Principle Investigator: Dr Neil Maddox
Neil is a lecturer in law in Maynooth University. A graduate of UCD and the Kings Inns, and was formerly in professional practice as a barrister in the areas of property, insolvency and banking law. He was a government of Ireland postgraduate scholar in UCD where he took his doctorate and taught law in UCD and the Dublin Institute of Technology before joining Maynooth. His research interests relate to issues concerned with property rights in the human body, regulatory challenges presented by the development of Artificial Reproductive Technology (ART), as well as the impact and efficacy of insolvency law. Neil is currently working on a project concerned with the novel and complex issues presented by technological developments in the area of artificial reproduction and the ethical and legal challenges such developments present; in particular his current project involves examining the issues created by such matters as posthumous conception, fertility preservation and artificial gametes.
Project Title: Regulating Fertility Preservation Treatment for Children with Cancer: Medical, Legal and Ethical Challenges
Lay Abstract
This study examines the issue of fertility preservation for pre-pubescent cancer patients. Many of the procedures involved are experimental and may potentially complicate cancer treatment. There are also many legal and ethical issues given the unique nature of the treatment. This collaboration with the Irish Cancer Society will aim to produce a joint publication highlighting the nature of fertility preservation procedures as well as the legal and ethical issues they present. A joint conference will also be organised enabling doctors, lawyers, politicians and patients to exchange their knowledge of the area with a view to designing appropriate regulation for future guidance.
Principle Investigator: Dr Antoinette Perry
Dr Antoinette Perry is an Assistant Professor in Genetics and Cell Biology at University College Dublin. Dr Perry leads a research team that focuses on translational prostate cancer epigenetics; understanding the role of epigenomic aberrations in the pathogenesis of prostate cancer and harnessing these aberrations to develop prognostic and predictive biomarkers. Dr Perry has a particular interest in studying DNA methylation changes in “liquid biopsies” that can act as surrogates for non-invasive tumour detection and monitoring. Her research has also highlighted the importance of epigenetic dysregulation of the Wnt and IGF axis in prostate cancer, and has identified a number of potential biomarkers for aggressive prostate cancer. Other research avenues involve the exploration of chemopreventive properties of nutraceuticals, including seaweed bioactives and cannabinoids.
Project title: IMPROVER: Involving Men with PROstate cancer in Engaged Research
Lay abstract
Prostate cancer is very common in Ireland, affecting one in six men. Our research team is developing a better way to detect aggressive prostate cancer from a simple urine test, that we call epiCaPture. Previously, we found that epiCaPture can catch nearly 90% of aggressive prostate cancers. Now, we want to “get outside of our lab” and engage with end-users of this potential new test, doctors and men living with prostate cancer from across different sectors of Irish society. We want to learn from end-users about their needs and opinions and feed this into the development of this exciting new test. This is a team science approach, uniting patients, doctors and scientists to deliver a paradigm shift in the early detection of prostate cancer.
Principal Investigators:
Dr Iain Macdonald MCSD SFHEA FRSA
Iain is Associate Professor and Head of Department of Design Innovation at Maynooth University, and a Member of the Chartered Society of Designers. Since 2010 he has worked as a research academic using film and photography to document and examine design pedagogy, art practice and community co-design in the UK and internationally in Mozambique. In 2019 he moved from
Edinburgh Napier University where as Associate Professor he held the post of Subject Group Leader Design, Photography & Advertising. He has over 25 years of creative industry experience as an award winning television graphic designer at BBC Television, and as a film and commercials director at The Moving Picture Company.
Richard Firth SFHEA
Associate Professor, Programme Leader BDes Product Design at Edinburgh Napier University
Dr Eva Malone SFHEA
Programme Suite Lead, School of Applied Sciences at Edinburgh Napier University
Project Title: HPV Immunity Community
The HPV Immunity Community brings together academics at Maynooth University and Edinburgh Napier University from Design and Biology in an international collaboration with the Irish Cancer Society to work on Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccination awareness and advocacy. This proposal will fund creative workshops with 12-17 year olds in the Foroige network to explore the concerns and issues surrounding HPV and the vaccination programme. An important objective is to develop positive peer-to-peer narratives that can counter online misinformation aimed at pre/early teens and parents. The workshops will use design thinking in order to discover the communication issues, define the problem and develop narratives to deliver a script for future production.
