News
Congratulations to Dr. Piotr Kowalski, School of Pharmacy UCC on the award of an ERC grant.
Dr. Piotr Kowalski, School of Pharmacy UCC, has won a highly prestigious European Research Council (ERC) starter grant.
The ERC grants are among the most highly coveted for researchers in the European Union and the ERC ‘starting grants’ are among the most prestigious early-career funding schemes in academia, providing up to €1.5 million over five years. The funding supports ground-breaking projects with the potential to make major impact within a research field.
Dr. Kowalski’s ‘Circle’ project aims to elucidate the therapeutic potential of the new class of RNAs with a unique closed-loop structure, called circular RNAs, to expand the toolbox of therapeutic RNA molecules. CIRCLE builds on Dr. Kowalski work at UCC funded by the Irish Health Research Board (HRB) Emerging Investigator Award focusing on investigating novel RNA-based drugs, such as short interfering RNAs and messenger RNAs for the treatment of sepsis. Sepsis is the life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a response to infection which has been a tremendous challenge for drug development.
“I am thrilled for the support from the European Research Council allowing me to pursue transformative and impactful research tackling unmet health challenges. Circular RNAs have the potential to address the limitations of the current RNA drugs in the disease context and open new therapeutic avenues. CIRCLE will address a significant gap in the knowledge on the utility of circular RNAs for translational research and will help realize their therapeutic potential. My ambition with this project is to help reshape the future of RNA therapies which I believe could be circular.”
Congratulating Dr. Kowalski, Prof. Brendan Griffin, Head of School of Pharmacy, said:
“This is a phenomenal achievement for Piotr to win this highly competitive ERC Starter Grants. This €1.5m award, which will support research in the fields of novel biomaterials, nano-drug delivery and RNA based therapies, and showcases the calibre of world-leading research taking place at the School of Pharmacy UCC”.
Commenting on the significance of this award both to Piotr and to the School of Pharmacy, Prof. Caitriona O’Driscoll, Professor of Pharmaceutics, commented that ‘This ERC Award is due recognition for Piotr's drive, enthusiasm and scientific excellence. Furthermore, this new EU funding will advance the Schools burgeoning reputation as an international hub for RNA delivery research and developing RNA medicines of the future’
Dr. Kowalski joined the School of Pharmacy in 2020, supported by an Irish Health Research Board (HRB) Emerging Investigator Award. Since joining he has grown the RNA delivery research team in the School and has been highly successful in building inter-disciplinary research collaboration with researchers and clinicians from across the College of Medicine & Health at UCC, including the APC Microbiome Ireland.
Professor Helen Whelton, Head of College of Medicine & Health, who played a key role in supporting Piotr in establishing his research team at the School, commented on the significance of this award to the College. “The funding for Piotr will support his ambitious, impactful research, and in growing the School of Pharmacy and the College of Medicine & Health UCC research impact. In particular, the translational nature of Dr. Kowalski cutting-edge RNA technology and new delivery methods to tackle unmet clinical challenges, will flourish within the vibrant research ecosystem across the College, and will undoubtedly lead to further successes and wider impact. All of these things are important for UCC to continue to compete with the very best universities in the world.”