HRB names UCD researchers among ‘Ireland’s future research leaders’ awarded €12.5m
Posted 22 November, 2024
Two UCD researchers are among (opens in a new window)13 recipients awarded €12.5 million as the Health Research Board (HRB) seeks to develop Ireland’s future research leaders.
Announced as awardees, (opens in a new window)Associate Professor Tomás Barry, UCD School of Medicine, and Dr Kieran Brennan, UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science & UCD Conway Institute, will receive almost €2.2m in funding are part of two HRB schemes designed specifically to support health and social care research.
The funding is awarded under the HRB Research Career Framework which aims to provide emerging researchers opportunities to establish themselves as independent investigators.
“These awards are part of the HRB’s strategic commitment to build research leadership across academic and clinical environments in Ireland,” said Dr Mairéad O'Driscoll, HRB Chief Executive said.
“They will create a critical mass of collaborative investigators who will respond to current and emerging health research needs and bridge a key gap in career transition between postdoctoral and research independence stages.”
Project: Intelligent and innovative planning for community based unscheduled care
Associate Professor Tomás Barry - Emerging Clinician Scientist Award
Addressing the needs of Ireland's aging population, and those with conditions such as diabetes, asthma, or cardiovascular disease, this project focuses on the ‘unscheduled care’ that is delivered in the community by GPs and by the National Ambulance Service.
“Our project will investigate the best innovations developed and lessons learnt in other countries. We will use Irish population and health services data to model demand and tailor interventions that can meet the needs of the population into the future,” said Associate Professor Tomás Barry.
“We will consult with patients and healthcare staff to understand their priorities for the future, and specifically explore innovations where GPs and the Ambulance Service collaborate to deliver care in order to codesign a framework for evaluating this care.”
Collaborating on this project will be the UCD School of Medicine, AI Healthcare Hub, Centre for Interdisciplinary Research, Education and Innovation in Health Systems, alongside the National Ambulance Service, Irish College of General Practitioners, HSE National Health Intelligence Unit, Department of Health, and international colleagues from Europe, the UK, Canada, Singapore and Australia.
Project: Blood based-liquid biopsy for prediction of Immunotherapy response in Multiple Myeloma
Dr Kieran Brennan - Emerging Investigator Award
This project will monitor the extracellular vesicles (EV) levels in patients undergoing a myeloma therapy known as Daratumumab (Daralex). Multiple Myeloma is an incurable malignancy that accounts for 1% of all cancers, with approximately 390 people being diagnosed in Ireland each year.
EVs act as messengers between cells and represent a non-invasive way to monitor changes in following treatment for cancer.
Dr Kieran Brennan and his team will monitor these tiny go-betweens from patients before and during Daralex therapy to determine how levels change and differ between patients that respond or do not respond to treatment.
“Our study aims to clinically validate a novel EV-based non-invasive liquid biopsy for myeloma, providing a groundbreaking tool for routine disease monitoring that will inform clinical decisions and enable personalised treatments tailored to individual patients," he said.
"Overall, this will lead to better treatment outcomes, and a reduced risk of adverse reactions. This work will be carried out with clinical collaborators in The Mater Hospital Dublin and Vejle Hospital Denmark.”
This is the second round of the Emerging Clinician Scientist Awards scheme with six new health and social care practitioners awarded funding, and bringing the total to 11 awards made since 2020.
For the Emerging Investigator Awards, this is the fourth round of the call with seven new academic researchers funded, bringing the total to 38 emerging investigators supported since 2017.
“The 2024 awards were selected via a rigorous application and assessment process, which included a two-stage application process, based on international peer review, public review, and interviews by an international panel of experts for shortlisted candidates,” said Dr Anne Cody, Head of Investigator-led Grants, Careers and Enablers at the HRB
“We want to ensure that these awards not only enhance the awardees' career development but that they also deliver research with clear pathways to impact.”
By: David Kearns, Digital Journalist / Media Officer, UCD University Relations (with materials from Emma Loughney, UCD Research and Innovation)
To contact the UCD News & Content Team, email: newsdesk@ucd.ie
