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AIIHPC Structured Research Network APA Cycle 2 2019 Applied Partnership Awards Applying Research into Policy & Practice Postdoctoral Fellowships ARPP 2020 Cancer Prevention Fellowship Programme Cancer Prevention Fellowship Programme Reintegration Grant Capacity Building for Evidence Synthesis Clinical Research Facilities/Centres 2021 Cochrane Training Fellowships Collaborative Doctoral Awards Conference and Event Sponsorship Scheme COVID-19 2020 CSF 2020 DIFA - 2018 DIFA 2017 DIFA 2018 DIFA 2020 DIFA-2018 Doctoral Training Programme in Precision Medicine in Cancer Emerging Clinician Scientist Awards 2020 Emerging Investigator Awards Emerging Investigator Awards 2022 ERA-NET Cofund for Neuroscience Research (NEURON) ERA-NET Cofund for Personalised Medicine Framework for Safe Nurse Staffing and Skill Mix Fulbright-HRB Health Impact Awards Health Research Awards HRB Clinical Research Facilities HRB Collaboration in Ireland for Clinical Effectiveness Reviews HRB Postdoctoral Fellowships: ARPP 2023 HRB Postdoctoral Fellowships: CSF 2023 HRB Trials Methodology Research Network HRCI 2020 HRCI-HRB Joint Funding Scheme ICORG Statistics and Data Management Interdisciplinary Capacity Enhancement Awards Investigator Led Projects IPPOSI 2020 Irish Clinical Oncology Research Group Irish Platform for Patients Organisations Science and Industry Support Award Joint Programming Initiative Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life Joint Programming Initiative in Neurodegenerative Diseases Joint Programming Initiative on Antimicrobial Resistance Knowledge Exchange and Dissemination Scheme Knowledge Translation Awards Medical Research Charities Group Support Award MRCG-HRB Joint Funding Scheme National Children's Hospital Foundation Scheme National Clinical Trials Coordination Programme National integrated PhD programme for Medical Practitioners National Intellectual Disability Supplement to TILDA Patrick Quinn Awards for Parkinson's Research PPI Ignite Awards Project Development Grants Rare Diseases Research and Innovation Catalyst Awards (RDCat) 2023 RCQPS COVID-19 Research Collaborative for Quality and Patient Safety Research Collaborative in Quality and Patient Safety Research Training Fellowships for Healthcare Professionals RL FA 2020 RL PA 2020 Secondary Data Analysis Projects SFI-HRB-Wellcome Research Partnership Structured PhD Programme in Population Health and Health Services Research The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing Ulysses Research Visits US-Ireland R&D Partnership Awards WHO-SOLI-2020
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Host Institution
Atlantic Technological University DCU Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine Dublin City University Dublin Dental University Hospital Dublin Institute of Technology Economic and Social Research Institute Family Carers Ireland Fondazione Telethon Fraunhofer ITMP Health Information and Quality Authority Health Research Charities Ireland HSE - St. Luke's Hospital (Rathgar) Institute of Technology Sligo IPPOSI Irish Blood Transfusion Service, National Blood Centre Irish Clinical Oncology Research Group Ltd Irish Platform for Patients Organisations Science and Industry Irish Platform for Patients' Organisations, Science and Industry Ltd Irish Platform for Patients’ Organisations, Science and Industry Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Limerick Institute of Technology Maynooth University Medical Research Charities Group Ltd National University of Ireland Galway National University of Ireland, Galway Our Lady's Hospice Queen’s University Belfast RCSI Royal College of Physicians of Ireland Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland TCD Teagasc Technological University Dublin The Alzheimer Society of Ireland The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Trinity College Dublin UCD University College Cork University College Dublin University Hospitals Leuven & KU Leuven University of Auckland University of California San Francisco University of Cambridge University of Galway University of Limerick University of Oxford UPMC Whitfield
Funding Awarded
72 awards
MinDful: Music aNd Dance For Older adULts: The Feasibility of an Arts-Based Health Intervention for Health and Wellbeing
Ireland has an ageing population. Many older adults in Ireland have a chronic condition, low levels of physical activity and experience loneliness and social isolation. Additionally, approximately a third of adults over 65 years of age fall each year. Additionally, the unprecedented consequences of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic,...
Randomised controlled trial of reduced versus standard volume platelet transfusion in preterm babies with thrombocytopenia (with add-on studies to explore mechanisms of harm)
Platelets are cells which help blood clot but they also have other effects such as directing pathways of inflammation. Premature babies often have low platelets, particularly if they have an infection or bowel inflammation. Doctors give platelet transfusions because they think that this prevents bleeding but there is no evidence...
Safeguarding the Brain Of Our Smallest Children- an open-label phase-III randomsied trial of cerebral oximetry combined with a treatment guideline versus treatment as usual in premature infants
Approximately 25,000 preterm infants are born more than 12 weeks early every year in Europe. For these preterm infants, the consequences of such an early birth include a high risk of death and brain injury. About one in five will die and almost one quarter of all survivors will be at risk of longer-term developmental problems....
Emerge-2: placebo-controlled RCT of the Effectiveness of MEtformin in addition to usual care in the Reduction of Gestational diabetes mellitus Effects
Diabetes (high blood sugars) developing during pregnancy is called Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM). GDM is increasing, affecting one-in-eight pregnant women in Ireland. Women with GDM have an increased risk of complications including delivery by Caesarean section and more blood pressure problems. Women with GDM have a 7-fold...
An Education and eXercise intervention (EDX-Ireland) for gluteal tendinopathy in an Irish setting: a feasibility randomised controlled trial (LEAP-Ireland trial)
Gluteal tendinopathy is a chronic condition which affects tendons of the gluteal (buttock) muscles of the hip. This condition is also known as Greater Trochanteric Pain Syndrome (GTPS). It can result in significant pain that can last for months or years. It can disturb sleep and affect everyday activities such as...
The StrokeCog-R study: a randomised pilot study of a novel cognitive rehabilitation intervention in stroke
Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability in Ireland and worldwide. Many people are aware of the physical disabilities that occur following stroke, but are less aware of the cognitive problems that people experience. Cognitive problems, or cognitive impairment, include difficulties with thinking, memory, and concentration. They...
European Blood Pressure Intensive Control after Stroke-Pilot trial (EPICS-Pilot)
Stroke is the second leading cause of death, the leading cause of new disability and a major contributing cause of dementia and healthcare costs in the world. About one-third of recovered stroke survivors will have second stroke or heart attack by 5 years. High blood pressure (hypertension) is the leading treatable condition...
SENSE-Cog Care: A feasibility study of hearing and vision support to improve quality of life in care home residents with dementia
What is the need? Of the 55,000 people with dementia in Ireland, nearly 17,000 live in nursing homes. Over 90% of these residents have significant hearing and vision problems that are frequently undetected or under-corrected. Also, the sensory environment (noise, bad lighting) in many nursing homes may contribute to poor...
Randomised Placebo-Controlled Trial of Early Targeted Treatment of Patent Ductus Arteriosus with Paracetamol in Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants
Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA) is common in newborn infants, especially premature infants. During pregnancy, the Ductus Arteriosus is an open channel between the two main blood vessels coming from the baby's heart. After birth it usually closes during the first few days. For very premature babies it may take longer to close, or may not...
Maximising medication adherence and minimising physician interia: Lowering to target the blood pressure of older patients with hypertension-A cluster randomised feasibility study in general practice
High blood pressure can lead to strokes and heart disease. Despite treatment, many patients continue to have uncontrolled blood pressure. In Ireland, we do very badly in this area - the worst of sixteen high income countries worldwide. For example, the proportion of Irish male patients with controlled blood pressure is 17% - in Canada,...
OPTimization of Medication by transdisciplinary Assessment of drug Treatment in Elderly hospitizalised patients (OPTIMATE): application of a definitive intervention by physicians or clinical pharmacists
Older people commonly experience multimorbid illness i.e. several chronic medical conditions occurring in the same patient simultaneously. Each of these conditions is usually treated with one or more medications, such that multimorbid illness usually results in several medications being simultaneously prescribed long-term; this is...
Enhancing Men’s Awareness of Testicular Disease (E-Mat): A Feasibility Study and Study Within A Trial (SWAT)
Testicular cancer is the most common cancer in European men younger than 50 years. In Ireland, 176 men are diagnosed with testicular cancer each year. Testicular cancer treatments, especially in late stages, can cause infertility, heart, and neurological diseases. Other testicular diseases can also cause lumps and bumps. These are...
HRCI Support Award
Award supporting HRCI activities.
IPPOSI Support Award
Award supporting IPPOSI activities.
WHO Solidarity Trial Ireland
WHO Solidarity Trial Ireland
Building research capacity, harnessing data and strengthening health systems to improve outcomes in community emergency & unscheduled care in Ireland
This research project aims to improve systems of community emergency care by focusing on a condition called Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA). OHCA is an emergency where a person’s heart suddenly stops pumping blood around the body. It happens without warning, often because of an abnormal heart rhythm. In Ireland 2500 people suffer...
An analysis of nurse-led COVID-19 interventions among homeless populations – a mixed methods study
This research project will study the effectiveness of nursing care given to prevent, identify or treat COVID-19 among people who are homeless. Research shows that homeless populations are more at risk of infections because of existing health issues and diseases, poor nutrition, addictions and mental health problems. People who are...
Sustaining increased and improved access to opioid substitution treatment (OST) in Ireland: a mixed-methods study to evaluate the impact of national contingency OST guidelines on process and client outcomes, and identify quality indicators for the continued and safe delivery of OST throughout and beyond COVID-19.
People who use heroin have a risk of death six times higher than the general population. The most effective treatment for heroin use is the prescription of legal, substitution medicine, most commonly methadone. This is called opioid substitution treatment or OST. Most people in OST attend a specialist outpatient addiction service,...
Understanding and Enhancing Medication Safety During COVID-19: The CONNECTS (COVID-Nineteen Medication Safety) Toolkit
Medicines are the most common treatment used to maintain and improve health. Due to COVID19, the way in which people access and use medication in their communities has changed rapidly and in an unprecedented way. Many are using technology to avoid potential exposure to COVID19 and we do not yet understand the impact on medicines safety...
Manipulating macrophage bioenergetics to improve patient outcomes in TB infection
Tuberculosis (TB) is the most lethal infectious disease worldwide, causing 1.8 million deaths annually. For the last 4 years in Ireland, we have seen a doubling of TB cases after the use of immuno-suppressants called TNF blockers, and the emergence of drug resistant TB in Irish people for the first time in this regard. Targeting and...
Oral health in adults with Cystic Fibrosis
Approximately 1 in 19 Irish people are said to 'carry' one copy of the altered gene that causes Cystic Fibrosis (CF). Half of people born with cystic fibrosis in 2017 will live to at least 47. This is a remarkable medical advance, however this means that we now have a shortage of evidence for the healthcare management of adults...
Progressing Sláintecare delivery from proposal to implementation: Insights from palliative care in Ireland
Sláintecare, Ireland’s national ten-year reform plan recommends universal healthcare. This represents the biggest Irish health system reform since its inception. Using palliative care as an example this project examines the development universal palliative care internationally and applies these learnings to Ireland.
Through a...
Measures of wellbeing for use in economic evaluation: valuing and assessing health outcomes in Ireland
In Ireland, healthcare decisions primarily concentrate on maximising health gain. However, with more integrated social care, there is growing recognition that this perspective is too narrow. Health maximisation is unlikely to be a relevant objective, particularly where demand for social care is high (e.g. in chronic diseases,...
Iron deficiency assessment for protection of the newborn brain
Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in the world. About 1 in 4 people do not have enough iron to stay healthy. Pregnant women, infants and young children are at high risk of iron deficiency, as they need more iron than other population groups to support growth and development. Maternal health, including body...
Food industry corporate political activity and its potential influence on public health policy, research and practice in Ireland
In Ireland, non-communicable diseases (NCD), which include diabetes, cardio-vascular diseases and cancers, contribute to premature death and increased suffering and disability. Unhealthy diets, particularly those high in ultra-processed food products, and obesity, are one of the primary risks factors for NCD. Internationally...
