DevelopMed Launch
On Wednesday the 9th of December at 11am an exciting new Marie Sklodowska-Curie (MSCA) COFUND Programme was officially launched by University College Dublin. The new programme, ‘Developing the Next Generation of Research Leaders in Precision Oncology’ (DevelopMed), is coordinated by Systems Biology Ireland (SBI) and will support 12 prestigious Precision Oncology Fellowships. In a joint event, the DevelopMed launch also marked and celebrated the end of the highly successful TOPMed10 MSCA COFUND Programme coordinated by SBI. TopMed supported nine postdoctoral fellows in personalised medicine research projects, who have now moved on to prestigious positions in academia and industry.
The virtual joint DevelopMed and TopMed10 event was hosted by Systems Biology Ireland, with Prof. Cecily Kelleher, College of Health and Agricultural Sciences opening proceedings and together with Prof. Orla Feely, VP for Research, Innovation and Impact at UCD formally launching the new UCD led DevelopMed Programme. At the event, attendees heard from TopMed10 Fellows Dr. Sarinj Fattah, Dr Caoileann Murphy, Dr Dina Danso – Abeam and Dr Husvinee Sundaramurth on their experiences of being involved in the programme. Fellows also presented on the research that they carried out during their time in TopMed10. Prof. David Brayden, Professor, School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin described his experience of hosting a fellow and the benefits being part of an MSCA COFUND programme.
Supporting the initiative Prof. Orla Feely said: “It is great to see the success that has been delivered from TopMed10 in terms of training outstanding researchers. DevelopMed builds strategically on this previously successful programme and offers a wonderful opportunity for fellows. We can expect to see excellent researchers come through this programme and go on to enormously rewarding careers, delivering important impact in the exciting area of precision oncology.”
With increasing life expectancy it is anticipated that cancer will soon become the leading cause of mortality within the European Union. Despite technological advancements in genomics, imaging, computational modelling and artificial intelligence, the cancer research community is faced with a shortage in skilled scientists and clinicians able to deploy these technologies in the fight against cancer. DevelopMed is a game-changing interdisciplinary training programme focused on developing the future world leaders in precision oncology. The prestigious fellowships will facilitate training through research to fully equip fellows with the skills and intersectoral competencies to enhance their career development prospects. Fellows will also partake in 3-6 month secondments at global research-performing organisations in industry, academic, clinical and charity settings. DevelopMed will also interact closely with Precision Oncology Ireland, a Science Foundation Ireland Strategic Partnership Programme with partners in the industry and charity sectors.
Remarking on the new programme, the DevelopMed Programme Coordinator, Prof. Walter Kolch said: “We are thrilled with the opportunity to train the next generation of leaders in precision oncology research. DevelopMed provides a unique opportunity to develop excellent scientists and clinicians and to inspire in them an entrepreneurial, cross-disciplinary problem-solving mindset for tackling cancer.”
The first application call for the DevelopMed MSCA COFUND programme opens 1 January 2021 with a closing date of 31 March 2021.
Meet the DevelopMed Supervisors for Call 1
The ‘Developing the Next Generation of Research Leaders in Precision Oncology’ (DevelopMed) MSCA COFUND Programme is delighted to announce that we have eight excellent academic supervisors committed to hosting fellows through Call 1 of the programme. The DevelopMed academic supervisors are leading experts in a wide range of research areas related to precision oncology. Many of the committed programme supervisors are also Principal Investigators in Precision Oncology Ireland (POI), a Science Foundation Ireland Strategic Partnership Programme coordinated by Systems Biology Ireland (SBI). With two committed supervisors also having had experience hosting fellows in SBIs previous MSCA COFUND TopMed10, the DevelopMed programme provides a panel of exceptionally strong potential supervisors for interested applicants.
Prospective applicants to the DevelopMed programme must contact the academic supervisor with whom they intend to work with in DevelopMed to express their interest in submitting a DevelopMed fellowship application. The DevelopMed supervisors for Call 1 of the programme are listed below and further information on the supervisors and their research areas is available here.
- Prof. David Brayden and Prof. Jeremy Simpson, University College Dublin (UCD)
- Prof. Adrienne Gorman, National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG)
- Prof. Rory Johnson, University College Dublin (UCD)
- Prof. Helen Roche, University College Dublin (UCD)
- Prof. Afshin Samali, National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG)
- Prof. Eva Szegezdi, National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG)
- Prof. Mark Tangney, University College Cork (UCC)
To learn more about the DevelopMed programme, the application process and how to apply visit www.ucd.ie/developmed
DevelopMed Call 2 Applications
Call 2 of the ‘Developing the Next Generation of Research Leaders in Precision Oncology’ (DevelopMed) Marie Sklodowska-Curie COFUND Programme officially opened 1st September 2021 and ran until the 30th of November 2021. The Programme offers prestigious Precision Oncology Fellowships to experienced researchers at the early stage of their career.
