Malaghan Institute of Medical Research

What Malaghan Institute of Medical Research does

The Malaghan Institute of Medical Research is a Wellington-based independent biomedical research institute founded in 1966 and registered as a New Zealand charitable trust (Charity Reg. CC 10357). It employs 130+ staff and is the country's only research institute exclusively focused on the immune system, operating across three disease areas: cancer, allergic and inflammatory diseases, and infectious diseases. Its core technology programmes include locally-developed CAR T-cell therapy (currently in phase 2 ENABLE-2 clinical trials across Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch with automated GMP manufacturing via BioOra and Lonza Cocoon), a National RNA Development Platform (500+ RNA products manufactured, NZ$70M government-funded), and proprietary research platforms including horizontal mitochondrial transfer discovery work, dendritic cell immunology, and vaccine design. The institute is led by Director Professor Kjesten Wiig (also Co-Director of the RNA Platform) and Clinical Director Professor Robert Weinkove, with Chairman Sir Paul Collins succeeding Graham Malaghan in December 2023.

The institute operates a hybrid non-profit funding model: philanthropic donations (online tiers from NZ$30 to NZ$600, monthly subscriptions, bequests, corporate partnerships, community fundraising events), government research grants (HRC project grants, MBIE Endeavour Fund, Royal Society Te Apārangi, NZ$70M RNA Platform award, COVID-19/VAANZ participation), clinical trial services, and emerging licensing/royalty exposure through spin-out ventures such as Stave Therapeutics (a 2026 biotech venture with Unruly Partners and University of Auckland targeting checkpoint-inhibitor-resistant cancers). Strategic partnerships include BioOra Limited (GMP manufacturing), Lonza (Cocoon automation), Stave Therapeutics (commercialisation), NIH/NIAID and Babraham Institute (international research), and the University of Auckland, Victoria University of Wellington, and University of Otago (national research consortia).

Customer segmentation is organised by disease use case: blood-cancer and solid-tumour patients (CAR T-cell therapy), allergic/inflammatory disease patients (food allergy, eczema, asthma research), infectious disease populations (COVID-19, hepatitis B, influenza vaccine work including Māori, Pasifika and elderly cohorts), and academic/biotech researchers purchasing RNA products. The institute's value proposition centres on translating basic immunology into clinical applications within New Zealand, with the explicit strategic objective of embedding CAR T-cell therapy as a publicly-funded standard of care in the New Zealand health system following ENABLE-2 completion and Medsafe approval.

Name

Malaghan Institute of Medical Research

Legal name

Malaghan Institute of Medical Research

Website

https://malaghan.org.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Malaghan Institute of Medical Research is a Wellington-based independent biomedical research institute (130+ staff, founded 1966) developing CAR T-cell therapies, RNA vaccines, and immunology research for cancer, allergic/inflammatory diseases, and infectious diseases, funded through donations, government grants, and emerging biotech spin-outs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Research (Immunology)

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Biological Products, (No Disgnostic Substances) (2836), Services-Medical Laboratories (8071)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAAABAC

CAR-T & TCR-T Therapies

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Biotechnology & Biologics/Cell Therapy (autologous/allogeneic)

SECONDARYHLAAADAA

mRNA Therapeutics (vaccines, protein replacement, immuno-oncology)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Biotechnology & Biologics/RNA Therapeutics (mRNA, siRNA, ASO)

SECONDARYHLAIAEAG

Therapeutic Vaccines (e.g., Cancer/Chronic Infection)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Pharmaceuticals/Vaccines

SECONDARYHLAAANAK

Personalized Therapeutic Design (neoantigen vaccines, individualized cell/gene therapies)

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Biotechnology & Biologics/Precision Medicine Solutions

Keywords

• Immunology research
• CAR T-cell therapy
• Clinical trials
• Vaccine development
• RNA therapeutics

