The work was carried out in the laboratory of Professor Noel Caplice at the Centre for Research in Vascular Biology at UCC. Professor Caplice commented that “this is a fantastic achievement for a young Irish researcher and to his knowledge is the first time a researcher based in Ireland has won this prestigious prize”.

The work presented at the meeting described for the first time the dramatic effects of a single low dose of insulin like growth factor on heart muscle recovery after a large heart attack in an experimental model. More than a million people each year develop heart failure after large heart attacks despite the best currently available therapy. This work was performed in collaboration with colleagues from the Department of Biochemistry at UCC (Professor Rosemary O’Connor). This collaborative effort has also been recently awarded approximately €1m in additional funding over the next 4 years to take this therapy to patients who have undergone a large heart attack and have poor heart function at the time of initial treatment. It is hoped that if successful this therapy can be developed and commercialized in Ireland. 

Picture:  Dr John O'Sullivan

 

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