$1.04m for researchers

Mary Jane Sneyd
Mary Jane Sneyd
Research into the risk factors which lead to different types of skin cancer (melanoma) is among a range of University of Otago projects boosted by $1.04 million in Lottery Grants Board funding.

University of Otago researchers gained almost half the $2.1 million distributed to projects nationally in the Lottery Health Research 2011-12 funding round.

Twenty-one researchers from the university's three main campuses in Dunedin, Christchurch and Wellington have received grants for research projects.

The projects include sleep problems in infants and developmental outcomes, melanoma risk, psychotherapy for eating disorders, television food advertising to young New Zealanders, and development of a tuberculosis drug delivery system.

Dr Mary Jane Sneyd, from the university's preventive and social medicine department, and Associate Prof Alex McLellan received the largest grants, both being given $95,000.

Dr Sneyd's research will investigate whether separate risk factors, such as sun exposure, skin colouring and freckles, have greater influence on certain types of melanoma.

She hoped the research would help prevent melanoma, which had been increasing in New Zealand over the last 12-13 years, and lead to faster diagnoses.

Prof McLellan is working on the development of a tuberculosis drug delivery system.

Other Lottery Health Research funding recipients at the Dunedin campus were: Dr Haxby Abbott, $91,204, surgical sciences; Dr Andrew Bahn, $23,681, physiology; Dr Rhiannon Braund, $41,800, pharmacy; Dr Dawn Coates, $13,467, dentistry; Dr Barbara Galland, $50,000, women's and children's health; Dr Roslyn Kemp, $50,000, microbiology and immunology; Dr Liz Ledgerwood, $79,000, biochemistry; Dr Sam Lucas, $56,348, physiology; Prof Neil McNaughton, $6955, physiology; Associate Prof Rachael Taylor, $88,850, medicine; Dr Sigurd Wilbanks, $62,015, biochemistry.

 

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