Did you know that while we tend to focus on the behavioural impact of methamphetamine, most users die of heart disease? Little is understood about the impact on heart health, and is one of the areas we are researching with the methamphetamine study. A recent story by Stuff provides more detail into the work we are doing, and importantly, the work that is being done in the community by Tuta Ngarimu and his team.
The second round of the Mātai concussion study with Gisborne Boys High School (GBHS) is underway. We are grateful to the players, and their coaches for supporting this work. We welcome Tuterangi Nepe-Apatu and Dr Ho-Fung Chan to the Mātai team.
Mātai is involved in a presentation at the SB3C2023 Summer Biomechanics, Bioengineering and Biotransport Conference in the USA, as well as 11 presentations at the upcoming International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (ISMRM) annual conference in Toronto, Canada in June. Dr Holdsworth has been invited as a keynote speaker at the GE Healthcare Gold Lunch Symposium at the event. Dr Holdsworth spoke online to the Global BioImaging - Biomedical Working Group on translating high-tech imaging in a rural community in Aotearoa. Mātai Clinical Lead Dr Daniel Cornfeld will speak at the Prostate Cancer Foundation National Conference on the role of MP-MRI in detection and biopsy. In a team led by Mātai Research Fellow, Dr Maryam Tayebi participated in the Taiki-E! Startup Weekend Tairāwhiti and took home third prize. This month we were visited by the Auckland Bioengineering Institute (ABI) including the Breast Research Group; Dr Hayley Reynolds (Cancer Imaging Research Group); and the Animus Brain Modelling Group. We were also privileged to host Dr Olivia Harrison from the University of Otago and Dr Samuel Harrison from AG instruments.
Dr. Josh McGeown, Mātai Research Fellow, and Ben Bristow, Mātai Research Assistant, gave a presentation to students at Gisborne Boys' High School on the topic of "How technology can enable science." Tairāwhiti schools who are interested in learning more about the technology in use at Mātai, as well as the projects we are involved in, can get in touch to have members of the team come and speak to their students.
Due to the recent weather events in Auckland, and flight cancellations, the Mate Wareware talks by Dr Makarena Dudley, at Te Whare Hauora o Te Aitanga a Hauiti, Manawarū, and Muriwai Marae have been postponed to July/August.
Jeanette Lepper | Head of Development |
Top image: Side view of heart. As part of the Mātai methamphetamine study we are using advanced MRI techniques to assess the anatomy (structure), function, blood flow, volume of heart ventricles, and more, to understand the impact of meth on the heart. Image processed by Mātai Research Fellow, Dr Miriam Tayebi. Design by Mātai Marketing |
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Dr Hayley Reyolds, Senior Research Fellow at the Auckland Bioengineering Institute, spent time with Dr Daniel Cornfeld and the Mātai team to look into potential collaborations with the Auckland Bioengineering Institute on better prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment pathways. Dr Reynolds leads a cancer imaging research group at the ABI which focuses on the accurate diagnosis, staging and treatment of cancer through developing and applying bioengineering techniques to medical imaging data. She spent eight years at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre (PMCC), Australia's only public hospital solely dedicated to cancer. While at PMCC she worked on developing novel approaches to prostate cancer radiotherapy.
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Above: Dr Hayley Reynolds, Senior Research Fellow, ABI |
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Dr Olivia Harrison presents a lecture on functional MRI and its role in understanding breathing and its relationship with anxiety. | |
Drs Olivia & Samuel Harrison with baby Louis who participated in some of the fMRI workshops! | |
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Dr Olivia Harrison, Rutherford Discovery Fellow and Senior Lecturer, Department of Psychology University of Otago, was visiting for the week with her husband Dr Samuel Harrison (AG Instruments) and baby Louis. We are privileged to be able to host Olivia for a series of educational workshops that cover fMRI methods, post-processing, and advanced analysis designs. She also spoke on her research to do with the "Interoception of breathing and its relationship with anxiety" and was talking with and guiding the Mātai team on various research projects involving the fMRI.
