Universidade Nacional da Irlanda em Galway -- Ciência sem Fronteiras
PI name & contact details:
Deniz Tasdemir, Established Professor of Marine Biodiscovery
School of Chemistry, NUI Galway
Phone: +353-(0)91-492450, Fax: +353-(0)91-495576
e-mail: deniz.tasdemir@nuigalway.ie
Co-PI name & contact details
Dr. Thomas Ritter, Senior Lecturer in Medicine, NUI Galway
Phone: +353-(0)91-495329, Fax: +353-(0)91-495547
e-mail: thomas.ritter@nuigalway.ie
School of Chemistry
School:
Has project been agreed with head (or
nominee) of proposed registration
school?
Yes
Research Centre / group
affiliation:
Research group / centre
website:
PI website / link to CV:
Marine Biodiscovery Research Group
http://www.nuigalway.ie/chemistry/level2/staff/DenizTasdemir
/dtgrouppage.html
http://www.nuigalway.ie/chemistry/level2/staff/DenizTasdemir
/dtresearch.html
Brief summary of PI research / research group / centre activity (2 or 3 lines max):
The research emphasis of the PI is the discovery of new drug lead molecules from marine organisms
that can be developed pharmaceutically for treating human diseases and to find applications in
biomedical area. It is a highly multisdisciplinary research subject, including natural product
chemistry, pharmacology, molecular biology, immunology, clinical research.
Title & brief description of PhD project (suitable for publication on web):
Discovery of novel molecules from marine sponges for application in inflammatory diseases of the
eye
Oceans cover 70% of the earth surface. The immeasurable chemical and biological diversity of the
marine environment makes oceans an extraordinary resource for the discovery of new drugs.
Indeed, several marine natural products have been approved for human use and many are under
clinical evaluations. This project will evaluate the potential of anti-inflammatory and
immunomodulatory secondary metabolites produced by marine organisms in ocular inflammation
and keratoplasty (transplantation of corneal material to replace scar tissue which interferes with
vision). Several factors such as infection or trauma can cause corneal inflammation. This can affect
corneal clarity and cause scar formation, which eventually necessitates keratoplasty. Moreover, any
form of ocular surface inflammation also poses an increased risk of transplant rejection thus
requiring immunosuppressive therapy. Corticosteroids are widely used for controlling immune
reaction following keratoplasty and to reduce subsequent inflammatory corneal reaction. However,
even the topical application of steroids is associated with serious risks such as ocular hypertension
and cataract development. Hence, there is a need to develop alternatives to corticosteroids. Marine
organisms, particularly sponges produce potent anti-inflammatory molecules, some of which also
show strong immunomodulatory effects. In preliminary studies several crude extracts obtained from
marine organisms were found to show remarkable anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive
activity. In this project the promising extracts with high immunosuppressive and/or
antiinflammatory activity will be purified by chromatographic methods and tested in in vitro assays
Universidade Nacional da Irlanda em Galway -- Ciência sem Fronteiras
such as inhibition of TNF by LPS stimulated monocytes and inhibition of proliferation of activated T
cells developed by the co-PI as a guide. Chemical characterization of the active constituents of the
extracts will be achieved by high resolution spectroscopy methods (NMR, MS, LC-MS). After
extensive in vitro testing, active compounds will be tested in vivo in inflammatory diseases of the
eye (dry eye, keratoplasty). Moreover, co-application of new compounds with mesenchymal stem
cells will be investigated to further improve immunosuppressive therapy. This project is expected to
yield marine molecules superior to corticosteroids with higher potency and safety. Such compounds
will have realistic potential to be developed commercially.
Unique selling points of PhD project in NUI Galway:
The cross-disciplinary nature of this project will provide the student with a range of techniques at
the cutting edge of natural product chemistry, cell biology and immunology, and prepare the
student for a career in drug discovery and inflammation research in an academic or industrial
settings. On the other hand, Chemistry PhD programme will provide the student with a diverse
range of additional subject-specific and non-specific didactic elements as part of the structured PhD
programme.
The student will have access to the following:

A state of the art infrastructure in natural products chemistry at the PI’s research group
(automated fractionation techniques, HPLC, UPLC-MS/MS) and in School of Chemistry (400,
500, 600 NMR with cryoprobe, LC-MS, X-ray crystallography)

A wide range of expertise/training including the areas of drug discovery, natural products
chemistry, stem cell biology, immunology, molecular biology, translational research

A wide network of collaborating researchers in Ireland and worldwide

Collaboration with REMEDI (Regenerative Medicine) group in NUIG which will provide
access to core technical facilities e.g. flow cytometry, microscopy, cell culture, histology,
molecular biology
Name & contact details for project queries, if different from PI named above:
Please indicate the graduates of which disciplines that should apply:
Pharmacy, Chemistry, Biomedical Sciences, Biology, Cell biology, Pharmacology
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):
Engineering and other technological areas
Pure and Natural Sciences (e.g. mathematics, physics, chemistry)
Health and Biomedical Sciences
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)
Aerospace
Universidade Nacional da Irlanda em Galway -- Ciência sem Fronteiras
Pharmaceuticals
Oil, Gas and Coal
Renewable Energy
Minerals
Biotechnology
Nanotechnology and New Materials
Technology of prevention and remediation of natural disasters
Biodiversity and Bioprospection
Marine Sciences
Creative Industry
New technologies in constructive engineering
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): ___N__
Suitable for either/Don’t know: _____