Congratulations to our colleagues Prof Gary Moran and Dr Peter Kinnevey, who have been awarded funding from the Health Research Board (HRB) Investigator-Led Projects (ILP) scheme.
The funding is part of the HRB’s €12 million investment in projects to address some of the most pressing challenges in health and social care.
Prof Moran, and co-applicants Dr Claire Healy (DDUH) and Prof Ann Hopkins (RCSI), received €422,377 for their investigation of how bacteria contributes to the development of oral cancer.
Dr Kinnevey, and co-applicants Dr Toney Poovelikunnel (HSE National director of Nursing), Dr Peter Flanagan (Public Health Laboratory) and Dr Nicole Kavanagh (Mater hospital), were awarded €422,400 for research on tracking the origins and transmission of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci (VRE), a leading cause of healthcare-associated infections.
Commenting on the announcement, Prof Gary Moran said: "We are delighted to receive this award to continue our research on the oral microbiome in patients at risk of oral cancer. Over 760 people are diagnosed with mouth, head and neck cancers in Ireland each year and many of these patients initially present with potentially malignant diseases, often in the form of white or red patches in the mouth. Predicting whether these patches progress to oral cancer is challenging, however our research shows that the microbiome can change as patches progress towards oral cancer and we are investigating if this information could be useful determining the risk of progression.”
Dr. Kinnevey added: “We are delighted to receive this funding. It will help us understand how antibiotic-resistant bacteria spread between people, hospitals environments, animals and the wider community. We hope to find better ways to track these bacteria and prevent the spread of infections”