Directors Message

Welcome to the winter 2016 newsletter of the Trinity Centre for Bioengineering. The past few months have again been a very productive period for the PIs, postdoctoral researchers and students associated with the Centre. It is great to see the volume and quality of research papers being produced by the staff and students associated with our Centre. Details of all our recent outputs and activities can be found within this newsletter, but I’d like to highlight just a few of them here.

Firstly, congratulations to Prof Conor Buckley and Prof Ed Lalor who both received Science Foundation Ireland Career Development Awards. These are very competitive grants that will allow both Conor and Ed to substantially expand their research activities in our Centre.

The past 6 months saw staff and students particularly engaged in media and outreach activities. We has multiple visits from TV and radio stations including RTE to discuss our work. This is a particularly important activity as it help to educate the public as to the importance of funding research in Ireland.

Finally, congratulations to everyone who successfully defended their PhD theses over the past few months. I wish you all the best in your future endeavours.

I hope you enjoy reading the newsletter.

Best,

Winter 2016

In this issue:

Directors Message

Grants & Awards

Papers

MSc Bioengineering

Events, Seminars & Conferences

Media Highlights, Outreach

People, New staff and Current vacancies

TRINITY CENTRE FOR BIOENGINEERING

TCBE AWARDS & GRANTS

Prof Conor Buckley (Principal Investigator) – Science Foundation Ireland, Career Development Award (CDA) €637,894

Project title: Intraoperative Single Stage Procedure for Intervertebral Disc Regeneration (INSPIRE)Description: 97% of individuals over the age of 50 exhibit degeneration of the intervertebral disc(IVD). Recent investigations have shown that cell-based strategies can retard degenerative changes.However, the challenge for clinical translation remains in identifying suitable cell sources andbiomaterial delivery systems to support such cells within the harsh and complex biochemical (lowpH) and biomechanical environment of the disc. Intraoperative single stage cell therapies are highlyattractive, avoiding the need for two hospital visits and costly in vitro cell expansion. In addition,developing injectable biomaterial systems is pivotal for minimally invasive therapeutic approaches.The overall aim of this proposal is to develop an autologous single stage therapy for intervertebraldisc (IVD) regeneration. This consists of tissue harvesting from nasal septum, rapid cell isolation,development of biomimetic injectable cellular microcapsules (Aim 1) combined with pH bufferingbiomaterials to regulate the acidic microenvironment that exists in native disc tissue (Aim 2) andthen evaluating the proposed strategy in both ex-vivo organ culture and in-vivo models (Aim 3). Ifsuccessful, the strategies outlined will create a paradigm shift in which the scientific community andclinical investigators approach early stage disc degeneration.

Funded by: Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) (15/CDA/3476)

Postdoctoral Researcher Fiona Freeman working in Professor Daniel Kelly’s group recently won theGovernment of Ireland Postdoctoral Research Fellowship entitled “3D bioprinting of compositeconstructs functionalized with ECM components for osteochondral defect repair.” Through this grantFiona will also get to spend 6 months working in Dr Warren Grayson’s Lab in John Hopkins University,Baltimore, MA, USA.

TCBE AWARDS & GRANTS

RCSI Industry Engagement Award 2016Sally Ann Cryan

Congratulations to PhD candidate KianEichholz on winning the best paper award atthe 2016 Crossland Symposium held at QueensUniversity Belfast. The prize is awarded to thebest paper from a postgraduate student fromthe island of Ireland who has completed oneyear of research in a field related to MechanicalEngineering and is sponsored by EngineersIreland. Kian’s paper was entitled “Design andManufacture of an Innovative BiofabricationMethod for 3D Tissue Engineering Constructs”

Best Oral Presentation. Title “Novel GeneActivated Scaffolds for Tissue EngineeringApplications”. 38th All Ireland School ofPharmacy Conference, The Royal College ofSurgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland. 21st-22ndMarch, 2016. Authors: D. Walsh, R. Murphy,J.Ramsey, A. Heise, F. O’Brien, SA. Cryan

Best Oral Presentation (Joint Place). Title“Controlled Delivery of pDNA from TissueEngineered Collagen Scaffolds Using Novel,Non-Viral Star-Shaped Polypeptides”. UK andIreland Controlled Release Society AnnualMeeting, Cardiff University, Cardiff. 21st-22ndApril, 2016. Authors: D. Walsh, R. Murphy,J.Ramsey, A. Heise, F. O’Brien, SA. Cryan

PAPERS

Vedicherla S.V. and Buckley C.T. Cell-Based Therapies for Intervertebral Disc and CartilageRegeneration - Current Concepts, Parallels and Perspectives. Journal of Orthopaedic Research.(Accepted for publication).

Naqvi S.M., Vedicherla S.V., Gansau J., et al “Living Cell Factories”- Electrosprayed Microcapsulesand Microcarriers for Minimally Invasive Delivery. Advanced Materials, 28(27):5662-71, 2016.

Naqvi, S.M. and Buckley, C.T. Bone Marrow Stem Cells in Response to Intervertebral Disc-Like MatrixAcidity and Oxygen Concentration - Implications for Cell-Based Regenerative Therapy. Spine,41(9):743-50, 2016.

Mc Govern, E; Butler, J; Beiser, I; et al “A comparison of stimulus presentation methods in temporal discrimination testing" Physiological Measurement, July 2016 PMEA-101558

Mc Govern, E; O’Connor E, Beiser, I; et al “Menstrual cycle and the temporal discrimination threshold" Physiological Measurement, July 2016 PMEA-101559

Quinlivan B., Butler J.S., Ridwan, R, et al Application of virtual reality head mounted display for investigation of movement: A novel effect of orientation of attention”, Journal of Neural Engineering, 2016 Oct;13(5):056006. doi: 10.1088/1741-2560/13/5/056006, PMID: 27518212

SULAIMAN I, SEHEULT J, MACHALE E, D'ARCY S, ET AL “IRREGULAR AND INEFFECTIVE: A QUANTITATIVE

OBSERVATIONAL STUDY OF THE TIME AND TECHNIQUE OF INHALER USE.”, J ALLERGY CLIN IMMUNOL PRACT. 2016 SEP-OCT;4(5):900-909.E2. DOI: 10.1016/J.JAIP.2016.07.009. PMID: 27587321

Sulaiman I, Seheult J, MacHale E, et al “A Method to Calculate Adherence to Inhaled Therapy That Reflects the Changes in Clinical Features of Asthma”, Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2016 Jul 28. PMID: 27467125

Lynch AP, O'Sullivan F, Ahearne M. Effect of growth factor supplementation on corneal stromal cell phenotype in vitro using serum free media. Exp Eye Res. 2016; 151:26-37.

Lynch AP, Wilson SL, Ahearne M. Dextran preserves native corneal structure during decellularization. Tissue Eng C. 2016; 22:561-572.

Ahearne M. Coyle A. Application of UVA-riboflavin crosslinking to enhance the mechanical properties of extracellular matrix derived hydrogels. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater 2016; 54: 259-267.

Clarke, SA; Choi, SY; McKechnie, Melanie; et al Osteogenic cell response to 3-D hydroxyapatitescaffolds developed via replication of natural marine sponges

Palmer, Iwan; Nelson, John; Schatton, Wolfgang; et al Biocompatibility of calcium phosphatebone cement with optimized mechanical properties

O’Neill, Rory; McCarthy, Helen O; Cunningham, Eoin; et al Extent and mechanism of phaseseparation during the extrusion of calcium phosphate pastes

PAPERS

Almeida, A.V, Sathy, B.N., Dudurych, I., Buckley, C.T., O’Brien, F.J., Kelly, D.J. Anisotropic Shape-Memory Alginate Scaffolds Functionalized with either Type I or Type II Collagen for Cartilage Tissue Engineering. Tissue Engineering Part A (in press).

O’Reilly, A., Kelly, D.J. A Computational Model of Osteochondral Defect Repair Following Implantation of Stem Cell Laden Multiphase Scaffolds. Tissue Engineering Part A (in press).

Anurati, S., Rolfe, R., Carroll, S., Kelly, D.J., Murphy, P. Chondrogenesis of embryonic limb bud cells in micromass culture progresses rapidly to hypertrophy and is modulated by hydrostatic pressure. Cell and Tissue Research (in press)

Daly, A.C., Critchley, S., Rencsck, E., Kelly, D.J. A comparison of different bioinks for 3D bioprinting of fibrocartilage and hyaline cartilage. Biofabrication, 8(4): 045002, 2016.

Verrier, S., Alini M., Alsberg, E., Buchman, S.R., Kelly, D., Laschke, M.W., Menger, M.D., Murphy, W.L., Stegemann, J.P., Schütz, M., Miclau, T., Stoddart, M.J., Evans, C. Tissue engineering and regenerative approaches to improving the healing of large bone defects. Eur Cells & Materials, 32:87-110, 2016.

Almeida, A.V, Mulhall, K.J., O’Brien, F.J., Kelly, D.J Stem cells display a donor dependent response to escalating levels of growth factor release from extracellular matrix-derived scaffolds. Journal of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (in press).

Daly, A.C., Cunniffe, G.M., Sathy, B.N., Jeon, O., Alsberg, E., Kelly, D.J. 3D Bioprinting of Developmentally Inspired Templates for Whole Bone Organ Engineering. Advanced HealthCare Materials 5(18):2353-62, 2016.

O'Reilly, A., Kelly, D.J. Unravelling the role of mechanical stimuli in regulating cell fate during osteochondral defect repair. Annals of Biomedical Engineering (in press).

Gonzalez-Fernandez, T., Tierney, E., Cunniffe, G.M., O’Brien, F.J., Kelly, D.J. Gene Delivery of TGF-β3 and BMP2 in a MSC Laden Alginate Hydrogel for Articular Cartilage and Endochondral Bone Tissue Engineering. Tissue Engineering Part A (in press).

Steward, A.J., Kelly, D.J., Wagner, D.R. Purinergic Signaling Regulates the TGF-β3-Induced Chondrogenic Response of Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Hydrostatic Pressure. Tissue Engineering Part A (in press).

Almeida, A.V, Rajalakshmanan, E., Cunniffe, G.M., Buckley, C.T., O’Brien, F.J., Kelly, D.J. Fibrin Hydrogels Functionalized with Particulated Cartilage Extracellular Matrix and Incorporating Freshly Isolated Stromal Cells as an Injectable for Cartilage Regeneration. Acta Biomaterilia (in press).

Lu, L., Chu, J., Rajalakshmanan, E., Mulhall, K., Kelly, D. J. Engineering tissues that mimic the zonal nature of articular cartilage using decellularized cartilage explants seeded with adult stem cells. ACS

Biomaterials Science & Engineering (in press; DOI: 10.1021/acsbiomaterials.6b00020).

PAPERS

Rodenas-Rochina, J., Kelly, D.J., Gomez Ribelles, J., Lebourg, M. Compositional changes to synthetic biodegradable scaffolds modulate the influence of hydrostatic pressure on chondrogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells. Biomedical Physics & Engineering Express (in press).

Pauly, H.M., Kelly, D.J., Popat, K.C., Trujillo, N.A., Dunne, N.J., McCarthy, H.O., Haut Donahue, T.L. Mechanical properties and cellular response of novel electrospun nanofibers for ligament tissue engineering: Effects of orientation and geometry. Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials, 61, 258 – 270, 2016.

Luo., L., O’Reilly, A., Thorpe, S., Buckley, C.T., Kelly, D.J. Engineering zonal cartilaginous tissue by modulating oxygen levels and mechanical cues through the depth of infrapatellar fat pad stem cell laden hydrogels. Journal of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (in press).

Murphy R., Borase T., Payne C., O’Dwyer J., Cryan S-A., Heise A. Hydrogels from Amphiphilic Star Block Copolypeptides. RSC Advances 2016. RSC Adv., 2016, 6, 23370-23376DOI: 10.1039/C6RA01190J

Raftery RM, Walsh DP, Castaño IM, Heise A, Duffy GP, Cryan SA, O'Brien FJ. Delivering Nucleic-Acid Based Nanomedicines on Biomaterial Scaffolds for Orthopedic Tissue Repair: Challenges, Progress and Future Perspectives. Adv Mater. 2016 Jul;28(27):5447-69. doi: 10.1002/adma.201505088. PMID: 26840618

O'Leary C, Cavanagh B, Unger RE, Kirkpatrick CJ, O'Dea S, O'Brien FJ, Cryan SA. The development of a tissue-engineered tracheobronchial epithelial model using a bilayered collagen-hyaluronate scaffold. Biomaterials. 2016 Apr;85:111-27. doi: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2016.01.065.PMID: 26871888

T. Borase, E. K. Fox, Fadwa El Haddassi, S.-A. Cryan, D. F. Brougham A. Heise Glyco-copolypeptidegrafted magnetic nanoparticles: the interplay between particle dispersion and RNA loading Polym. Chem., 2016, 7, 3221-3224 DOI: 10.1039/C6PY00250A

Raftery RM, Woods B, Marques AL, Moreira-Silva J, Silva TH, Cryan SA, Reis RL, O'Brien FJ. Multifunctional biomaterials from the sea: Assessing the effects of chitosan incorporation into collagen scaffolds on mechanical and biological functionality. Acta Biomater. 2016 Oct 1;43:160-9. doi: 10.1016/j.actbio.2016.07.009. PMID: 27402181

O'Connor G, Gleeson LE, Fagan-Murphy A, Cryan SA, O'Sullivan MP, Keane J. Sharpening nature's tools for efficient tuberculosis control: A review of the potential role and development of host-directed therapies and strategies for targeted respiratory delivery. Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2016 Jul 1;102:33-54. doi: 10.1016/j.addr.2016.04.024. Review. PMID: 27151307

Lawlor C, O'Connor G, O'Leary S, Gallagher PJ, Cryan SA, Keane J, O'Sullivan MP. Treatment of Mycobacterium tuberculosis-Infected Macrophages with Poly(Lactic-Co-Glycolic Acid) MicroparticlesDrives NFκB and Autophagy Dependent Bacillary Killing. PLoS One. 2016 Feb 19;11(2):e0149167. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0149167. PMID: 26894562 Free PMC Article

O'Neill HS, Gallagher LB, O'Sullivan J, Whyte W, Curley C, Dolan E, Hameed A, O'Dwyer J, Payne C, O'Reilly D, Ruiz-Hernandez E, Roche ET, O'Brien FJ, Cryan SA, Kelly H, Murphy B, Duffy GP. Biomaterial-Enhanced Cell and Drug Delivery: Lessons Learned in the Cardiac Field and Future Perspectives. AdvMater. 2016 Jul;28(27):5648-61. doi: 10.1002/adma.201505349. PMID: 26840955

TCBE EDUCATION: MSC IN BIOENGINEERING

The Neural Engineering Group and the Dept. of Neurology at St Vincent University Hospital have recently launched the Irish Dystonia Research Group. A new website www.dystoniaresearch.ie has also been developed with funding from the Health Research Board and acts as a focal point for our collaborative research efforts in this area.

The Group also hosted a meeting the Experts Event in June 2-16 at the Selbourne Hotel. The event for patients and carers of those with dystonia provided talks from international experts on the current understanding of the condition and research activities to understand more. It was also an opportunity for attendees to try some of the experiments that The Neural Engineering group are currently running with patients with dystonia and their relatives. This has boosted recruitment for such experiments.

The Trinity Centre for Bioengineering paper and poster “Investigating gait speed in elderly Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease patients hospitalized with an acute” was awarded best paper at the annual Irish Gerontology Society. The medal was presented to Dr Isabelle Killane and Fiachra Maguire by IGS President Dr Mo Flynn at the recent IGS Annual Scientific Meeting in Killarney, Oct 2016.

TCBE News

Prof. Sally-Ann Cryan’s group works in the areas of drug delivery and advanced materials to develop tools and technologies that will be of use to the broader scientific community – both in industry and academia. This work includes the development of specialised drug delivery platforms for therapeutic drug molecules, with a particular focus on three areas: (i) delivery of biotherapeutics including proteins, genes and cells (ii) bioengineering of advanced medical materials and integration with medical devices and (iii) respiratory drug delivery. These drug delivery platforms are being developed for application in tuberculosis, cystic fibrosis and acute lung injury, inflammatory disease and cancer as well as in regenerative medicine including respiratory, orthopaedic and cardiovascular applications. In addition the group has a focus on developing better tools for translation including high throughput cellular screening methods and 3D tissue engineered models to analyse the efficacy of new and existing nanotechnologies and devices.With Prof. Andreas Heise (RCSI) Sally-Ann leads the Translational Research in NanomedicalDevices (TREND) team as part of TERG in RCSI. This is an SFI funded programme that focuses on multidisciplinary research that develops advanced biomaterials for drug delivery and bioengineering applications with key projects focussing on their application in respiratory and regenerative medicine. TREND aims to advance the development of both traditional and new combinational nanomedical devices from molecular design to device manufacturing, by way of close collaborations between academic, industry and clinical partners. This work includes close collaboration with other TCBE PIs including Prof. Fergal O’Brien and Prof. Garry Duffy. The team includes Dr. Joanne Ramsey, Dr. Ruairi Brannigan, Robert Murphy, Christina Payne, David Walsh, Joanne O’Dwyer, Shona O’Brien, Patricia Monks and Elena Bobbi.

Buckley Lab- Engineering Solutions to Regenerate Prof. Buckley leads a multidisciplinary research group in the School of Engineering at Trinity College Dublin and is a Principal Investigator within the Trinity Centre for Bioengineering (TCBE). Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) such as back and neck pain account for 49% of all absences from work and 60% of permanent work incapacity in the European Union. The goal of the Buckley lab is to develop novel responsive biomaterials and cell-based strategies to regenerate damaged tissues to restore function using minimally invasive strategies (MIS). Prof Buckley’s lab is pioneering the area of injectable therapeutic agents and cell microencapsulation for treating degenerative disc disease. The main research interests of the Buckley lab include intervertebral disc, peripheral nerve, meniscus and cartilage regeneration, cellular microencapsulation for therapeutic regeneration, injectable biomaterials, 3D bioprinting, tissue cryopreservation, biomimetics and tissue decellularisation and strategies for innovative intraoperative clinical intervention. For more information please visit our website: http://www.mee.tcd.ie/regenerative/People/CBuckley

TCBE – Lab News

TCBE – Lab News

Ahearne LabsBlindness resulting from disease, physical injury or chemical burns affects millions worldwide andhas a considerable economic and social impact on the lives of people across Europe. The mainobjective of the Ahearne Labs research at TCBE is to develop novel tissue engineering, biomaterialand cell based therapies to restore vision. Our primary focus is on corneal regeneration and thedevelopment of an artificial corneal implant.Currently the lab consists of three PhD students and one post-doctoral researcher. Claire Kelly isexamining the influence of mechanical and topographical cues on corneal stromal cell behaviourwith the eventual aim of designing a scaffold that exploits the benefits of these cues. JuliaFernandez is characterizing the role of growth factors and other biochemical stimuli on themodulation of corneal cell activity and how to incorporate these molecules into a scaffold. SophiaMasterton is examining the mechano-regulation of corneal epithelial cells and in influence ontheir regenerative capacity. Dr. Karl Kador is developing novel scaffold fabrication techniquessuitable for the development of smart scaffolds capable of regenerating corneal tissue in patients.The hope is that this research will eventually be used to restore vision to people who suffer fromcorneal blindness. The lab is currently funded by European Research Council, Science FoundationIreland and Marie-Curie COFUND.

TCBE EVENTS, SEMINARS & CONFERENCES

Congratulations to Dr. Masooma Naqvi on

defending her PhD thesis in June entitled

"Towards Stem Cell Regeneration of the

Nucleus Pulposus of the Intervertebral Disc"

which was awarded as it stands without

corrections! Prof Benjamin Gantenbein from

University of Bern acted as external examiner.

This was our first PhD from the Buckley Lab!

The Trinity Centre for Bioengineeringrecently hosted IBM Ireland Software Labs.This visit to the Neural Engineering Group atTCBE was to initiate a joint IBM-TCD-Beaumont Hospital project based oncognitive computing to predict speechperception in paediatric cochlear implantusers. IBM presented an IBM Faculty Awardto Prof Reilly.

Dr. Naqvi and Prof Buckley at commencements

in front square in November 2016.

European Vision and Eye Research conference in Nice In October 2016 Members of the Ahearne lab attend the European Vision and Eye Research conference in Nice, France. Claire Kelly and Julia Fernandez both presented their latest research findings to interested audience. Karl Kador also presented a poster showing his work.

TERMIS-EU Conference: Members of TCBE presented their work at the Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS) European Chapter Meeting held in Uppsala, Sweden, June 28 –July 1, 2016.

Jennifer Gansau from the Buckley lab presented her work entitled “Effect of fibrin concentration on matrix deposition capacity of articular chondrocytes for nucleus pulposus regeneration” at the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society EU (TERMIS-EU), which was held in Uppsala, Sweden 28th Jun- 1st July 2016.

Gordon Conference: Members of TCBE presented their work at the Gordon Conference on Musculoskeletal Biology & Bioengineering held in New Hampshire, United States, August 2016.

TCBE EVENTS, SEMINARS & CONFERENCES

13th ICRS World Congress in Sorrento:Dr Gráinne Cunniffe and Dr Dave Browe gave

oral presentations entitled "Growth Plate and Articular Cartilage Extracellular Matrix-based Bi-layered Scaffolds regenerate Osteochondral defects" and "Combining Rapidly Isolated Infrapatellar Fat Pad Stromal Cells & Collagen II Scaffolds as a Single Stage Approach for Cartilage Repair" on behalf of their co-authors at the International Cartilage Repair Society World Congress meeting held in Sorrento, Italy in September 2016. Srujana Vedicherlapresented work on "Intraoperative Processing Strategies for the Biological Augmentation of Actifit Meniscus Replacement".

62nd Annual Meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society in Disneyworld, Florida:Dr. Marie-Noelle Labour, Elena Stavenschi, Kian Eichholz, and Gillian Johnson presented their findings at the 62nd Annual Meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society in Disneyworld, Florida on the 8th March 2016

TCBE EVENTS, SEMINARS & CONFERENCES

ISCA sponsored seminar in Tokyo12th October 2016 – Dr. David Hoey presented his research at an ISCA sponsored seminar at the Irish Embassy in Tokyo, Japan. This joint seminar brought leading Irish and Japanese researchers together working in the areas of intracellular / vesicle trafficking, cilium biology, oxygen sensing, highcontent imaging technologies, Rab GTPasesand endosomal recycling. Dr. Hoey’s talk was entitled “Deciphering the role of the cilium in skeletal stem cell physiology”

NEW TO TCBE

Sophia MastertonSophia joined Mark Ahearne’s lab in TCBE in September 2016 as a Ph.D student. Shepreviously received a B.Sc in Biochemistry from University College Dublin and an M.Sc inMolecular Medicine from Trinity College Dublin. Sophia’s project will examine howdifferent mechanical cues and stimuli affect corneal epithelial cells and use thisinformation to regenerate the corneal epithelium.

Dr Yaniv ZigelDr Yaniv Zigel from Ben Gurion University of the Negev, in Beer Sheva, Isreal has recently joined the Neural Engineering Group-Reilly Lab. Dr Zigel is with us onsabbatical but also actively involved in a Enterprise Ireland funded project on

respiratory medicine. Dr Zigel’s is Director of the Biomedical Signal ProcessingResearch Lab which concentrates on bioelectrical signals such as the electrocardiograms (ECG) and electroencephalogram (EEG), and physiological acoustic signals such as snore sounds, cough sounds, phonocardiogram (PCG) and voice/speech signals.

Eugene O’Rourke Eugene O’Rourke has recently joined the Neural Engineering Group as Senior Technical Officer. Eugene is BAI and MSc graduate of Electronic Engineering at Trinity College. Eugene has considerable professional and project management experience gained from working in the semiconductor industry. Eugene brings new experimental opportunities for the Neural Engineering Group

Stefan ScheurerStefan started his PhD in March 2016 and working on 3D bioprinting menisci and is part of both Cathal Moran's and Daniel Kelly's research groups. Before coming to Dublin he received his BSc in Molecular Biotechnology at the University of Applied Sciences of Vienna (Austria) and his MSc in Molecular Bioengineering at the Technical University Dresden (Germany) and did an internship on 3D printing hydrogels at the Queensland University of Technology. (Australia)

Kian Eichholz“Design and fabrication of novel in-vitro cell culture platforms using Melt Electrospinning Writing”

Gillian Johnson“The role of Adenylyl Cyclase 6 in loading induced MSC osteogenesis and

bone formation”

Ross BurdisRoss started a PhD in September 2016 as part of Daniel Kelly’s group. Ross’ project aims to develop expertise in emerging additive manufacturing strategies to 3D print biocomposites consisting of a porous metal covered by a layer of mechanically functional, tissue engineered cartilage. Ross received a Meng in Bioengineering from the University of Sheffield in the July 2016 before moving to Dublin. Ross has completed several research projects during his time at University the focus of which was the development of novel biomaterials and tissue engineering techniques for orthopaedic applications.

