The Liggins Institute

31/08/2026

What fathers eat before conception could influence their children’s health. New Liggins Institute research suggests obesity linked to Western-style diets may be passed on through s***m, challenging long-held assumptions about parental influence. Listen to Dr Ben Albert discuss the findings with Lisa Owen on RNZ.

The effects of obesity caused by western junk food diets can be passed to children through their dad's s***m. Research by the University of Auckland's Liggins institute suggests what the father is eating could, in some cases, be more influential than mother's diets, which has long been a focus. Seni...

25/08/2026

The June Liggins Link is now available to read online: https://createsend.com/t/r-E467A6EF347371C72540EF23F30FEDED

In this edition of the Liggins Link, we feature the $1.44 million HRC investment in the innovative PLATIPUS research platform, led in New Zealand by Professor Katie Groom. We also highlight the potential of AI for early bowel cancer diagnosis, with an opinion piece and media coverage featuring Dr Theo Portlock, and a link to Dr Catriona Miller speaking about a role for digital twins in healthcare. Theo and Catriona's work exemplifies our commitment to supporting emerging researchers to establish distinctive areas of research and develop them towards future impact. Together, these stories reflect an important part of the Liggins model: supporting established research leaders while creating the environment in which the next generation can establish and grow. Your support helps make this possible.

Thank you to everyone in our community who attended our recent public lecture and to our speakers, Professor Frank Bloomfield, Dr Barbara Cormack, and Dr Tanith Alexander, for sharing their research and insights. If you missed ‘Tiny babies, big questions: the high-stakes science of early nutrition’, the recording is now available to watch online. Visit our newsletter for the link.

Finally, we celebrate recent achievements by staff recognised in the University of Auckland 2026 Celebrating Research Excellence Awards. The team behind the Carosika Collaborative was honoured for their impactful research, and Dr Mark De Hora received an award for his outstanding doctoral thesis. These awards recognise two very different but equally important dimensions of research excellence at Liggins: translating research into better health outcomes and developing the next generation of outstanding researchers. Well done.

Sign up for our bi-monthly newsletter for updates on our studies, events, research breakthroughs and more: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/r/44EA95D15BCD52822540EF23F30FEDED

📷 Photos:

1. Liggins Link newsletter graphic – Celebrating 25 years of the Liggins Institute
2. Approximately 8 percent of babies are born preterm in Aotearoa. Photo from new story, ‘World-first research platform transforming care around babies born too soon’.
3. Professor Katie Groom leads the innovative PLATIPUS research platform in New Zealand, which recently received a $1.44 million HRC investment.
4. Close-up of bowel cancer FIT test sample. Photo from news story, ‘Bowel cancer is surging in under-50s, but AI could help us catch it early’.
5. Research Fellow Dr Theo Portlock discusses the potential of AI for early bowel cancer diagnosis in recent media coverage.
6. Postdoctoral researcher Dr Catriona Miller who features in the latest 25th Anniversary research video.
7. Professor Frank Bloomfield presenting at the July public lecture, ‘Tiny babies, big questions: the high-stakes science of early nutrition’.

24/08/2026

Are you a healthcare professional or student in a role relating to pregnancy and birth? Register now for the 2026 Carosika Collaborative Education Day.

Join us on 19 September for a packed programme of lectures and workshops centred on Mahi Tahi: working together to improve preterm birth care.

The full programme is available to download on the Carosika Collaborative website at 🔗
https://assets.nationbuilder.com/carosika/pages/1685/attachments/original/1786961457/Carosika_Collaborative_Education_Day_Programme.pdf?1786961457

Register online for the Education Day at🔗
https://www.carosikacollaborative.co.nz/mahi_tahi_working_together_to_improve_preterm_birth_care

19/08/2026

Congratulations to Liggins Institute doctoral candidate Meiliana Meiliana, who successfully defended her thesis ‘Guidance for nutrition and nutrition research for preterm infants’ in April. The examiners complimented Meiliana on the huge amount of work included in a clear, well-written thesis and recommended that her PhD be awarded, subject to only minor corrections. Her final thesis has now been submitted and accepted. Well done, Meiliana! 👏

18/08/2026

Liggins Institute doctoral candidate Dalia Kadow competed in the 2026 University of Auckland Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Finals on Friday 17 July. Her fascinating presentation 'Kawakawa, Tikanga and Trust' is now available to watch on YouTube. Check it out to learn more about her PhD research. 👇

Watch Dalia Kadow's presentation 'Kawakawa, Tikanga and Trust' from...

