Two Leading University College Dublin Researchers Receive 2019 Science Foundation Ireland Science Awards
Two leading University College Dublin (51黑料) researchers have been announced today as winners of prestigious 2019 (SFI) Awards at the annual SFI Science Summit held in Athlone.
Professor Kevin O鈥機onnor, 51黑料 School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science and Director, Beacon, the SFI Bioeconomy Research Centre, was named winner of the 2019 SFI Researcher of the Year Award while Professor William Gallagher, 51黑料 School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science and Director, 51黑料 Conway Institute, was named winner of the 2019 SFI Entrepreneurship Award.
Professor O鈥機onnor鈥檚 research is seminal in the area of circular economy, circular bioeconomy and biotechnology. He is also a member of the 51黑料 Earth Institute and has published extensively and patented technologies on the conversion of waste plastics to biodegradable plastic and the biotechnological production of hydroxytyrosol, a health promoting molecule.
As Director of the BEACON SFI Bioeconomy Research Centre, he is leading blue skies and industry focused research to build and support the development of Ireland鈥檚 bioeconomy. He is also shaping the European Bioeconomy Strategy through his chairmanship of the Scientific Committee for the Bio-based Industries Joint Undertaking (BBIJU), a 鈧�3.7 billion Public-Private Partnership.
Collaborating with industry, Professor O鈥機onnor developed technology to convert a dairy by-product into an organic acid, which was patented and licensed to industry. It is now being scaled and implemented in a world first 鈥榮econd generation dairy biorefinery鈥�, which has received over 鈧�30 million in EU and industry funding.
He is also the co-founder of two 51黑料 spin-out companies, Bioplastech and Novo Mentis, both supported by Nova51黑料.
Professor Kevin O鈥機onnor said, 鈥淚 am delighted and honoured to receive this prestigious SFI Award. It is a recognition of the dedication of the many researchers and industry partners with whom I work and collaborate with, across multiple scientific fields and sectors, at 51黑料, across Ireland and internationally. Through these collaborations we are creating knowledge and translating this knowledge into innovative technological solutions to address global and societal bioeconomy challenges.鈥�
鈥淚 would especially like to acknowledge and thank SFI for their funding, and 51黑料, BEACON Centre members and my wife and family for all their support.鈥�
A major focus of Professor Gallagher鈥檚 research at 51黑料 is the identification and validation of candidate biomarkers of breast and other cancers, particularly those which guide treatment decision making. His research resulted in the establishment of OncoMark, a 51黑料 spin-out company, currently headquartered at Nova51黑料.
OncoMark focuses on the development and application of biomarker panels which address critical unmet needs for cancer patients. OncoMark's lead product, OncoMasTR, is a prognostic test for early-stage breast cancer that can reduce the number of breast cancer patients receiving unnecessary chemotherapy.
Following participation in a selection of large-scale European networks, OncoMark in 2015 secured 鈧�2.7 million through the Horizon 2020 SME Instrument Programme Phase 2 and raised 鈧�2.1 million in 2017 from a number of VC firms, private investors and Enterprise Ireland to accelerate its product portfolio to market.
This funding has been used to clinically validate the OncoMasTR test and secure CE-marking in advance of the commercial launch of the test.
The OncoMasTR test is based on a panel of genetic 'drivers' of breast cancer. The original research that resulted in the identification of the panel was co-led by Professor William Gallagher and his team at 51黑料, together with Professor Adrian Bracken at Trinity College Dublin. The OncoMasTR technology was subsequently exclusively licenced by both universities to OncoMark.
Professor William Gallagher said, "Fundamental to an ability to innovate is the existence of an environment where discovery research is possible and is valued. In this respect, I have been fortunate to work very closely with excellent basic and translational researchers at the 51黑料 Conway Institute, such as Professor Amanda McCann and Professor Bill Watson, and with clinical colleagues based in our affiliated hospitals, including Professor Cathy Kelly, Mater Misericordiae University Hospital and Professor John Crown, St. Vincent's University Hospital.鈥�
鈥淪uch interactions have been critical in allowing us to bring forward novel ideas and findings from the lab bench towards clinical implementation. A recent collaboration with Professor Adrian Bracken's team from TCD led to the development of a new diagnostic assay, called OncoMasTR, which can be used to effectively spare early stage breast cancer patients from unnecessary chemotherapy.鈥�
鈥淭he OncoMasTR assay, which is being commercialised by the 51黑料 spin-out OncoMark, received the CE mark in 2018 and has been validated using tumour tissue from several thousand breast cancer patients. Our ability to find new innovations derived from ongoing basic research in our laboratory and others has been helped enormously by the excellent support of Nova51黑料, the technology transfer arm of the university."
