Neuro‑immune interactions in the gastrointestinal tract—specifically investigating how the gut microbiome, vagal neural activity, and estrogen metabolism influence reproductive disorders such as post‑embolisation syndrome in women treated for uterine fibroids.

Dr Maria Buckley 

Dr Maria M Buckley received a BSc (Hons) in Physiology, UCC in 2005 and continued in the Department of Physiology with her doctoral studies in the laboratory of Professor Johns investigating the neural control of the kidney in heart hypertrophy. She subsequently undertook a research assistant post in the Laboratory of Neurogastroenterology, in the APC Microbiome Institute, UCC, with Dr Dervla O'Malley. Thereafter, she undertook postdoctoral research in the APC Microbiome Ireland and the Department of Physiology focusing on the measurement of vagal nerve activity in response to probiotics, before moving to the Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioural Science & APC Microbiome Ireland as a Senior Postdoctoral researcher examining the psychology and biology of stress in informal dementia caregivers.

Research interests: Dr. Buckley’s research focuses on neuro‑immune interactions in the gut, particularly how gut microbes, neural signaling, and immune mediators interact to influence physiology and disease. She investigates how the gut microbiome modulates enterohepatic circulation of estrogen, shaping systemic estrogen metabolite profiles with implications for reproductive disorders such as post‑embolisation syndrome following uterine artery embolization.  This research integrates clinical collaborations in radiology and obstetrics/gynecology to explore the inflammatory and pain pathways underlying chronic pelvic pain after fibroid treatment. Ongoing efforts also include translating these mechanistic insights into biomarkers or therapeutic targets for improving women’s health outcomes post‑ uterine artery embolization, with a strong emphasis on multi-disciplinary, patient‑relevant endpoints.

Publications:

• Waldron MG, Kassamani YW, O'Mahony AT, O'Mahony SM, O'Sullivan OE, Power SP, Spence L, Maher MM, O'Connor OJ, Buckley MM. (2022) Uterine Artery Embolisation of Fibroids and the Phenomenon of Post-Embolisation Syndrome: A Systematic Review. Diagnostics (Basel) 12(12):2916. doi: 10.3390/diagnostics12122916.
• O'Brien R, Buckley MM, O'Malley D. (2021) Divergent effects of exendin-4 and interleukin-6 on rat colonic secretory and contractile activity are associated with changes in regional vagal afferent signaling. Neurogastroenterol Motil. 33(10):e14160. doi: 10.1111/nmo.14160.
• Buckley MM, O'Brien R, Brosnan E, Ross RP, Stanton C, Buckley JM, O'Malley D. (2020) Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Secreting L-Cells Coupled to Sensory Nerves Translate Microbial Signals to the Host Rat Nervous System. Front Cell Neurosci. 14:95. doi: 10.3389/fncel.2020.00095.
• Buckley MM, O'Brien R, Buckley JM, O'Malley D. (2019) GHSR-1 agonist sensitizes rat colonic intrinsic and extrinsic neurons to exendin-4: A role in the manifestation of postprandial gastrointestinal symptoms in irritable bowel syndrome? Neurogastroenterol Motil. 31(10):e13684. doi: 10.1111/nmo.13684

I welcome enquires from students interested in discussing MSc or PhD opportunities and post-doctoral researchers wishing to join the research group. If you have ideas for collaborations on existing work or would like to discuss your own research interests then there are a number of PhD studentships, Postdoctoral fellowships and other funding schemes available which I am more than happy to discuss this with you in the first instance by email maria.buckley@ucc.ie