STaR Centre
Surgical and Translational Research CentreAre you interested in…
Our Research
Ā mātou rangahau
Our multi disciplinary teams of expert researchers, surgeons, doctors and career scientists work together to overcome the bariers to equitable access to quality surgical care and find new, cutting edge solutions to current surgical restrictions.
Applied Surgery and Metabolism Laboratory
Most of the basic science underpinning STaR Centre breakthroughs takes place in this laboratory, where surgeons and doctors work side-by-side with comparative physiologists and other career scientists. The researchers pool their skills to search for new understandings of human physiology and disease in order to transform insights gained into innovative effective treatments.
Indigenous and Global Surgery Group
A network of surgeons scattered across the globe can make a big impact in the lives of people living in remote and low-resource settings. It is important that the breakthroughs in surgical research and practice are made available to all. The STaR Centre’s Indigenous and Global Surgery Group spearheads our aspiration to bring surgical training and tools into under-served communities where-ever they may be. So far, our work has concentrated in Nepal, Vanuatu, Samoa and more recently right here in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Surgical Engineering Laboratory
The Surgical Engineering Lab brings clinicians, engineers and other partners together to develop new medical devices for unmet needs relevant to surgical patients. Our team bring new devices through the entire process from ideation to commercialization, including design, prototyping, translation, and validation. Our device expertise is broad, encompassing such needs as surgical retractors and catheters, medical pumps, prosthetic implants, software and apps, and invasive and non-invasive electrophysiology solutions.
Our Lab also undertakes world-class scientific investigations into physiology, particularly focused on surgical recovery, the gastrointestinal tract and functional gut disorders. Our translational programs in high-resolution gastrointestinal electrical mapping and manometry in particular have pushed forward the technical boundaries in gastrointestinal sciences, achieving multiple international awards. Our commercialization program has also contributed to the founding of New Zealand MedTech start-ups.
Surgical Trials Unit
The STU undertakes clinical and translational research related to surgical disease, and sits at the interface between our science programs and clinical practice. Located in Auckland City Hospital, it is part of the Auckland Academic Health Alliance, which brings the University of Auckland together with large public hospitals in the Auckland region. There are also strong links with New Zealand’s MedTech Centre of Research Excellence. The STU conducts local, national and international studies.
OUR GOALS
Our Model:
Integrating New Zealand’s leading research units and surgical laboratories within the Schools of Biological Sciences and Biomedical Engineering delivers world leading research impact to communities, clinical services and industry.
Targeted Reduction:
Surgical disease encompasses many non-communicable diseases and cancers, an estimated 30% of the global burden of disease can be attributed to surgically treatable conditions. We aim to drive the change that reduces this.
Our Mission:
To improve the outcomes of patients with surgical diseases within New Zealand and beyond, through excellent research, technology and collaboration. By establishing a highly integrated multi-disciplinary centre.
News and Updates
Ngā karere o te wā
Learn about the latest centre news, publications and achievements right here.
