University College Dublin and Northeastern University, Boston, US, held a symposium to showcase the five collaborative projects funded under the two universities’ joint seed fund. The programme was created to deepen the existing research collaborations and foster new cross-institutional relationships, as part of a trans-Atlantic institutional partnership.

At a visit to the Northeastern Boston campus in February, when the projects were announced, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris TD said: "I am delighted to welcome the exciting collaboration between University College Dublin and Northeastern University while in Boston, as they embark on new and groundbreaking research projects. UCD and Northeastern’s partnership reflects our commitment and tireless ambition to fostering innovation and advancing knowledge, ensuring a brighter future for both Ireland and the US through collaborative academic endeavours." 

Pictured left to right: Triona McCormack, UCD VP for External Engagement, Prof Dolores O'Riordan, Director of UCD Global, David Madigan, NU Provost/Senior VP for Academic Affairs, Prof Kate Robson Brown, UCD VP for Research, Innovation and Impact, and Kim Holloway, NU Vice-Provost for Research Development.

Opening the symposium, UCD’s Vice-President for Research, Innovation and Impact, Professor Kate Robson Brown said: “It is very exciting to learn about the collaboration and innovation at the heart of all these projects, which echoes the spirit of our institutional relationship. The seed funding programme has really helped to build strong relationships between our communities and the energy and creativity we have seen at this symposium is an indication of the kind of momentum that we're going to expect as we take this partnership forward.”

Provost and Senior Vice-President for Academic Affairs at Northeastern University David Madigan said: “The partnership between UCD and Northeastern University is of great strategic importance to both sides. Some of the partnerships in our first five project teams existed before the seed funding programme. These and other collaborations that weren’t part of this call, represent the many touchpoints that exist between the two universities. All of our collaborations, including the five terrific projects seen here today, demonstrate the alignment between our institutions and our research.”

The five projects and collaborating researchers are:

Sample Sleuth: Active Learning for Optimal Biomarker Sampling Strategies in Clinical AI

“Sample Sleuth aims to solve a big problem for health researchers that use biomarkers, which are key data points taken from physical patient samples. While biomarkers are sources of very useful information to help predict diagnoses and save lives, these data are expensive and time consuming to process. Seeing the challenge and the opportunity associated with biomarker discovery, our team uses machine learning to combine cheaper, more easily accessible hospital data with sample biomarker data to build novel predictive models based on ideas and active learning which help identify only the most valuable biomarker data to process. These algorithms will enable all kinds of health researchers to unlock the vast potential benefits of biomarker data much more easily.” (Prof Brian MacNamee)

"The PROTECT Study has investigated the associations between environmental contamination in Puerto Rico and its adverse effects on pregnancy outcomes for over 15 years. The biological samples donated by our study participants are incredibly rich, but limited, sources of information. With Sample Sleuth, we enhance the efficiency of sample utilization, enabling us to address critical inquiries while minimizing waste. We anticipate that a tool such as Sample Sleuth will contribute to the long-term sustainability of this crucial research endeavour. " (Associate Prof Justin Manjourides)

Collaborators: Brian Mac Namee, Associate Professor of Computer Science, UCD School of Computer Science; Patricia Maguire, Professor of Biochemistry at UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science and Director of UCD Institute for Discovery; Justin Manjourides, Associate Professor of Health Sciences at Northeastern University; Akram Alshawabkeh, George A. Snell Professor of Engineering and University Distinguished Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering Senior Associate Dean of Research and Global University Campus and Director of PROTECT Superfund Research Center at Northeastern University.

Probing Neurophysiological Mechanisms to Optimise Effectiveness of Multi-Path Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation

“The collaboration with Mat, Josh and Dave in NU has provided us with access to a neurophysiological research expertise and infrastructure that will offer important insights into the mechanism of action of the multipath muscle stimulation approach that was developed in UCD. This will enable us to develop a better case for applying this technology to the challenges posed by osteoarthritis and microgravity. I anticipate that the impact of this collaboration will be much greater than the sum of its parts.” (Prof Brian Caulfield). 

“The NU-UCD seed funding was the genesis of a new collaboration with Brian and his team at UCD that we believe will spark new innovation in the field of electrical muscle stimulation. The data collected as part of the seed funding will allow us to seek external funding to build new stimulation strategies that provide better rehabilitation outcomes with less patient discomfort.” (Dr Mathew Yarossi)

Collaborators: Brian Caulfield, Full Professor of Physiotherapy at the UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science; Mathew Yarossi, Joshua Stefanik, and David Sherman, all Assistant Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Physical Therapy, Movement and Rehabilitation Sciences at Northeastern University.

