Meet our PhD researchers
2023-2024
Huiyuan Yang
Supervisors: Prof Christian Waeber, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Dr Tom Moore, School of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, UCC
Project Title: Protective potential of recombinant Pregnancy specific beta-1-glycoprotein 1 (rPSG1) on hemorrhage stroke
Hello My name is Huiyuan Yang and I come from China.I gained my master's degree of Pharmacy from Sichuan University in China and then funded by Chinese Scholarship Council.
My Ph.D project investigates the neuroprotective effects of recombinant Pregnancy Specific beta-1-glycoprotein 1 protein on hemorrhage stroke via vitro and vivo models, thus providing novel targets and potential drug treating hemorrhage stroke. I am also interested in neuroinflammation-related pathways and finding novel mechanism protecting and treating neuroinflammatory diseases.
Mohamed Elkhashab
Supervisors: Dr Waleed Faisal, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Prof Abina Crean, School of Pharmacy, UCC
Project Title: Design of drug-microneedle formulations for the treatment of skin cancer
I am a pharmacist from Alexandria, Egypt with a master degree in nanomedicine from Paris.
I will employ the quality by design approach to enhance the chances of regulatory approval. The microneedles will undergo thorough physical, chemical, and biological characterization. The project will culminate with in vivo testing before the clinical trials.
Darren Crowley
Supervisors: Dr Maria Donovan, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Dr Harriet Bennett-Lenane, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Prof Jack Gleeson, Cork University Hospital
Project Title: Investigating Molecular Predictors of Interpatient Variability and Temozolomide (TMZ) Induced Haematological Toxicity for Glioma Patients.
I am from Killarney, County Kerry and studied Pharmacy at UCC for my undergraduate degree.
The aim of my project is to determine potential predisposition factors for severe haematological toxicity from temozolomide, a key medicine in the treatment of gliomas. I will use pharmacokinetic modelling to find out these factors by predicting drug concentration in plasma over time in individuals being treated with temozolomide and analysing what drives drug levels into levels of toxicity. Finally, I hope to use pharmacokinetic modelling to predict those at risk of haematological toxicity and preempt this adverse effect in order to limit treatment disruption or cessation.
Marie Elizabeth Richardson
Supervisors: Dr Kevin Murphy, School of Pharmacy UCC; Dr Kieran Dalton, School of Pharmacy UCC; Dr Muirne Spooner, School of Medicine RCSI
Project Title: Medicines Optimisation through Pharmacists Undertaking Prescribing (MOP-UP): a mixed-methods evaluation
Pharmacists have a significant role to play in medicines optimisation of patients in the healthcare service. Pharmacist Prescribing is on the cusp of coming into practice in Ireland which in turn will aid in expediting medicines optimisation, better utilisation of healthcare resources, develop the role of hospital pharmacists and ensure better patient care as has been widely proven in other juristicions. This project will examine other healthcare professionals including doctors, nurses and AHP's attitude's to pharmacist prescribing in the Irish hospital setting. It will also examine the cost-effectiveness of pharmacist prescribing in the hospital setting in Ireland.
Nerea Hernandez Egido
Supervisors: Dr Piotr Kowalski, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Prof Caitriona O'Driscoll, School of Pharmacy, UCC
Project Title: Development of circular RNA tools for selective protein expression in dysfunctional endothelial cells in sepsis.
I am from Spain where I graduated with a BSc in Biotechnology from Universidad de Salamanca. I completed part of my undergraduate studies as an exchange student with the ‘Erasmus Programme’ at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth. Enamoured of Ireland, I decided to enrol a MSc programme in Molecular Cell Biology with Bioinnovation from University College Cork.
I joined Dr Piotr Kowalski's lab in April 2023 to complete my masters dissertation in the field of synthetic circular RNA. After graduating with Masters, I decided to continue a career in research in Dr Piotr Kowalski's group as a PhD student (October 2023) to quench my thirst for knowledge about this exciting molecule and its limitless therapeutic potential. My PhD project, funded by the European Research Council, aims to gain a better understanding of the design of circular RNA tools to achieve endothelial-specific protein expression. This knowledge will be applied to develop a safe and effective therapeutic intervention utilising circular RNA for enhanced protein expression of a sepsis-modifying target in the endothelium.
Meaghan Richardson
Supervisors: Dr Piotr Kowalski, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Dr Kellie Dean, School of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, UCC.
Project Title: Developing non-coding synthetic circular RNA tools for modulation of gene and protein expression in inflammatory diseases
I am from Bel Air, Maryland and graduated from Boston University with a BS in biomedical engineering (concentration in nanotechnology) and a BA in biochemistry and molecular biology. From there, I spent a couple of years working as a research associate on the Delivery team at Orna Therapeutics in Cambridge, MA, where I optimized lipid nanoparticles for the delivery of therapeutic circular RNAs.
I joined Dr Piotr Kowalski's group in September 2023 and am working on the project funded by the European Research Council (ERC) Starting grant to elucidate the therapeutic potential of circular RNAs. My work focuses on exploring the non-coding function of synthetic circRNA tools by developing novel synthetic circRNA miR sponges to treat sepsis-associated organ failure.
Nancy Moore
Supervisors: Prof Abina Crean, School of Pharmacy, UCC
Project Title: Point of Care Manufacture: Analytical Approaches to Assuring Product Quality
I am originally from Killarney, Kerry, and I studied Pharmacy at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.
I began my PhD journey in September 2023, with the EPSRC-SFI Centre for Doctoral Training in Transformative Pharmaceutical Technologies. The current drug manufacturing model has evolved around a centralised model centred on large-scale production and distribution, however, with the rise of precision and personalised medicine, there is a move towards Point-of-Care (POC) manufacture to meet individual patients' needs. My research will address quality assurance challenges in POC manufacture, utilising advanced pharmaceutical quality approaches and process analytical technology tools to ensure drug quality standards.
Ryan Maguire
Supervisors: Dr Patrick O’Dwyer, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Dr Sonja Vucen, School of Pharmacy, UCC
Project Title: Pharmaceutical development of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) Generic Products
I am from Castleisland, County Kerry and studied Pharmacy at UCC for my undergraduate degree.
The aim of my project is to streamline the development of generic HRT products to help prevent supply shortages. I will determine the quality target product profile of HRT products and carry out pre-formulation and formulation studies to investigate potential incompatibilities and the effect of drug substance/excipient physicochemical properties on the critical quality attributes and performance of the drug product. Computational assessment will be used to compare product performance relative to current HRT products already available on the market.
2022-2023
Katie Wilkstein
Supervisors: Dr Anne Moore, School of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, UCC; Dr Sonja Vucen, School of Pharmacy, UCC
Project Title: Dissolvable Microneedle Process Improvement and Automation
I grew up in Wichita, KS, USA. I studied Chemical Engineering in Indiana and then spent 5 years as a development engineer for Eli Lilly in Indianapolis.
I joined Dr Anne Moore's group starting in March 2023. My funding is provided by the All-Island Vaccine Research and Training Alliance through the HEA. The goal of my project is to automate and improve the ImmuPatch dissolvable microneedle patch (DMNP) manufacturing process. DMN as a vaccine delivery mechanism has the potential to massively improve global access to vaccines, but current manufacturing methods are either wasteful or slow and are unlikely to be relevant at an industrial scale. The goal of my work is to develop improvements to the process that will make it more efficient and industrially relevant.
Omar Sabra
Supervisors: Prof Brendan Griffin, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Dr Joseph O’Shea, School of Pharmacy, UCC
Project Title: Novel approaches to enhance drug delivery to the colon.
I am a BSc Pharm Hon. MPSE, Egypt.
My research project investigates using pellets as a flexible dosage form and site-specific for drug release. Additionally, conduct distinct techniques for generating pellets. The study aims to design optimal colon-targeted coated pellets with optimum drug release and develop this formulation for in-vitro and in-vivo evaluation.
Elisa Millet
Supervisors: Prof Brendan Griffin, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Dr Joseph O’Shea, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Dr Vincent Jannin, Lonza, Colmar
Project Title: Development of a functional capsule to protect encapsulated RNA nanoparticles and target release in the ileocecal region.
I work for the Horizon Europe Genegut project at the industrial partner Lonza (Colmar, France) to develop a new capsule that would enable the protection of the drug payload in the upper gastrointestinal tract and deliver it to the end of the ileum. The overall project aim is to develop the first-in-class oral RNA based therapy to cure locally the inflammation of the ileal mucosa of Crohn’s patients. Currently my goal is to find new polymers to ensure more accurate nanoparticle delivery while taking into consideration all physiological and disease factors that can impact the delivery.
Chikondi Kandulu
Supervisors: Dr Laura Sahm, School of Pharmacy, UCC and Dr Aoife Fleming, School of Pharmacy, UCC
Project Title: Developing Tailored Interventions to Address Vaccine Uptake across the Island of Ireland.
I am from Malawi.
We will use mixed-methods to examine how individuals’ capabilities, opportunities, and motivations in decision-making behaviour, and how the setting and healthcare service impact on vaccine confidence and complacency. From the findings, we will identify interventions for implementation, to improve vaccine uptake in key populations across the island of Ireland.
Hannah Kirschbaum
Supervisors: Prof Brendan Griffin, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Dr Patrick O’Dwyer, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Dr. Laura Köhl, Merck Healthcare KGaA; Dr. Christian Jede, Merck Healthcare KGaA; Prof. René Holm, Department of Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy, University Southern Denmark; Prof. Martin Kuentz, Institute of Pharma Technology, FHNW
Project Title: Development of novel bio-predictive in vitro dissolution tools to evaluate formulations behavior.
Hello, I am Hannah from Germany, where I graduated from Heinrich Heine University (Düsseldorf) with a MS in biochemistry. I started my PhD January 2023 at Merck Healthcare KGaA in Darmstadt, Germany.
The aim of my research is to develop a new in vitro method to improve understanding of dissolution, supersaturation/precipitation and digestion of lipid-based formulations and APIs in lipidic environments. This will help to get better predictions about the in vivo performance of new drugs.
Fatma El Komy
Supervisors: Dr Margaret Bermingham, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Dr Laura Sahm, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Prof. Stephen Byrne, School of Pharmacy, UCC
Project Title: Medicines optimisation in post-myocardial infarction care and the role of the pharmacist/Research area– Clinical pharmacy and cardiology.
I am from Cairo, Egypt and I hold a Bachelor’s in Pharmacy degree from Future University in Egypt. I am a current PhD Student at School of Pharmacy, UCC. My project aims to explore the medication-related difficulties experienced by people who have had a heart attack and the pharmacist's role in providing post-myocardial infarction care.
Sophia Hoffmann
Supervisors: Prof Brendan Griffin, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Dr Joey O'Shea, School of Pharmacy, UCC
Project Title: Site Specific Delivery of RNA Therapies in the Lower Gastrointestinal Tract
I am a licensed pharmacist from Passau, Germany.
I studied pharmacy at Julius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg in Germany. My research project is part of the Horizon Europe project GENEGUT, whose aim is to create a first-of-its-kind, game-changing treatment for ileal Crohn’s Disease, addressing a significant unmet medical need, by making major advances in RNA-delivery technology to inflamed sites in the gut following oral administration. My work within this project focuses on site specific delivery of RNA therapies in the lower gastrointestinal tract.
Miguel Ramôa
Supervisors: Dr Piotr Kowalski, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Prof Caitriona O'Driscoll, School of Pharmacy, UCC
Project Title: Development of polymeric nanocarriers for oral delivery of RNA for targeted treatment of ileal Crohn's disease
I am a bioengineer from Porto, Portugal.
