From left: Prof Justin McCarthy, Prof Anita Maguire, Prof Anne Moore, Prof Elena Matsa and Dr Darrin Morrissey. Image: NIBRT
Dr Darrin Morrissey of NIBRT said the appointment of Prof Anne Moore and Prof Elena Matsa will advance Ireland’s position in manufacturing biologic-based medicines.
University College Cork (UCC) and the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT) have struck a partnership that will advance biopharma and vaccine research in Ireland.
As part of the collaboration, two distinguished academics – Prof Anne Moore and Prof Elena Matsa – have been appointed as principal investigators at NIBRT and at the School of Biochemistry and Cell Biology in UCC.
Thorough this partnership, UCC and NIBRT will work together for the first time in biopharma research with the objective of enhancing Ireland’s expertise in bioprocessing innovation.
UCC president Prof John O’Halloran said that the joint appointment of Moore and Matsa represents a “strategic milestone” that establishes the first formal link between NIBRT and UCC.
“This collaboration brings together two distinguished experts with impressive track records in engaging with the biopharma sector and complementary expertise. With their combined knowledge and experience, we are well-positioned to drive research excellence and foster innovation in bioprocessing,” O’Halloran said.
Moore, an expert in immunology, bioprocessing and vaccine development, has previously been a senior immunologist at the University of Oxford, where she developed several T-cell inducing vaccine candidates against malaria, TB and influenza and was involved in their clinical trials.
More recently, she has focused on developing new stable, injection-free and easy-to-administer delivery technologies to improve global equitable access to vaccines. In her new role at NIBRT and UCC, she will focus on sustainable, regionalised bioprocessing technologies for vaccine production and deployment.
Matsa, on the other hand, was previously a postdoctoral fellow and instructor at the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, where she studied human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) to model cardiovascular disease and cardiomyocyte-drug interactions.
Prior to joining NIBRT and UCC, her most recent role was as senior vice-president in cell therapy research at Cellistic. Research in her new role will focus on improvements in the purity, yield and reproducibility of iPSC-based cell therapy manufacturing.
Dr Darrin Morrissey, NIBRT CEO, said that the joint appointment of Moore and Matsa “underscore[s] the shared dedication of our institutions” to advanced therapies and vaccines research. “The ultimate impact of these appointments will be to further strengthen Ireland’s position as a world leader in manufacture of biologic-based medicines,” Morrissey said.
Find out how emerging tech trends are transforming tomorrow with our new podcast, Future Human: The Series. Listen now on Spotify, on Apple or wherever you get your podcasts.