DevelopMed, which is coordinated by Systems Biology Ireland (SBI) in UCD, entails an EU investment of €1.32 million. DevelopMed is a training programme which will support the development of high calibre research fellows who are at an early stage of their careers. Fellows will be conducting research throughout Ireland in Precision Oncology within the themes of Diagnostics, Therapeutics & Drug Development and the Tumour Microenvironment. Proposals may be in basic or applied research topics broadly classified within the aforementioned precision oncology themes (e.g. computational modelling, nutrition, obesity, machine learning, immunology etc). Institutions hosting fellows include University College Dublin, the National University of Ireland Galway, University College Cork and the RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences.
The aim of DevelopMed is to develop the next generation of skilled researchers who will gain hands-on experience developing cross-disciplinary and entrepreneurial skills through individual research projects with a mandatory 3-6 month secondment at an accredited research organisation (academic, industrial, clinical and/or charity sectors) during their fellowship. Information on eligibility criteria for applicants can be found here.
Furthermore, the DevelopMed programme supports gender equality in research and innovation. All DevelopMed academic partners have signed the Athena SWAN Charter, established to encourage and recognise commitment to advancing the careers of women in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) employment in research.
To learn more about the DevelopMed programme, the application process and how to apply visit www.ucd.ie/developmed
Meet the DevelopMed Supervisors for Call 2
DevelopMed is delighted to announce the excellent academic supervisors committed to hosting fellows through Call 2 of the programme. The DevelopMed academic supervisors are leading experts in a wide range of research areas related to precision oncology.
Prospective applicants to the DevelopMed programme must contact the academic supervisor with whom they intend to work with in DevelopMed to express their interest in submitting a DevelopMed fellowship application. The DevelopMed supervisors for Call 2 of the programme are listed below and further information on the supervisors and their research areas is available here.
- Prof. Walter Kolch, University College Dublin (UCD)
- Prof. Jonathan Bond, University College Dublin (UCD)
- Dr. Róisín Dwyer, National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG)
- Prof. David Brayden and Prof. Jeremy Simpson, University College Dublin (UCD)
- Dr. Sharon McKenna, University College Cork (UCC)
- Assoc. Prof. Cormac McCarthy and Prof. Michael Keane, University College Dublin (UCD)
- Assistant Prof. Colm Ryan, University College Dublin (UCD)
- Dr. Eva Szegezdi, National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG)
- Prof. William Gallagher, University College Dublin (UCD)
- Prof. Afshin Samali, National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG)
To learn more about the DevelopMed programme, the application process and how to apply visit www.ucd.ie/developmed
Introducing the First Cohort of DevelopMed Fellows
DevelopMed is delighted to introduce the first Cohort of DevelopMed MSCA Fellows. The five fellows from Cohort 1 have come to Ireland from five different countries and will be based in Universities across Ireland. Cohort 1 Fellows are listed below and further information about their research areas is available here.
Dr. Michela Coan, University College Dublin (UCD)
Project: Thera-lncRNA - RNA precision therapeutics for non-small cell lung cancer: accelerating translation through single-cell genomics
Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Rory Johnson
Previous Location: CRO, National Cancer Institute, Aviano, Italy
Dr. Alessandra Conforte, University of Galway (NUIG)
Project: Determining the cellular and molecular heterogeneity driving acute myeloid leukaemia for the design of informed therapeutic strategies
Supervisor: Dr. Eva Szegezdi
Previous Location: Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Dr. Matthieu Moncan, University of Galway (NUIG)
Project: Regulation of breast and pancreatic cancer functions by IRE1α
Supervisor: Prof. Adrienne Gorman
Previous Location: Imagine Institute, Paris, France
Dr. Claire Robinson, University of Galway (NUIG)
Project: Investigating the Therapeutic Potential of Targeting Inositol Requiring Enzyme 1 (IRE1) in Cancer (INTAC)
Supervisor: Prof. Afshin Samali
Previous Location: University of Toronto, Canada
Dr. Christopher Shannon, University College Dublin (UCD)
Project: Microbial regulation of metabolic inflammation as a prelude to liver cancer
Supervisor: Prof. Helen Roche
Previous Location: UT Health San Antonio Texas, USA
We look forward to seeing exciting research outputs from their projects over the next three years. To learn more about the DevelopMed programme please visit www.ucd.ie/developmed
Introducing the Second Cohort of DevelopMed Fellows
DevelopMed is delighted to introduce the second Cohort of DevelopMed MSCA Fellows. The seven fellows from Cohort 2 will be based in Universities across Ireland including UCD, UCC and UoG. Cohort 2 Fellows are listed below and further information about their research areas is available here.
