Waterloo professor awarded New Zealand‘s top scientific prize

A University of Waterloo professor has been named a winner of New Zealand’s Te Pūiaki Putaiao Matua a Te Pirimia Science Prize, the nation’s top award for scientific discoveries which have had a major financial, well being, social and/or environmental impression around the globe.

Ben Thompson, a professor within the School of Optometry & Vision Science and 2022 University Research Chair, is a part of the award-winning inter-disciplinary neonatal glucose research analysis staff out of the University of Auckland’s Liggins Institute. Over the previous 20 years, this staff’s analysis has been central in growing new methods to diagnose, deal with and forestall blood sugar imbalance in infants. Their analysis into neonatal hypoglycemia has modified observe around the globe, saving tens of millions of health-care {dollars} and enhancing the lives of moms and infants worldwide. 

Key discoveries have included the usage of dextrose (sugar) gel instantly after beginning, which is now advisable internationally as a first-line therapy for low blood sugar. Other important contributions have included the event of Gluco-Light, a non-invasive glucose monitoring system that reduces the necessity for repeated heel-prick checks and a brand new evidence-based technique for testing imaginative and prescient in younger kids with hypoglycemia.

Professor Thompson mentioned their analysis staff was impressed to do that analysis as a result of the issue of understanding and treating blood sugar in infants has been round for many years. “Almost a third of all babies are born at risk of having low blood sugar. It is a very common problem that, without a solution, could lead to irreversible brain injury and other complications later in life.”

Tackling such a broad vary of questions over the previous 20 years of examine – together with what low blood sugar does to a baby’s imaginative and prescient and an understanding of what they see – has required a broad vary of expertise within the staff, says Thompson.

“Our research team has needed specialties like bioengineering, psychology, education and more in order to be successful,” Thompson mentioned. “It’s been really rewarding to be able to offer my background in vision science to the overall expertise of such a talented team.”

Presented by New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern throughout the May thirty first ceremony, the staff will obtain a $500,000 prize that can enable researchers to maintain progressing of their work, together with their ongoing work to develop a nationwide guideline in New Zealand to assist the administration of infants vulnerable to hypoglycemia.

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