Headquarters

HQ city

Wellington

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Donations and philanthropy: The institute relies heavily on charitable donations from individuals, including one-time gifts, monthly donations, and bequests. The Malaghan Family Leadership Fund is a perpetual gift established to support professional development for senior leaders. Corporate partnerships and fundraising events (e.g., golf days) also contribute.
2. Government research grants: Major government funding includes $70M over seven years for the RNA Development Platform (2023), $1.2M HRC project grant for CAR T-cell metabolic fitness research (2026), Health Research Council grants, MBIE's Endeavour Fund, Royal Society Te Apārangi Catalyst Seeding grants, and Marsden funding. The institute was part of the government's COVID-19 vaccine strategy with VAANZ.
3. Biotech venture commercialisation: Stave Therapeutics was established as a new biotechnology venture based on research from the Malaghan Institute and University of Auckland, involving Unruly Partners and UniServices. The institute also partners with BioOra Limited for commercialising CAR T-cell manufacturing. Future licensing and royalty revenues may result from these ventures.
4. Clinical trial services: The institute generates revenue through conducting clinical trials and providing research services, including the ENABLE-2 CAR T-cell trial, with the goal of generating data for Medsafe approval and public health system delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Malaghan Institute is an independent medical research charity that conducts basic and clinical immunology research across cancer, allergic and inflammatory disease, and infectious disease. Its core deliverables are investigator-initiated clinical trials (notably the ENABLE-2 CAR T-cell programme for B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma), a co-hosted National RNA Development Platform producing custom RNA products, vaccine research (including the Kiwi Vax COVID-19 candidate), and biotech commercialisation ventures such as Stave Therapeutics.

Product overview

The Malaghan Institute of Medical Research is a medical research institute offering CAR T-cell therapy clinical trials, vaccine development including the Kiwi Vax COVID-19 vaccine candidate, and operates as a partner in the National RNA Development Platform for producing RNA products. Their primary product is CAR T-cell therapy for cancer treatment, currently in phase 2 clinical trials. Through research partnerships, they support ventures like Stave Therapeutics developing cancer drugs. The institute also provides research platforms including the Hugh Green Technology Centre and Keith and Faith Taylor Laboratories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CAR T-cell Therapy (ENABLE clinical trial programme)
• ENABLE-2 CAR T-cell Phase 2 Clinical Trial
• National RNA Development Platform
• Kiwi Vax COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate A novel COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed in New Zealand as a spike protein booster vaccine built on traditional vaccine technology. Designed and manufactured by VAANZ (Vaccine Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand), the candidate showed 100% protection in preclinical models and was developed at a fraction of the cost of commercial vaccines.
• Stave Therapeutics (biotech commercialisation venture) A biotechnology venture established by Unruly Partners with the University of Auckland, UniServices and the Malaghan Institute to commercialise breakthrough cancer immunotherapy research. The venture develops drug candidates designed to re-activate the immune system inside tumours, initially targeting lung cancer, and operates at the preclinical stage with first-in-human trials targeted within two years.
• Hugh Green Technology Centre A research platform providing specialised laboratory facilities and equipment for conducting advanced medical and immunological research at the institute's Wellington campus.
• Keith and Faith Taylor Laboratories Research laboratories supporting advanced medical and immunological research at the institute's Wellington campus, housing investigator teams across cancer, allergy and infectious disease programmes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Phase 1 ENABLE trial: 30 patients treated with response rates matching commercial CAR T-cell therapies but with fewer serious side effects.
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and supporting.

• Stave TherapeuticscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 June 2026Stave Therapeutics is a new biotechnology venture established by Unruly Partners with the University of Auckland, UniServices, and the Malaghan Institute to commercialise breakthrough cancer immunotherapy research. The venture focuses on developing drug candidates designed to re-activate the immune system inside tumours where treatments most often fail. Initially targeting lung cancer, the company operates at the preclinical stage with first-in-human trials targeted within two years. The underlying research originated from a long-standing collaboration between the Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre and the Malaghan Institute.
• Victoria University of WellingtoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Te Herenga Waka – Victoria University of Wellington is the host of the National RNA Development Platform alongside the University of Auckland, supported by the Malaghan Institute. Professor Kjesten Wiig serves as Co-Director of the RNA Development Platform. The institute's researchers (including Dr Rebecca McKenzie, Dr Lisa Connor) contribute to RNA product development. The platform received $70M in government funding over seven years.
• University of AucklandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023The University of Auckland is co-host of the National RNA Development Platform and a key research partner in cancer immunotherapy (Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre collaboration with the Malaghan Institute). Associate Professors Adam Patterson and Jeff Smaill from the ACRSC worked closely with Professor Ian Hermans' team on cancer immunotherapy drug candidates that led to Stave Therapeutics.
• BioOra LimitedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBioOra Limited is the manufacturing partner for the Malaghan Institute's CAR T-cell therapy clinical trials. The company handles automated GMP manufacturing of CAR T-cells using Lonza Cocoon technology, enabling the scale-up of the ENABLE-2 phase 2 trial. BioOra Managing Director John Robson noted discussions with government around manufacturing, distribution, and health service integration for standard-of-care delivery.
• UniServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniServices is the commercial arm of the University of Auckland that supports the enablement of new ventures, working in close partnership with researchers and investors to take discovery from the lab toward commercial reality. UniServices collaborated in the formation of Stave Therapeutics alongside the Malaghan Institute.
• National Institutes of Health (NIH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe NIH (specifically the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIAID) has been a key international research collaborator with the Malaghan Institute. Dr Kerry Hilligan spent several years as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Dr Alan Sher's Laboratory at NIH. Collaborative research has covered COVID-19, hookworm infection and protection from severe SARS-CoV-2 disease, and 'infection interference' phenomena. The collaboration produced award-winning publications in Nature Communications and Science Immunology.
• University of OtagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe University of Otago is a partner in the Vaccine Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand (VAANZ) alongside the Malaghan Institute and Victoria University of Wellington, contributing to COVID-19 vaccine strategy and national pandemic preparedness. VAANZ was established in 2020 as part of the Government's COVID-19 vaccine strategy.
• Babraham Institute (UK)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Babraham Institute in the United Kingdom collaborated with the Malaghan Institute on research published in Science Immunology, providing new insights into germinal centres and helper T-cells for better vaccine design. Grant Kennedy, a Senior Data Scientist in Dr Michelle Linterman's lab, worked on this international collaboration.
• LonzacoreTechnology or IntegrationLonza provided the Cocoon automated manufacturing platform used for producing CAR T-cells at the Malaghan Institute and BioOra. Dr Rachel Perret's team worked closely with Cocoon developers at Lonza for months to ensure CAR T-cells were produced to the highest safety and quality standards, enabling the scale-up of the ENABLE-2 trial.
• Auckland and Christchurch clinical sitescoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerENABLE-2 clinical trial operates across three sites: Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch. Dr Philip George is Principal Investigator overseeing patient recruitment across the country. The trial demonstrates the strength of New Zealand's haematology network and the coordination required to deliver CAR T-cell therapy nationwide.
• Maurice Wilkins CentresupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Maurice Wilkins Centre supported the underlying research between the Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre and the Malaghan Institute that led to the Stave Therapeutics venture, alongside the Health Research Council of New Zealand and MBIE's Endeavour Fund.
• Griffith University (Queensland, Australia)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessor Jiri Neuzil's team at Griffith University's Institute for Cell Biology and Infectious Diseases collaborated with Professor Mike Berridge at the Malaghan Institute on the landmark horizontal mitochondrial transfer discovery published in Cell Metabolism in 2015. The collaboration has produced over 23 joint publications over more than a decade, opening a new field of cancer biology.
• Institute of Biotechnology, Czech Academy of SciencesmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessor Jiri Neuzil is affiliated with both Griffith University and the Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences. His collaboration with Professor Berridge at the Malaghan Institute produced the world-first demonstration of horizontal mitochondrial transfer in animal tumour models.
• University of California, San DiegomajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr Theodore Alexandrov's team at UC San Diego collaborates with Malaghan Institute researchers (Dr Michelle Linterman, Dr Rachel Perret, Dr David O'Sullivan) through a Royal Society Te Apārangi Catalyst Seeding grant to study how metabolic processes influence immune responses using SpaceM single-cell metabolomics technology.
• Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research (Switzerland)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr Rachel Perret completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research in Switzerland before returning to the Malaghan Institute to lead CAR T-cell research. This fellowship built her expertise in directing T-cells to fight cancer.
• Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre (Seattle)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr Rachel Perret also completed research at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre in Seattle, a world-leading cancer research institution, working on the best ways to direct T-cells to fight cancer before returning to New Zealand.
• Trudeau Institute (New York, USA)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr Lisa Connor connected with Dr David Woodland at the Trudeau Institute and spent several years researching viral immune responses there, before returning to New Zealand. The Trudeau Institute is noted as one of the top ten places for postdoctoral research in immunology.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Allogene Therapeutics: Allogene is a leading allogeneic CAR T-cell developer focused on blood cancers and solid tumours. It is a directly comparable engineered cell therapy peer pursuing similar oncology indications to Malaghan's ENABLE programme.
• Cellectis: Cellectis is a clinical-stage gene-editing and allogeneic CAR T-cell company. Its focus on engineered T-cell therapies for cancer makes it a directly comparable cell therapy peer, though with a distinct allogeneic rather than autologous manufacturing approach.
• Adaptimmune: Adaptimmune develops engineered T-cell receptor (TCR-T) therapies for solid tumours, a directly comparable cell therapy modality and disease focus to Malaghan's CAR T-cell and related engineered T-cell programmes. Both are translating autologous cell therapies from research into clinical development.