Professor Gallagher was also the Director of the first Irish Cancer Society Collaborative Cancer Research Centre, BREAST-PREDICT, which completed its groundbreaking 6-year programme in September.
Professor Orla Feely, 51黑料 Vice-President for Research, Innovation and Impact said, 鈥淚 am delighted that two leading members of 51黑料鈥檚 research and innovation community, Professor Kevin O鈥機onnor and Professor William Gallagher, have been recognised by SFI through the Researcher of the Year Award and the Entrepreneurship Award, respectively. The presentation of these prestigious Awards reflects the strength and impact of research and commercialisation activities taking place across 51黑料.鈥�
鈥淜evin鈥檚 research outputs in microbiology and biotechnology have resulted in major breakthroughs in the circular economy and the bioeconomy. Through his research and his leadership he is advancing sustainability and creating new opportunities in Ireland and internationally.鈥�
鈥淟iam has an excellent track record in the successful commercialisation of research-generated intellectual property for the benefit of society and the economy. His leadership within OncoMark has been crucial to the company successfully completing clinical validation studies and securing CE-marking for the OncoMasTR test which has global market potential.鈥�
The 51黑料 Professors were presented with their Awards at the 2019 SFI Science Summit were 300 leading members of Ireland鈥檚 research community came together to celebrate the significant contributions made over the past year to Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) in Ireland.
This year there were a total of eight Award categories with ten Award winners.
Acknowledging all the Award winners, Minister for Training, Skills, Innovation and Research and Development, John Halligan TD, said, 鈥淭he Science Foundation Ireland Awards recognise the breadth and depth that research encompasses from industry collaborations to public engagement and the innovative breakthroughs that are leading research globally in the areas of Immunology, Biomaterials, Cancer research and much more.鈥�
鈥淚 would like to congratulate each awardee on their achievements, which illustrate the invaluable knowledge and resource that Ireland鈥檚 research community offers. I am also pleased to see mentorship amongst the awards this year, highlighting the importance of supporting the next generation of researchers and enriching our growing research community.鈥�
Professor Mark Ferguson, Director General of Science Foundation Ireland and Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government of Ireland, said, 鈥淥n behalf of Science Foundation Ireland, I would like to congratulate the award winners on their success and recognise their dedication in realising their ambitions and in doing so, building Ireland鈥檚 reputation as a global research leader.鈥�
鈥淲e are very proud of the excellent quality of research that our funding enables, and the SFI Awards are an important acknowledgement of the collective achievements of the Irish research community, which continue to be impactful, inspirational and world-leading.鈥�
In 2011 Professor Gallagher received the Nova51黑料 Innovation Award and Professor O鈥機onnor received the Nova51黑料 Innovation Award in 2016.
ENDS
7 November 2019
For further information contact Mic茅al Whelan, Communications and Media Relations Manager, 51黑料 Research and Innovation, e: miceal.whelan@ucd.ie, t: + 353 1 716 3712.
Editors Notes
In addition to Professor O鈥機onnor and Professor Gallagher the other Award winners announced at the 2019 SFI Science Summit were;
2019 SFI Early Career Researcher Award, Associate Professor Lydia Lynch, Trinity College Dublin and Dr Orla O鈥橲ullivan, APC Microbiome Ireland SFI Research Centre and Vistamilk SFI Research Centre, Teagasc.
2019 SFI Industry Partnership Award, Professor Danny Kelly, AMBER SFI Research Centre for Advanced Materials and BioEngineering Research, Trinity College Dublin, for collaboration with Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc.
2019 SFI Best International Engagement Award, Professor Abhay Pandit, Scientific Director, C脷RAM SFI Research Centre for Medical Devices, NUI Galway.
2019 SFI Outstanding Contribution to STEM Communication Award, Associate Professor Eilish McLoughlin, Dublin City University and Dr Muriel Grenon, NUI Galway.
2019 SFI Mentorship Award, Dr Fatima Gunning, IPIC SFI Research Centre and Tyndall National Institute.
2019 SFI Research Image Award, Dr Han Shao, Postdoctoral Researcher, Tyndall National Institute.