Webinar recording – Genetics research and Cerebral Palsy

On May 6, 2026 the Liggins Institute and Cerebral Palsy Society held a webinar – Breaking new ground: Genetics research and Cerebral Palsy – which provided an overview of the evolving role of genetics in Cerebral Palsy – Hōkai Nukurangi.

Dr Gina O’Grady and Professor Justin O’Sullivan explored what this means for individuals and whānau, what they’ve learned from international research, and what’s happening in Aotearoa New Zealand now and into the future.

Merryn Straker, pictured, who has a son with CP and is a former Cerebral Palsy Society Board Member spoke about her family’s experience of having genomic sequencing in the USA in 2023.

The webinar will also provide information on the New Zealand Cerebral Palsy Register’s Cerebral Palsy research platform, generously funded by the Neurological Foundation, and the sequencing project being undertaken at the Liggins Institute. 

Professor Justin O’Sullivan is a molecular microbiologist/computational biologist and Director of the Liggins Institute. Justin has honorary appointments at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and the University of Southampton. Justin leads research that focuses on how our microbiomes, environments and genetics interact. He also runs an acute care genome sequencing programme for critically ill children.

Dr Gina O’Grady is a paediatric neurologist at Starship Children’s Hospital. She completed a PhD in the genetic diagnosis of paediatric muscle disease and has an interest in the area of neuromuscular and neurogenetic disease. 

The MC:

Amy Hogan is The Cerebral Palsy Society of NZ’s Researcher and Member Support Advisor. She is also co-president of the Oceania Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Childhood-onset Disabilities, co-chairperson of Access Matters Aotearoa and a member of Auckland Council’s Disability Advisory Panel.

This presentation was supported by:

• The Liggins Institute, University of Auckland
• The Cerebral Palsy Society
• The NZ CP Register, CP Research Platform funded by the Neurological Foundation

Want to know a little more about the work around genetics in Aotearoa New Zealand? You can read this article Genes and Cerebral Palsy – Understanding the science and what it could mean for families which featured in the March 2026 edition of The Review magazine.