Irish Research Council (IRC) identifies rising stars of research

23 Jun 2016

Elaine O’Sullivan is a postgraduate researcher at University College Cork whose work has included the discovery of a molecule in a berry that can be used in the creation of a compound that can reduce the size of tumours, especially in leukaemia.

Elaine has been identified by the Irish Research Council (IRC) for the exciting potential and the interesting nature of her research. 

The molecule was produced by IRC-funded O’Sullivan as part of a team of researchers in medicinal and pharmaceutical led by Dr Florence McCarthy. It is derived from an ellipticine isolated from the berries of Ochrosia elliptica (better known as the Bloodhorn tree), which grows in Australia and Brazil. In experiments conducted on mice, the compound significantly reduced tumour size by 70pc, and these results were published in the journal Investigational New Drugs.

The next stage in this research will be to seek funding to see if the compound will kill leukaemia cells in patients.

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