Prestigious prize for life-changing research

^{The Hereditary Diffuse Gastric Cancer team}. ^{Photo: Salina Galvan Photography}

Healthier Lives Deputy Director, Professor Parry Guilford, has been jointly awarded the Te Pūiaki Putaiao Matua a Te Pirimia Prime Minister’s Science Prize for 2023, for his role as principal investigator in the Hereditary Diffuse Gastric Cancer (HDGC) group.

The HDGC group has been recognised for its enduring partnership, established in 1995, between cancer genetics researchers and the Kimihauora Health and Research Clinic, on behalf of the McLeod whānau (Ngāi Te Rangi, Ngāti Ranginui). Their work has transformed the treatment and management of inherited stomach cancer, with life-changing results for people in Aotearoa New Zealand and around the world.

Parry is Director of the Cancer Genetics Laboratory at the University of Otago, and co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Pacific Edge Ltd. He has been a key member of the Healthier Lives National Science Challenge team since its inception in 2015. In collaboration with Professor Cris Print and researchers at the University of Auckland, Parry and his team at the University of Otago have used their Healthier Lives funding to advance work on another promising initiative – using circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) to enable accessible and equitable monitoring of cancer treatment.

Read more:
Finding a genetic cause for stomach cancer in a whānau now saves thousands of lives – Prime Minister’s Science Prizes media release
Cancer research awarded prize – University of Otago media release
PM’s prize for bringing hope to families – Otago Daily News
A curse and a genetic code: PM’s Science Prize winners – RNZ