Dr. Ayush Attery, University of Galway (UoG)
Project: Treating leukaemia by re-programming the bone marrow microenvironment by targeting the NEDDylation pathway
Supervisor: Dr. Eva Szegezdi
Previous Location: Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
Dr. Teerna Bhattacharyya, University College Dublin (UCD)
Project: Characterising the effect of genetic alterations on Polycomb protein networks to identify therapeutic targets for high-risk childhood leukaemia
Supervisor: Prof. Jonathan Bond
Previous Location: Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, India
Dr. Sahil Malhotra, University College Dublin (UCD)
Project: Buccal Delivery of Anti-cancer Peptide Drugs Using 3D Printed Mucoadhesive Patch
Supervisors: Prof. David Brayden & Prof. Jeremy Simpson
Previous Location: Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Delhi
Dr. Aranzazu Martinez De Maranon Peris, University College Cork (UCC)
Project: Identification of ISG15 modified autophagy proteins and their potential as novel targets for oesophageal cancer (ISGAutoCan)
Supervisor: Dr. Sharon McKenna
Previous Location: University of Valencia, Spain
Dr. Sutanu Nandi, University College Dublin (UCD)
Project: Development of a machine learning framework to decipher and predict context-specific synthetic lethality in cancer
Supervisor: Asst. Prof. Colm Ryan
Previous Location: AcSIR, Ghaziabad, India
Dr. Rashmi Sharma, University College Dublin (UCD)
Project: Regulation of crosstalk and signaling switches between RAF and MST2 pathways in neuroblastoma
Supervisor: Prof. Walter Kolch
Previous Location: Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
Dr. Yasuhito Sekimoto, University College Dublin (UCD)
Project: The role of circulating serum exosomes in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and the pre metastatic niche in lymphangioleiomyomatosis
Supervisors: Assoc. Prof. Cormac McCarthy & Prof. Michael Keane
Previous Location: Jutendo University, Japan
We look forward to seeing exciting research outputs from their projects over the next three years. To learn more about the DevelopMed programme please visit www.ucd.ie/developmed
DevelopMed Kick Off Event
The DevelopMed programme management team hosted an official programme kick-off event on 21 October, 2022 in University College Dublin. The event was attended by programme fellows, supervisors, close collaborators, the programme management team and members of the programme governance boards.
The event was officially opened by Prof. Cecily Kelleher, College Principal, College of Health and Agricultural Sciences and Chair of the DevelopMed Steering Committee. Prof. Walter Kolch, DevelopMed Programme Coordinator and Director of Systems Biology Ireland, UCD, presented an overview of the programme for all in attendance.
Speakers included past MSCA recipients including Dr. Eoin Brennan (Assistant Professor, UCD Conway Institute) and Dr. Husvinee Sundaramurthi (IRC postdoctoral fellow & Previous TopMed10 MSCA Fellow).
A networking lunch and formal photographs were facilitated following the presentations.
We are delighted to officially welcome our DevelopMed fellows and look forward to seeing their continued success throughout the course of their fellowships.
DevelopMed Call 3 Applications
Call 3 of the ‘Developing the Next Generation of Research Leaders in Precision Oncology’ (DevelopMed) Marie Sklodowska-Curie COFUND Programme officially opened from 12th of May 2023 until 25th of June 2023 (23:59 GMT). The Programme offers prestigious Precision Oncology Fellowships to experienced researchers at the early stage of their career. Call 3 entails fellowships of 24 months in duration.
DevelopMed, which is coordinated by Systems Biology Ireland (SBI) in UCD, entails an EU investment of €1.32 million. DevelopMed is a training programme which will support the development of high calibre research fellows who are at an early stage of their careers. Fellows will be conducting research throughout Ireland in Precision Oncology within the themes of Diagnostics, Therapeutics & Drug Development and the Tumour Microenvironment. Proposals may be in basic or applied research topics broadly classified within the aforementioned precision oncology themes (e.g. computational modelling, obesity, metabolism, machine learning, immunology etc). Institutions hosting fellows include University College Dublin, the University of Galway, University College Cork and the RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences.
The aim of DevelopMed is to develop the next generation of skilled researchers who will gain hands-on experience developing cross-disciplinary and entrepreneurial skills through individual research projects with a mandatory 3-6 month secondment at an accredited research organisation (academic, industrial, clinical and/or charity sectors) during their fellowship. Information on eligibility criteria for applicants can be found here.
Furthermore, the DevelopMed programme supports gender equality in research and innovation. All DevelopMed academic partners have signed the Athena SWAN Charter, established to encourage and recognise commitment to advancing the careers of women in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) employment in research.
To learn more about the DevelopMed programme, visit www.ucd.ie/developmed
