News
SFI-funding for 'in-stent restenosis' research
Prof Paul Cahill, School of Biotechnology, and his collaborator, Dr Caitríona Lally, School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, have been awarded SFI funding under this year's prestigious PI Programme.
The announcement of the awards totalling €39m fo 30 flagship scientific research projects was made by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton TD. Administered via Science Foundation Ireland's (SFI) 'Principal Investigator' (PI) Programme, the projects will be supported through to 2017.
Professor Cahill and his research team will use the funding to further research into coronary artery disease (CAD), which presents as an obstruction, or stenosis, of coronary vessels due to the presence of a vascular lesion that results in an insufficient supply of oxygen to the heart muscle. Treatment options include angioplasty and the insertion of a stent, which is a metal mesh tube, into the obstructed vessel to keep the artery open. However, re-occlusion or 'in-stent restenosis' occurs due to neointimal formation as a result of growth of vascular smooth muscle cell (vSMC) and/or accumulation of stem cell (MSC) populations within the stented region.
The project entitled "Notch signaling and Vascular Remodeling - a Novel target for Therapeutic Intervention" will address the fundamental role of stem cells in contributing to in-stent restenosis with a particular focus on the targeting of developmental Notch and hedgehog signaling pathways within resident stem cells using 2nd generation drug-eluting stent (DES) drug delivery platforms.
Welcoming the PI funding announcement, Director-General of Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) Professor Mark Ferguson, said, "The PI projects for 2012, selected following a highly-competitive, peer-reviewed process, are investigating some of the most important issues facing humanity today. From research into cancer, strokes and Alzheimer's, to communication networks, next-generation thermoelectric devices and improving future flood risk predictions for Ireland among others, recipients have demonstrated both an in depth understanding and an ability to make measurable strides in their respective fields."
The programme at DCU will involve the return of Dr Shaunta Guha, a DCU graduate and currently a Marie Curie/HRB mobility postdoctoral research Fellow at Kings College London. The project will also involve the recruitment of several postgraduate and post-doctoral fellows over the next five years and will be carried out both at DCU and at the University of Rochester, Rochester NY. With collaborators, Professor Redmond and Dr David Morrow, a DCU graduate. Professor Cahill and Dr Lally see the project as an important investment in vascular research at the university that will significantly pave the way for future applications to SFI and the ERC.
