D flow MRI

A colour coded map of brain blood flow required to process the new pulsatility transmission index.

In a new study published in Scientific Reports – Nature, first author Sergio Dempsey (Auckland Bioengineering Institute - ABI) and colleagues Dr Gonzalo Maso Talou (ABI), Dr Soroush Safaei (ABI, Mātai), and Dr Holdsworth (Mātai and FMHS & CBR at the University of Auckland), have introduced a new metric using 4D flow MRI technology.

Each heartbeat sends a wave of blood through the brain's vessels, causing them to expand and then relax—similar to feeling the pulse in your wrist. This pulsation ensures even distribution of oxygen and nutrients, vital for brain function. In healthy vessels, the pulse wave is dampened before it reaches the smallest vessels, where high pulsatility could be harmful. This new metric provides a comprehensive measure of the small vessel pulsatility risk.

This breakthrough is important as increased vascular pulsatility is associated with various brain conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. 

By understanding how blood pulsatility functions within the brain, the team hopes to uncover the mechanisms behind these diseases and potentially influence new treatment strategies.

See the story, which provides an overview of the paper 'New metric for blood circulation in brain to better understand dementia'. 

A computational fluid dynamics study to assess the impact of coughing on cerebrospinal fluid dynamics in Chiari type 1 malformation.

A recent study published in Scientific Reports - Nature by Dr Sarah Vandenbulcke and colleagues from Ghent University, The University of Auckland, and Mātai, shows how coughing affects brain fluid (CSF) pressure in individuals with Chiari Type 1 malformation — a condition where brain tissue extends into the spinal canal.

Using advanced computational fluid dynamics, the researchers created a model to simulate the impact of coughing on CSF dynamics. Findings suggest that severe obstructions caused by this malformation can lead to drastic increases in brain fluid pressure during a cough. This pressure difference is critical as it may contribute to severe neurological symptoms, including headaches and potentially more severe complications like syringomyelia, where fluid-filled cysts form within the spinal cord.

This research is a step forward in understanding the biomechanical changes occurring in this condition and could lead to better diagnosis and treatment strategies.

2023/24 Summer Interns. Image by Liam Clayton, Gisborne Herald

The Mātai Summer Internships are typically enrolled in health science, computer science, medical, or engineering programs at a New Zealand university and are from Tairāwhiti or have strong ties to the region. 

The ten-week summer internship programme provides students with an exciting opportunity to be involved with cutting-edge projects in a region of need, working alongside a team of expert scientists, clinicians, research staff, PhD students, and iwi health providers. More details.

In the summer of 2023/24, Mātai was able to offer local summer internships to 23 students. This was made possible thanks to the generous support from the Hugh Green Foundation, Te Puni Kōkiri, Tūranga Health, Trust Tairāwhiti, Vision Research Foundation, QUEST Enterprise Trust, EIT - Te Pūkenga, the JN & HB Williams Foundation, the University of Auckland, and our wonderful session leaders and collaborative network from around the world.

Mātai Clinical Lead, Dr Daniel Cornfeld has created a free online educational app that radiologists and researchers can access to understand how soft tissue contrast is obtained with MRI. 

Following the new building opening, thanks to support from Turanga Health, we held a community whānau day with a guided tour through the new building, fun activities for the kids, and food. See the video.

Part of our culture at Mātai is to encourage curiosity about, and experiences in science for our children. One of our team created a fun experiment based on an egg-boxing demonstration by Dr Peter Attia. Making the invisible visible: A case study on repetitive egg impacts

The experiment demonstrates the deceptive nature of external integrity, revealing significant internal damage despite the shell's intact appearance after 200 impacts. This discrepancy highlights the necessity of integrating both internal and external evaluations for a comprehensive assessment of structural integrity.

Mātai is thrilled to share podcaster Dr Peter Attia's article on our experiment, "When it comes to health, appearances can be deceiving: a lesson from egg boxing." 

We are proud to celebrate the well-deserved honours of our wonderful supporters.

Sir Peter Hunter (left), KNZM, was honoured for services to medical science. Sir Peter is one of New Zealand's most highly respected and visionary scientist/engineers, and he established the Auckland Bioengineering Institute (ABI), which is a key Mātai collaborator across a number of research projects. 

Fred Lewis (middle), MNZM, was honoured for his dedication to philanthropy and sport. Fred's support has been crucial to our methamphetamine recovery project and ongoing Traumatic Brain Injury research, making a real difference in the community. Image by Liam Clayton, Gisborne Herald.

Lorraine Mentz (right), MNZM, was honoured for her transformative work in education and philanthropy. Through her leadership at the Hugh Green Foundation, Lorraine has supported diverse initiatives at Mātai, including research fellowships, our prostate cancer project, our concussion research,  and the new Mātai building.

We congratulate Dr Matthew McDonald (former Mātai researcher and University of Auckland doctoral candidate) for being formally awarded his PhD at his graduation ceremony. Matthew's project aimed to identify an easy and robust way to detect whether someone had suffered from a brain injury by using eye tracking technology and newer types of medical imaging created at Mātai. 

Matthew is now in his second year of ophthalmology (eye surgery) training in Tauranga with the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists. He continues to work with Mātai on various projects, and is using eye tracking in his clinical work while exploring other uses for this technology.

We welcome Dr Catherine Shi as a Senior Research Fellow and Principal Investigator (Artificial Intelligence in Neuroimaging Analysis) at Mātai. Her research applies artificial intelligence and deep learning to the classification and identification of brain diseases, a critical area for advancing clinical neuroimaging and neuroscience.
 
Previously, Dr Shi served as an Associate Professor at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. There, she developed a significant career in medical imaging informatics, focusing on generating, disseminating, and translating knowledge into clinical neuroimaging practices, especially in neurodegenerative diseases.

Dr Shi founded a startup focusing on brain image analysis for diagnosing neurological disease, and won various national and international awards, which developed tools used for clinical diagnosis by clinicians, and which is currently being used for research purposes at Mātai.
 
Dr Shi is currently working on projects to validate the reproducibility of image analysis techniques. This work is important for ensuring these methods are reliable for both clinical applications and research, paving the way for their widespread use in medical diagnostics.

Ko Pohautea te mango

Ko Taka te awa

Ko Horouta te waka

Ko Tikapa te marae

Ko Te Whānau-a-Pokai  te hapū

Ko Ngāti Puai me Ngāti Porou ngā iwi

Ko Danielle Wilson au

Danielle grew up in  Turanganui a Kiwa (Gisborne), spending her formative years between Kaiti and Te Karaka. After high-school, she ventured to Te Whanganui a Tara (Wellington) to pursue a Bachelor of Commerce degree at Victoria University. Her studies focused on Accounting and Commercial Law.

Post-graduation, she embarked on a professional journey at KPMG, initially joining as an intern and progressing to the role of Assistant Manager over the course of nearly five years. During her tenure at KPMG, she gained valuable experience in Audit and Risk Consulting. Subsequently, she transitioned to the New Zealand Health Group for three years, where she dedicated her efforts to process improvement and finance business partnering. Danielle recently return to Turanganui a Kiwa be close to her whānau.

We welcome Ed Clarkson on board as a part time research assistant who is developing a pipeline to analyse our quantitative amplified MRI rugby data. Ed, a master's student of Dr Vickie Shim (Auckland Bioengineering Institute), has been an integral part of the mTBI/concussion team applying novel image processing pipelines for analysing diffusion MRI data in concussion. 

Taking MRI to the next level! MRI pioneer, and Mātai team member, Professor Graeme Bydder has been at the forefront of MRI from the very beginning, and his work has had a transformative impact on how we see inside the body. Find out more about this extraordinary Kiwi, and see what's next in imaging - an innovative new MRI technique provides up to 20 times greater visibility of the brain, in what Graeme calls the third-wave of medical imaging. This could be a game changer for neurological conditions like multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, stroke, neuroinflammation, brain tumours, and much more. (Business Desk Subscriber only content)

Using MRI technology, researchers are creating detailed models of children's brains, hearts, lungs, and musculoskeletal systems, aiming to revolutionise paediatric medicine with more precise diagnoses and treatments. Watch the story on TVNZ

A new metric developed from blood circulation in the brain could have major implications in treatment of conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia... See full story in the Gisborne Herald

In a story by Catherine Sylvester, Mātai neuropsychiatrist Dr Gil Newburn helps explain the impact of ADHD on women.

