Orla Keane

Researcher

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Dr Orla Keane is a researcher at the Animal & Bioscience Department in Teagasc. Orla completed her undergraduate degree and PhD in Microbiology at Trinity College Dublin. She subsequently carried out post-doctoral work in functional genomics and bioinformatics at AgResearch, New Zealand and Trinity College Dublin. Her research focuses on animal health with an emphasis on host-pathogen interactions. An understanding of such interactions is increasingly important due to societal concern regarding the use of antimicrobials, the emergence of antibiotic and anthelmintic resistance, and the effect of climate change on pathogen epidemiology. Orla’s work aims to understand the role of host and pathogen genomic variation in controlling infection outcome and disease progression. Orla works closely with the Molecular Parasitology Laboratory on the vaccine trials against the parasite of interest, Fasciola hepatica (liver fluke), in sheep.

Email: orla.keane@teagasc.ie