Irish Version
Maynooth University is delighted to congratulate Dr Karen English on winning the Early-Career Researcher of the Year Award of the Irish Research Council (IRC).
Dr English was presented with the IRC Award in recognition of her research on developing ‘calming’ cells in therapies for inflammatory conditions such as asthma, and for immune system disorders, such as organ transplant rejection.
Accepting her award at an event held in the Royal Irish Academy (RIA) in Dublin last night, Dr English said: “I am humbled and delighted by the recognition of the work conducted by myself and my team.”
Dr English is a Principal Investigator at Maynooth University’s Department of Biology and head of the Cellular Immunology Lab.
“My research focuses on how we can use cell therapy, for example, in asthma patients, to try to control or re-programme the condition so that the immune system is calmed, and we can give patients a better quality of life,” she said.
The body makes mesenchymal stem cells in the bone marrow which are naturally able to calm inflammation in the body. Dr English aims to make them even stronger and to use them as a form of therapy in inflammatory diseases.
Additionally, our immune systems can resist potentially life-saving operations such as organ transplants and bone marrow transfusions.
“These patients often have to take immune-suppressing drugs for life to stop that rejection. But these drugs can have unwanted side-effects, so we are always looking for new and less toxic therapies to help.”
Professor Ray O’Neill, Vice-President for Research and Innovation, congratulated Dr English on her award. “Karen English is an outstanding scientist, and Maynooth University is extremely proud of all her achievements to date – now recognised through this national award by the Irish Research Council. Basic biomedical research is essential for improving human health, and it is a priority for the University to build on our strengths in this area, in order to contribute further to the scientific understanding and potential treatments for inflammatory disorders, such as asthma. The Irish Research Council, through its support for frontier research across all fields, plays a crucial role in developing superb science in Ireland, and that science base will be essential for Ireland’s future prosperity.” he said.
About Dr Karen English: Dr Karen English graduated with a BSc, MSc and PhD in 2008 from Maynooth University, and received a Marie Curie Fellowship to carry out her postdoctoral training at the University of Oxford. She returned to Maynooth University as a Health Research Board-Translational Medicine Research Fellow and later a Science Foundation Ireland-funded Starting Investigator. She was appointed Lecturer in the Maynooth University Biology Department in 2015. Recently she was awarded an IRC Laureate.
About the IRC Early-Career Researcher: The IRC Researcher of the Year Awards commend the very best of current awardees or alumni working in academia, industry, civic society or the public sector. One yearly award is made to an Early-Career Researcher currently working in research in an academic institution who is, or previously has been, a named awardee of the Council, and who has demonstrated an exceptional level of achievement in their field at this stage in their career.
Taighdeoir Go Luath sa Ghairm na Bliana Bronnta ar an Dr Karen English
Tá ríméad ar Ollscoil Mhá Nuad comhghairdeas a ghabháil leis an Dr Karen English as Gradam Thaighdeoir Go Luath sa Ghairm na Bliana a bhuachaint ón gComhairle um Thaighde in Éirinn.
Bronnadh Gradam na Comhairle ar an Dr English mar aitheantas ar a taighde ar chealla “a mhaolaíonn” a fhorbairt agus teiripí á gcur ar fáil do riochtaí athlastacha ar nós asma agus do neamhoird chóras imdhíonachta ar nós diúltú roimh thrasphlanduithe orgáin.
Ag glacadh leis an ngradam ag ócáid a cuireadh ar siúl in Acadamh Ríoga na hÉireann i mBaile Átha Cliath aréir, dúirt an Dr English: “Is údar áthais agus umhlaíochta dom é an t-aitheantas seo a fháil don obair atá déanta agamsa agus ag an bhfoireann de mo chuid.”
Is Príomhthaighdeoir í an Dr English i Roinn na Bitheolaíochta Ollscoil Mhá Nuad agus is i gceannas ar an tSaotharlann don Imdhíoneolaíocht Cheallach atá sí.
“Díríonn mo chuid taighde ar conas gur féidir úsáid a bhaint as teiripe cille, le hothair asma cuir i gcás, chun an riocht a smachtú agus a athchlárú ionas go mbeadh an córas imdhíonachta maolaithe agus go mbeadh caighdeán na beatha níos airde ar fáil do na hothair,” arsa an Dr English.
Déanann an cholainn gaschealla méiseincíoma sa smior a bhfuil sé de chumas acu athlasadh sa cholainn a mhaolú go nádúrtha. Tá sé mar sprioc ag an Dr English iad a dhéanamh níos láidre fós agus úsáid a bhaint astu mar chinéal teiripe do ghalair athlastacha. Anuas air sin, seasann ár gcórais imdhíonachta in aghaidh obráidí tarrthála a d’fhéadfadh beatha an duine a shábháil mar aon le trasphlanduithe orgáin agus aistrithe smeara.
“Bíonn ar na hothair seo drugaí a thógaint ar feadh a saolta go minic chun freagra imdhíonachta a chur faoi chois ionas nach mbeadh diúltú ann. Ach bíonn fo-iarmhairtí neamhiarrtha ag baint leo agus, mar gheall air sin, bímid ag iarraidh teiripí nua nach bhfuil chomh nimhiúil céanna a aimsiú chun teacht i gcabhair.”
Ghabh an tOllamh Ray O’Neill, Leas-Uachtarán don Taighde agus don Nuálaíocht, comhghairdeas leis an Dr English as a gradam. “Is eolaí den chéad scoth í Karen English agus tá Ollscoil Mhá Nuad an-bhródúil as na gaiscí ar fad atá bainte amach aici go dtí seo – aitheanta anois tríd an ngradam náisiúnta seo ón gComhairle um Thaighde in Éirinn. Tá taighde bithleighis bunúsach ríthábhachtach chun feabhas a chur ar shláinte an duine agus tugaimid tús áite dó san Ollscoil chun ár mbuanna san earnáil seo a láidriú, ionas gur féidir linn cur leis an tusicint atá ag an bpobal eolaíochta agus leis an gcóir leighis a d’fhéadfadh teacht ar an bhfód chun cabhrú le neamhoird athlastachta, asma ina measc. Leis an méid tacaíochta a thugann sí do thaighde beag beann ar theorainneacha, tá ról ríthábhachtach ag an gComhairle um Thaighde in Éirinn chun eolaíocht iontach a fhorbairt in Éirinn agus beidh géarghá leis an mbunús eolaíochta sin do thodhchaí rathúil na hÉireann,” a dúirt sé.
For full details of research by Dr Karen English see Spotlight on Research