ADHD is a disturbance in the brain networks that allows us to hold more than one item in consciousness at a time. Women are good at masking symptoms and internalising hyperactivity, which can result in restlessness and disorganisation, making everyday tasks difficult. In women, symptoms can also be impacted by fluctuating hormone levels throughout life.
 
There is no cure for ADHD, but awareness, the right medication, and even twenty minutes of gentle aerobic activity a day can help alleviate symptoms. Bay of Plenty Times subscriber content.

Dr Daniel Cornfeld talks about the Mātai journey to date, and the potential impact of research projects that are underway.. Hear the story on RNZ

 A study undertaken by researchers at Gisborne's Matai Medical Research Institute has taken a detailed look at a rare brain condition known as Grinker's Myelinopathy...See full story

The Mātai Medical Research Institute has opened its doors of its new home in Te Tai Rāwhiti. Mātai specialises in medical imagery using advanced technology and expertise. And for the community it is a welcome initiative for whānau Māori…Watch video

Mātai Medical Research Institute's new building on Childers Road was formally opened yesterday by Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones, in front of a large crowd of politicians, civil servants, medical people, community stakeholders and the public…(Gisborne Herald subscriber content)

We welcomed Professor Wojtek Goscinski, CEO of the Australian National Imaging Facility (NIF), to Mātai in April. The visit included discussions on imaging collaborations between New Zealand and Australia, regional imaging, and community integration (top left).

NeSI Director Nick Jones and Science Engagement Manager Georgina Rae also visited. NeSI (New Zealand eScience Infrastructure) has been an invaluable partner in advancing data processing and internship programs at Mātai. We look forward to continuing our successful collaboration.

Kay Read visited Tairāwhiti to see projects supported by Kānoa. We enjoyed showing her around! As we did Deborah Pearson (SOBH) seen standing beside Erika Holden's driftwood journey piece (bottom left).

We hosted Prof Julia McPhee & Prof. Scott Duncan (AUT), Justin Richards (AUT, Sport NZ), Chris Chrichton & Brent Sheldrake (Sport NZ) for a day of discussions on collaborative projects exploring physical activity patterns and brain health. Thanks to Brent Sheldrake for organising the hui. 

April Nepia-Su'a (Pou Arahi - Māori Development Leader) recently organised a visit from a Niwa delegation as part of their community engagement. With thanks also to Stu Potter for hosting, the Niwa team gained first-hand insights into the science, research, and innovation at Mātai (top middle).

We were delighted to host Anthony Hawke (GM Public and Population Health, Hauora Māori Services) and his colleagues for a hui, as well as Dr Alexandra Wootton (TI, University of Otago), Dr Douglas Lush (Public Health Advisor, Ministry of Health), Dr Osman Mansoor (Medical Officer of Health, Te Whatu Ora Tairāwhiti), and Clayton Kohatu (Associate Manager, 2DHB) last week. It was a pleasure discussing various projects and exploring potential collaborations to improve community health outcomes.

We also hosted Dr Maedeh Amirpour from the Department of Engineering Science and Biomedical Engineering, along with her PhD student Arash Honaryar. Dr Amirpour, specialises in advanced materials modeling and multi-physics simulation, focusing on wearable human interfaces and prosthetics. Her team is working on innovations to prevent and treat diabetic foot ulcers and develop a wireless charging pacemaker. We are excited to collaborate with Dr Amirpour's group on these projects.

Sergio Dempsey (ABI), and Chiara Colombo (visiting student, University of Trento, Italy) were in town to test simulated metric modelling for their dementia study, on the Mātai scanner.

Congratulations to Kobus Mentz on the release of his wonderful new book, "The Future Embraced: Career Insights for Urban Professionals Who Care About the Planet and Its People." Kobus and his team from UrbanismPlus Ltd have been working with Mātai, Trust Tairāwhiti, and Gisborne Holdings Ltd on the Mātai Campus project. They have facilitated community workshops in Tairawhiti Gisborne and worked hard to bring together our new campus plan.

This insightful book, 13 years in the making, offers hope, direction, and practical tools for aspiring urbanists navigating the complexities of modern urban challenges. The book has already received enthusiastic responses both locally and internationally. 

You can find Kobus's book on: Amazon Australia (Paperback), Amazon US (Hard Cover or Paperback)