APC News
APC awarded over €1 million in funding for emerging research talent.
APC awarded over €1 million in funding for emerging research talent.
Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris today announced an investment of €28.5 million across 53 research projects to support Ireland’s emerging research talent. Over €1 million in funding has been awarded to two projects associated with APC Microbiome Ireland, SFI Research Centre - Dr. Maria Rodriguez Aburto’s project ‘Deciphering the role of early life microbiota in neuro-glia-vascular development and contributions to neurodevelopmental disorders’ and Dr. Linda Katona’s project ‘Functional circuit mapping of gut-vagal influence in the brain.’
Announcing the new investment, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science Simon Harris, TD, said: “I am thrilled to announce these exciting new research projects, which allow researchers to advance their work and further develop their careers towards becoming the next generation of research leaders in Ireland. It is important that we retain and support our emerging talent across all areas of research, from astronomy, cancer, economics, energy, to health and nutrition. Crucially, this fund focuses on the representation of female researchers in the higher education system. We want to continue to increase the number of females participating in research and funds like this are crucial to helping us achieving this.”
Commenting on the awards, Dr Ruth Freeman, Director Science for Society, Science Foundation Ireland, said “We are delighted to be able to provide this important support to early-career researchers, enabling them to gain the essential skills and experience to develop their track record and become independent research leaders. In partnership with the Irish Research Council, we have been able to support 53 projects, providing resources for excellent researchers and projects across a range of disciplines.”
Dr Louise Callinan, Interim Director of the Irish Research Council, said “The IRC is committed to cultivating agile independent researchers and funding excellent research across all disciplines. Through this impactful partnership with Science Foundation Ireland, emerging research talent in both AHSS and STEM will be supported toward becoming established independent researchers and future research leaders.” The projects are funded through the
‘Deciphering the role of early life microbiota in neuro-glia-vascular development and contributions to neurodevelopmental disorders’ a project led by Dr Aburto was awarded €551,602.
More details: The brain relies on a stable environment, maintained by interactions between blood vessels and neural cells. These interactions constitute communication interfaces between periphery and brain. One source of peripheral signals is the gut microbiota – the microorganisms populating our guts. Though altered microbiota is associated with mental disorders, causal mechanisms are largely unknown. Dr. Aburto hypothesises that gut-microbiota modulates neurovascular communication during brain development through circulating microbial signals, consequently affecting brain environment. By manipulating perinatal gut microbiota, her lab will observe the impact on neurovascular interactions and identify microbial signals that mediate these. This novel project will shed light on the role of the gut microbiota in shaping neurodevelopment.
‘Functional circuit mapping of gut-vagal influence in the brain’ a project led by Dr. Katona was awarded €543,983
More details: The research focuses on how gut microbes influence our social interactions and interfere with how well we remember (e.g dementia / Alzheimer’s disease) and affect our mood and motivation (e.g depression). Information from our gut gets transferred to our brain through the vagus nerve. In response to stress and changes in the environment, the communication between microbes, gut and brain breaks down leading to mental health conditions. Using a novel combination of methodologies developed by Dr Katona, the research aims to map out different brain pathways through which our guts influence our behaviour. Thus this research has exciting potential health benefits.
