Malaghan Institute of Medical Research

02/01/2026

30/12/2025

❤👏

Here is the full list of everyone receiving a 2026 New Year Honour ⬇️

30/12/2025

We are beyond proud to see Graham Le Gros recognised with a knighthood for services to medical science in the 2026 New Year Honours.

Chair of the Malaghan Institute, Sir Paul Collins, says the honour is richly deserved and reflects a lifetime of service that has led to improved health outcomes, strengthened national capability and inspired public confidence in science.

“Sir Graham's ability to bring together the right people, secure significant funding and maintain long-term partnerships in New Zealand and internationally has enabled the Malaghan to lead nationally significant research programmes with global relevance.

"His contribution to global biomedical innovation has increasingly centred on amplifying New Zealand’s role as a serious contributor, underpinned by a fierce determination and belief that New Zealand has the capability and must be ambitious about delivering life-saving biomedical therapies at home."

Congratulations Sir Graham, from all of us – this is so richly deserved.

https://www.malaghan.org.nz/news-and-resources/news/sir-graham-le-gros-awarded-knighthood-in-new-years-honours

29/12/2025

We're excited to be the chosen charity for the Queenstown Show Jumping Charity Lunch on Sunday 4 January at the Oliver Road Queenstown Show Jumping Classic 2026.

Tickets are still available for this unforgettable VIP experience including amazing wine and food enjoyed against the stunning backdrop of world-class showjumping and Queenstown’s breathtaking scenery – all in support of life-saving biomedical research! 🐎🥂🏞️☀️

VIP Ticket Includes:
🐴 Delicious grazing table on arrival
🐴 Artisan Catering Walk & Fork menu
🐴 Complimentary Ayrburn Wines, local beers and soft drinks
🐴 Premium views of the Grand Prix Show Jumping and the joy of watching the youngest talent take on the Itty Bitty Championship
🐴 Seating and sun shade
🐴 Donation to the Malaghan Institute
🐴 Best Dressed award, with a generous voucher provided by Queenstown boutique Angel Divine

Purchase your tickets for the charity lunch supporting the Malaghan Institute at www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/queenstown-showjumping-charity-lunch-for-the-malaghan-institute-tickets-1975292965433

Find out more about the Oliver Road Queenstown Show Jumping Classic 2026 at www.qtsjc.co.nz

Thank you to our Central Otago Friends of the Malaghan for connecting us with this event and reconnecting us with a very special part of New Zealand.

21/12/2025

Thank you! 🎄❤️

All of us at Malaghan want to take a moment this festive season to say a heartfelt thank you for your support. Your generosity is helping drive life-changing medical research. We couldn't do it without you!

Together, we’re shaping the future of health in New Zealand, advancing discovery and accelerating cures.

18/12/2025

A big thank you to Chubb Life New Zealand for their ongoing support of our ground-breaking research.

We were delighted to welcome Simon Tohill, Chubb's GM Strategy and Marketing, to the Malaghan to present a $10,000 Christmas donation.

Simon expressed the Chubb team’s pride and commitment to this important partnership: “Being able to support life-changing research for everyday New Zealanders is incredible, and we’re proud to be part of that journey.”

Thank you, Chubb, we couldn't do it without you!

18/12/2025

It was a pleasure to welcome Dr Edward Carr from UCL and the Francis Crick Institute to the Malaghan this week to share his work on vaccination and antibody response with our researchers.

Vaccines work by inducing neutralising antibodies to fight infectious diseases. However, not everybody creates the same antibody response to vaccines within a population, leading to unequal protection. Dr Carr's work looks at how this difference is represented across populations before and after vaccination to identify opportunities to gain better insight into how we can design better, more effective vaccine strategies to ensure everyone is equally protected.

17/12/2025

“Tertiary lymphoid structures can form wherever there is tissue inflammation. This means they have been identified in cancer, infections, autoimmunity and allergy.”

At the Malaghan, our infectious disease research focuses on how infections shape and modulate the immune response and how that affects our ability to fight future threats.

Part of the immune system that forms during an infection is a tertiary lymphoid structure. They’re a bit of an oddity, but they may play a big part in protecting us from disease.

“For influenza, tertiary lymphoid structures form due to the excessive inflammation caused by the virus infecting and damaging airway cells in the lung. It is less clear how they form during fungal infection and is an area of active research for our lab.”

By understanding more about how tertiary lymphoid structures form and operate alongside the rest of the immune system, we can find new opportunities to develop more precise and effective immunotherapies.

https://www.malaghan.org.nz/news-and-resources/news/how-a-quirk-of-the-immune-system-may-play-a-big-role-in-protecting-us-from-disease

17/12/2025

Looking for the perfect gift for the caffiend in your life? How about a unique coffee blend that fuels them AND life-saving research!

The wonderful folks at ACME Coffee have created a custom 'Malaghan' brew, in collaboration with our scientists, with 15% of every sale donated to vital research at the Malaghan Institute.

Buy yours at Wellington's Prefab - Eatery & Events and Moore Wilson's, or online at www.acmeandco.co.nz/malaghan

A great stocking-stuffer! 🎅 Thank you, ACME! ☕🔬

08/12/2025

Super proud of our Dr Kerry Hilligan for being awarded the Peter Doherty Medal and presenting the 2025 Doherty Lecture at the Australian and New Zealand Society for Immunology - ASI scientific meeting in Perth last week. Named after Australian immunologist and Nobel Laureate Peter Doherty, the award recognises an inspirational scientific leader up to 10 years post-PhD.

What a year, Kerry! We can't wait to see what 2026 holds. 👏🏅🔬

08/12/2025

We are always so grateful when community-led events fundraise for the Malaghan Institute. Knowing support comes from all pockets of the country is truly encouraging, and keeps our mission alive as we seek better, safer treatments for all New Zealanders.

Early next year, we're privileged to be the chosen charity for the Queenstown Show Jumping Charity Lunch on Sunday 4 January at the Oliver Road Queenstown Show Jumping Classic 2026.

Tickets are now available for this unforgettable VIP experience including amazing wine and food enjoyed against the stunning backdrop of world-class showjumping and Queenstown’s breathtaking scenery – all in support of life-saving biomedical research! 🐎🥂🏞️☀️

Thank you to our Central Otago Friends of the Malaghan for connecting us with this event and reconnecting us with a very special part of New Zealand.

Find out more about the Oliver Road Queenstown Show Jumping Classic 2026 at www.qtsjc.co.nz

Purchase your tickets for the charity lunch supporting the Malaghan Institute at www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/queenstown-showjumping-charity-lunch-for-the-malaghan-institute-tickets-1975292965433

07/12/2025

On the back of our recent win for breakthrough project at the KiwiNet Awards, Professor Robert Weinkove returned to RNZ Saturday Morning to talk about our CAR T-cell programme and efforts to make this therapy a standard of care in New Zealand.

"We called these trials ENABLE ... and part of the reason, the motivation for conducting our own trials here was to really try and set up the regulatory and clinical infrastructure that we need to develop these kinds of therapies into the future."

Wellington's Malaghan Institute is working to make CAR-T cell therapy - a lifesaving immunotherapy - a standard part of cancer care in New Zealand.