Dr Swee Tan - The Gillies McIndoe Institute
This week we had the pleasure of hearing Dr Swee Tan as our guest speaker.
The meeting was well-attended with many partners and guests keen to hear Dr Tan’s fascinating story.
Our club has supported Dr Tan’s work in the past and members have visited his Research Institute, the Gilies McIndoe.
The Gillies McIndoe Institute is now well staffed and established in its new premises in Newtown.
Dr Tan’s original calling was in Plastic Surgery and he became interested in strawberry birthmarks, which gave an insight into cancer and other disfiguring conditions.
Its research outputs are impressive with seven patents, and numerous journal papers, book chapters, and conference addresses.
As we know, cancer is a major health issue and it is getting worse because the population is aging. Treatments are often nasty and may be very expensive.
Currently, there is a focus at the Institute on cancer stem cells, which are the most malignant cells appearing in a cancer. It may be possible to treat these using common and off-patent medications.
This has also led to the Institute’s interest in repurposing existing medication for other conditions too, and may yet provide an answer to Covid-19.
As always, research funding is scarce and may be more difficult to obtain if the work is based around a new paradigm.
This was a most interesting address, although at times rather technical, and the audience was deeply absorbed in what Dr Tan had to say.
The Hikoi on Tuesday 19th
I copied this from a Facebook page: The expected route of the hīkoi on Tuesday is from Takapuwahia Maree in Esldon towards Porirua and along Kenepuru Drive to Tawa, then up Middleton Road to Johnsonville, down Ngaraunga George and along the old Hutt Road to Wellington. They are anticipating significant congestion on the roads between 06.00am and 12.30pm.
It’s Riddle Time – You Might Need an Extra Cup of Coffee!
Nobody has ever walked this way. Which way is it?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
Poll: Do you think NZ should ban social media for youth?
The Australian Prime Minister has expressed plans to ban social media use for children.
This would make it illegal for under 16-year-olds to have accounts on platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X.
Social media platforms would be tasked with ensuring children have no access (under-age children and their parents wouldn’t be penalised for breaching the age limit)
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Do you think NZ should follow suit? Vote in our poll and share your thoughts below.
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84.6% Yes
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14% No
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1.4% Other - I'll share below
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