Research

Overview

Research in the Discipline of Advanced Therapies focuses on the development of new treatment approaches for complex, debilitating diseases. Our research programmes pursue strategies for modulating the course of diseases by promoting tissue repair and regeneration, manipulating immune responses, and innovating on the delivery of novel therapies.

Our research is highly collaborative and follows the “bench to bedside” model of translating basic scientific findings into new therapeutic products that can be safely administered to patients in clinical trials.

We work closely with colleagues in other Schools and Colleges of the University of Galway – in particular through our affiliations with the cross-college Institute of Health Discovery & Innovation (IHDI) and the Clinical Trials Institute (CTI).

The Discipline’s research impact is also greatly enhanced by our close links to the clinical services of the Galway University Hospitals, the clinical research environment of the HRB Clinical Research Facility Galway (HRB-CRFG), and our wide network of national and international collaborators.

Areas & Themes

Just a few examples of novel and impactful research reports and projects within the Discipline of Advanced Therapies are as follows:

• Several of our research-active faculty members have leading roles in the University of Galway-led Research Ireland Centre for Medical Devices, CÚRAM, resulting in collaborative projects which combine innovations in advanced therapies and medical devices
• Discipline of Advanced Therapies faculty from the School of Medicine's internationally recognised Regenerative Medicine group, REMEDI, and its spin-out company, Orbsen Therapeutics Ltd., have led multi-site European Commission-funded projects to translate novel mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) products from basic research to first-in-human clinical trials
• Basic research studies by Discipline researchers and their collaborators have revealed the potential for increasing anti-cancer immune responses by targeting glycosylation (sugar molecule attachments) of cells within the tumour microenvironment
• The Discipline of Advanced Therapies-led multi-partner Horizon Europe consortium Restore Vision is developing and testing new, innovative therapies for rare diseases of the eye which are currently incurable
• Our growing research activities in the area of cancer immune cell therapies are developing genetic manipulation strategies for enhancing the anti-cancer effects of human killer nature (NK) cell therapies
• A major Research Ireland-funded collaborative research project is exploring abnormal bone healing in type 2 diabetes. The project is investigating bone stem cells and aims to develop RNA-based therapies to reduce the burden of this problem in people with diabetes.

Environments & Structures

Our Discipline's research programmes benefit from and contribute to the distinctive research environment within the University of Galway and our collaborating institutions. Key elements of our research landscape include:

• Extensive research laboratories and core facilities located on the University of Galway main campus in the Lambe Institute for Translational Research, the Biomedical Sciences and the Orbsen Building
• The Institute of Health Discovery & Innovation (IHDI), the Institute for Clinical Trials and the Technical Services Directorate which are jointly directed by the College of Medicine and Health and the College of Science and Engineering
• Ireland's first licensed centre for the manufactuirng of stem cells therapies for human clinical administration, the Centre for Cell Manufacturing Ireland
• CÚRAM Research Ireland Centre for Medical Devices
• The HRB Clinical Research Facility Galway (HRB-CRFG), this facility is located on the University Hospital Galway campus and jointly staffed by the University of Galway and the HSE West/Northwest health region
• The HRB-CRFG based Advanced Therapies & Cancers Clinical Research Group which is led by Discipline of Advanced Therapies faculty and coordinates clinical trials of novel therapies for cancers and non-cancer chronic diseases
• The clinical services and patient populations of the HSE West/Northwest hospital group with which we collaborate extensively for patient-focused research

Staff

Meet our research team and view their profiles, publications, and projects on the University of Galway Research Portal: