Dr John O'Connor (left) receives the Conway review medal from Professor Ken O'Halloran, General Secretary RAMI.
Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland selected Conway Fellow, Dr John O’Connor to deliver the 2012 Conway Review Lecture and receive the Academy silver medal in recognition of his work on the effect pro-inflammatory agents have on synaptic signalling before and during hypoxic insults to neurons.
Dr O’Connor’s research laboratory is interested in neuron to neuron signaling in the brain and how the immune system interacts with this. He is particularly interested in how pro-inflammatory molecules such as tumour necrosis factor alpha modulates synaptic plasticity, a model for memory formation, before and during hypoxic insults to neurons.
His current research focuses on how neurons adapt to acute hypoxic exposure and he is using genetically modified murine models with a specific protein, PHD switched off. PHD is a key regulator of neuronal responses to hypoxia. Dr. O’Connor is also looking at the real time monitoring of neuro-transmitter release (dopamine, noradrenaline and 5-HT) in the brain using the technique of fast cyclic voltammetry.
The annual Conway Review Lecture is organised by the section of biological sciences of the Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland. It commemorates Edward J. Conway F.R.S., one time Professor of Biochemistry in University College Dublin and namesake of the UCD Conway Institute. The 2012 lecture was held in NUI Galway on June 14th.
PhD student, Mr Gatambwa Mukandala who is being supervised by Dr O'Connor received first prize in the postgraduate student poster competition at the same meeting.
Back row (L-R): Professor Ken O’Halloran, RAMI Biomedical Sciences Section Secretary; Dr. Jill McMahon, NUIG local organising committee; Dr. David Finn, NUIG local organising committee; Eric Lucking, UCD, Donegan Medal winner; Dr. Michelle Roche, NUIG local organising committee.
Front row (L-R): Gatambwa Mukandala, UCD, postgraduate student poster prizewinner; Tara Sugrue, NUI Galway, postgraduate student poster prizewinner; Dr. Sonia Prado-Lopez, NUI Galway, postdoctoral researcher poster prizewinner; Dr. John O’Connor, UCD, recipient of the Conway Medal; Elaine Jennings, NUI Galway, Donegan Medal - joint 2nd prize with Mairead Hayes, NUI Galway, not pictured; Dr. Richard O’Connor, UCC, Barcroft Medal winner.
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