A New Zealand research team on the cusp of a cancer breakthrough has been gifted a significant financial boost thanks to the world’s oldest fraternal organisation.
Over the next two years, Freemasons New Zealand will donate $600,000 to support the Wellington-based Malaghan Institute’s world-leading CAR-T cell therapy research.
For Freemasons’ grand master Mark Winger  the partnership was a no-brainer, with his organisation dedicated to improving the lives of Kiwis nationwide in any way they can.
“Everyone knows someone who has suffered cancer or is suffering.”
In its simplest form, CAR T-cell therapy works to reprogram immune cells to recognise and kill cancer.
The Freemasons-funded research programme will work towards improving the institute’s existing CAR-T cell therapies while also helping researchers ultimately extend them to be able to treat other cancers.
Read more at:Â https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/109245062/innovative-cancer-research-gets-a-600k-leg-up-from-kiwi-freemasons