Postgraduate Students
Meet our Postgraduate Students
Colm McElwain
Completing my MPharm in 2015 and a Masters in Clinical Research in 2019, I have worked in patient-facing clinical roles within primary care and in the clinical trial setting at the HRB Clinical Research Facility, Galway (CRFG). I was delighted to begin my HRB-funded PhD studies in 2019, under the supervision of Dr. Cathal McCarthy, to continue developing my career in translational research. I am currently investigating the role of mitochondrial dysfunction and meta-inflammation as a shared pathogenic network in gestational diabetes mellitus.
Choosing the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, UCC for my postgraduate studies has allowed me to gain access to a wide range of expertise and opportunities within the field. The department has a broad spectrum of active research, ranging from basic biology and preclinical studies to clinical and translational research. The academic staff are both experienced and approachable, making it a great environment for learning and collaboration.
Roisin Cassidy
My name is Róisín Cassidy and I am currently a PhD student with the Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics and Cancer Research at University College Cork under the supervision of Dr Órla Barry and Dr Sharon McKenna. I graduated as the top student with a first class honours degree in Biochemistry. I was initially awarded a Research Masters on Oesophageal Cancer within the Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics and Cork Cancer Research Centre with Dr Barry and Dr McKenna, funded by Breakthrough Cancer Research. This Research Masters was then converted into a 4 year PhD scholarship from Breakthrough Cancer Research.
Oesophageal cancer is an aggressive cancer which is poorly studied. The clinical challenge with oesophageal cancer is limited effectiveness of the current anti-cancer drug regimens resulting in recurrence and metastasis of the cancer. Thus, new strategies are necessary to improve treatment options for patients with oesophageal cancer. Recent genome sequencing has identified widespread epigenetic dysregulation in oesophageal cancer. Epigenetics is a relatively new field of molecular biology. Epigenetic changes are reversible and thus can be manipulated pharmacology. Presently, we are investigating whether epigenetic modifiers can chemosensitise oesophageal cancer cells to conventional chemotherapeutic drugs. We will focus particularly on oesophageal cancer that currently does not respond well to anticancer drugs. It is our desire that epigenetic therapy may be identified as an efficacious adjuvant treatment strategy for patients with oesophageal cancer.
Anirudh Jaisimha
My name is Anirudh Vinay Jaisimha, and i am currently a Senior Analyst and Subject Matter Expert at Eurofins BioPharma Product Testing, Dungarvan, Waterford. I completed my PhD in Plarmacology with University College Cork's Department of Pharmacology. My thesis is titled "Examining potential causes of neuronal dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease" and supervised by Dr Barry Boland.
The Department of Pharmacology have all the necessary facilities and infrastructure to support me in the department and through collaborations with the industry. The department has diverse researchers and faculty working across the boundaries of traditional research areas. Having done my PhD here, I have been able to build a network of colleagues and researchers with whom I can collaborate with in the future.
Samprikta Manna
I am an EU funded Marie Skłodowska-Curie ESR/PhD student for the iPlacenta consortium, dividing my time between Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics & Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology . My current research is focused on understanding the process by which cellular and mitochondrial senescence can play a key role in premature ageing of the placenta in adverse pregnancy outcomes such as pre-eclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction. I hold a MSc in Cell and Molecular Biology and Bioinnovation from University College Cork.
The Department of Pharmacology has been very welcoming. I enjoy the diversity of projects shared between fellow PhD students, giving an insight into various translational therapeutic research across complex disorders.
