Two UCD researchers have been announced as recipients of Health Research Board (HRB) awards today. Associate Professor Tomás Barry, UCD School of Medicine, and Dr Kieran Brennan, UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, UCD Conway Institute, are among 13 recipients awarded a total of €12.5 million in this round of funding.
The awards are part of two HRB schemes designed specifically to build a pipeline of future leaders in health and social care research. This is the second round of the Emerging Clinician Scientist Awards (ECSAs) scheme with six new health and social care practitioners awarded bringing the total to 11 awards made since 2020. For the Emerging Investigator Awards (EIAs), this is the fourth round of the call with seven new academic researchers funded, bringing the total to 38 emerging investigators supported since 2017.
Dr Mairéad O'Driscoll, HRB Chief Executive said, “These awards are part of the HRB’s strategic commitment to build research leadership across academic and clinical environments in Ireland. 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.”
Speaking about the schemes, Dr Anne Cody, Head of Investigator-led Grants, Careers and Enablers at the HRB added, “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. 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.”
The funding is awarded under the HRB Research Career Framework with the specific aim to provide emerging researchers with opportunities to establish themselves as independent investigators.
The UCD Projects
Intelligent and innovative planning for community based unscheduled care
Emerging Clinician Scientist Award
Lead Applicant: Associate Professor Tomás Barry
Award Amount: €1,396,425.30
The Irish population is ageing rapidly and one million people now live with diabetes, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or cardiovascular disease. In adults over 65 years, almost two thirds now live with multiple long-term conditions. Our health-system is responding to these challenges by innovating in service delivery and attempting to 'shift-left', treating more patients in primary care and in the community.
This project will focus on ‘unscheduled care’ that is delivered in the community by GPs and by the National Ambulance Service. With approximately two million episodes of such care each year, this is the vitally important component of acute healthcare in the community that must be available 24/7. The project will support the planning and delivery of future community based unscheduled care in Ireland and will involve the collaboration of 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.
Associate Professor Tomás Barry said, “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. 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.”
Blood based-liquid biopsy for prediction of Immunotherapy response in Multiple Myeloma
Emerging Investigator Award
Lead Applicant: Dr Kieran Brennan
Award Amount: €798,722
Multiple Myeloma is an incurable malignancy that accounts for 1% of all cancers, with approximately 390 people being diagnosed in Ireland each year.
Myeloma cells release small spherical "packages" into the blood known as extracellular vesicles (EVs), which provide information about the tumour cells, and represents a non-invasive way to monitor changes in the cancer cells following treatment.
This project focuses on monitoring the EV levels of a combination of proteins that are involved in the development of resistance to the myeloma therapy known as Daratumumab (Daralex). The team will monitor these proteins on EVs from patients before and during Daralex therapy to determine how levels change and how the pattern reflects response to treatment. Using advanced technologies, they will identify additional contents of EVs that differ between patients that respond or don’t respond to treatment.
Dr Kieran Brennan said, “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. 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.”
For a full list of recipients, visit the HRB website