September Major EU-funded projects to improve medical devices, brain treatments and inclusive clinical trials

Researchers supported to become future leaders through European Commission Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions-Doctoral Network

University of Galway is leading three new projects that aim to make medical treatments safer, faster and more effective after researchers secured the support of one of Europe’s most prestigious funding programmes.

The awards were made by the European Commission’s Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions-Doctoral Network programme (MSCA DN), as part of Horizon Europe 2020.

The programme supports researchers to become future leaders while investing in the University of Galway projects to improve lives and pave the way for better, more affordable healthcare. The network also provides training to make the researchers more creative, entrepreneurial and innovative, boosting their employability in the long-term.

One University of Galway project has an emphasis on sustainability and a move away from animal testing for brain disease; a second is looking at cardiovascular issues, specifically around improving heart stent durability and longevity; and a third seeks to advance equity, diversity and inclusion in clinical trials.

Professor Fidelma Dunne, Director of the Institute for Clinical Trials at University of Galway, said: “These projects show how research can make a real difference in people’s lives. University of Galway is proud to be leading the way in creating smarter, safer, and more sustainable healthcare solutions.”

Professor Ted Vaughan, Interim Director of the Institute for Health Discovery and Innovation at University of Galway, said: "These projects exemplify the mission of our new Institute – to accelerate fundamental and applied understanding of disease and enable disruptive solutions to health-based challenges. By combining cutting-edge science with collaborative training, we are not only advancing medical technologies but also shaping the next generation of research leaders. This investment from the European Commission underscores the importance of innovation that is ethical, inclusive, and focused on improving patient outcomes across society."

The University of Galway projects funded by the Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions-Doctoral Network are:

• Dr Mihai Lomora leads the €4.2 million CerebroMachinesTrain Doctoral Network research project - Smarter Drug Delivery for Brain Diseases. Using advanced 3D brain models that mimic real brain tissue, the project will test tiny machines which are being developed to bring medicine exactly where it is needed. It avoids animal testing, making research faster, more ethical, and more accurate.

Dr Lomora is a Lecturer and Principal Investigator in Bio(material) Chemistry at the University’s School of Biological and Chemical Sciences in the College of Science and Engineering and a Funded Investigator at CÚRAM - the Research Ireland Centre for Medical Devices.

This network project involves 14 partners from eight countries, including the US. Four PhD students will be supported through the project at University of Galway.

• Dr William Ronan leads the €2.71 million MEDALLOY research project - Stronger, Safer Materials for Life-Saving Devices. It focuses on making materials used in minimally invasive medical devices - like stents and heart valve supports - stronger and longer lasting.

Dr Ronan is a Lecturer and Principal Investigator in Biomedical Engineering at the University’s College of Science and Engineering. The project includes partners from six countries - the US, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Czechia and Sweden. It will train nine PhD students, who will spend at least half of their time working directly in industry earning hands-on skills ranging from material science to patient care.

• Dr Eimear Morrissey leads the €4.4 million EDICT research project - Advancing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Clinical Trials. It is a research and training network led by the Health Research Board-Trials Methodology Research Network, based at University of Galway, which seeks to include older adults, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, or those from lower-income backgrounds in clinical trials. It will develop new tools, methods and policies to make clinical trials more inclusive, fair, and effective across Europe.

A Lecturer in Evidence-Based Healthcare at the University’s School of Nursing and Midwifery, College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Dr Morrissey’s project will train 16 PhD researchers across 26 organisations in 12 countries, including universities, clinical trial networks, patient organisations, regulators and industry partners.

• A fourth project, DECADOCS – Decadent Travellers and the Reception of Classical Antiquity, is in partnership with Goldsmiths, University of London and the Cúirt International Festival of Literature. DECADOCS is the first doctoral network dedicated to the study of decadence, the disruptive societal phenomenon traditionally associated with accelerated decline and decay. Involving Dr Muireann O’Cinneide, a researcher in English, Media and Creative Arts at the University’s College of Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies, this part of the network will explore late nineteenth-century travel and mobility as producing radical explorations of counter-cultural sexualities and complex imperial identities. It will also investigate the literary legacies of decadence in how contemporary literature grapples with concepts of civilizational mobility, decay, and regeneration.

The Marie Skłodowska Curie Actions-Doctoral Network programme involves researchers from different sectors working in international partnerships which are responding to well-identified needs. The network has academic and non-academic members.

Dr Mihai Lomora said: “Our goal is to make brain treatments more precise and less invasive by using tiny machines that can deliver medicine exactly where it is needed. By combining advanced drug delivery with relevant brain models, we’re not only speeding up research - we’re also reducing the need for animal testing. This is a big step forward for both science and society.”

Dr William Ronan said: “Nitinol is a remarkable material used in life-saving heart devices, but it can still be improved. Through the MEDALLOY project, we’re making these devices more durable and affordable, which means better outcomes for patients and faster innovation for the healthcare industry. We’re also training researchers who will work directly with companies to bring these improvements to life.”

Dr Eimear Morrissey said: “Clinical trials are how we assess the effectiveness of new treatments and improve healthcare, but they often fail to include the full range of people affected by disease and who could benefit from treatments. Who gets included in clinical trials shapes the evidence we rely on to make healthcare decisions. With the EDICT project, we’re building a future where trials better reflect the people they’re meant to help. This work is urgent, and I’m proud that we at HRB-TMRN at University of Galway will be leading a project that can shift how clinical trials are conducted internationally.”

Dr Muireann O’Cinneide said: “Irishness has always been a vital part of our understanding of late-19th-century concepts of decadence as an artistic force, especially given the influence of Oscar Wilde, whose time in Naples will be an important part of our research. University of Galway and Goldsmiths want to explore how seemingly elite frameworks of cultural reception can become reshaped by alternative cultural encounters, and how even travel associated with fixed locations and decayed pasts can become a way to imagine different geographies and futures.”

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