Biomedical Facility Officially Opens in Wellington

New Zealand’s Top Biomedical Facility Officially Opens in Wellington

The Malaghan Institute of Medical Research marks a major development in its history today with the official opening of its new state-of–the-art biomedical research centre at Victoria University of Wellington.

Governor-General Dame Silvia Cartwright will officially open the new facility at the University's Kelburn Campus on Tuesday August 17 at 6pm, at a function sponsored by AMI Insurance.

The official opening is the culmination of an agreement between the Institute and the University, announced in August last year, that saw the Malaghan leave its first home at Wellington Hospital and move to Kelburn.

The partnership between the Malaghan Institute and Victoria University is aimed to accelerate the rate of research in New Zealand. It will also provide a cutting edge environment for the training of New Zealand’s best science students while retaining the independence of the Institute.

Cancer kills three in ten New Zealanders, 20 percent will be affected by asthma and one person a day will contract tuberculosis, but the Malaghan Institute is the only independent medical research facility in New Zealand dedicated to alleviating these statistics.

Professor Graham Le Gros, Director of the Malaghan Institute, and senior staff are determined to ensure that all New Zealanders will benefit from the many opportunities that the new facility will bring.

“This move will allow the Institute to take research programmes to a new level of sophistication and international competitiveness. Victoria University has provided us with a biomedical research centre that will rank among the premier medical research facilities internationally.”

“We now look forward to a future where our research is not confined by space. All our scientific activities will benefit and we will be able to pursue new and exciting collaborations in New Zealand and worldwide.”

Professor Le Gros said that while the Malaghan had moved to new premises, it retained strong research links with the Wellington School of Medicine and Health Sciences, the University of Otago, Massey University and the University of Auckland.

Victoria University’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Stuart McCutcheon is also optimistic about the new alliance.

"The partnership with the Malaghan reflects Victoria's growing strength in biomedical research and complements the establishment of its Centre for Biodiscovery and innovative suite of biomedical science degrees. We believe the partnership will better position both parties to gain from the massive growth in biotechnology."

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