Gillies McIndoe Research Institute

06/05/2026

Last month, we had the privilege of hosting the Malaysian High Commission. We also hosted delegates from the Rural WONCA conference, an international forum focused on improving healthcare in rural communities.

It was a pleasure to share our work on brain cancers, vascular anomalies, and keloid scarring, and to give an inside look at how our research moves from the lab towards real-world impact. From exploring patient-derived models to seeing how we study disease up close, it was a fantastic opportunity to connect, learn, and exchange ideas. We focus on repurposing medications, which has great potential to improve healthcare outcomes in rural communities.

We had a great time welcoming such an engaged and thoughtful group, thank you for visiting us!

If you’re interested in experiencing a behind-the-scenes look at our research, we’d love to host you. Get in touch to arrange a laboratory tour! Feel free to message us on social media, or otherwise email info@gmri.org.nz

06/05/2026

We challenged Hip Hop Science to a lab showdown with our Director, Dr. Gray 🧪
The mission: who can get their lab coat and gloves on the fastest?

Let’s just say… speed isn’t everything 😏
Sometimes, slow and steady really does win the race.

Who do you think took the win? 👇

28/04/2026

Let’s talk about strawberry birthmarks 🍓

They are the most common tumours in infants and usually appear on the skin, most often on the head and neck.

While many fade over time, some can grow quickly and cause complications. Despite how common they are, there are still major gaps in our understanding, like why they develop, why they’re more common in girls, and what drives their growth and regression.

That’s why we focus our research here: to uncover these answers and develop better, more targeted treatments for babies who need them most. 💙

Thanks to Hip Hop Science for filming and interviewing!

22/04/2026

We had an absolute blast with this awesome crew 💙

Last month Mean Doses chose us as their charity of the month. One of our raffle prizes every week was a personalised lab tour (with a hands-on experiment 👀).

Our winner, Harriet, invited friends John, Loran and Jacob to do this personalised experience. We designed the whole tour and experiment around the things she loves: baking, ceramics, dogs, and drums 🐶🥁🍰.

Together, they got stuck into real lab work:
🔬 Taking tissue samples
🧪 Embedding them in wax
🧫 Slicing and placing them onto microscope slides

Then came the best part: seeing pre-prepared slides up close under the microscope:
✨ Normal skin
✨ Strawberry birthmarks
✨ Our world-first 3D strawberry birthmark model

Such a fun, curious, and engaged group. Harriet, John, Loran & Jacob, you made our night!

We’re looking forward to hosting our other winners soon 👏
Science is always better when it’s shared 💫

17/04/2026

Infantile Haemangioma, also known as strawberry birthmarks, is the most common tumour in babies, and it affects girls more than boys 👶
But here’s the key 👇
Not all strawberry birthmarks are the same.
✨ We found big differences between:
• Male vs female patients
• Growing (proliferating) vs shrinking (involuting) stages
Why does this matter?
Because mixing them together can hide important biology.
💡 Female lesions showed higher growth and energy activity
💡 Different stages had completely different molecular profiles
Understanding these differences = better, more targeted treatments in the future ❤️
Read the publication on our LinkedIn and Facebook!
🎓 Huge congratulations to Raka Mitra, who has submitted her PhD thesis for review! Hoping to soon call her Dr. Mitra! 👏
WomenInScience

17/04/2026

Infantile Haemangioma, also known as strawberry birthmarks, is a common tumour in babies—especially in girls—but scientists still don’t fully know why it happens.

Our research shows something important:
👉 Not all strawberry birthmark cases are the same.
We discovered that:
• Boys and girls show different biological changes in these tumours
• Early-stage (growing) and later-stage (shrinking) strawberry birthmarks behave very differently at the molecular level

So why is this important?

If we group everything together, we might miss key differences that could help guide better treatments. By looking at s*x and stage separately, we can better understand how strawberry birthmarks develops, and how to treat it more effectively.

We found:
💡 Female lesions showed higher growth and energy activity
💡 Different stages had completely different molecular profiles
This is a step toward more personalised care for infants with strawberry birthmarks 💙

👉 Read the publication here: https://www.gavinpublishers.com/article/view/s*x-specific-metabolic-remodelling-in-infantile-haemangioma

🎉 A special congratulations to Raka Mitra, who has submitted her PhD thesis for review, an incredible achievement. She’s now on her way to becoming a doctor very soon!

01/04/2026

We’re blown away by the generosity of the Pub Quizzers at Mean Doses💙

What an incredible month! Full of quizzing, laughs, and community spirit. Together, you’ve raised an amazing $2,100 to support our research.

A huge thank you to Quiz Master Dave and the Mean Doses Team for bringing it all together, and to every single person who took part. Your support helps drive the science we do and brings us closer to better treatments for patients.

This is what community looks like 🙌

30/03/2026

Recently, Sartorius interviewed Dr. Gray and Raka Mitra on how they developed the first 3D in-vitro model of infantile haemangioma. During this video, they discuss:

- How they developed the 3D model
- How they used Incucyte for Live-Cell imaging
- The transformative role of Incucyte in research

A special thank you to the Wairarapa Cancer Society Inc who contributed to our purchase of the Incucyte.

👉 Watch the interview here

Infant vascular tumour research has been a main focus for 2D research... until now. Find out more about Raka Mitra, the individual who built the first 3D mod...

23/03/2026

We had the privilege of meeting Maynard Okereke, also known as Hip Hop Science - we all had a blast! More to come from this collaboration, including stories from the people we are most passionate about helping.

18/03/2026

Every discovery starts somewhere.

Today it starts with the tissue processor.

Once a week this machine processes tissues fixed in formalin so they can be embedded in paraffin, sliced into thin sections, and studied under the microscope.

It may not look dramatic, but it’s a crucial step in understanding disease.

Happy Thursday from the lab 🧬

16/03/2026

Our ambassador Nick White took on the iconic Tararua Mountain Race on 14 March, proudly wearing sports gear with our name out in the hills.

Nick had a fantastic day on the trails. A sprained ankle made an appearance along the way, but in his words it wasn’t a “showstopper.”

It’s always inspiring to see members of our community pushing themselves in the outdoors and representing the people around them.

Well done Nick, great effort out there! ⛰️👏

12/03/2026

🦋 A generous gift for research

Recently, we were honoured to receive a $3,000 donation from the Seyip Association of New Zealand, and we would like to extend our sincere thanks for their generosity.

The Seyip Association, established in the 1940s, has long supported members of the local Chinese community with ancestral roots from the four former counties of Xinhui (Sunwui), Taishan (Toisan), Kaiping (Hoiping) and Enping (Yanping) on the west side of the Pearl River Delta in Southern Guangdong Province, China, helping foster cultural connection and community support across generations.

We are especially grateful for the connection that Dr Swee Tan has helped build between the Seyip Association and the Gillies McIndoe Research Institute. Their continued support of medical research means a great deal to our team.

Donations like this help our researchers continue investigating diseases such as glioblastoma, meningioma, infantile haemangioma and abnormal scarring, with the goal of improving treatment options for patients.

Community generosity plays a vital role in making research possible.

Thank you to the Seyip Association for your kindness and support.