HRC grant awarded to the MUG researcher to study hereditary cancer in New Zealand
Magdalena Ratajska, M.D., Ph.D., D.Sc. from the Department of Pathology and Neuropathology at the Medical University of Gdańsk, currently Senior Professional Practice Fellow and Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Medical Laboratory Science at the University of Otago in New Zealand, has received funding under a prestigious project competition organised by the Health Research Council of New Zealand (HRC), the country’s leading agency funding biomedical and health research.
Dr Ratajska’s project, Ara Hou, Ala Fou: New Pathways for Breast and Ovarian Cancer Testing in Aotearoa New Zealand, has been awarded NZD 1.2 million in funding and will be carried out by an interdisciplinary team of researchers, clinicians, geneticists, oncologists and public health experts from New Zealand, together with international partners.
The aim of the project is to develop new diagnostic pathways for women with breast and ovarian cancer in New Zealand, taking into account the genetic and cultural specificity of local populations, particularly Māori and Pacific peoples. At present, many recommendations concerning genetic diagnostics and eligibility for targeted therapies are based primarily on data from European populations, the results of which cannot always be directly applied to New Zealand’s ethnically diverse society.
The researchers will analyse the prevalence of variants in genes associated with hereditary cancer predisposition, assess advanced molecular tests currently being implemented in clinical practice to support eligibility for targeted therapies, and identify barriers limiting access to diagnostics and oncological care.
The project is of significant importance for the development of more equitable precision medicine based on local data. The results will make it possible to better adapt diagnostic and therapeutic strategies to the needs of the New Zealand population, improve the qualification of patients for treatment with PARP inhibitors, and provide a basis for future clinical recommendations that take into account the country’s ethnic diversity.
Experts representing, among others, the University of Otago, Genetic Health Service New Zealand, Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand, Awanui Laboratories, and the international research networks ClinGen and ENIGMA are involved in the implementation of the project.
The award of the grant highlights the international dimension of the scientific activity of the Medical University of Gdańsk and the involvement of its staff in research projects of global significance. Magdalena Ratajska, M.D., Ph.D., D.Sc. has been continuously affiliated with the University since 2004 as a research and teaching staff member, while also developing scientific cooperation between the MUG and research centres in New Zealand.