My research project is embedded in the GENEGUT Research and Innovation Action, whose aim is to develop a first-in-class oral RNA-based therapy to treat ileal Crohn's disease. My work will focus on developing nanocarriers based on novel polymer biomaterials to safely deliver the RNA medicine to the inflamed portion of the intestine.
Laura Koenitz
Supervisors: Dr Sonja Vucen, School of Pharmacy, UCC and Prof Abina Crean, School of Pharmacy, UCC
Project Title: Non-invasive delivery of peptide and protein drugs via skin route
I am from Germany and have recently obtained a degree in pharmacy from the University of Leipzig, Germany.
In September 2022, I started my PhD with the EPSRC-SFI Centre for Doctoral Training in Transformative Pharmaceutical Technologies. My PhD project will investigate the non-invasive delivery of macromolecular drugs via the skin route. After developing a microneedle formulation, it will focus on the in vitro assessment of the dermal bioavailability of the protein drug. Additionally, the project will examine in silico simulations assessing possible factors that affect the drug’s in vivo performance.
Rehab Elhiny
Supervisors: Dr Margaret Bermingham, School of Pharmacy UCC; Dr Linda O’Keeffe, School of Epidemiology and Public Health, UCC; Prof Stephen Byrne, School of Pharmacy UCC
Project Title: Prescribing factors affecting risk factors and patient outcomes in cardiovascular disease.
I am from Egypt, and I studied Clinical Pharmacy at Minia University, where I also took my Master’s degree in Clinical Pharmacy. My PhD is funded by the Egyptian government.
The aim of my project is to identify the patient, prescriber and medications factors that may influence the achievement of cardiovascular risk factor goals in patients at risk of cardiovascular disease, those with established cardiovascular diseases & those with diabetes. It will examine the effect of sub-optimal medication therapy and sub-optimal medication adherence on patients’ use of healthcare resources and establish the role of the pharmacist in improving prescribing quality in this patient group.
Jack Denis Murray
Supervisors: Prof Brendan Griffin, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Dr Patrick O’Dwyer, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Prof. René Holm, University of Southern Denmark; Prof. Martin Kuentz, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland
Project Title: Applying Artificial Intelligence Tools in Drug Formulation Development – A Machine Learning Approach for Novel Formulation Design
I’m from Cork City and studied Pharmacy at UCC for my undergrad.
The aim of my project is to use artificial intelligence to predict the formulation design that will maximise exposure to poorly water soluble drugs. I will create a large database of recently approved oral formulations with poorly water soluble APIs. Machine learning techniques will be applied to model the interplay between drug, excipients, and bioavailability. Finally, a new bioactive material will be designed based on the information supplied by the algorithm constructed to improve in-vivo exposure.
2021-2022
Aoife Delaney
Supervisors: Dr Aoife Fleming, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Dr Suzanne McCarthy, School of Pharmacy, UCC
Project Title: Investigation of medication safety communication strategies, and development of a quality improvement intervention in an Irish hospital setting.
I have worked as a hospital pharmacist for over 20 years. I’ve gained valuable experience in this time working in a variety of areas, including; General Medical & Surgical wards, HIV, Aseptic Services, Haematology, Oncology & Radiotherapy, Medicines Information and Antimicrobial Stewardship.
I returned to my native Cork in 2014 and was appointed Chief II – Medication Safety Pharmacist for CUH in 2017.
I have a genuine interest in improving patient safety and I’m delighted to embark on this exciting chapter of my career.
The aim of my PhD is to improve medication safety culture and awareness in CUH through the development of an intervention, focusing on communication and reporting of medication incidents.
