Dr Evelyn Murphy BSc, PhD

Teaching Interests:

Undergraduate Teaching

Cell and whole body Metabolism This module focuses on the pathways of intermediary metabolism. It describes how metabolism is a highly coordinated and directed cell activity, in which many multi-enzyme systems (cell and molecular module) co-operate to obtain chemical energy by degrading energy rich nutrients; convert nutrient molecules into the cells own characteristic molecules; polymerize monomeric precursors into proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, polysaccharides and other cell components; and synthesize and degrade biomolecules required in specialised cellular functions.

Cell Proliferation and Cancer These lectures describe how multi-cellular organization in animals depends on co-operative behaviour of cells making up the organism. Differentiation gives rise to populations of cells which specialize in specific functions, e.g. muscles, neurons, epithelia etc. Larger, more complex organisms such as vertebrates may specify cell differentiation and behaviour in terms of populations of cells rather than individuals, but in all cases, within the mature organism, cells refrain from exerting their intrinsic potential to grow and divide beyond territories and patterns laid down in the overall developmental plan.This cooperative behaviour depends on communication between cells, so that each cell can sense its place in the developmental pattern, and cell growth and proliferation can be co-ordinated with the needs of the organism. Cancer cells break the most basic rules of behaviour by which multi-cellular organisms are built and maintained, and they exploit every kind of opportunity to do so.

Integrated Physiological Communication These lectures integrate and develop our understanding of how cell-cell and tissue communication is important to animals. The endocrine system is used as an exemplar of co-ordinated signalling which incorporates feedback patterns, hormones and hormone receptors, cellular responses and disturbed function. The module interprets the role(s) of hormones including adrenal glucocorticoids, thyroid hormones and growth hormone. In addition the endocrine control of metabolism, growth and calcium balance is discussed.

Modules Coordinated:
VET 20080 and VET 30380

Modules Co-ordinated:

Recent Postgraduate Students:

Postgraduate Teaching

Neuroimmunology: Long-term physiologic stress responses are achieved by integration of the autonomic nervous, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal  (HPA) axis, cardiovascular, metabolic and immune protective responses.  Achieving this dynamic stability requires considerable ¿tissue wear and tear¿ resulting from sustained overactivity (or underactivity) of these systems. Disturbances in endocrine-immune interactions upset the normal regulatory homeostatic balance and may alter susceptibility to a variety of disease states associated with immune dysregulation.  Inflammatory stimuli reliably elicit HPA activation, and it is now established that the immune and HPA systems are mutually regulatory and that their interactions partly determine stress effects on immune function.  In this lecture, we will discuss the interactive nature of the endocrine and immune systems and whether this might alter predisposition to inflammatory disease or stress-related pathologies.

Primary supervision of following postgraduate fellows and students

2011-             Dr Daniel Crean, Postdoctoral Fellow 
2006-2010      Dr Jason McMorrow, Postdoctoral Fellow
2004-2007      Dr Kim Mix, Postdoctoral Fellow
2005-2006      Dr Darren Ennis, Postdoctoral Fellow
2005-2007      Dr Marina O'Kane, MD Fellow
2002-2003      Dr Alice McEvoy, Postdoctoral Fellow

2011-             Aisling Smyth, PhD student
2010-             Alyssa Gilmore, PhD student
2007-2011      Viviana Marzaioli, PhD student
2005-2009      Davide Zocco, PhD student
2003-2007      Carol Aherne, PhD student
2001-2005      Jennifer Ralph, PhD student
1998-2002      Alice McEvoy, PhD student

Current Postgraduate Students: