Dr. Kevin O'Kelly
Associate Professor, Mechanical, Manuf & Biomedical Eng
Deputy Director, Trinity Centre for Bioengineering
Biography
Dr. Kevin O'Kelly is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical, Manufacturing and Biomedical Engineering. He has acted as Deputy Director of the Trinity Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Director of the BSc/MAI Engineering with Management degree programme and as Dean of Students for the University. He is a Principal Investigator (PI) in the Trinity Centre for Biomedical Engineering. He has been a Visiting Research Fellow in the University of New South Wales, Australia and the University of Barcelona.
He received a double bachelors degree from UC Berkeley in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science & Engineering followed by his MEngSc on the effect of thermal cycling on fracture in metal-ceramic systems and his PhD on the microstructure and failure of cancellous bone, both from the National University of Ireland, Dublin.
His research areas are in technical ceramics, focussing on active implantable neural devices, artificial bone graft materials and failure mechanisms in technical ceramics.
Publications and Further Research Outputs
Peer-Reviewed Publications
Frey L., Bandaru P., Zhang Y.S., O'Kelly K., Khademhosseini A., Shin S.R., A Dual-Layered Microfluidic System for Long-Term Controlled In Situ Delivery of Multiple Anti-Inflammatory Factors for Chronic Neural Applications, Advanced Functional Materials, 28, (12), 2018
Frey, Laura and Shin, Su Ryon and O'Kelly, Kevin and Khademhosseini, Ali, Design of a neural probe using localised cooling and long term delivery of anti-inflammatory factors to reduce glial scar formation and improve the chronic efficacy of therapeutic probes, 2016
Mealy, J, O'Kelly, K, Cell Response to Hydroxyapatite Surface Topography Modulated by Sintering Temperature, Journal of Biomedical Materials Research - Part A, 2015
Tongfei Wu,Martin Frydrych,Kevin O'Kelly, and Biqiong Chen, Poly(glycerol sebacate urethane)−Cellulose Nanocomposites with 2 Water-Active Shape-Memory Effects, Biomacromolecules, 15, (7), 2014, p2663 - 2671
Tongfei Wu, Ramin Farnood, Kevin O'Kelly, Biqiong Chen, Mechanical behaviour of transparent nano fibrillar cellulose-chitosan nano composite films in dry and wet conditions, Journal of the Mechanical Behaviour of Biomedical Materials, 32, 2014, p279 - 286
Tongfei Wu, Kevin O'Kelly & Biqiong Chen, Biomimetic chitosan-treated clay-elastomer composites with water-responsive mechanically dynamic properties, Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics, 52, 2014, p55 - 62
Tongfei Wu, Kevin O'Kelly, Biqiong Chen, Poly(methacrylic acid)-grafted clay-thermoplastic elastomer composites with water-induced shape-memory effects, Journal of Polymer Science Part B: Polymer Physics, 51, 2013, p1513 - 1522
Frey L, O'Kelly K, PC12 Cell and Primary Cortical Neuronal Response to Surface Composition and Topography of Insulating Materials for Neural Electrodes, European Society of Biomaterials, Madrid, Spain, 8-12 September 2013, 2013
Tongfei Wu, Kevin O'Kelly, Biqiong Chen, Biomimetic stimuli-responsive composites based on poly(vinyl alcohol) whiskers, 12th Deformation and Fracture of Composites and 6th Structural Integrity, Cambridge, London, 8-11April, 2013, 2013
Mealy J, O'Kelly K, Cell Response to Nanoscale Topography of Hydroxyapatite Tissue Engineering Scaffolds, European Society of Biomaterials, Madrid, Spain, 8-12 September 2013, 2013
Frydrych M, Wan C, Stengler R, O'Kelly KU, Chen B, Structure and mechanical properties of gelatin/sepiolite nanocomposite foams, Journal of Materials Chemistry, (21), 2011, p9103 - 9111
Arsecularatne J.A., Hoffman M., Payraudeau N., O'Kelly K.U., FIB Tomographic analysis of indents in porous alumina, Journal of the American Ceramic Society, 94, (11), 2011, p4017 - 4024
N. Payraudeau, D. McGrouther and K.U. O'Kelly, Quantification of Subsurface Damage in a Brittle Insulating Ceramic by Three-Dimensional Focused Ion Beam Tomography, Microscopy and Microanalysis, 17, 2011, p240-245
Lundgren, Sarah Marie; Taylor, Robert Ian; O'Kelly, Kevin; Wood, Iain;, The influence of friction modifiers on the antiwear film - effect of aged oils, Journal of Engineering Tribology, 2011
Buckley C.T., O'Kelly K.U., Maintaining cell depth viability: on the efficacy of a trimodal scaffold pore architecture and dynamic rotational culturing., Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Medicine, 21, (5), 2010, p1731-1738
Gleeson J.P., O'Connell C., O'Kelly K.U., A novel calibration technique facilitates damage-free depth specific q-BEI in human bone., Journal of Microscopy, 2010
Buckley C.T., O'Kelly K.U, Fabrication and characterization of a porous multidomain hydroxyapatite scaffold for bone tissue engineering investigations, Journal of Biomedical Materials Research, 93B, (2), 2010, p459 - 467
G.J. Bennett, K. Kelly, R. Collins, F. Boland, C. McGoldrick, S. Pavia, K. O'Kelly, Implementation of Project Based Learning in a Large Engineering Programme, 3rd International Symposium for Engineering Education (ISEE2010), University College Cork, 30/06-2/07 2010, edited by E. Byrne , 2010, pp214 - 223
O'Kelly, K.U.(ed.), 16th Annual meeting of the Section of Bioengineering of the Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland, Malahide, Co. Dublin, Ireland, 22-23 January 2010, 2010
Payraudeau N., O'Kelly K.U., Scale effects in nano-indentation fracture of brittle ceramics arising from crack-microstructure interactions., Proc. of the Internatinal Conference on Crack Paths, Vicenza, Italy, 2009
Mijangos I., O'Kelly K.U., Drucker-Prager finite element constitutive model of microindentation in polycrystalline alumina, Proc. of SEM Conference on Experimental & Applied Mechanics, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA, 2009
O'Kelly K.U., Carr A.J., McCormack B.A.O., A measurement of structurally discontinuous mineral in cancellous bone, Proc. of IMechE, Part H, Journal of Engineering in Medicine, 2008
Buckley C.T., O'Kelly, K.U., Development of a hydroxyapatite bone tissue engineering scaffold with a tri-modal pore structure., Key Engineering Materials, 361-363, 2007, p931
Buckley C.T. and O'Kelly K.U., Assessment of a novel hydroxyapatite bone tissue engineering scaffold incorporating a tri-modal pore distribution, Proc. of the 5th World Congress of Biomechanics, Munich, Germany, August, 2006
Gleeson J.P., O'Connell C., O'Kelly K.U., Bone tissue changes in early-stage osteoarthritis of the human knee precede overlying cartilage damage, Proceedings ofthe 5th World Congress of Biomechanics, Munich, Germany, 2006
Gleeson J.P., O'Connell C., O'Kelly K.U., OA subchondral bone changes precede overlying cartilage damage in the human knee, Proceedings of the 12th Annual Conference of the section of Bioengineering of the Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland, Galway, 2006
Gleeson J.P., O'Connell C., O'Kelly K.U., Composition and mechanical properties of osteoarthritic subchondral bone, Proceedings of the 11th Annual Conference of the section of Bioengineering of the Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland, Dublin, 2005
Gleeson J.P., O'Connell C., O'Kelly K.U., Comparison of composition and mechanical properties of healthy and osteoarthritic bone using 3-D qBEI, Proceedings of the ASME Bioengineering Division 2005 Summer Bioengineering Conference, COlorado, USA, 2005
Gleeson J P, O'Kelly K U, Comparison of composition and mechanical properties of healthy and osteoarthritic bone using 3-D qbei, Proceedings of the 14th Conference of the European Society of Biomechanics, Eindhoven, The Netherlands, 2004, 2004
Brady K P, Walsh C D, O'Kelly K U, Correlation of localised nanoindentation and quantitative SEM measurements on osteoporotic and drug-treated bone, Proceedings of the 10th Conference of the Bioengineering Section of the Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland, Limerick, Ireland, 2004, 2004, pp61-
Osteoporosis, bone remodelling, and computer simulation in, editor(s)Prendergast P J, McHugh P E , Topics in Biomechanical Engineering, TCD, 2004, pp58 - 93, [T.C. Lee, P.E. McHugh, F.J. O'Brien, D. O'Mahoney, D. Taylor, M. Bruzzi, S.M. Rackard, O.D. Kennedy, N.J. Mahony, N. Harrison, S. Lohfield, O.Brennan, J. Gleeson, J.G. Hazenberg, L. Mullins, M. Tyndyk, L.M. McNamara, K.U. O'Kelly & P.J. Prendergast]
Buckley C T, O'Kelly K U, Development of regular architecture scaffolds for 3D culturing systems, Proceedings of the 14th Conference of the European Society of Biomechanics, Eindhoven, The Netherlands, 2004, 2004
Regular scaffold fabrication techniques for investigations in tissue engineering in, editor(s)Predergast P J, McHugh P E , Topics in Biomechanical Engineering, TCD, 2004, pp147 - 166, [Buckley C T, O'Kelly K U]
Gleeson J.P., O'Connell C., O'Kelly K.U., Composition and mechanical properties of healthy and osteoarthritic bone using 3-D qBEI, Proceedings of the 10th Annual Conference of the section of Bioengineering of the Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland, Limerick, 2004
O'Kelly K U, Carr A J, McCormack B A O, Minimum solid area models applied to the prediction of Young's modulus for cancellous bone, Journal of Materials Science - Materials in Medicine, 14, (4), 2003, p379 - 384
Gleeson J.P., O'Connell C., O'Kelly K.U., The relationship between bone tissue properties and bone's microstructure in healthy and osteoarthritic bone, Proceedings of the 9th Annual Conference of the section of Bioengineering of the Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland, Cavan, Ireland, 2003
O'Kelly K U, Car A J, Perofrmance of indentation fracture toughness using different indenter geometries, Proceedings of the 105th Meeting of the American Ceramic Society, Nashville, USA, 2003, 2003, pp130-
O'Kelly K U, Carr A J, McCormack B A O, Microstructural toughening mechanisms in cancellous bone, Proceedings of the 12th Conference of the European Society of Biomechanics, Dublin, Ireland, 2000, edited by Predergast P J, Lee T C, Carr A J , Royal Academy of Medicine, 2000, pp328-
O'Kelly K U, Carr A J, McCormack B A O, A microstructure based fracture toughness model for cancellous bone mineral, Proceedings of the 12th Conference of the European Society of Biomechanics, Dublin, Ireland, 2000, edited by Predergast P J, Lee T C, Carr A J , 2000, pp46-
O'Kelly K U, McCormack B A O, Carr A J, The Influence of Microstructure on the Fracture Toughness of Cancellous Bone Mineral, Trans. Ortho. Res. Soc., Feb.9-13, 1997, 1997, pp802
O'Kelly K U, McCormack B A O, Carr A J, The influence of bone mineral microstructure on damage modelling, Proceedings of the ASME Summer Bioengineering Conference, Sun River, Oregon, 1997, edited by Chandran K B, Vanderby R, Hefzy M S , 1997, pp313-
O'Kelly K.U., Carr A.J., McCormack. B.A.O., The influence of naturally occurring fissures on fracture mechanisms on cancellous bone tissue, Proceedings of the 14th Conference of the European Society of Biomechanics, Leuvan, Belgium, 1996
Numerical Modelling of Collagen-Mineral Composite Structure in Cancellous Bone in, editor(s)Middleton, J., Pande, G.N., and Jones, M.L. , Computer Methods in Biomechanical and Biomedical Engineering, Amsterdam, Swansea, Gordon Breach, 1996, pp11 - 23, [O'Kelly K U, McCormack B A O, Carr A J]
Dudeney S, O'Byrne J, Moran R, O'Kelly K U, McCormack B A O, The Biomechanical Analysis of Tendon Autograft in Meniscal Reconstruction, Irish Journal of Medical Science, 1996
O'Kelly K U, Carr A J, McCormack B A O, Modelling the relationship between fissure geometry and mechanical properties in porous bone, IUTAM Symposium - Computational Methods for Fracture and Damage, Dublin, Ireland, 1996, 1996
O'Kelly K U, McCormack B A O, Carr A J, The Morphology of Cancellous Bone Tissue, Irish Journal of Medical Science, 1996
O'Kelly K U, McCormack B A O, Carr A J, Modelling the Relationship between Fissure Geometry and Mechanical Properties in Porous Bone, Poster, IUTAM Symposium - Innovative Computational Methods for Fracture and Damage, Dublin, Ireland, July 1-5 1996, 1996
Devitt A, O'Kelly K U, McCormack D, Ikada Y, Quinlan W, Bonding of the Knee Cartilege - a Comparative Study Using Four Cyanoacrylate Compounds, Irish Journal of Medical Science, 1996
O'Kelly K.U., Carr A J, McCormack B.A.O., The Influence of naturally occurring fissures on fracture mechanisms on cancellous bone tissue, Proceedings of the 10th Conference of the European Society of Biomechanics, Leuvan, Belgium, August 1996, edited by Vander Sloten J, Lowet G, van Audekercke R, van der Perre G , 1996, pp63-
O'Kelly K U, McCormack B A O, Carr A J, A Quantitative technique for comparing synthetic porous hydroxyapatite structures and cancellous bone, Journal of Materials Science-Materials in Medicine, 7, 1996, p207 - 213
O'Kelly K U, McCormack B A O, Carr A J, A Study of the Morphological Features of Naturally Occurring Imperfections in the Ultrastructure of Cancellous Bone Tissue, Trans. Ortho. Res. Soc., Feb.18-22, 1996, 1996, pp84
O'Kelly K U, McCormack B A O, Carr A J, Modelling the Ultrastructure of Cancellous Bone, Irish Journal of Medical Science, 165, (1), 1995, p78
O'Kelly K U, McCormack B A O, Carr A J, Predicting the Composite Mechanical Bahaviour of a Single Lamina of Cancellous Bone Tissue, Proceedings of ASME Bioengineering Conference, Beaver Creek, Colorado, USA, July 1995, 1995, pp417 - 418
O'Kelly K U, Quantifying Bone as a Porous Structure, European Conference on Foams, Galway, March 1994, 1994
O'Kelly K U, Quantitative Characterisation of Cancellous Bone Using Image Analysis, Bioengineering Research Forum, National Medical Rehabilitation Centre, January 1994, 1994
Tancred D, O'Kelly K U, McCormack B A O, Carr A J, Quantitative comparison between synthetic hydroxyapatite bone structures with cancellous bone, Second World Congress of Biomechanics, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, July 1994, edited by Blanevoort L, Kooloos J , 1994
Non-Peer-Reviewed Publications
Buckley C.T. & O'Kelly K.U., Fabrication of a hydroxyapatite scaffold with a tri-modal pore distribution for bone tissue engineering, Proceedings of the 12 Annual Conference of the Section of Bioengineering of the Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland, Galway, edited by McHugh P.E., O'Mahoney, D. and Fitzpatrick D. , 2006, pp89
Buckley C.T., Prina-Mello A., O'Kelly K.U., Development of biodegradable elastomeric scaffolds for mechanobiology investigations, Proceedings of the 11th Annual Conference of the Section of Bio-engineering of the Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland, Galway, edited by FitzPatrick D.P. and Senouci M. , 2005, pp13-
Buckley C.T. and O'Kelly K.U., A new technique for fabricating regular 3D scaffolds for bone tissue engineering applications, Proceedings of the tenth Annual Conference of the Section of Bioengineering of the Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland, Limerick, edited by D.P. Fitzpatrick, B.A.O. McCormack and T.M. McGlouhlin , 2004, pp19-
O'Kelly K.U., 16th Annual meeting of the Section of Bioengineering of the Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland, Malahide, Co. Dublin, Ireland
Research Expertise
Description
Materials & Biomaterials: failure mechanisms in cancellous bone: changes in bone mechanical properties due to osteoporosis and osteoarthritis: fracture mechanics of brittle materials: nano-indentation techniques: complex microstructures in ceramics Active implantable neural devices based on cooling.Projects
- Title
- Development of active implanted electrode systems for neural applications.
- Summary
- Neural electrodes are devices implanted into the brain for either recording neural impulses or stimulating neurons with electrical impulses from an external source. Electrodes can be for acute (short term) or chronic (long term) recording or stimulation. An important consideration is the response of living tissue to electrode implantation. It is this tissue response that causes electrodes to fail by encapsulating the electrode in a protective layer called the glial scar. The observed tissue response is caused by a combination of the traumatic injury of electrode insertion and the persistent presence of a foreign body in the neural tissue. A scientific need exists for active implanted electrodes that improve on the functionality of existing technologies. This project will investigate two different strategies: (1) minimise the size of the electrode to diameters of <25 μm. It is hypothesized that by constructing a micrometer-size device, reduction of initial swelling and glial scar formation can be achieved. Electrodes of this size will require novel insertion and fixation methods. (2) develop electrodes that suppress activity in specific areas of the brain by localized cooling. Current techniques involve electrically "overstimulating" these areas to suppress activity. New developments have shown that cooling these areas produces a similar effect without the accompanying complications. The purpose of this project is to develop clinically relevant electrode systems that are commercially viable.
- Funding Agency
- HEA
- Date From
- 01/04/2012
- Date To
- 30/03/2016
- Title
- Development of a bone tissue engineering scaffold optimised for transition from bioreactor systems to in-vivo dental applications
- Summary
- This project will build on previous fundamental research developing a novel ceramic scaffold with a tri-modal pore structure. It will advance the results from in vitro testing to investigate the efficacy for providing appropriate nutrient and growth factor environments to support proliferation and differentiation of seeded mesenchymal stem cells in a diffusion environment similar to in vivo conditions. It will also optimise the manufacturing parameters with a view to commercialisation and larger scale manufacturing, focusing initially on the dental implant applications. The project addresses the limitations of bone grafts scaffolds optimised for perfusion bio-reactors which fail to provide a suitable environment throughout the volume for in-vivo applications, forming bone only in the outer 250μm - 500μm. It has been established that supply of nutrient molecules and removal of metabolic waste products are crucial to promote tissue formation. Overcoming the mass transport limitations occuring in vivo represents the most significant challenges for bone tissue scaffolds.
- Funding Agency
- HEA
- Date From
- 01/10/2011
- Date To
- 30/09/2015
- Title
- Performance of antiwear film in presence of friction modifiers
- Summary
- In this project we will describe how the addition of two friction modifiers change properties of ZDDP antiwear films. Surfaces will be analysed with profilometry, SEM and XPS. I think this paper will cover the chemical composition of the layers. Fresh and aged oils will be used. There is also a trend in the of the friction tests that one FM work better in boundary lubrication region while the other in mixed lubrication. Will perform tests at different speeds in the wear test to see if the same trends are observed there. If so the I might use SEM to see if there is any changes in chemical nature of the films. Also samples with both FMs will be tested as this might show that the blend is then working in "all" regions. The influence of friction modifiers on the antiwear film - effect of aged oils II - will also be investigated using nanoindention and AFM to analyse the surfaces. This work will then cover the mechanical properties of the film as well as distribution and local friction and finally the influence of roughness.
- Funding Agency
- EU Framework 6
- Date From
- January 2008
- Date To
- December 2010
- Title
- Scale effects in nano-indentation fracture toughness measurements of brittle ceramics arising from crack-microstructure interactions
- Summary
- The work will develop fracture toughness models relevant to small scale micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) by quantifying the the interaction between microstructure and fracture process in real ceramic systems. This will have significant benefit for design in MEMS applications. This work proposes to develop a model for nano-indentation fracture based on the 3D morphology of cracks and the stress fields arising in materials of varying microstructural complexity. This work will carry out experimental and numerical work to investigate the stress fields and cracks generated by different indenter geometries in materials of varying microstructural complexity. The approach is based on preliminary work carried out independently by the TCD and the UNSW groups as well as collaborative work carried out while Dr. O'Kelly was a Visiting Resarch Fellow in UNSW.
- Funding Agency
- SFI
- Date From
- September 2006
- Date To
- September 2009
- Title
- Mechanical Integrity and Archticture of Bone
- Summary
- The work programma assessed the effects of osteoporosis, drug-treatment, and normal ageing on the mechanical integrity and architecture of bone. It involved a 52 week longitudinal study of Wistar rats.
- Funding Agency
- EU
- Date From
- 2000
- Date To
- 2003
- Title
- Tissue level property changes in osteoarthritic bone
- Summary
- The work investigated highly localised changes in bone mineral composition and collagen crosslinking and correlated them to local measurements of hardness and stiffness in bone tissue.
- Funding Agency
- SFI
- Date From
- 2000
- Date To
- 2006
- Title
- Development of elastomeric, biocompatible scaffold for bone tissue engineering
- Summary
- Project aim is to develop ceramic and strainable polymer scaffolds with a regular architectures to enhance cell viability, proliferation and differentiation for both in-vitro and in-vivo bone tissue engineering applications.
- Funding Agency
- SFI
- Date From
- 2000
- Date To
- 2006
- Title
- Modelling subsurface deformation & fracture in ceramics
- Funding Agency
- Trinity College Dublin
- Date From
- 2003
- Date To
- 2006
Recognition
Awards and Honours
Newman Scholar (Mech. Eng.), University College Dublin
Memberships
Chartered Engineer, Institute of Engineers
Fellow, Royal Academy of Medicine of Ireland
Member, Institute of Engineers of Ireland
President, Section of Bioengineering of the Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland
Secretary, Section of Bioengineering of the Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland