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Universidade Nacional da Irlanda em Galway -- Ciência sem Fronteiras
PhD Project Template
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Use one form per project
Please complete & submit to international@nuigalway.ie as soon as possible, and by 27/11/2012
In your email, begin the subject line with [SWB] (be sure to use square brackets) to ensure that
your email is filed correctly. Emails will be automatically filed
PI name & contact details:
Valerie Barron
School:
College of Medicine
Has project been agreed with head (or
nominee) of proposed registration school?
Research Centre / group affiliation:
Regenerative Medicine Institute
Research group / centre website:
Orthobiologics group
PI website / link to CV:
http://www.nuigalway.ie/remedi/people/dr-valeriebarron-0
Brief summary of PI research / research group / centre activity (2 or 3 lines max):
If you are already involved in relevant scholarly activities relating to Brazil, please mention them here.
At present, I have over 14 years experience in biomaterials with a strong interest in mesenchymal
stem cells for regenerative medicine applications. I have over 30 peer-reviewed publications, 70
conference proceedings, 3 book chapters and 2 patents granted. I have given 2 invited
presentations and have been a member of scientific committees for 3 Irish conferences and 2
International conferences. I have supervised 10 postgraduate students and mentored 3 postdoctorates. I have over 12 years experience liaising and interacting with medical device industries in
Ireland and abroad. Therefore, I believe that I have the skills, expertise, experience and support to
ensure the success of this PhD study.
Title & brief description of PhD project (suitable for publication on web):
In recent years, nanomaterials have attracted great interest in the field of biomedical engineering
for a range of applications including biosensors, cell delivery agents and as supporting structures for
tissue engineering scaffolds. In parallel, mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) have shown great potential
for the repair and/or regeneration of a range of damaged tissues and organs. However, retaining
sufficient numbers of functional cells at the site of injury and real-time tracking of the cells post
administration is still a major limitation on the road to clinical translation. To date, the PI has shown
that at low concentrations, carbon nanotubes are taken up by the MSC, do not adversely affect cell
viability, proliferation, tri-lineage differentiation and excitingly can be exploited to direct
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Universidade Nacional da Irlanda em Galway -- Ciência sem Fronteiras
differentiation of MSC towards a cardioprogenitor cell type. As a follow up, to this pioneering
research recently published in Nano Letters, Macromolecular Bioscience and Biomaterials, the next
step in this research programme is to examine the efficacy and safety of MSC containing CNT in a
myocardial infarction model in vivo. In order to achieve this goal, there are four specific objective,
which form the main focus of the PhD study, and include
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Optimizaton of CNT loading conditions for transplantation and tracking MSC in vivo.
Optimization of cell delivery methodology
Tracking MSC in vivo
Histological evaluation of cardiac muscle tissue post implantation
At the end of the study, it is hoped to prepare at least 2 scientific manuscripts for journal
publications, prepare 3 abstracts for International conferences and a PhD thesis.
Unique selling points of PhD project in NUI Galway:
NUI Galway projects should emphasise features that are not typically available in Brazil – specific equipment,
multi-disciplinarity, aspects of structured programme, links with industry, placements, links with other research
groups etc.
Infrastructure
A range of facilities equipment and highly experienced personnel are available in REMEDI for this
research project and include the following.
Involvement of collaborators
Within REMEDI, Dr Barron is member of the stem cell team. This scientific team includes Dr Mary
Murphy, Prof. Frank Barry and Prof. Timothy O’Brien, all of whom will be available to provide help
and support in terms of scientific advice and access to equipment in their laboratories.
Laboratory Space
In terms of laboratory space, research facilities include microscopy, spectrometry, cell culture and
molecular biology suites. Microscopy facilities include atomic force microscopy, SEM with EDX, TEM,
and multi-photon confocal laser scanning microscopy. There is a fully equipped cell culture suite,
containing isolated cell culture rooms for primary cell studies. In terms of molecular biology a range
of techniques are available including qPCR.
Tissue Processing
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Universidade Nacional da Irlanda em Galway -- Ciência sem Fronteiras
With respect to tissue processing, a range of services for both human and animal tissue exist
including; processing and sectioning of paraffin embedded specimens, processing and
cryosectioning of frozen sections, microdissection of tissues to capture RNA/DNA and or protein,
skeletal
preparation,
immunohistochemical/immunofluorescence
staining,
antibody
titration/optimization and digitization of data.
GMP facility
The REMEDI GMP facility is a versatile cleanroom with standout features including two parallel
production suites comprising six manufacturing rooms capable of clinical-grade manufacturing of
cellular therapy products, gene therapy products and small molecules for therapeutic applications.
The facility is serviced by dedicated utilities including CO2, on-site Liquid Nitrogen generation and
HEPA-filtered air. The facility is staffed by dedicated GMP personnel and has implemented a Quality
Management System (QMS) to ensure full compliance with EU legislation for manufacture of cellbased IMP.
Office Space and Computing
Desk space is available for the PhD student. In terms of computing requirements, there is wireless
access throughout the University. A range of software packages including MS Office, Endnote and
SPSS are available at the University. In addition, there is open access to the facilities of the James
Hardiman Library
Preclinical facility
Within REMEDI, there is a full-service preclinical animal facility. With its dedicated surgical team and
state of the art technology, it offers a wide array of general research capabilities, such as services to
produce in vivo, clinical pathology, necropsy and histopathology data for new research studies. The
2 surgical suites are equipped with inhalation anaesthesia capabilities with positive pressure
ventilation, active anaesthesia scavenging and advanced patient monitoring systems.
Name & contact details for project queries, if different from PI named above:
Please indicate the graduates of which disciplines that should apply:
Medicine, Science, Bioengineering, Materials Science,
Ciência sem Fronteiras / Science Without Borders Priority Area:
Please indicate the specific programme priority area under which the proposed PhD project fits- choose only
one (tick box):
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Universidade Nacional da Irlanda em Galway -- Ciência sem Fronteiras
Engineering and other technological areas
Pure and Natural Sciences (e.g. mathematics, physics, chemistry)/Physical Sciences (Mathematics,
Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Geosciences)
Health and Biomedical Sciences / Clinical, Pré-clinical and Health Sciences
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), Computing
Aerospace
Pharmaceuticals
Sustainable Agricultural Production
Oil, Gas and Coal
Renewable Energy
Minerals, Minerals Technology
Biotechnology
Nanotechnology and New Materials
Technologies for Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Disasters
Bioprospecting and Biodiversity
Marine Sciences
Creative Industry
New technologies in constructive engineering
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X
Please indicate which of the following applies to this project (referring to Science Without Borders
arrangements):
Suitable only as a Full PhD (Y/N): _ __Y__
Available to candidates seeking a Sandwich PhD arrangement (Y/N): __Y___
Suitable for either/Don’t know: ___Y__