Posted 01 February 2012
UCD scientist first to win SFI-HRB Wellcome Trust Biomedical Partnership Award
Dr Fiona McGillicuddy from the Conway Institute at University College Dublin has won the first award under the SFI-HRB Wellcome Trust Biomedical Partnership. She will investigate the links between obesity, 'good cholesterol', diet and coronary artery disease.
According to Enda Connolly, Chief Executive of the Health Research Board (HRB) and Chairman of the Joint Executive Committee under the SFI-HRB Wellcome Trust Biomedical Partnership:
“We are delighted to announce that the first award under this partnership is for a Research Career Development Fellowship. It is a significant award; Fiona will receive approximately €750,000 euros over five years to conduct this research. We hope that her success will encourage more Irish researchers to apply for funding through the many schemes in this partnership.”
Dr Fiona McGillicuddy from the Conway Institute at University College Dublin has won the first successful award under the
SFI-HRB
Wellcome Trust Biomedical Partnership
The research project will examine how obesity affects high-density lipoprotein (HDL) function which is sometimes called 'good cholesterol'. HDL plays an important role at removing cholesterol from the body, thereby reducing the risk of heart attack brought on by cardiovascular disease.
“First we want to determine whether being obese affects HDL's ability to eliminate cholesterol,” says Dr McGillicuddy from the Nutrigenomics Research Group, at the UCD Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, University College Dublin.
“We then want to determine whether the type of diet that causes the obesity also plays a role in elevating the risk of coronary artery disease.
For example, you can be obese from eating a high-carbohydrate diet, or you can be obese from eating a high-saturated fat diet. We want to see how these very different diets affect HDL function, and consequently the risk of coronary disease.
We also know that during obesity as the fat mass (adipose tissue) expands it becomes inflamed. We plan to investigate whether this adipose tissue inflammation results in reduced ability of HDL to remove cholesterol from the body. We will examine whether new therapies that reduce fat inflammation can also improve HDL function and reduce the risk of coronary disease despite the presence of obesity.”
Commenting on the announcement, Professor Mark Ferguson, Director General of Science Foundation Ireland, said:
“Scientific solutions require convergence and collaboration, and I am delighted about this first award, particularly given the urgency and relevance of Dr McGillicuddy’s research topic. SFI hopes to build on, and add to, its prestigious partnership agreements to facilitate excellent research with the potential to produce significant societal impacts.”
Sir Mark Walport, Director of the Wellcome Trust said:
“As levels of obesity reach record proportions worldwide, it is essential that we improve our understanding of the potential causes, and the impact that this will have on our cardiovascular health. We hope that Dr McGillicuddy's work will provide an essential key to help us understand this relationship. Her award illustrates the excellent research that will be funded under our Biomedical Partnership with Science Foundation Ireland and the Health Research Board.”
Professor Walter Kolch, Director, UCD Conway Institute said:
”This prestigious award to Dr Fiona McGillicuddy is testament not only to the calibre of early-stage career scientist that is the fibre of our Institute but also to the quality of research output that endures under the scrutiny of substantial peer review.”
About SFI-HRB Wellcome Trust Biomedical Partnership
The Wellcome Trust, in partnership with Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and the Health Research Board (HRB), fund biomedical and clinical research in the Republic of Ireland under the auspices of the SFI-HRB-Wellcome Trust Biomedical Research Partnership since October 1st 2010.
The vision of the Wellcome Trust, the UK-based global charity, is to achieve extraordinary improvements in human and animal health through a broad range of funding schemes. Since 2005, the Wellcome Trust has awarded 59 grants to Republic of Ireland institutions, with a total value of £16.2m.
(Produced by UCD University Relations)
