The ABCRF plays a rather unique role in terms of researcher development, from the earliest stages right through to developing a career in industry or in research. Thus ABCRF principal investigators are very actively involved in programmes to promote careers in science at both first and second level; delivery of a range of undergraduate degrees relevant to the pharmaceutical sciences including work placements in the pharma sector both in Ireland and overseas; the ABCRF hosts undergraduate summer research projects; postgraduate education combining both the usual academic elements such as biweekly seminars incorporating presentation and problem solving skills, and in addition, extensive exposure to the pharma sector through industrial placements for PhD students,  industry seminars etc; collaborative projects with industry involving both PhD students and postdoctoral researchers leading to very valuable experience for the researchers at the industry-academic interface.

Many of the ABCRF researchers are involved in interdisciplinary programmes of research. The employment record of PhD graduates and postdocs from the ABCRF teams in the pharmaceutical industry, especially in synthetic and analytical areas, is excellent, reflecting the match between the training provided within the ABCRF and the skills needs of the companies. It is clear that many of the PhD students in the ABCRF leverage the experience and insight gained during an industrial placement during their PhD research, in developing their career on completion of their PhD in the industrial sector.

In addition to its research mission however, the ABCRF also plays a strategic role in relation to the development of the pharmaceutical industry in Ireland, through research collaborations, provision of technical services, skills provision, especially at PhD level, and policy development in line with the Government’s Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation (SSTI published in 2006). It is clear that both in industry and at a national policy level, the ABCRF is highly regarded for its contribution in this area and indeed in facilitating increased R&D activity.

Prof. Anita R Maguire

• Organic and Pharmaceutical synthesis.
• Novel methodologies, asymmetric synthesis, medicinal chemistry, crystal engineering.
• a-Diazocarbonyl compounds and organosulfur compounds in synthesis.
• Biocatalysis and transition metal catalysis.
• Bioactive compounds with pharmaceutical applications.

Prof. Jeremy D Glennon

• Analytical/Separation science.
• Including bio-chromatography and supercritical fluid extraction technology.
• Chelating solid phase materials and membranes for metal ion extraction.
• Macrocyclic and Hydroxamate Phases for Chromatography.
• Miniaturised Separation Devices for Environmental and Process Analysis.

Prof. Dmitri Papkovsky

• O₂ in biology: metabolism, mitochondrial function, bioenergetics, hypoxia.
• Sensing/imaging of O₂ in cells/tissues.
• O₂ as a marker of cellular (dys)function: Application to cancer, neuroscience, environmental toxicology.
• Porphyrin-based sensors and probes.
• Phosphorescent materials. Advanced (bio)Materials, bioconjugate Chemistry.

Dr. Stuart Collins

• Organic chemistry.
• Natural product synthesis with particular relevance to medicinal chemistry.
• Microwave assisted reactions of novel a-diazocarbonyl compounds.
• Semi-synthesis of lanosterol derivatives and total synthesis of neolamellarin analogues.

Dr. Dara Fitzpatrick

• Biophysical and Environmental science.
• Novel routes to trans-dermal delivery, particulate characterization and toxin analysis.
• Audible Sound Waves as a new form of Spectroscopy.
• Risk assessment and predictive modelling of exogenous compounds via the dermal route.

Dr. JJ Keating

• Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry.
• Impurity profiling of amphetamine-type drugs of abuse.
• Synthesis and biological activity of pharmacologically active natural products and their synthetic analogues.

Dr. Simon Lawrence

• Solid state chemistry.
• Controlling matter at the nano-scale with emphasis on compounds of pharmaceutical interest.
• Structural control of the crystalline state, involving crystal engineering, supramolecular chemistry and polymorphism.

Dr. Dan McCarthy

• Organic Chemistry.
• Synthetic methodologies, kinetics and mechanisms.
• Molecular structure determination using NMR.
• Unsaturated organic compounds, heterocyclic chemistry, organic sulphur and selenium chemistry, reactive intermediates, organic reaction mechanisms, asymmetric synthesis.

Dr. Florence McCarthy

• Medicinal Chemistry.
• Drug discovery and cancer research strategies.
• Mass spectrometry applied to pharmaceutical analysis.
• Erb B, Wee 1, and Chk 1 kinase inhibitors for the treatment of cancer. Ellipticine and Phytosterol derivatives and their mechanism of biological effect.
• Molecular modelling and its application to medicinal chemistry.

Dr. Justin McCarthy

• Signalling pathways involved in the pathogenesis of disease.
• Cell signalling in normal/diseased tissue.
• Drug target discovery, validation and assay development.
• Identification/characterization of disease-relevant alterations in presenilin functions and how these may pertain to pathogenesis/progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr. Gerard P McGlacken

• Organic and Pharmaceutical Chemistry.
• Molecular design and synthesis, new synthetic methodology and application to total synthesis and molecules of biological importance.
• Specifically, the asymmetric substitution of ketones and the area of C–H activation/direct arylation.

Dr. Eric Moore

• Chemical and bio-sensing and separation.

Dr. Humphrey Moynihan

• Organic Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Molecular Solids with emphasis on synthesis, crystallization and crystal polymorphism.
• The supramolecular structure of pharmaceutical solids, in particular crystallization, crystal form characterisation, polymorphism and related issues.

Dr. Tim O’Sullivan

• Pharmaceutical Chemistry.
• Development and optimisation of synthetic strategies towards biologically active products and the subsequent analogue synthesis.
• Novel, chiral tethers for the control of intramolecular, aryl-aryl coupling and their application to the synthesis of axially chiral biphenyls which display anti-HIV activity.