Blood-based biomarkers for early detection of preclinical neurocognitive disorders
With more people now living longer lives, dementia is becoming an increasingly important problem in society. One of the biggest challenges in designing studies of potential new treatments for dementia, is accurately predicting which people are most likely to develop dementia in the future, prior to them showing signs of the disease....
Exercise therapy for degenerative meniscal tears in the primary care - a feasibility cluster randomised controlled trial
Knee pain due to a degenerative meniscal tear is a common joint condition seen in Irish orthopaedic clinics. Changes to the knee joint and meniscus (cartilage within the knee that helps cushion the joint) occur normally with age but can become painful in some middle-aged adults. Exercise is recommended as the main treatment to aid...
Scenario and intervention modelling in Ireland for stroke: Evaluating the effect of alternative policy scenarios and interventions for stroke in Ireland on outcomes and costs
One in every four people in Ireland will have a stroke in their lifetime. People are less likely to die if they have a stroke than in previous decades, partly due to new treatments that prevent further strokes and improve outcomes. For every three people who survive their stroke, two acquire some type of disability such as...
Using knowledge translation to enhance the use of evidence in public health decision-making by policymakers and healthcare managers in Ireland
Health policy refers to decisions, plans, and actions that are undertaken to achieve specific health care goals within a society. Using high-quality evidence to inform how health policies are made is crucial to ensure safe and effective healthcare and to optimise patient and public health outcomes. Despite this, international research...
Hip fracture outcome recording and geographic equality
Hip fracture is a serious event in the lives of older people with around one in five individuals dying in the first year after their injury and many more losing their independence. Currently in Ireland, little is known about how people recover in the longer-term after hip fracture and many do not receive routine follow-up. In the last...
COVID-19 and the role and impact of the built environment on resident, family, and staff experiences in residential long-term care settings: Key findings and recommendations for building adaptation and retrofit.
Supporting the Sustainability of Long-Term Residential Care in a COVID-19 Environment and in the Future.
Long-term residential care (LTRC) homes have been at the centre of the COVID-19 pandemic, with high infection rates among staff and residents. A significant proportion of COVID-19 deaths have occurred in LTRC residents....
Plasma-based therapies for bone infection
Orthopaedic infection is life-threatening and current treatments are only sparingly successful. Despite aggressive peri-operative antibiotic treatments, 1.5% of knee revisions, 0.7 to 11.9%, of spinal infections (depending on the complexity of the procedure) and up to 27% of open fractures become infected. Moreover, the complexity of...
Development of a rapid, highly sensitive, handheld Raman-based device for detection of SARS-CoV-2 and serological responses against SARS-CoV-2
Serological assays to detect antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 are critical to study immune responses to the virus, determine precise rates of infection, track progression of infections, and identify immune individuals in order to limit exposure of susceptible groups or as potential sources of convalescent serum therapeutics. The...
Treating Primary aldosteronism-induced hypertension via microwave thermal therapy
In this tripartite US-Ireland R&D partnership program R01 research plan, we propose the development, optimization, and evaluation of a minimally-invasive microwave thermal therapy (MWT) system for definitive treatment of primary aldosteronism. Primary aldosteronism (PA) accounts for 5 - 12% of all hypertension and confers a higher...
Enhancing healthcare transition and longitudinal care for adolescents and adults with spina bifida and/or hydrocephalus in Ireland
Spina Bifida (SB) and hydrocephalus are lifelong conditions. Many people who have SB will also have hydrocephalus. While there are a number of supports and care plans for children with SB and/or hydrocephalus in Ireland, transitioning into adult care may pose problems. This project will investigate the experiences of those affected by...
Maximising the quality of stroke care in Ireland – Development of a National Stroke Audit
Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability. In recent years, improvements in stroke treatment have led to more people surviving stroke and to lower levels of disability. However, outcomes for stroke patients vary depending on the quality of care received. This indicates a need for a National Stroke Audit, involving regular...
