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From 3D-printed medical devices to new ways of detecting cancer, Irish research has been making progress at warp speed to improve health.
Ireland is the European home to some of the biggest global names in healthcare. But its universities are also teeming with research and innovation in the space, finding new drugs, inventing new medical devices and publishing papers that have been shaping our understanding of many diseases.
This Future Health week, we look at some of the Irish research from all corners of the country that has been pioneering solutions to healthcare problems faced by patients both at home and abroad.
Biodegradable implants
Led by scientists based at the University of Galway, the international Biomend project is looking to improve the usability and safety of biodegradable materials for the purpose of medical implants. Implants made to be biodegradable can gradually degrade when they are implanted in the body. The team believes there is potential for these materials to reduce long-term complications associated with existing stent devices.
Set to begin early next year, the project will be structured as an integrated research and training programme, provide training for up to 15 PhD researchers, who will carry out doctorates across the Biomend network, which is funded by Horizon Europe’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions scheme.
Click chemistry for cancer
Meanwhile in Dublin City University (DCU), scientists recently created a new compound that can potentially destroy the DNA of cancer cells using a method known as “click” chemistry. Called Tri-Click Thiophene, or TC-Thio, the compound is a promising class of anti-cancer agents that binds and cuts cancer DNA.
Click chemistry, which took off in the 2000s, revolutionised the field of synthetic chemistry by enabling two chemical components to be clicked together in a highly efficient manner. Now, the team anticipates that the use of click chemistry in the synthesis of new DNA-targeted therapies will increase, leading to a greater number of potential drugs being screened and “hits” being found in the fight against cancer.
3D-printed medical devices
The world of 3D printing has been taking off in the healthcare space. Our Start-up of the Week, MedScan3D, develops 3D anatomical models for healthcare research and applications. But another project, led by the RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, is working on 3D-printed healthcare devices.
RCSI scientists aim to develop new materials through bioprinting, a type of 3D printing that can create structures imitating natural tissues. The goal of this research is to create safe and affordable medical devices. This project – called Polina – is being led by the RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences and has received €2.9m from the European Innovation Council’s Pathfinder programme.
Trusting the gut on Alzheimer’s
While the jury is still out on the scientific authenticity of gut feelings, a new study led by University College Cork claims that there is a very palpable link between gut bacteria and Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers said they have found evidence that Alzheimer’s symptoms can be transferred to a healthy young organism through the gut microbiota.
Their study suggests that the physical symptoms of Alzheimer’s could be transferred to young animals through the transplant of gut microbiota. Prof Yvonne Nolan, an investigator with APC Microbiome Ireland and one of the leading researchers in the study, suggested that understanding this connection further could help identify the disease earlier.
Exoskeletons for walking
Another project at DCU is helping people with paralysis to walk by incorporating the latest advancements in robotics and neuro-rehabilitation. The university’s Exoskeleton Programme is a physiotherapist-led service that supports people with reduced mobility to walk using wearable robotics technology – an exoskeleton, essentially a wearable robotic device that is designed to support an individual as they stand up and walk.
The programme has been running for years using a single device and has provided therapeutic walking sessions to more than 150 adults with reduced mobility. A single exoskeleton device was used to deliver between 500 to 800 walking sessions a year. The acquisition of a second device last month means the programme expects to complete more than 1,500 annual sessions by the end of 2023.
Breath of fresh air for flu treatment
Meanwhile, scientists based at Trinity College Dublin recently discovered virus-fighting lung cell proteins that could lead to improved treatments for flu and other viruses. In a study recently published in iScience, the team highlighted their discovery that respiratory epithelial cells react in a surprising way to the presence of influenza and other viruses.
The viruses primarily target these respiratory epithelial cells to replicate, causing cell damage and death. It was believed these cells were passive in the face of attack. However, the researchers discovered that the cells drive the antiviral immune response. The team will now build on this discovery to examine how it applies to other viral lung infections, such as SARS-CoV-2 and RSV.
Covid test to detect cancer
University College Dublin spin-out Epicapture has found a novel and ingenious way of detecting prostate cancer, one of the most common forms of the disease out there. The non-invasive cancer detection and monitoring start-up founded by Dr Antoinette Perry and Edward Simons uses a patient’s urine to determine whether or not they have prostate cancer by running a test on PCR machines, known for their use in Covid-19 testing.
The Epicapture prostate test, which the founders hope is the first of many types of cancer they can detect using this technology, measures six epigenetic DNA biomarkers discovered to be indicative of aggressive disease. Epicapture is a previous Start-up of the Week.
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