At Maynooth University we focus on different aspects of chemistry relating to:
Our staff collaborate internationally with academic partners and work with industry.
The campus company Cerebeo has spun out from the Department.
Overview of departmental research activity Research Brochure
Better Medicine through Chemistry
Organic synthesis is a branch of chemistry that looks to make molecules, and the molecules we are building at Maynooth University are principally ones that are of interest to the pharmaceutical industry.
Identifying new potential drugs
The search is always on for new and more effective therapies for diseases.
We look to identify small molecules that have the potential to be therapeutic agents. Our work involves using computational models to screen large numbers of small molecules that could act as specific protein targets. Then we can build and test the most useful candidates in the lab.
A Sweet Spot in Biology
We think of carbohydrates as the starch in bread or the sugar we sprinkle on food, but in biochemistry, carbohydrates have many important roles in the body. We synthesise carbohydrate-based bioactive molecules and look at their functions - particularly how they are involved in regulating cells and in cell communication. The goals here are to develop new agents that can modulate the immune system, inhibit enzymes and act as anti-microbial agents.
Genetic Targeting
Specific genetic molecules called oligonucleotides hold the potential for innovative new therapies. We are looking to develop RNA-based molecules that could affect the expression of specific genes and so have an impact on health. In particular we are interested in developing ways to ‘switch on’ these RNA-based molecules in the cell using light.
Improving Reactions
We want to improve the multi-step chemical reactions that are currently used to manufacture drugs - can we make them more efficient using asymmetric catalytic reactions? We have particular expertise in metal-free processes and in controlling the chirality of molecules, which is an important factor in the safety and effectiveness of an eventual active ingredient.
Homing Missiles for Tumours
Cancer cells display certain characteristics that tell them apart from healthy cells. We are developing responsive molecular systems that take advantage of this fact to target cancer cells only. We hope that this work will lead to new early stage cancer diagnostics and therapies that eliminate the toxic side effects seen by many modern day cancer treatments.
Pre-empting Antibiotic Resistance
Antibiotic resistance is a serious problem in the clinic: many antibiotic medications have lost their potency as microbes, and particularly the so-called ‘superbugs’ have developed mechanisms to resist the effects of the drugs.
We are looking at that evolution and developing approaches to predict and steer the microbial adaptation. This offers the opportunity to come up with strategies that could tackle resistance before it arises.
| Academics | Research Areas of Interest |
| Prof. Frances Heaney | Organic Chemistry Group |
| Prof. John Stephens | Organic Chemistry and Medicinal Chemistry Group |
| Dr. Trinidad Velasco Torrijos | Organic/Pharmaceutical/Supramolecular Chemistry Group |
| Dr. Robert Elmes | Supramolecular and Bioorganic Chemistry Group |
Sustainable Chemistry Group
PI: Dr. Fergal Byrne
Dr Byrne’s research focusses on the separation and refining of the complex chemical composition of biomass using green technologies such as microwave heating, ultrasonic treatment, continuous flow processing and green solvents and reagents. Once refined, these bio-based chemicals must be used in high-value applications, so the Byrne group is developing novel materials for use in the construction sector as a form of carbon capture, storage and utilisation (CCSU).
Electrocatalytic Materials and Rapid Electronic Sensors group (E-MAT Research Group)
PI: Dr. Eithne Dempsey
Electroanalytical challenges are addressed using bespoke (nano)materials integrated with microsystems suitable for onsite deployment in multiple application scenarios.
Electrochemistry Group
PI: Prof. Carmel Breslin
Our group works at the interface of electrochemistry and analytical chemistry, with projects focussed on the formation of materials that have applications as sensors and biomedical devices. The materials range from conducting polymers, polymer and metal nanoparticles or nanowires, to modified metal surfaces.
Low Temperature Spectroscopy Group
PI: Prof. John McCaffrey
We study and model host systems and high symmetry biomolecules at extremely low temperatures with time-resolved optical and Infra-red spectroscopies and interpret these with input from quantum chemical calculations.
Neurochemistry Group
PI: Prof. John Lowry
Our research interests centre around the development and characterisation of microelectrochemical sensors and biosensors for real-time studies of neurochemical phenomena. We also have a strong international reputation of interdisciplinary collaboration involving the in vivo application of this technology in pharmacological and behavioural studies.
Glycoscience Group
PI: Dr. Roisín O'Flaherty
Our group works at the interface of glycoscience and medicine, with projects focussed on building technologies to characterise glycans (often called sugars) in health and disease with applications in diagnostics and health monitoring. We also use chemoenzymatic approaches to shape the glycan landscape of proteins and other biomolecules for applications in the biopharmaceutical sector.
| Academics | Research Areas of interest |
| Prof. Carmel Breslin | Electrochemistry Group |
| Prof. Sean McCaffrey | Low Temperature Spectroscopy Group |
| Prof. John Lowry | Biophysical Chemistry Group |
| Dr. Fergal Byrne | Sustainable Chemistry Group |
| Dr. Roisín O'Flaherty | Glycoscience Group |
| Dr. Eithne Dempsey | Electrocatalytic Materials and Rapid Electronic Sensors group (E-MAT Research Group) |
Inorganic Chemistry Group
PI: Prof. Denise Rooney
Metals have a long history in medicine - arsenic and silver compounds were weapons in the medical fight against infection before the advent of penicillin and other antibiotic compounds, and today silver is still used as an anti-microbial agent. Meanwhile, the platinum-based drug cisplatin has saved the lives of many cancer patients.
Our own work at Maynooth University focuses on developing silver-, copper- and manganese-based drugs as anti-cancer and anti-microbial agents.
We synthesise compounds and work with colleagues in Maynooth to screen their activity against potentially harmful microbes including Candida fungi, E. coli and MRSA. We also look at the effects of these transition metal complexes on cancer cells in the lab.
And as with any therapeutic agent, it’s important that it gets to the right place in the body to work effectively, so we seek to design ligands to attach to potentially therapeutic transition metal complexes in order to boost targeting to particular cells.
Bioinorganic and Inorganic Medicinal Chemistry Group
PI: Dr. Diego Montagner
Our research is inserted in the big area of Bioinorganic Chemistry and it is placed at the interface between inorganic/medicinal chemistry and biology.
It is focused on the development of new metal based drugs that could be selectively delivered and accumulated into the tumor cell and that interact with biologically-relevant macromolecules with different mechanism of action.
In particular we are interested in:
Inorganic Computational Chemistry Group
PI: Dr. Tobias Krämer
The Krämer research group’s research interests centre around transition metal chemistry, organometallic catalysis, as well as main group and bioinorganic chemistry. They also have a strong interest in fundamental aspects of electronic structure and bonding. Quantum chemistry and theoretical spectroscopy are central in solving chemical problems related to these thematic areas. Methods that the groups specialises in include density functional theory, wave function-based ab initio methods and multilevel QM/MM approaches.
| Academic | Research Areas of Interest |
| Prof. Denise Rooney | Inorgnic Chemistry Group |
| Dr. Diego Montagner | Bioinorganic and Inorganic Medicinal Chemistry Group |
| Dr. Tobias Krämer | Inorganic Computational Chemistry |