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Left to right: Masiofo Filifilia Tamasese, Charlie Rahiri (Cultural Advisor to Minister Mahuta), Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Ta'isi Efi, Hon Minister Nanaia Mahuta, Oka Sanerivi. |
Oka Sanerivi (Ngā Māngai Māori Board Member and Mātai-based University of Otago PhD student) was recently in Samoa as part of his PhD research exploring how Samoan cultural knowledge can enhance the delivery of Physiotherapy with Pacific Peoples in Aotearoa. During this trip, Oka received guidance on his research from Samoa's former Prime Minister and former Head of State, His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Ta'isi Efi and his wife le Masiofo Filifilia Tamasese. The former is a recipient of an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from St Andrews University in Scotland and is widely respected as the foremost Samoan customary historian; whilst the latter a Samoan language expert, instrumental in the establishment of the Samoan Language Commission. Oka's trip also coincided with a visit from the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Minister Nanaia Mahuta, to the Tamasese residence where he was able to share his research with the Minister. One of the key themes of the meeting with the Minister was strengthening and promoting the ancestral connections between Māori and Samoans and how these relationships inform our approaches to global concerns including climate change.
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Mātai ambassador Dr Katharine Holdsworth and her husband Alex Boyd visited from Seattle, and both spoke to the U3A group in Tairāwhiti Gisborne.
Katharine, who comes from an engineering background, is helping to build the Mātai profile globally through her Washington State network. |
Image: Dr Katharine Holdsworth and Dame Bronwen Holdsworth. |
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Above: Gonzalo, Sergio, and Alireza from ABI having a kōrero with Mātai Kaiārahi Tikanga (Cultural Advisor) Dave Taylor. |
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Auckland Bioengineering Institute Research Fellow Dr Gonzalo Maso Talou and his and Dr Samantha Holdsworth's PhD students, Alireza Sharifzadeh-Kermani and Sergio Dempsey are in Tairāwhiti to develop imaging protocols, and advance discussions and collaborations on their dementia modelling project. They were also in town to discuss their joint collaboration between Mātai and the University of Auckland on their current research on the non-invasive brain pressure index project. The team gave a fascinating talk on "An integrative physiology approach to computational neurodynamics" |
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We had a wonderful visit from the Breast Modelling Group from the Auckland Bioengineering Institute. Led by Dr Prasad Babarenda Gamage, this group is dedicated to advancing breast imaging technologies and improving the accuracy of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment through the use of computational modelling techniques. The team spent a time testing various breast MRI setups and protocols, to establish a novel scanning protocol for improving the prediction of tumour displacements during treatment. A better characterisation of the tumour displacement and, in consequence, its location would improve the accuracy of tumour resection, enhancing quality of treatment for women.
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Above: (from left) Mātai Charge MRI tech Paul Condron, Matthew French, Dr Prasad Babarenda Gamage, Dr. Gonzalo Maso Talou, and MRI tech trainee Taylor Emsden. |
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TAIRĀWHITI STARTUP WEEKEND |
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Congratulations to Dr Maryam Tayebi, Patrick Ondracsek, Dr William Schierding, Damian Ngata, and Luiz Inoue who were awarded with 3rd place at the Tairāwhiti Startup weekend.
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Maryam's prize-winning team project aims to improve access to the latest research tools, techniques, and methods, which will enhance research reproducibility and save time. The project also seeks to establish a more efficient platform for knowledge sharing and connection among researchers. Equity among researchers is another crucial aspect of this project, benefiting the global research community. Initially, the project will concentrate on medical imaging research, and Maryam's team of five members have been granted a three-month mentorship program through Techstars Startup (Tairāwhiti Branch) to advance the project to the next level. Huge mihi to Stu Potter and Matthew Oakley for being such awesome mentors, and to Cain Kerehoma, Renay Charteris & the Taiki Ē team for organising this amazing event.
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TAIRĀWHITI SUDY EXPLAINED BY LOCAL RANGATAHI |
We're super proud of the interview by local rangatahi explaining the Tairāwhiti Study in a local news show for kids by kids, produced by Rangai Studios. 13 year old Oliver Tilghman, one of the study participants, talked about his experience. "It was really cool" he said. |
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Tuterangi Nepe-Apatu Research Assistant |
Tuterangi (Ngāti Kahungunu, Muaūpoko) joins the Mātai team to support the concussion/mTBI research. He is an experienced Strength and Conditioning Coach with a strong understanding of Sport Science. After completing his Post Graduate Diploma in Applied Science Physical Conditioning, his desire and passion led to working with local Rangatahi in the Tairāwhiti region within the Youth Strength and Conditioning space. |
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Tuterangi excels in designing and coaching age-appropriate training programs, with his strong understanding of Long-Term Athletic Development principles. Through his work, he has supported many Rangatahi to develop the fundamentals and foundations of movement to excel in their pathway towards High Performance Sport. Tuterangi is funded by a collaborative HRC Explorer Grant led by Mātai Principal Investigator and ABI Senior Research Fellow Dr Vickie Shim.
