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.
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
New Year, Same Brain Teasers!
A man was found dead with a cassette recorder in one hand and a gun in the other.
When the police pressed “play,” the tape said, “I can’t go on,” and then there was a gunshot.
Yet, the police knew it was a murder.
How?
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: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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63% Summer
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35.6% Winter
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1.4% Other - I'll share below
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