More than $20 million in grants from the Royal Society of New Zealand Marsden Fund has been distributed among 27 University of Otago researchers.
Dr Megan Leask, of the department of physiology, has been awarded a fast start grant to identify potential immune biomarkers from Māori and Pacific genetics that could be explored further for therapeutic interventions.
"We know that the immune response is hard-wired by genetics, but to date there has been no research looking at the unique genetic contributors of Māori and Pacific people.
"This research is the start towards addressing this inequity in immune response research," Dr Leask said.
Dr Andrea Teng, of the department of public health at the University of Otago, Wellington, has been awarded $653,000 to investigate the effects of Tonga’s world-leading, comprehensive taxation on unhealthy foods.
Tonga has one of the highest rates of obesity in the world, but it is also one of the few countries that has made significant progress on taxing unhealthy foods and beverages.
"Research on how well food taxes work, and how the costs and health benefits vary by household income, is really useful for decision makers considering action on the food environment," Dr Teng said.
Associate Prof Bridgette Toy-Cronin, of the Faculty of Law, has also been awarded a fast start grant to investigate the roles of non-lawyer advocates in New Zealand.
