Two new NUI Galway research projects have been awarded funding under the Science Foundation Ireland Investigators Programme announced this week by Minister for Training, Skills, Innovation, Research and Development, John Halligan, T.D. A total of €2.6 million has been allocated to NUI Galway, with each project focused on generating new knowledge and improving patient care and outcomes. Minister John Halligan said: “This funding recognises some of Ireland’s top researchers and enables them to advance vital research areas in Ireland including health and technology. I am confident that the teams being supported will generate important new scientific breakthroughs.” Professor Paul Murphy from the School of Chemistry at NUI Galway leads one of the research programmes which focuses on ‘Enhancing the scientist’s toolbox using synthetic carbohydrate chemistry for glycomimetic research’. The project involves special sugars that stick to other molecules on our organs and on our immune system, which are called sugar-binding proteins. The sugar-binding proteins cause cancer and inflammation, and can lead to infections as bacteria or viruses stick to our sugars. Professor Murphy’s project aims to develop even stickier molecules called glycomimetics to block them. This research will focus on developing these glycomimetics, which are mimics of the naturally occurring sugars. It is hoped that once the glycomimetics are developed they will be very effective in treating diseases like cancer and asthma, and preventing infections like HIV and influenza which affect millions of people globally. Commenting on his award, Professor Murphy said: “The development of new therapies or drugs based on sugars found in living organisms is still underexplored and considered difficult.  However progress is being made and some glycomimetics have recently been introduced to the clinical setting. This research funding will enable us to design and synthesise novel mimics of naturally occurring sugars (glycomimetics) that will be evaluated for their potential to block cancer and infection and importantly new design concepts for glycomimetic research will be explored in the project. The work will include collaboration with international experts in drug development based on glycomimetics.” Professor Corrado Santocanale from the School of Natural Sciences at NUI Galway has been funded to uncover ‘The fundamental roles of the CDC7 kinase and of its regulatory subunits through genome editing technology’. This research will focus on a protein called CDC7, which is essential for cell division. Drugs that block CDC7 are a potential treatment for cancer. However, little is known about how CDC7 works. Using novel genetic technologies this research is now, for the first time, in a position to discover the role that CDC7 plays in several processes important for cell division. The project will greatly contribute to understanding how cells multiply and to the development of new therapeutic strategies for cancer patients. Commenting on his award, Professor Santocanale said: “This research will expand our knowledge of genome duplication and will inform us on cellular liabilities when specific CDC7 functions are compromised, contributing to the development of CDC7 inhibition as a strategy for the treatment of cancer. The research will not only indirectly contribute to the development of CDC7 inhibition as an anti-cancer strategy, but more importantly will contribute to the advancement of human knowledge on crucial processes leading to cell duplication.” Professor Mark Ferguson, Director General of Science Foundation Ireland and Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government of Ireland, said: “The Science Foundation Ireland Investigators Programme funds outstanding individuals performing excellent, impactful research. The standard of applications for the SFI Investigators Programme was exceptionally high. The quality and quantity of excellent projects on the reserve list is clear evidence of the increasingly high standard of research in Ireland. I have the highest expectations for the projects funded today, and look forward to seeing the benefits to Ireland’s society and economy.” -Ends-

Sheol OÉ Gaillimh clár i leith na Laethanta Oscailte fochéime a bheidh ar siúl Dé Aoine agus Dé Sathairn, an 6 agus 7 Deireadh Fómhair. Deis iontach atá sna Laethanta Oscailte do scoileanna, mic léinn, tuismitheoirí agus teaghlaigh blaiseadh a fháil de shaol staidéir OÉ Gaillimh, atá rangaithe i measc an 1% is fearr d’ollscoileanna an domhain, de réir Ranguithe Ollscoile an Domhain QS le gairid. Túsphointe maith atá sa phríomhthaispeántas i Halla Bailey Allen le breis is 80 seastán d’ábhar ar leith, chomh maith le cuairt a thabhairt ar cheardlanna praiticiúla eolaíochta agus seisiúin idirghníomhacha in Innealtóireacht, córais IT agus Róbataic.  