Practice Enhancement for Exclusive Breastfeeding (PEEB)
Breastmilk makes the world healthier, smarter, and more equal as reported by The Lancet Series on
breastfeeding in 2016. There is substantial scientific international evidence that demonstrates the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding for infants, in the short, medium and long term. Such benefits include fewer infections ,increased...Meeting the challenge of childhood obesity treatment in Irish Healthcare: Generating Data to Facilitate Action.
Obesity is caused by the storage of too much fat tissue in the body. When children become obese they can have difficulties with their physical and mental health including:
- high blood pressure;
- painful joints;
- breathing difficulties;
- anxiety and early development of other diseases. ...
The effect of after action review in enhancing safety culture and second victim experience and its implementation in an Irish hospital
After Action Review is a discussion of an event with the team involved in the event. Four questions are asked:
- what did we expect to happen?
- what actually happened?
- why was there a difference?
- and what have we learnt?
An independent person guides the process. The purpose is to...
National Helicobacter pylori antibiotic resistance surveillance to guide clinical practice
Helicobacter pylori infection is a public health issue. It remains one of the most common infections in adults in Ireland and is associated with significant disease as the main cause of stomach ulcers and stomach cancers. Infection is more common in lower socioeconomic groups and increases with age.
Despite significant work...
Expanding the lung donor pool: interventions to improve donor management, expand ex vivo lung perfusion and repair injured donor lungs
When people sustain injury to the brain after a fall, road traffic accident, or major brain bleed, they require care in an Intensive Care Unit. After major brain injury, a patient’s lungs also often fail – this is termed "Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome" (ARDS).
ARDS after brain injury is common and contributes significantly...
Improving psychosocial supports for youth mental health
This research program will focus on improving the mental health of young people with serious mental health disorders. Serious mental health disorders (including schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders) are ranked among the top causes of years lived with disability.
My research will build on what is currently known about...
Towards an integrated model of care for older adults transitioning from the Emergency Department to the community
Worldwide increases in life expectancy are leading to the rapid ageing of populations. By 2031, it is forecasted that there will be more than one million older adults in Ireland, representing 20% of our overall population. It is widely accepted that older adults frequently avail of health services in the community and in the hospital...
Precision diagnosis and care for families with pulmonary fibrosis in Ireland
diopathic-Pulmonary-Fibrosis (IPF) is a devastating fatal lung disease leading to death at an average of 3 years after diagnosis and while new drugs offer hope of slowing the disease, lung transplant is the only effective cure. Genetic factors contribute significantly to the risk of developing IPF. In Ireland our results from the IPF...
Identifying children at risk of schizophrenia
Five of the ten leading causes of disability in young people are mental illnesses, of which psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia, are the most severe and disabling.
The Health Service Executive recently launched a National Clinical Programme for Early Intervention in Psychosis, which emphasizes the importance of...
Health Services Research Centre for UnderStanding TailOred iMplementation Involving Stakeholders, Evidence and skills Development (CUSTOMISED) for policy and practice
I will find ways to answer one of the most pressing and difficult questions facing health systems around the world- how do we implement effective changes in everyday healthcare in a way that is acceptable and practical for health professionals and service users?
We know from research that there are many things that health...
Linking 11-oxygenated androgens, skeletal muscle glucose metabolism and diabetes risk in polycystic ovary syndrome
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects up to 10% of all women. It is characterised by increased blood levels of hormones called androgens, as well as irregular menstrual cycles and multiple small cysts on the ovaries. Traditionally PCOS has been predominantly perceived as a reproductive disorder impacting on fertility. However...
Towards dynamic resilience in health system performance and reform
Worldwide increases in life expectancy are leading to the rapid ageing of populations. By 2031, it is forecasted that there will be more than one million older adults in Ireland, representing 20% of our overall population. It is widely accepted that older adults frequently avail of health services in the community and in the hospital...
Collaboration to reduce antimicrobial use and resistance and identify opportunities for improvement and awareness
Infections are often treated with antibiotics, even though antibiotics are not always the best option. Only infections that are caused by bacteria can be treated with antibiotics, infections caused by viruses do not respond to antibiotic treatment. An additional problem is that bacteria are becoming more and more resistant to...