NEW TO TCBE

TCBE Media Highlights

The clinical translation of HydroxyCollTM received considerable attention in the media during the year. HydroxyColl is TERG lab spin-out company SurgaColl Technology’s first product - a bone graft substitute combining the two main constituents of bone, collagen and hydroxyapatite, in a bioactive scaffold. HydroxyColl received regulatory approval/CE mark in November 2015 and is now being used in human patients since July 2016. SurgaColl’s second product developed in the RCSI labs (ChondroColl - for cartilage repair) is expected to receive regulatory approval in the coming months with human clinical studies commencing thereafter. The Sunday Business Post, and also RTE News carried reports, along with dedicated journals and websites such as siliconrepublic.com

Prof Richard Reilly, Trinity Centre forBioengineering at Trinity College, Dublin and ProfRichard Costello, consultant physician inrespiratory medicine at Beaumont Hospital wereacknowledged for their investigations intoadherence to medication in respiratory disorderswith an article in the Science and Innovationsection of the Irish Times, October 2016. Readthe full feature here

University Times wrote a nice article on ProfBuckley’s MED3DP engineering educationendeavour to develop biomedical devices forhumanitarian healthcare using 3D printingtechnology. “The Trinity Project BringingHumanitarianism into Engineering with 3DPrinted Devices”. The full article can be foundhere:http://www.universitytimes.ie/2016/10/the-trinity-project-bringing-humanitarianism-into-engineering-with-3d-printed-devices/

Prof Conor Buckley and TCBE teaching assistants TomasGonzalez Fernadez and Pedro Díaz Payno with some of thedevices made as part of the MSc in Bioengineering DesignInnovation module Credit: Sinéad Baker for The UniversityTimes

TCBE Media Highlights

Members of TCBE sharing their research across national and international news reports following a press release related to the publication by Daly et al. entitled "3D Bioprinting of Developmentally Inspired Templates for Whole Bone Organ Engineering"

In September, Mark Ahearne appeared on RTE news to discuss his on-going research in the area of corneal regeneration. The news item was highlighting some of the research taking part in the Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute during their 5th anniversary celebration. The Ahearne Labs research was also highlighted in the Irish Independent newspaper on 13th September 2016 under the heading "New Hope for Corneal Transplants".

14th June 2016 – Lab PI, Dr. David Hoey, was 1 of 18 researchers highlighted by www.siliconrepublic.com to demonstrate the variety of research being conducted across Ireland. https://www.siliconrepublic.com/innovation/research-sciencehumanities-irish-research-council

TCBE Outreach

In May we welcomed 16 transition year students from around Leinster into he TCBE labs as part of the annual AMBER transition year week. The students spent the week getting hands on experience in various AMBER labs across TCD and RCSI. In TCBE the students were shown the 3D bioprinter in action as well as learning about the fabrication of electrospun scaffolds. After a tour of the TCBE facilities, the students then had hands on experience performing a basic experiment with the help of a number of researchers from the Kelly, Hoey and Lally groups. We received excellent feedback from the students and organisers of the transition year week and we look forward to welcoming the next batch of future scientists/engineers in 2017.

TCBE Photo Gallery

Robert McCarthy, Program Director -Innovation, Business Development & Operations Ireland Software Labs using the Virtual Reality based spatial localization testing system developed by the Neural Engineering Lab

Dr Martin Holmes (Neural Engineering-Reilly Lab) and DrMasooma Naqvi (Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Group- Buckley Lab) at their recent graduation ceremony.

Dr. Michael Crosse and Dr. James O’Sullivan – Graduation day November 2016

TCBE Photo Gallery

Owen Kilian, Reilly-Lab demonstrating one of the temporal discrimination testing systems with a attendee at the Dystonia-Meet the Experts event.The Neural Engineering group, St Vincent University Hospital and Dystonia Ireland hosted a meeting the Experts Event in June 2-16 at the Shelbourne Hotel. The event for patients and carers of those with dystonia provided talks from international experts on the current understanding of the condition and research activities to understand more. The event provided an opportunity for attendees to try some of the experiments that The Neural Engineering group are currently running with patients with dystonia and their relatives. This has boosted recruitment for such experiments.

Current Vacancies

Post-Doctoral Researcher in Data Analysis, Machine Learning and Data Prediction Skills.

The Neural Engineering Group within the Trinity Centre for Bioengineering invites applications for a Post-Doctoral Researcher with specific data analysis, machine learning and data prediction skills.The candidate will also be required to:•Play a leading role in the development of novel theoretical ideas for data analysis of multimodal clinical data, machine learning, probability, and data prediction•Participate in the specification, design and validation of new and improved linear and non-linear signal processing methods for data analysis of bioacoustic data.•Operate independently with weekly or biweekly meetings with faculty mentors.•Write articles for journal publication, research and development grants on innovative methods and approaches for bioacoustic analysis.•Work with clinicians and neuropsychologists to develop and evaluate new and improved processing systems.•Prepare progress and technical reports on the research project.•Represent the Neural Engineering Group in outside discussions (technical and scientific fora) including collaborations with faculty, researchers and clinicians.•Work closely with internal Trinity Centre for Bioengineering research staff to develop and validate complete acoustic signal processing systems•Act as a technical resource for research staff involved in the development of statistical analysis and assist in the technical investigation of biomedical signal processing data.Primary Function: · 65%: Carry out theoretical studies, development of bioacoustic analysis methods, statistical analysis and . Analyse real experimental data (audio, behavioural). Help develop new and improved signal processing algorithms. Help provide the technical focus and direction for the signal processing development.20%: Work as project team leader on the specification, design, development, integration and validation of complete signal processing technologies. Participate during the initial phase of signal processing software development.10%: Report research progress and results with funding agencies. Identify funding opportunities for development of this research activity.5%: Provide support to other laboratory research staff and students regarding biomedical signal processing issues.The candidate must have a PhD in signal processing and will have journal publications in the field of data analysis, machine learning and data prediction, preferably in the field of audio or clinical data and beFamiliar with Signal Processing tools and Languages (Matlab, C++, etc)Familiar with statistical analysis of experimental dataAble to work autonomously, managing and reporting on their assigned projectsMore information can be obtained fromProfessor Richard ReillyProfessor of Neural EngineeringDirector of the Trinity Centre for BioengineeringSchool of Engineering and School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Republic of Irelandhttp://www.tcd.ie/bioengineeringTel: +353-1-896 4214reillyri@tcd.ie

Post Title: Research AssistantPost Status: 12 month Fixed-term Contract (Full-time)Research Group /Department/School: Monaghan Research Group, Trinity Centre for Bioengineering,Trinity College Dublin, the University of DublinLocation: Trinity BioSciences Institute, 152-160 Pearse Street, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, IrelandReports to: Assistant Professor Michael MonaghanSalary: Level 1- IUA Researcher Salary Scales – further information is available at http://www.iua.ie/research-innovation/researcher-salary-scales/Closing Date and Time: 12 noon GMT on 9th March 2017

The Trinity Centre for Bioengineering (TCBE) at Trinity College Dublin is seeking a research assistant for a project focused on the development, characterization and application of 3D in vitro cardiac tissues. The researcher will work closely with other members of a multidisciplinary project team including PIs and postgraduate researchers within this TCBE research cluster. The Monaghan research group is active in biomaterials, stem cell and microscopy research in Ireland and internationally. Funding is offered for 12 months and may lead to other opportunities in the future.

The Research Assistant will work full-time on a project to identify optimal biomaterials and in vitro conditions to create 3D cardiac tissues in vitro. This post is held in the Trinity Centre for Bioengineering and Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, Trinity College Dublin.

For full job specification and information on how to apply please see link below.032112 Job Specification

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Research Assistant