Press Articles 2013
Scientists link autism with lack of gut bacteria
The Irish Examiner,22 May 2013 Catherine Shanahan
Mice raised without bacteria in the gut showed distinctly autistic patterns of behaviour, choosing ro interact with objects more than other mice, scientists at UCC have found..
Scientists uncover link between gut bacteria and autism
The Irish Independent, 22 May 2013 Louise Hogan
Irish scientists have discovered "strong links" between key bacteria in the gut and behaviours displayed in disorders such as autism.
Old idea is revived to help fight bad bacteria in the gut
The Irish Times,14 May 2013 Claire O'Connell
So-called faecal transplants are showing some serious form as a treatment in cases of bacterial infection with Clostridium difficile..
A new twist on food safety
The Irish Times,13 March 2013 Claire O'Connell
A group of scientists in Cork have found a clue as to why the Listeria bacterium is so resilient in cold temperatures.
Food research being carried out by Teagasc could lead to new ways of treating stomach-related conditions
The Irish Times,11 March 2013 Barry McCall
New ways of treating conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome and obesity are just a few of the potential results from research being carried out by Teagasc's Food Research Programme at its Food Research Centres at Ashtown, Dublin, and Moorepark, Fermoy, Co Cork.
Gut feeling about better health
The Irish Times,4 March 2013 Claire O'Connell
The emerging science about the bugs in our digestive systems could translate into new ways of improving health You could say that Fergus Shanahan had a good week. Last Monday we heard the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre, which Shanahan directs, is to get funding for the next six years as part of a Science Foundation Ireland "hub" to look at research on food and the bugs that live in our gut
Seven Centres Away from Excellence
The Irish Times, 28 February 2013 Dick Ahlstrom
Quick diagnoses of diseases in newborns, improved ways to make medicines, harnessing the vast energy from the waves and building computers that use light to hold information. All of these exciting projects and more will be pursued by seven new research centres announced earlier this week.
UCC team discovers tummy bug clue
The Irish Times,12 February 2013 Dick Ahlstrom
Researchers in Cork have made important discoveries about how the immune system works during gastro-intestinal infections.
Antibiotics disrupt gut bacteria in infants
The Irish Times, 2 January 2013 MICHELLE MCDONAGH
New research from scientists in Cork and Canada shows that broad-spectrum antibiotics disurpt the git bacterial flora in infants which could negatively influence their long-term health.
Newborns given antibiotics at greater risk of later illnesses
The Irish Independent, 1 January 2013 BREDA HEFFERNAN
Newborn babies treated with antibiotics have an increased risk of developing asthma, allergies and becoming obese in later life, according to a new study by Irish scientists.
Study: Antibiotics affect babies' long-term health
The Irish Examiner, 1 January 2013 EVELYN RING
Giving infan ts antibiotics that also kill many evolving healthy gut bacteria could be putting them at risk of developing asthma, obesity and allergies later on, a groundbreaking Irish study suggests.
Press Articles 2012
Bright futures: Atlantia
The Sunday Business Post, 2 December 2012
Changing regulatory environments can create business opportunities for canny start-ups, of which Atlantia is a classic example.
Illness viewed through prism of the arts
The Irish Times, 27 November 2012
Brian O'Connell
A symposium in Cork this weekend will feature medical experts, artists and others who have treated illness in creative ways.
In sickness and in death
Irish Examiner, 28 November 2012
Tina O'Sullivan
Damien Hirst and Cecily Brennan are among the artists taking part in the malady-themed exhbition at the Glucksman Gallery in UCC.
Music for Thought
Irish Examiner, 24 November 2012
Musician, songwriter Eleanor McEvoy will contribute toThe Experience of Illness: Learning from the Arts International Symposium at UCC on 30th november 7 1 December 2012
this much I know - Anne Gildea
Irish Examiner, 24 November 2012
Anne Gildea speaks at The Experience of Illness: Learning from the Arts International Symposium at UCC on 30 November & 1 December 2012
Sharp focus on functional foods can help sustain thousands of new jobs D
Irish Examiner, 14 September 2012
Joe Dermody
NUTRACEUTICALS is an emerging knowledge field that could play a key role in driving the upper tier jobs growth so vital to the long-term future of the Irish economy.
Dietary conference to validate health claims
Limerick Post, 8 September 2012
THOMOND Park Stadium will host a "how to approach" to carrying out human dietary inventions as part of a UCC Symposium at the famous grounds on September 28th next.
Microbes Manipulate your mind
The Guardian, 19 August 2012
MO COSTANDI
Bacteria in your gut may be influencing your thoughts and moods, raising the possibility that probiotics could be used to treat psychiatric illnesses.
dish the dirt on eating
The Irish Times 31 July 2012
JOHN MCKENNA
If you want to be healthy inside and out, you need to get cuddly with your native bacteria,
In praise of … the microbiota
The Guardian 16 July 2012
EDITORIAL
These creatures had a role in the making of complex life, and complex life now depends upon them
Essen im Altenheim fördert Entzündungskrankheiten
Die Welt 16 July 2012
MARC HASSE
The health of older people can be improved if they change their diet and therefore change their gut flora. In nursing homes, they served up fat and sugar-rich meals.
Bacteria in gut key to good health, study shows
The Irish Times 14 July 2012
DICK AHLSTROM, Science Editor
ARE YOU a "tea and toaster", a person who habitually makes a meal out of these two items or some other restricted combination of foods? If so, you probably have an unhappy gut.
Bacteria in guts of elderly differ from those of the young
Los Angeles Times 13 July 2012
ROSIE MESTEL
We are teeming with microscopic life. Scientists recently reported on the billions of bacteria and fungi that grow inside us, finding a lot of diversity from person to person — and from spot to spot on the human body.
Gut bacteria regulate happiness, study shows
The Irish Times 19 June 2012
MICHELLE MCDONAGH
THE AMOUNT of bacteria in our gut during early life can impact our happiness levels as adults, according to a new breakthrough in research from University College Cork. Scientists from the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre at UCC have shown that brain levels of serotonin, the "happy hormone", are regulated by the amount of bacteria in the gut during early life.
Reduced radiation exposure for patients with Crohn's
The Irish Times 5 June 2012
MICHELLE MCDONAGH
A CORK research group has developed a new protocol for scanning patients with Crohn's disease which significantly reduces their radiation exposure while retaining diagnostic accuracy.
Boffins go ga-ga for baby poobiotic drink
The irish Sun 13 April 2012
SCOFFING toddler turds can make you smarter, Irish boffins believe. Anal eggheads reckon the bacteria in poo produced by infants improves the function of the brain. This designer probiotic bacteria contains a protein which can have the same impact as fish oils on the brain. Initial trials on mice showed that the bacteria from the baby fudge altered brain fatty acids.
Secret of better brain function discovered - in baby's nappy
The Irish Times FRONT PAGE 11 April 2012
DICK AHLSTROM, Science Editor
WHO KNEW? Researchers in Cork have discovered what might be the ultimate brain food in baby poo. A harmless bacterium discovered in a nappy turns out to improve brain function when taken as a probiotic.
Phage fighters
The Irish Times 10 April 2012
CLAIRE O'CONNELL
A new study shows how some viruses can be harnessed to help fight bacterial disease MANY VIRUSES understandably have a bad reputation as agents of illness. But a new study from Cork highlights how some viruses could be harnessed to help in the fight against bacterial disease.
Irritable bowel syndrome may increase risk of miscarriage
The Irish Times 10 April 2012
MICHELLE McDONAGH
WOMEN WITH Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) are more likely to suffer from miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies, according to new research by University College Cork (UCC) and the University of Manchester.
Probiotic in food could improve mood
The Evening Herald 28 March 2012
CLAIRE MURPHY
IRISH scientists are investigating a new probiotic that could be added to food to alter moods and fight depression. The research team at UCC have uncovered a strain of harmless bacteria that could be included to significantly reduce stress, anxiety and pain.
Press Articles 2011
Award win for Spioraid naoimh
Evening Echo, Monday 12 December 2011
A team from Colaiste an Spioraid Naoimh, Bishopstown, Cork are the winners in the senior category of this year’s Science Raps competition. James Carr composed and performed the vocals for “The Chemistry of Life” rap and the video was produced and edited by Eoghan Calnan. Additional support was provided by their “actor” classmates Luke Delaney, James Meeke, David O’Neill and John Spillane.
Bacteria to give you a lift
SUSANNE CAMPBELL
Irish Times, Tuesday October 4 2011
WHAT WE EAT can promote feelings of wellness and pleasure, and according to recent research conducted at University College Cork, foods containing probiotic bacteria may have potential in treating anxiety and depression- related disorders.
Science is a rap for science students
DAN BUCKLEY
Irish Examiner, Thursday September 22 2011
IF you’ve got chemistry — as well as some rhythm and rhyme — here’s your chance to rap about it. Science Raps, a science week competition organised by the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre based at University College Cork, challenges second- and third-level students to compose, perform and video a rap on The Chemistry of Life.
