Friday, 20th September 2013: Mr Seán Sherlock TD, Minister of State for Research and Innovation today (Friday) announced Government funding, through Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), of €7.6 million which will leverage a further investment of €6 million from 15 industry partners, for research at the Irish Centre for Fetal and Neonatal Translational Research (INFANT), Cork. Ireland’s first centre for perinatal research will directly improve treatment and care for pregnant mothers and newborn babies.

The first Irish national audit into the death of babies in the weeks before or after birth (known as perinatal mortality) was launched today (Tuesday 22 October). 

This national audit was carried out by the National Perinatal Epidemiology Centre (NPEC) based in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at University College Cork for the calendar year 2011 in collaboration with the medical and midwifery staff from the individual maternity units around the country.

A new research initiative will position Ireland to play a central role in adding two healthy years of life to every European by 2020, EU Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn stated today (Tuesday October 15).

Professor Louise Kenny has won the Enterprise Ireland Life Sciences & Food Commercialisation Award for developing and commercialising the first predictive diagnosis for pre-eclampsia in early pregnancy.

An international consortium of Cystic Fibrosis clinicians and scientists, led by Dr Barry Plant of the College of Medicine and Health, Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre and the HRB - Clinical Research Facility, University College Cork/Cork University Hospital, Ireland has launched a major EU-funded collaboration project focused on the development and trial of personalized antibiotic treatment for patients with CF during respiratory infections. CFMATTERS an acronym for ‘Cystic Fibrosis Microbiome-determined Antibiotic Therapy Trial in Exacerbations: Results Stratified’ will receive approximately €6 million in funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme.

A HRB funded study at UCC suggests alcohol consumption in the first fifteen weeks of pregnancy does not alter odds for small-for-gestational-age neonate, reduced birth weight, preeclampsia, or spontaneous preterm birth.  The findings have just been published in ‘Obstetrics and Gynaecology’, one of the world’s leading Obstetrics and Gynaecology journals.

25% of heart attacks and strokes are preventable

One in four deaths from coronary heart disease (CHD) or stroke could be prevented each year, according to new evidence from the Health Research Board Centre for Diet and Health. Such an outcome requires everyone in Ireland to cut their salt, trans fat and saturated fat intake and eat three more portions of fruit and veg per day.