Rate My Professor Helen Morrin

Helen Morrin serves as the Curator of the He Taonga Tapu Cancer Society Tissue Bank and Scientific Officer in the Mackenzie Cancer Research Group at the University of Otago's Christchurch campus. Affiliated with the Department of Pathology and Biomedical Science in the Faculty of Medicine, she holds a BSc from the University of Canterbury. Since 2000, Morrin has managed every aspect of the biobank's operations, including ethical collection, processing, storage, quality assurance, retrieval, and distribution of human cancer tissue samples and linked clinical data from over 14,500 patients. This vital resource realizes Professor Bridget Robinson's vision of an open-access facility supporting translational cancer research for scientists across New Zealand and beyond.

Morrin's expertise encompasses culturally appropriate biobanking practices, integrating Māori tikanga, ethical governance, and disaster recovery strategies proven resilient during the Christchurch earthquakes. She contributes to the University of Otago Human Ethics Committee, advising on biobanking protocols, and chairs the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER) Science Policy Advisory Committee, cementing her status as a global authority. Her dedication has mentored generations of researchers and advanced cancer studies. Awards include the 2023 Bridget Robinson Award from the New Zealand Society for Oncology for her translational cancer research career and the 2024 Kiwibank New Zealand Local Hero of the Year Te Pou Toko o te Tau medal. Key publications feature 'Improved human skin vitamin C levels and skin function following dietary intake of kiwifruit: A high vitamin C food' (Pullar et al., 2025, Journal of Investigative Dermatology), 'Ascorbate content of clinical glioma tissues is related to tumour grade and to global levels of 5-hydroxymethyl cytosine' (Crake et al., 2022, Scientific Reports), 'Characterisation of the immune microenvironment of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma in immunosuppression' (Rajesh et al., 2022, Experimental Dermatology), 'Research use of biospecimens from deceased individuals: A call for greater regulatory harmonization' (Bledsoe et al., 2024, Biopreservation & Biobanking), and 'Assessment of intra-tumoural colorectal cancer prognostic biomarkers using RNAscope' (Morley-Bunker et al., 2019, Oncotarget). Her research interests include biobanking, cancer biology, prognostic markers, and tumor microenvironment.