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Research into tumours which disproportionately affect Maori and Pacific Island women has been boosted with a grant from the Auckland Medical Research Foundation.
In its third funding round this year, the foundation distributed $2.3 million for 12 research projects, one Postdoctoral Fellowship, four doctoral scholarships, a fellowship extension, two emerging researcher awards and 11 travel grants researchers to present their work.
A team from Auckland District Health Board's anatomical pathology department led by Dr Clinton Turner was funded to look at meningiomas, which are tumours of the dura or covering layer of the central nervous system.
Maori and Pacific Island women get them more often and at a younger age than Caucasians, and while the majority are benign, they may still cause significant harm by growing in critical locations or surgically inaccessible sites.
Their presence may also point to the likelihood of other tumours.
Another project led by Dr Veronika Sander from the University of Auckland will look at kidney disease, which is also a serious problem among Maori and Pacific people.
It will grow cultured mini kidenys and use them to test the genetic mutation which triggers the formation of fluid-filled cysts that can cause kidney failure.
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