Characterising problematic polypharmacy in older community-dwelling people attending general practice
As people grow older they are more likely to live with multiple chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and arthritis. As a result these people are prescribed multiple medications by their doctors. In Ireland, for example, 6 in 10 people aged over 65 years are prescribed five or more medications and 2 in 10 are prescribed 10...
Targeting the compromised brain endothelial barrier function during cerebral malaria with AT2 receptor agonists.
Strengthening of inter-cellular junctions of endothelial cells would facilitate important translational applications for a variety of diseases where endothelial integrity is compromised. As a first model, we have chosen cerebral malaria (CM), which remains the deadliest manifestation of malaria. It is caused by Plasmodium falciparum...
Defining the consequences of innate immune training on protective versus pathogenic T cell responses in patients with tuberculosis.
Tuberculosis (TB) ranks alongside HIV as the world's most deadly infectious disease, killing 1.5 million people every year. It is caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), which primarily infects people's lungs. Treating this disease is becoming more difficult due to antibiotic-resistant Mtb, therefore, scientists are...
Evidence synthesis and translation of findings for national clinical guideline development: addressing the needs and preferences of guideline development groups
National clinical guidelines aim to help healthcare providers and patients' make decisions about appropriate healthcare. These guidelines use the best available evidence, gathered from national and international research, to develop recommendations on a wide range of topics. These include preventing and managing specific conditions to...
The impact of mutations in PI3K/AKT pathway gene loci on response to PI3K inhibitors
Despite advances in the treatment of breast cancer, the National Cancer Registry of Ireland reported in 2014 that it accounted for 30% of all diagnosed female cancers and 16% of all female cancer deaths. The application of modern technologies to the study of breast cancer has demonstrated that a group of cancer pathways acquire changes...
PRoviding Improved care for Self-harM: a mixed-methods study of intervention, economic and implementation outcomes from a national clinical programme
Suicide is a societal concern in Ireland and is associated with both personal and economic costs. People who self-harm are at particular risk of suicide, and so developing services and interventions for this population can help prevent deaths. Under Ireland's national strategy to reduce suicide, a programme to help people who present...
Engineering RNA-based therapeutics for treatment of sepsis and sepsis induced multiple organ dysfunction syndrome
Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection. Worldwide it affects over 30 million people of all ages and results in 5.3 million deaths annually. In Ireland sepsis contributes to 25% of in-hospital deaths and one in five patients diagnosed with sepsis will die from this disease. To...
Comparison of staphylococcal species from the oro-nasal cavity, periodontal pockets and foot ulcers of patients with type II diabetes: a potential microbial reservoir for diabetic foot ulcer infection
The Research Collaborative in Quality and Patient Safety (RCQPS) is a collaborative initiative between the Health Research Board, the Health Service Executive, National Quality Improvement Team and the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. It was established in 2013 to advance nationally relevant research in the area of quality and...
Investigating breast cancer risk factors to understand breast cancer epidemiological outcomes
This proposal aims to expand cancer prevention research in Ireland through the assessment of breast cancer risk factors and their influence on clinically relevant characteristics of aggressive breast cancers.Prior research has identified factors associated with increased risk of breast cancer development. One such known factor includes...
Harnessing the power of the Gut-Lung Axis: How Dietary Short-Chain Fatty Acids Balance Inflammatory Outcomes in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an incurable lung condition triggered by smoking, or other air pollutants, that leads to long-term lung damage and serious trouble breathing. While COPD is an illness of the lungs, maintaining a healthy gut and a balanced diet can prevent COPD and reduce COPD attacks or flare-ups. But how...
SCaRLeT: Sex differences in Cardiovascular Risk across Life course Transitions
Heart disease is still the leading cause of death around the world. Preventing heart disease, by focusing on risk factors like smoking is essential for improving population health. Females and males do not experience heart disease equally. In adults, research suggests risk factors that can be changed like smoking do not have the same...