18/08/2026

A father’s junk food diet can trigger obesity in his unborn kids

Animal research reveals a father’s Western junk-food diet can have a greater biological impact on offspring than a mother’s diet. In an expert opinion piece for Newsroom, Liggins Institute Senior Research Fellow Dr Ben Albert discusses this research and the impact.

Comment: One thing we do know about what is driving the obesity crisis is that it’s incredibly complicated. Research even suggests that biological changes in the womb can predispose a child to obesity before they’re born, putting them at risk of health problems related to weight such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnoea and heart disease.

Yes, weight has much to do with what we eat and how much exercise we get, but this is rarely simply a ‘lifestyle choice’. It’s often informed by lack of choice: the cost of food, the cost of healthy food compared with the cost of junk food, whether we live near somewhere where we can safely exercise, the work we do (sedentary job or not), our level of education and so on.

Yet some children begin with a higher risk than others.

Visit the link to read more!

🔗 https://newsroom.co.nz/2026/08/18/a-fathers-junk-food-diet-can-trigger-obesity-in-his-unborn-kids/

10/08/2026

For years, bowel cancer rates followed a fairly predictable pattern. the older you got, the greater your risk. But that pattern is changing. Now, more New Zealanders under the age of 50 are being diagnosed with bowel cancer. Whether it's our diet, lifestyle, gut bacteria, or something else entirely, scientists are searching for answers. Dr Theo Portlock from the Liggins Institute joined RNZ Nights to discuss. Listen now 👇

For years, bowel cancer rates followed a fairly predictable pattern. the older you got, the greater your risk. But that pattern is changing. Now, more New Zealanders under the age of 50 are being diagnosed with bowel cancer. Whether it's our diet, lifestyle, gut bacteria, or something else entirely,...

05/08/2026

Did you miss our public lecture, ‘Tiny babies, big questions: the high-stakes science of early nutrition’? The full recording is now available to watch.

Learn how researchers are reshaping neonatal care with discoveries about early nutrition, including the risks of refeeding syndrome and how something as simple as the smell and taste of milk may support development in preterm babies.

Watch the video and discover how small decisions in the earliest days of life can have a lasting impact.

🎥 Watch here: https://bit.ly/4fSoTtk

04/08/2026

Raising the Bar Auckland – Setting baby on a healthy path: the influence of mum and dad – Dr Ben Albert

University of Auckland - Waipapa Taumata Rau is celebrating ten years of bringing big ideas to bars around the city through its popular Raising the Bar event. At this year’s event on Tuesday 25 August, 20 leading academics, including our very own Dr Ben Albert, will deliver fascinating talks at ten inner-city bars.

We know the saying ‘you are what you eat’ – but how does what we eat affect our babies and their path to good health as they become adults and age? Against a background of rising obesity and diabetes worldwide, Dr Ben Albert sheds light on how early life factors influence the health of people across their lives.

Mothers with obesity are more likely to have children who develop weight problems, but as Ben will explain, this isn’t simply about bad choices. Improving the health of mothers during short windows of opportunity can have a major impact on the future health of their babies.

And what about dads? Ben reveals how they too affect their offspring, not only through lifestyle choices but also through direct effects of their health before conception. He will talk about these direct dad influences and share tips on getting healthy before having a baby.

Register now to secure your free spot! https://www.rtbevent.com/ben-albert

04/08/2026

Bowel cancer is surging in under-50s, but AI could help us catch it early

New Zealand has seen a striking rise in bowel cancer among people under 50, with researchers investigating everything from diet and obesity to nitrates, plastics, and gut bacteria as possible causes. What we do know though is that earlier and easier detection would save lives, and this will depend on better screening technologies.

It was only a generation ago that bowel cancer was considered a disease of retirement. Today, Kiwis in their thirties and forties are increasingly hearing the words no one wants to hear: “You have bowel cancer.” New Zealand has experienced one of the fastest increases in early onset bowel cancer in the world.

This surge began in the mid-1990s and has accelerated since. Between 2000 and 2020, incidence rates have risen by an average of 26 percent per decade.

Historically, high rates of cancer have been a byproduct of modern medicine: as we are less likely to die from preventable, infectious diseases, we live long enough to develop ageing-associated conditions such as cancer. But this early onset bowel cancer spike breaks that rule.

What is driving the increase?

Visit Dr Theo Portlock’s expert opinion piece in Newsroom to read more: https://newsroom.co.nz/2026/07/29/bowel-cancer-is-surging-in-under-50s-and-how-ai-could-catch-it-early/