MECHANO: Mechanical Evaluation of Cartilage Hierarchy and Neo-Organisation

“The NU-UCD seed fund has been a fantastic opportunity to bring Dr Shefelbine's and my research teams together and to do some exciting research understanding how cartilage grows and strengthens postnatally. As Sandra and I worked together previously at Imperial College London, we were especially happy to collaborate again. The two PIs visited each other and gave seminars in Northeastern and UCD, and Sandra's postdoc spent two weeks with us in UCD to help develop the testing protocol. We are excited to wrap up our analyses and publish our findings.” (Prof Niamh Nowlan) 

“The collaboration with Dr. Nowlan gave an opportunity for a post-doc to travel to Dublin to share experimental methodology and collect data. The ability for trainees to experience labs abroad and continue to work with them in collaboration should not be underestimated. We look forward to a long and fruitful collaboration.” (Prof Sandra Shefelbine)

Collaborators: Niamh Nowlan, Full Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the UCD School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering and Fellow of UCD Conway Institute; Sandra Shefelbine, Professor of Bioengineering, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, and College of Engineering Associate Dean for Space and Special Initiatives at Northeastern University.

Examining the interaction of a silica-coated nanoparticle containing insulin with a human-derived intestinal organ-on-a-chip

"The UCD-NE project on oral peptide administration uses complementary skills at each site to give results that could not otherwise be achieved. UCD is good at making nanoparticles with peptides for oral administration, while NU is good at screening the interaction of these particles with the gut wall using human intestinal organoid models. This may allow for a level of prediction of the performance of the nanoparticles in humans when taken as capsules. We regard this short project as seeding future workflows for larger grants and also in establishing how to effectively work together." (Prof David Brayden)

“The collaboration with David’s lab is super exciting for us, as David is a leading expert in technologies for enabling oral delivery of peptides - a grand challenge in pharmaceutical research - and this is an area that we have just started to work in. The collaboration is giving us an opportunity to leverage the organoid-based intestinal models we’ve developed at Northeastern to better understand the function of nanoparticle delivery vehicles David has developed. We are grateful to have the opportunity to partner with David and merge the technologies and expertise from UCD and Northeastern to move the field forward.” (Prof Rebecca Carrier)

Collaborators: David Brayden, Full Professor of Advanced Drug Delivery at UCD School of Veterinary Medicine and Fellow of UCD Conway Institute; Rebecca Carrier, Professor and Associate Chair of Research of Chemical Engineering, affiliated faculty of Bioengineering and Biology at Northeastern University.

Amplifying Resilience: Digital Sustainability in DIY Music Communities

“One of the most exciting elements of our project is the collaborative work with DIY practitioners that we have been able to carry out. We believe that this element of the work will not only result in vibrant outputs for the public (a podcast and a documentary series pilot), but will also allow us to make a critical contribution to methodological approaches in our disciplines. The other exciting element of the project is our focus on the concept of noneconomic value as a way to critique the (often inequitable) application of cultural policy to music and music-makers in cities worldwide. We believe that there is scope for a large, multi-sited project that would ultimately advance cultural policy initiatives that recognise and prioritise noneconomic forms of value in local music scenes, which would be an important step in preserving and improving their resilience and sustainability.” (Associate Prof Jaime Jones)

“The seed funding has been crucial during this project’s gestational period, which can be long for ethnographic and community-engaged research projects. My Boston-based team has spent over 100 hours conducting interviews and participant-observation research within DIY music communities, all of which laid the foundation for two significant public-facing components: a roundtable discussion addressing “The State of DIY Music” at a local venue in Cambridge, Mass. in August, and the ongoing production of our 6-episode podcast “Live Free or DIY.” As we move forward with scholarly dissemination and external funding applications, maintaining such public engagement components is an important aspect of ensuring that our research foregrounds the perspectives and needs of DIY music communities themselves.” (Associate Prof Andrew Mall)

Collaborators: Jaime Jones, Associate Professor in Ethnomusicology at UCD School of Music; Andrew Mall, Associate Professor of Music at Northeastern University.