Our research focus
Dr Olivier Gasser
Olivier is the Translational Immunology Group Leader at the Malaghan Institute in Wellington and principal investigator of the Challenge Immune Health programme. His research interests lie in the bidirectional communication between the immune system and host metabolism, with a strong emphasis on the gut and its resident microbes.
Musselling up
New Zealand’s Greenshell™ mussels (GSM) are the heavyweights of our aquaculture export sector, attracting $280m in export earnings each year. While GSM are currently primarily promoted as a whole product, this iconic delicacy has many hidden talents waiting to be realised. The long-term aim of the research is to help to shift GSM from a market concentrated on relatively low price “commodity protein” products to a market position based on high-value nutrition and health products.
This research programme partners with Sanford Limited, New Zealand’s leading GSM exporter, to add even more value to this gourmet delicacy by fully understanding and proving its health benefits, including anti-inflammatory effects, improved joint and bone health and increased mobility. Sanford is a large and long-established fishing company devoted entirely to the harvesting, farming, processing, storage and marketing of quality seafood and aquaculture products. Cawthron Institute is a world leader in aquaculture research with a proven track record of turning science into commercial reality. The research will build on our longstanding, successful collaboration with Sanford, our 20 years of research towards transforming the GSM aquaculture industry, and Sanford’s food processing knowledge base. The team will include researchers from Massey University, Lincoln University and the Christchurch Clinical Studies Trust (CCST). This project will generate scientific evidence of the health benefits of GSM and assist industry to identify and develop optimal GSM-based functional food products that will appeal to the emerging market of wealthy, aging, health conscious consumers – predominantly in China.
New technique to test NZ foods that promote healthy bacteria in baby microbiomes
At birth a baby’s digestive system is pristine and waiting to be rapidly colonised by millions of bacteria (microbiome). We know the health of a baby is linked to the health of its microbiome.The right balance and diversity of bacteria assist a baby to develop a...
“Musseling up” clinical trial aims to provide facts about shellfish benefits
New Zealand’s iconic Greenshell™ mussels (GSM) are world-famous for their delicious taste, but now a clinical trial is about to get underway that will provide facts about the key active components in the shellfish. Cawthron Institute, Christchurch Clinical Studies...
Opportunity to add skills, ideas, experience to the Challenge
If you have a great idea or special expertise that you think would help High-Value Nutrition’s science teams meet their targets for the next five years (2019-2024) of the Challenge’s mission, then this is a gentle reminder that the deadline for the initial application...