Andrew Fagan
Supervisors: Prof Abina Crean, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Prof Brendan Griffin, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Dr Joey O'Shea, School of Pharmacy, UCC
Project Title: Predicting in-vivo performance from pharmaceutical tablet manufacturing data
I am from a small town called Kinnegad in Westmeath. I recently graduated from DCU with a BSc in Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
I recently started my PhD as part of the EPSRC-SFI Centre for Doctoral Training in Transformative Pharmaceutical Technologies. The goal of my project is to develop a modelling approach which relates the variability of the tablet manufacturing process, to the in-vivo performance, e.g. oral bioavailability and pharmacokinetics, of solid dosage forms. The motivation of this modelling approach is to define a basis for setting more rational pharmaceutical processing and product specifications in line with the Quality by Design approach to pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Claudia Giannachi
Supervisors: Prof Abina M Crean, School of Pharmacy, UCC
Project Title: Design of protein-based formulations to enable compression under ambient conditions
I'm from Italy, I graduated in Pharmacy at University of Ferrara.
The aim of my project is to develop freeze-dried insulin formulations that can be for inclusion into a direct compression tablet. The impact of the PhD was very good, thanks to my supervisor, and also because in the previous months I worked as a research assistant in the same field.
Darren Breathnach
Supervisors: Dr Laura Sahm, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Dr Michelle O'Driscoll, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Dr Anne Horgan, Medical Oncologist, University Hospital Waterford
Project Title: Evaluation of the Impact of Pharmacist Interventions in a Geriatric Oncology Setting
I'm originally from Cork and attended the School of Pharmacy in UCC for my undergraduate degree.
This practice based research aims to reduce the rate of hospitalisation in older adults with cancer, by optimising their medication in the geriatric oncology clinic in UHW.
2020-2021
Lotte Ejskjr
Supervisors: Prof Brendan Griffin, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Dr Patrick O’Dwyer, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Prof Martin Kuentz, Institute of Pharma Technology, FHNW; Dr Renè Holm, Janssen Pharmaceutica
Project Title: Molecular dynamics simulations to predict drug supersaturation in microemulsion formulations
I am from Denmark.
My PhD project is a part of the EU InPharma project with an overall goal to develop 'A fully integrated, animal-free, end-to-end modelling approach to oral drug product development'.
The aim of my project is to develop computational tools to support a rational and science-based approach to selecting microemulsion formulations for new drug candidates, and use multivariate analysis and machine learning techniques to predict extent of supersaturation in microemulsion using large drug datasets. In the end, molecular dynamics will be used to provide insights into microemulsion droplet structure and solubilisation capacity for drugs.
Theodoros Giakoumis
Supervisors: Prof Brendan Griffin, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Prof Caitriona O'Driscoll, School of Pharmacy, UCC;
Dr Joey O'Shea, School of Pharmacy, UCC
Project Title: The influence of altered gut microbiota on the metabolism of and drug release from bacterially-triggered film coated colonic drug delivery for patients with IBD: in vitro and in vivo evaluation.
I come from Athens, Greece and I studied Biochemistry at the University of Essex in UK where I also completed my Masters Degree in Cancer Biology with a focused interest on colorectal cancer and diseases.
A common characteristic of patients suffering from Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) is the alteration of gut microbiota complicating the formulation process of colon targeted drugs. My project is focusing on the development of novel bacterially triggered film coatings to optimize drug release in an in vivo pig model in which the gut microbiota will be altered. I believe that my project can shed light on understanding more about colon targeted drug formulations and the role of microbiota under IBD conditions.
Justus Lange
Supervisors: Prof Brendan Griffin, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Dr Patrick O'Dwyer, School of Pharmacy, UCC
Project Title: Modelling drug-excipient solubilisation interactions to predict excipient selection
I am from Germany, where I graduated as a pharmacist in May 2021 from the University of Greifswald.
In June 2021, I commenced my PhD project as part of the InPharma ITN with the goal of contributing to 'A fully integrated, animal-free, end-to-end modelling approach to oral drug product development'.
This contribution includes the development of new approaches for predicting the optimal excipient selection for solubilised systems with a focus on micellar systems in preformulation. Computational tools such as Quantitative Structure Property Relationships and Molecular dynamics simulations will be used to take the guesswork out of selecting the right excipient.