Tuterangi says "I am truly humbled and grateful for this opportunity to support the Mātai team with this project, whilst, continuing on my academic journey." |
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| Ho-Fung Chan Honorary Research Fellow |
Dr Fung Chan is an Aotearoa Foundation Research Fellow with the Auckland Bioengineering Institute. He returned to New Zealand at the end of 2022 after 8 years of research at the University of Sheffield, UK, around hyperpolarised xenon-129 and proton lung MRI. Fung aims to develop new personalised healthcare models of the cardiopulmonary system by integrating novel MRI techniques with computational physiology models. At Mātai, he will be developing new MRI techniques for structural and functional imaging of the children's lungs. These MRI techniques are a promising clinical tool for monitoring paediatric lung diseases without the use of ionising radiation. The goal is to demonstrate the clinical feasibility of lung MRI in NZ through collaborative research studies with Mātai, clinicians at Te Whatu Ora Tairāwhiti, and with our local iwi healthcare providers.
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The Gisborne Boy's High School 1st and 2nd XV teams have generously agreed to participate in a second round of concussion research. The work continues to build on the 2021 research that was carried out with the players. An unprecedented number of tests from a range of collaborators were applied in the study, and millions of data points were collected and analysed. The first set of results on the earlier study will be published later this year.
In addition to the component's of the study included in 2021, the research now also includes doppler ultrasound, to investigate changes in blood flow to the brain after exercise, and attention change associated with mTBI. Thanks to Rangai Studios, the games will be recorded to help with the research. Mātai will also use a Veo Sports Camera, to compliment the Rangai filming to help capture more aspects of the game from more angles. The camera uses AI to help support game analysis, which will be useful for the coaches and players for post-game reviews.
This study is made possible thanks to an HRC Explorer Grant, the Hugh Green Foundation, and an anonymous donor. |
Above: Boys from GBHS First XV rugby team pictured at training with their high-tech mouth guards that detect the impacts to the head during the game. |
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The number of talks and presentations involving Mātai at ISMRM is a major achievement for our small team. Mātai led abstracts to be presented include: - MRI of neuroinflammation in the brain following Meth addiction using MASDIR MRI
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Multiple Sclerosis: High contrast visualisation of abnormalities in normal appearing WM using MASDIR sequences
- Investigating the sensitivity of amplified magnetic resonance imaging (aMRI) to the global amplification factor
- Alterations of brain motion in idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) based on aMRI
- Novel approach that uses clinical symptom grouping correlated to imaging findings to differentiate mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI)
- Acquisition and post processing with Multiplied, Added, Subtracted and Divided Echo (MASDIR) acquisition for imaging fascia
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Identifying the most susceptible white matter tracts to concussion in rugby players
- Brain motion pattern alterations with different heart rates
- Quantitative 3D Amplified MRI (q-aMRI)
Led by: Auckland Bioengineering Institute, in collaboration with Mātai - Phase-Based Registration for Visualisation of Pulsatile Brain Motion (by Dr Robin Laven, Lead: Professor Poul Nielsen)
- fMRI reveals fidgeting in ADHD improves prefrontal cortex activation during executive functioning (by Xirui Susan Zhao, Lead: Associate Professor Justin Fernandez
Dr Holdsworth will speak at the GE Healthcare Gold lunch symposium on the Mātai mission of empowering health and wellbeing through high tech imaging. |
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ABSTRACT PRESENTATION AT SB3C2023
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Mātai visiting scholar Dr Sarah Vandenbulcke (IBiTech-bioMMeda, Ghent University, Belgium) has been invited to present an abstract at the SB3C2023 (Summer Biomechanics, Bioengineering and Biotransport) Conference in the USA. The abstract is co-authored by Mātai team members Haribalan Kumar, Paul Condron, and Dr Samantha Holdsworth, and the project also involves the Department of Electromechanical, Systems and Metal Engineering, Ghent University in Belgium; the Auckland Bioengineering Institute and the Faculty of Medical & Health Sciences at the University of Auckland; and GE Healthcare.