Regional players

• QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute: QIMR Berghofer is a large Queensland-based medical research institute with strong programmes in infectious disease, immunology and cancer biology. It is a regional peer of similar size and funding mix to Malaghan, though with a broader disease footprint.
• Garvan Institute of Medical Research: Garvan is an independent Sydney-based medical research institute with programmes in immunology, genomics and cancer. It is a comparable independent research charity peer in the ANZ region with a similar translational research model.
• Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre: Peter Mac is Australia's leading standalone cancer hospital and research centre, with active CAR T-cell clinical programmes and translational immunology research. It is a regional peer in oncology clinical translation comparable to Malaghan's ENABLE programme.
• Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI): WEHI is Australia's flagship independent medical research institute with strengths in immunology, haematology and cell biology. It is the closest regional peer to Malaghan in mission, funding model and translational research profile, though it operates at much larger scale in Australia.

Broad incumbents

• Novartis: Novartis commercialises Kymriah, the first FDA-approved CAR T-cell therapy, and operates broadly across oncology and immunology. It is the dominant commercial benchmark against which Malaghan's locally developed, lower-side-effect CAR T-cell positioning is implicitly differentiated.
• Gilead Sciences (Kite): Gilead's Kite Pharma subsidiary markets Yescarta and Tecartus, two of the leading commercial CAR T-cell therapies for B-cell lymphomas—the same indication as Malaghan's ENABLE-2 trial. It is a key incumbent benchmark for efficacy and safety comparisons.
• Bristol Myers Squibb: BMS markets multiple CAR T-cell therapies (Breyanzi, Abecma) following the Celgene/Juno acquisition and has a broad oncology and cell therapy portfolio. It represents a major incumbent competitor shaping the global CAR-T market Malaghan seeks to enter at a domestic level.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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• Instagraminstagram.com/Malaghan_Institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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