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Young Investigators Award for Conway researcher

This year’s winner of the ‘Young Investigators Award’, sponsored by Saint Luke’s Hospital in Dublin and the Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland, is Dr Donal Brennan, UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science. Now in its sixth year, this prestigious award for oncology research includes a bronze medal from the Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland and a prize of €1,000.

Describing his research, Dr Brennan stated, “The body’s immune system is its main defence against infection and promotes healing after trauma. We have recently shown that cancer cells manage to confuse the immune system and certain immune cells actually promote as oppose to slow down tumour growth. We have developed a new test where we examine the different types of immune cell within a breast cancer. This test allows us to identify high and low-risk breast cancer patients as it is more prognostic than currently available tests. We hope that we will soon be able to use this test to identify patients who may benefit from certain experimental drugs, which can modify the immune system and switch it back to its original intended role – to protect the body.”
 
The other three finalists were Dr. Darren McCartan, Endocrine Oncology Research Group, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland; Dr. Darran O’Connor, UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science & UCD Conway Institute and Dr. Britta Stordal, National Institute for Cellular Biotechnology, Dublin City University.
 

Pictured with Dr Donal Brennan, UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, UCD Conway Institute were Dr. Darran O’Connor, UCD School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science, UCD Conway Institute; Dr. Darren McCartan, Endocrine Oncology Research Group, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland; Dr. Britta Stordal, National Institute for Cellular Biotechnology, Dublin City University.