Michael Neary
Supervisors: Dr Katie Ryan, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Prof Abina M Crean, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Dr Piotr Kowalski, School of Pharmacy, UCC
Project Title: Interrogating the processing and formulation of biologicals using novel techniques to ensure safe and efficacious medicines
I am from Freshford, Co. Kilkenny and I’m a BPharm graduate from the UCC School of Pharmacy.
The focus of my project is to investigate the impact of a number of novel processing techniques such as microfluidics and electrospraying on the stability and functionality of biological formulations, specifically those delivering RNA. By doing so, this project aims to support the expansion of processing techniques suitable for RNA therapeutics.
Nicolas Pätzmann
Supervisors: Prof Brendan Griffin, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Dr Patrick O’Dwyer, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Prof Martin Kuentz, Institute of Pharma Technology, FHNW; Dr Josef Beranek, Zentiva N.V.
Project Title: Computational tools to predict co-grinding approaches to overcome dissolution rate limited absorption
Hey, my name is Nicolas, I am from Bielefeld, Germany and I studied Pharmacy at the University of Münster.
In my studies, I focus on dissolution enhancement through grinding of active pharmaceutical ingredients with excipients. Co-ground formulations will be investigated by characterizing prototype formulations with different methods. Results from the characterization investigations and data from releasing experiments enable me to develop predictive models of dissolution rate enhancement as a function of drug and excipient properties by applying multivariate data analysis and machine learning.
The PhD project is funded by the European Union and is involved in the InPharma consortium that aims in general to create “A fully integrated, animal-free, end-to-end modelling approach to oral drug product development”.
Callum Ryan
Supervisors: Prof Brendan Griffin, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Dr Joey O'Shea, School of Pharmacy, UCC
Project Title: Designing Food-independent Formulations for Oncology/Geriatric Patients
I am from Headford, Co. Galway
The focus of this project will be to develop novel, food-independent formulations for oncology/geriatric patients. Formulation strategies to eliminate food effects such as lipid-based formulations will be explored. Strategies to maximise dose loading such as employing lipophilic salts will also be explored.
Evelyn Deasy
Supervisors: Prof Stephen Byrne, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Dr. Kieran Dalton, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Prof Cristin Ryan, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, TCD.
Project Title: Development of an entrustable professional activity model for postgraduate advanced pharmacy practice competency enablement and assurance in the Republic of Ireland.
I am the Pharmacy Education and Research Manager in Tallaght University Hospital Dublin. This employment-based PhD is an opportunity to bring together the expertise of hospital-based practitioners with the rigour of academia. The research will explore and develop models to enable hospital pharmacists achieve competency and professional readiness to deliver advanced pharmacy practice including independent prescribing.
Ita Fitzgerald
Supervisors: Dr Laura Sahm, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Dr Erin Crowley, School of Pharmacy, UCC
Project Title: The evidence-based management of antipsychotic-induced weight gain - from research to practice
I am a senior pharmacist working in mental health in St Patrick's University Hospital, Dublin. My PhD project focuses on translating the best available, evidence-based strategies in the management of antipsychotic-induced weight gain into practice. The aims of this project are to identify those who are at highest risk of experiencing significant weight gain at baseline, optimise the use of early interventions to manage weight gain, promote evidence-based antipsychotic prescribing, and improve patient-important outcomes amongst antipsychotic users.
Anne Harnett
Supervisors: Dr Laura Sahm, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Prof Stephen Byrne, School of Pharmacy, UCC
Project Title: Innovative solutions to overcome swallowing difficulties in the older adult.
The research aims to explore the issues faced by healthcare professionals (doctors, nurses, pharmacists) and patients when hospital inpatients have a swallowing difficulty that affects their ability to receive medicine as an oral solid dose form, tablet or capsule.
Maja Railic
Supervisors: Dr Sonja Vucen, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Dr Abina Crean, School of Pharmacy, UCC
Project Title: Dissolvable microneedle systems for enhanced percutaneous absorption and bioavailability of medicines for paediatric population
My name is Maja and I am a pharmacist from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
My project is focused on designing drug-loaded dissolvable microneedle (DMN) systems with the aim of enhancing percutaneous absorption and bioavailability of medicines for paediatric population. Also, I am interested in PBPK computational models which can provide accurate predictions of drug performance in humans and curious whether in vitro studies can be translated to in vivo situations using emerging in silico techniques such as PBPK models.
Mala Shah
Supervisors: Dr Aoife Fleming, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Dr Teresa Barbosa, School of Pharmacy, UCC
Project Title: Antimicrobial Stewardship in Primary Care
I am the Senior Antimicrobial Pharmacist for Cork Kerry Community Healthcare.
I am passionate about prudent antibiotic use to preserve their usefulness for future generations. I plan to investigate the potential for point of care diagnostics to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use in Ireland. I hope that my employment-based PhD will enable my work to inform research and vice versa.
Rasha Alshaikh
Supervisors: Prof Christian Waeber, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Dr Katie Ryan, School of Pharmacy, UCC.
Project Title: Hydrogels for the intraocular delivery of sphingosine -1-phosphate agents in the management of retinal diseases
I am a pharmacist from Egypt and my PhD is funded by the Irish Research Council. My project investigates the potential therapeutic role of different sphingosine-1-phosphate receptors (S1PR) modulators in retinal diseases. The project also aims to develop a sustained drug release platform for S1PR modulators (or other small molecules) delivered via intravitreal injection in retinal disease.
John Downey
Supervisors: Dr Katie Ryan, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Dr Abina Crean, School of Pharmacy, UCC
Project Title: Probing the impact of protein/peptide adsorption onto solid-substrates on functional behaviour and stability
Hello, my name is John Downey and I'm from Cork!
I joined the EPSRC-SFI Centre for Doctoral Training in Transformative Pharmaceutical Technologies as a PhD student of the SSPC in 2020. My research investigates the effect of different material properties on protein/peptide adsorption behavior and the consequent impact on protein functional behavior and stability. I am also examining formulation design to mitigate the risk of protein adsorption to manufacturing equipment and packaging materials.
Aida Lopez Espinar
Supervisors: Dr Piotr Kowalski, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Dr Sonja Vucen, School of Pharmacy, UCC
Project Title: Application of controlled polymerization methods for the synthesis of novel degradable polymers for RNA delivery to non-liver tissues.
I am an organic chemist from Barcelona.
I am studying the application of controlled polymerization methods for the synthesis of novel degradable polymers for RNA delivery to non-liver tissues, and evaluate their efficacy and safety for the treatment of sepsis induced multiple organ failure.
Patricia Brid Sheehan
Supervisors: Dr Aoife Fleming, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Dr Aislinn Joy, School of Medicine, UCC; Dr Suzanne McCarthy, School of Pharmacy, UCC
Project Title: Human Factors and Patient Safety
A multidisciplinary project focusing on Human Factors in the Patient Safety context.
Human Factors is defined as ""the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system and the profession that applies theory, principles, data and methods to design in order to optimise human wellbeing and overall system performance""
Previous Years
Tanweer Ziad Khalil Al-Dagamin
Supervisors: Prof Abina M Crean, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Dr Joseph O’Shea, School of Pharmacy, UCC
Project Title: Enhancing oral drug delivery of poorly water-soluble drugs: Investigating the role of the
intermolecular interactions on drug loading and release from mesoporous silica
I am Palestinian- Jordanian.
The overall aim of my research is to tackle the issue related to the poor water-solubility of a model drug, ritonavir, and enhance its oral bioavailability by developing a mesoporous silica drug delivery system. In relation to my research impact, and by taking PhD program, I can contribute to the School’s and wider UCC community engagement and Internationalization initiatives. As a member in a Cork migrant Centre, I will support the School’s Civic Engagement initiatives to support these migrant groups through outreach activities.
Shauna Colette Bell
Supervisors: Dr Helen Kelly, School of Clinical Therapies, UCC; Dr Laura Sahm, School of Pharmacy, UCC.
Project Title: Medication Adherence in Aphasia
Aphasia is an acquired communication disorder, which typically occurs following damage to the language centres of the brain, most commonly post-stroke. These patients are often prescribed many different types of medication as part of their treatment and management plans. However, there is a high risk of medication non-adherence among this cohort which, when left unaddressed, may result in significant increases in morbidity, mortality, and health care expenses. Therefore, this research aims to characterise the barriers and facilitators to medication adherence in a population with aphasia, and to design a tailored intervention specific to the needs of this patient group.
Annachiara Dozzo
Supervisors: Dr Katie Ryan, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Prof Caitriona O'Driscoll, School of Pharmacy, UCC
Project Title: Novel, bioinspired bone-on-chip model to simulate prostate cancer bone metastases and evaluate targeted drug therapies
I am from Italy.
The project aims to develop a device which will be used as tool to evaluate efficacy and toxicity of novel and already in use therapeutics to obtain more relevant clinical results without recurring to in vivo models such as mice. Overall, the aim is to provide a more physiologically relevant bone on-chip model suitable as a preclinical tool to address the limitations associated with the use of common 2D models.
Ayat Elgammal
Supervisors: Prof Abina Crean, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Dr Margaret Bermingham, School of Pharmacy, UCC
Project Title: Assessment of oral liquid antibiotic formulations with the focus on organoleptic properties that impact paediatric acceptability.
I am from Egypt.
The overall aim of my project is to design and characterise set of placebo formulations that mimic the commercial oral liquid antibiotic formulations to improve the organoleptic properties and enhance the paediatric acceptability.
Brian Kerins
Supervisors: Dr Abina Crean, School of Pharmacy, UCC
Project Title: Designing a continuous process for manufacturing drug-silica formulations
I've been based in Cork many years, and it's where I completed my undergraduate pharmacy degree and where I got the opportunity to work in a pharmaceutical company.
The focus of my current research is to investigate continuous manufacturing processes for drug-silica formulations. These novel products have the potential to overcome the challenges posed by poor water-soluble drugs.
Lyndsey Moore
Supervisors: Dr Anne Moore, School of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, UCC; Dr Sonja Vucen, School of Pharmacy, UCC
Project Title: Dissolvable Microneedle Vaccine Development and Formulation
I'm from Florida, where I graduated from the University of Tampa with my BS in Biochemistry.
I currently work with dissolvable microneedle vaccine patches. I am working on scaling up our current methods for industrial production, as well as refining the vaccine formulations. Vaccines in microneedle patches are more stable and have a longer shelf-life than vaccines in liquid and are a lot easier to administer compared to injecting with a needle and syringe. This work has the potential to deploy vaccines to hard-to-reach regions, areas without sufficient refrigeration, and eventually permit self-administration of vaccines within your own home and allow us to stockpile vaccines so they will be ready and available when the next epidemic or pandemic occurs.
Lianne Mulder
Supervisors: Dr Piotr Kowalski, School of Pharmacy, UCC; Dr Katie Ryan, School of Pharmacy, UCC
Project Title: Development of a RNA-based therapeutic intervention for the treatment of sepsis by targeting the diseased endothelium.
I am a Dutch postgraduate student with a biomedical background in Microbiology and Immunology, who is passionate about translational research aiming to help people suffering from infectious diseases.
I have joined the newly established group of Dr. Piotr Kowalski at the School of Pharmacy in the summer of 2020. My PhD project, funded by the Health Research Board, combines my interests in gene therapy, endothelial biology and infectious diseases as I will be developing a RNA-based approach to target diseased endothelial cells to treat sepsis-induced multiple organ failure. This research is expected to aid to RNA delivery technology and has the potential to be translated into clinic for the treatment of sepsis.