New treatments for pain, sexual violence prevention and TB funded

Mon Oct 31 2016 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)

New treatments for pain, sexual violence prevention and TB funded

31 October 2016

The ‘silent epidemic’ of chronic pain is the focus of University of Auckland research awarded $500,000 in funding over four years from the Health Research Council of New Zealand which is also funding a study on sexual violence prevention and tuberculosis (TB).

School of Biological Sciences Research Fellow Christopher Walker says daily, unrelenting pain is an intolerable burden for many New Zealanders who suffer from a range of diseases such as arthritis, migraine and chronic lower back or hip pain.

“The cost to society from chronic pain, whether from lost work days or early exit from the workforce, is both socially and economically significant and currently the range of treatment options have real limitations,” he says.

Dr Walker’s research is focused on new classes of drugs with new mechanisms of action. His work is aimed at exploring new targets for pain relief within the nervous system and to fast-track the development of targeted, pain-relieving therapies.

University of Auckland lecturer in the School of Psychology, Dr Jade Le Grice, has also been awarded funding of $365,885 over three years to gain insight into what it is like for rangatahi Māori who are becoming sexual in an age of rapidly developing social media and technologies.

The focus of the research is to develop socially and culturally responsive sexual violence prevention initiatives by drawing on Mana Wāhine research. Dr Le Grice’s work is focused on reducing the incidence of sexual violence among Māori, and ultimately reducing potential trauma and harm experienced by those who live with the effects of sexual violence.

“I am thrilled to be able to advance this work – facilitating open and honest dialogue about sex, addressing some of the tough challenges many whānau face, and putting the power and control back into our communities to drive and enact meaningful change,” she says.

School of Biological Sciences Research Fellow Ghader Bashiri receives a Sir Charles Hercus Health Research Fellowship of $500,000 over four years for his research into novel metabolic processes to target persistent tuberculosis.

The research is focused on the involvement of two key metabolic contributors to the anaerobic survival and persistence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes TB.

“By deepening our understanding of bacterial persistence, the biggest roadblock to improved treatment for TB, this research will provide a framework for the future development of novel anti-TB drugs,” Dr Bashiri says.

For more information contact

Anne Beston
Media Relations Adviser,
Communications,
University of Auckland.

Tel: +64 9 923 3258
Mobile: + 64 (0) 21 970 089
Email: a.beston@auckland.ac.nz