Developing a new approach to stroke rehabilitation for the upper limb based on TMS neurofeedback
Today in Ireland, most people who experience a stroke survive, but more than half are left with long-term disabilities due to paralysis of one arm. In the proposed research, we aim to push the boundaries of standard stroke rehabilitation, by introducing a technique that promises to boost the brain's recovery mechanisms, stimulating...
IMPlementation of osteoArthritis Clinical guidelines Together
Osteoarthritis is a disease of the joints, affecting 1 in 8 Irish people as they get older. Due to the growth of our ageing population amongst other reasons, this figure is expected to double within one generation. Most people with the disease in their hips or knees are likely to experience some level of pain as well as difficulty...
Development and validation of diagnostic biomarkers for neurodegenerative conditions based on MRI measures of pathognomonic brain regions
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating, relentlessly progressive neurodegenerative condition with no effective disease-modifying therapies and no validated biomarkers. Three main themes exist in ALS biomarker research; (1) development of diagnostic indicators, (2) identification of accurate prognostic markers and (3)...
Biomarker discovery and validation in autism spectrum disorder: A study of neonatal cord blood in international birth cohorts
What is Autism? Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex disorder of brain development. ASD is characterized by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviours. ASD begins in infancy and persists into adolescence and adulthood. ASD imposes significant emotional and economic burdens on...
Using Bayesian network models to predict the impact of public health interventions on disease-prevalence in population health research
Population Health Research studies determinants of health and disease with the goal of identifying interventions that promote health and reduce the burden of disease. Deciding on an appropriate intervention mandates a prior forecast of the intervention's effect on disease. For example, for an intervention targeting smoking, we might...
The Hospital Doctor Retention and Motivation (HDRM) project
Ireland is losing almost as many doctors to emigration as it trains each year. This rate of doctor emigration is a threat to the future of the health system, which may run short of doctors to staff its hospitals. So far, Ireland's solution has been to recruit doctors from other countries. One in three doctors in Ireland is from...
Targeting metabolism for individualised rectal cancer treatment: Development of an omics-led predictive signature of chemoradiation therapy response and novel neoadjuvant therapeutic strategy
Cancer of the rectum is one of the most common cancers in Ireland and worldwide. Patients with rectal cancer are commonly treated with chemoradiation therapy (CRT), which is a combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy, to shrink the tumour before undergoing surgery to remove the tumour. CRT has been shown to improve survival...
Investigating mitochondrial dysfunction and meta-inflammation as a shared pathogenic network in pre-eclampsia and gestational diabetes mellitus
Pre-eclampsia (PE) and gestational diabetes (GDM) are two common complications of pregnancy. PE is characterised by high blood pressure and increased protein in the urine. GDM develops because the mother's body is not able to produce the extra insulin needed for pregnancy. Together, these pregnancy complications affect 15% of first...
An allostatic load framework for understanding social differences in health and mortality
A consistent finding in the epidemiological literature is that health is socially patterned. On average, individuals from more disadvantaged social backgrounds will develop diseases earlier and will die earlier compared with their more advantaged peers. So ubiquitous is the association between health and wealth that it has been...
Enhancing the evidence base for cost-effectiveness analysis in Ireland: Building improvements from the intervention-specific to system-wide levels
The objective of this research is to increase the relevance and reliability of health economic evidence in Ireland. The aim is to improve the methods for prioritising scarce health funding to the most beneficial uses. This research will translate valuable lessons learnt from cervical cancer prevention to screening for other cancers,...
The liver neighbourhood watch: regulatory tissue-resident natural killer (NK) cells protect against liver decompensation in patients with chronic liver disease
Liver cirrhosis occurs when normal liver tissue is replaced by scar tissue, leading to the eventual failure of normal liver functions. Cirrhosis develops as a result of chronic liver disease, and it accounts for 170,000 deaths annually in Europe and more than 3,000 deaths annually in Ireland. Presently the only treatment is liver...
Targeting adipose tissue inflammation by intermittent hypoxia: towards personalised medicine in obstructive sleep apnoea
Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a very frequent condition, which is strongly linked with obesity and associated with the development of various heart conditions, such as high blood pressure, heart attack or stroke. It also leads to diseases which are associated with abnormalities in blood glucose levels, such as type 2 diabetes...