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a liquid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. It moves around in the brain and spine due to the beating of the heart and breathing. This movement is caused by changes in the size of the blood vessels in the brain and spine. Mātai researchers and collaborators are using MRI scan measurements and computer modelling to study how CSF flows and how pressure changes in response to different actions, like coughing. Previous studies only looked at parts of the brain and spine, and this new study aims to create a more complete picture of how sudden changes in blood vessel size affect CSF flow and pressure throughout the entire brain and spine.
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(Top row) MRI method used to help study how CSF flows around the brain. The light/dark fading in and out represents brain and CSF motion captured for a representative heart beat. (Bottom row) Amplified MRI (aMRI) showing a different way of looking at the blood- and CSF-induced brain motion. |
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| Can brain damage from meth be reversed? A new study is trying to find out |
It's one of the regions hardest hit by methamphetamine. Now a Gisborne-based research centre aims to study the impacts on the drug on the brain and heart… |
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Clinical partnership adopts MRI-guided, best-practice method to perform prostate biopsies |
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer for men in Aotearoa, and Tairāwhiti has adopted a global best-practice method to perform prostate biopsies. Through a new clinical partnership between Te Whatu Ora Tairāwhiti and Mātai Medical Research Institute, since November last year more than 21 Tairāwhiti men have had MRI-guided, transperineal, prostate biopsies under local anaesthesia in an outpatient setting. |
The Mātai campus build features in the latest edition of Business Central magazine. Learn more about our vision to create a world-class research and education facility focused on community empowerment and health innovation in the heart of Tairāwhiti. |
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Haribalan Kumar talks to 95bFM about the Tairāwhiti Study |
Mātai and the Auckland Bioengineering Institute are working on new research to generate complete computerised models of children's physiology, particularly internal organs. Mātai & GE HealthCare Scientist Haribalan Kumar talks to 95bFM about the project and how researchers hope to develop an idea of what normal physiology for New Zealand children looks like in order to allow for earlier detection of abnormalities.
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Mātai Tairāwhiti Relief Fund |
If your organisation is struggling with the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle, we may be able to help. To learn more, and/or download the application form, see information here, or: |
Gisborne's rural areas and farms have been particularly hard-hit by the recent disasters. In response, Mātai has partnered with the Gisborne Tairāwhiti Farm Recovery Fund to extend its support even further. Please help us spread the word about this crucial initiative by visiting the Gisborne Tairāwhiti Farm Recovery Fund Facebook page.
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| Mātai / Turanga Health Community BBQ |
Join Mātai and Turanga Health for a community BBQ, at the new Mātai section. More information to come, but you won't want to miss it! |
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SAVE THE DATE! Our postponed event will be held at the War Memorial Theatre, Gisborne, in November. Details to follow. |
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Join Dr. Makarena Dudley (Te Rarawa, Te Aupōuri, Ngāti Kahu) to learn about insights on mate wareware, how to live with it, and how to take action for a better future. New locations and dates to be confirmed. |
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Mātai is a charitable trust. Our work relies on research grants and philanthropic funding to challenge significant health issues; to support the health and well-being of our community; and to provide education and training opportunities in medical research & innovation. Your support will now open new opportunities for scientists at Mātai to push the boundaries in our understanding of the brain, heart, and body. |
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We would like to acknowledge, with appreciation, our supporters who made the establishment of Mātai possible, including Kānoa - RDU, Trust Tairāwhiti, the Mangatawa Beale Williams Memorial Trust, the JN and HB Williams Foundation, the University of Auckland, GE Healthcare, Dame Bronwen and Dr Peter Holdsworth Trust, Pultron Composites Limited, Hugh Green Foundation, the Lotteries Significant Projects Fund, Fred Lewis Enterprise Foundation, local iwi, and many others.
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Copyright © 2023 Mātai Medical Research Institute Inc. All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Address: Mātai Medical Research Institute
PO Box 359 Gisborne, 4040 New Zealand |
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