The Yoghurt made me do it -There's nothing metaphorical about 'Gut feelings' Bacteria influence our minds
Jonah Lehrer
Wall Street Journal- Saturday, September 17 2011
One of the deepest mysteries of the human mind is that it doesn't feel like part of the body. Our consciousness seems to exist in an immaterial realm, distinct from the meat on our bones. We feel like the ghost, not like the machine.
Bacteria and Behaviour - Gut instinct - tantalising evidence that intestinal bacteria can influence mood
The Economist- Saturday, September 3 2011
A GOOD way to make yourself unpopular at dinner parties is to point out that a typical person is, from a microbiologist’s perspective, a walking, talking Petri dish. An extraordinary profusion of microscopic critters inhabit every crack and crevice of the typical human, so many that they probably outnumber the cells of the body upon and within which they dwell.
Scientists find probiotics reduce stress - cork research team discovers link between eating probiotics and cutting anxiety levels
DICK AHLSTROM
Irish Times- Tuesday, August 30 2011
SCIENTISTS in Cork believe they have proved that consuming probiotic bacteria can alter brain chemistry involved in stress and anxiety.
Bacteria in gut reduces depression
FIONA DONNELLY
Irish Independent - Tuesday, August 30 2011
RESEARCHERS at University College Cork have found that probiotic bacteria could be used to treat anxiety and depression-related disorders.
Probiotic bacteria may help treat anxiety, says team
OLIVIA KELLEHER
Irish Examiner - Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Probiotic bacteria could be used to treat anxiety and depression-related disorders, according to a paper published by an Irish research team.
Friendly Bacteria cheer up anxious mice
NICOLA JONES
Nature News - Tuesday, August 30, 2011
MOST everyone knows that stress can cause a clenched, gurgling, unhappy stomach. What's less well known is the relationship goes both ways.
Probiotics could someday treat depression and anxiety
KAREN KAPLAN
Los Angeles Times - Tuesday, August 30, 2011
WHAT if you could treat depression, anxiety and other mood disorders without drugs or invasive procedures but simply by eating probiotic yoghurt, or drinking probiotic broth?
Belly Bacteria boss the Brain - gut microbes can change neurochemistry and influence behaviour
TINA HESMAN SAEY
Science News - Monday, August 29, 2011
FRIENDLY intestinal bacteria not only keep the gut happy, they may keep their host happy, too, a new study in mice finds.
Mind-Altering Bugs
GREG MILLER
Science NOW- Monday, August 29, 2011
HUNDREDS of species of bacteria call the human gut their home. The gut "microbiome" influences our physiology and health in ways we are only beginning to understand.
Prestigious journal recognizes work of cork scientist - Evelyn's Research at cutting edge
Evening Echo - Friday, August 26, 2011
A UCC PhD student is among scientists who have published research which could lead to improved treatment of human diseases.
Switching on to Superbugs
CLAIRE O'CONNELL
Irish Times - Thursday, August 18, 2011
IT’S ONE of the most famous stories of serendipitous discovery in science: in 1928 Alexander Fleming left some bacterial cultures on the lab bench when he went on holiday, an oversight that led to the development of penicillin when he returned home and made his observations of the contaminated plates.
Winning the War on bowel illness
CAROLA MURPHY
Evening Echo - Thursday, July 7, 2011
THE two inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) -Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) affect approx 3 in 1,000 people in Western Europe and the United States.
UCC scientists unlock secrets of 'Friendly' stomach bugs
RALPH RIEGEL
The Irish Independent - Tuesday, June 21, 2011
TWO Irish scientists have helped unlock the secret of stomach bugs tha uniquely help prevent servious infections and allergic reactions.
'Beneficial bacteria' could be used to help fight disease
MICHELLE McDONAGH
The Irish Times - Tuesday, May 31, 2011
RESEARCHERS in Cork are investigating the possibility of using beneficial bacteria to fight infectious disease which continues to claim the lives of almost 10 million children in the developing world every year.
What lies Beneath
MARIE BORAN
The Irish Times - Thursday, May 26, 2011
Forget what the ads for cleaning products would have us believe, bacterial micro-organisms are crucial for our wellbeing,
UCC and Teagasc Moorepark food researchers in top 20 of global list
JOE DERMODY
The Irish Examiner - Thursday, April 28, 2011
Six senior Cork-based researchershave been named in the top 20 of 15,000 specialist authors in a global list compiled by the global ratings agency Thomson Reuters Science Watch. .
UCC Ranked World Number two in probiotics
DICK AHLSTROM
The Irish Times - Monday, April 25, 2011
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE Cork has received a world ranking for research work related to probiotics. The university is number two in the world according to an assessment by ratings agency Thomson Reuters Science Watch. .