Beidh turais den champas ar siúl ar feadh an dá lá agus tugtar cuireadh do thuismitheoirí freastal ar Chaint do Thuismitheoirí a bheidh ar siúl Dé Sathairn ar 11am agus a bheidh ann arís ar 1pm. Ar cheann de bhuaicphointí an chláir tá na cainteanna a thugtar ar na scoláireachtaí i dtaca le pointí breise CAO (do mhic léinn a dhéanann éacht i Spóirt nó sna hEalaíona Cruthaitheacha). Ábhar breise atá ar chlár Laethanta Oscailte 2017 is ea rogha de mháistir-ranganna, a chuimseoidh sraith de shaincheardlanna ar réimsí staidéir faoi leith, fostaíocht nó saol an mhic léinn. I measc na máistir-ranganna le linn na Laethanta Oscailte seo beidh ceardlann phraiticiúil drámaíochta, máistir-rang ar innealtóireacht sa todhchaí agus ceardlann chun léiriú do mhic léinn conas is féidir leo rath a bheith ar a gcuid oibre trí ithe go sláintiúil.  Bhí an méid seo le rá ag Sarah Geraghty, Bainisteoir Earcaíochta Mac Léinn agus For-rochtana in OÉ Gaillimh: “Am maith is ea an fómhar do mhic léinn Ardteistiméireachta agus a gcuid tuismitheoirí tús a chur leis an bpróiseas ullmhúcháin agus fáil faoi réir don tríú leibhéal sula dtosaíonn brú mór na scrúduithe. Beidh na daoine is oilte ar an láthair le linn na Laethanta Oscailte chun ceisteanna a bheadh ag mic léinn faoi phointí CAO, infhostaitheacht agus an phleanáil riachtanach ó thaobh cúrsaí lóistín, táillí agus deontais a fhreagairt. Agus an Ollscoil i measc an 1% is fearr d’ollscoileanna an domhain, beidh deiseanna den scoth ar fáil do mhic léinn nua OÉ Gaillimh ó thaobh infhostaitheachta agus aitheantas domhanda ar a gcuid cáilíochtaí.” Chun tuilleadh eolais a fháil téigh chuig www.nuigalway.ie/opendays Má tá sé ar intinn agat freastal ar an Lá Oscailte moltar duit súil a chaitheamh ar an gclár, atá ar fáil anseo (http://www.nuigalway.ie/opendays/programme/) agus do lá ar an gcampas a phleanáil. -Críoch-

An online training programme developed by NUI Galway for patients with psychosis and schizophrenia has resulted in significant improvements to cognitive performance, social function, and changes in brain activity A new randomised controlled trial led by Professor Gary Donohoe from the School of Psychology and Centre for Neuroimaging and Cognitive Genetics at NUI Galway, has found that when cognitive remediation (CR) training, more commonly known as brain training, is provided even with low support in a community setting, psychosis patients’ scores improved on measures of memory, intelligence, and social and occupational functions. This first in Ireland study published today (21 September 2017) in the international journal Psychological Medicine investigated the effectiveness of a low support, and hence low cost, remotely accessed computerised working training program in patients with psychosis. An online web-based cognitive remediation training programme was developed by the researchers and specifically targeted ‘working memory’ – the ability to hold information online so that it can be used for planning and problem solving, and a key ingredient of intelligence. Funded by the Health Research Board, a total of 90 community-based and clinically stable people took part in the study aged between 18 to 65 years who had a history of psychosis, and were engaged in some activity such as, part-time work or attending a rehabilitation clinic for at least two days each week. Participants were recruited from community health teams from various clinical services in Dublin, Wicklow and Galway, and through the Dublin branch of the National Learning Network, a community based rehabilitation service.  Patients were referred by their local treatment or rehabilitation teams following a series of presentations made about cognitive remediation by the study team. Effectiveness of the intervention was assessed in terms of cognitive performance, social and occupational function, and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI scanning) two weeks post- intervention, with neuropsychological and social function again assessed three to six months post-treatment. Trial outcomes were registered in advance, with neuropsychological performance designated as the primary outcome measure for the study, and social function and MRI task performance designated as secondary outcome measures. Lead author of the study, Professor Gary Donohoe from the School of Psychology at NUI Galway, said: “Psychological treatment for major mental disorders are significantly lacking for adults, particularly for those with psychosis. Many patients only partly respond to medication, and deficits in cognition – which often drive the level of disability experienced by patients, are not improved by treatment. Cognitive remediation is known to be effective, but these programs usually require a significant amount of direct contact with clinicians. What is important about this program is that it involved only one hour of weekly contact with a psychologist (the same as for other psychological therapies such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy), with most of the training work being done at home. What is remarkable about this study is that, despite the challenges faced by patients with psychosis, over half were able to complete the training with relatively little support. Following this, the treatment group showed significant recovery not just of memory function and general intelligence, but also in day to day social and occupational function. Perhaps most interesting of all was that, based on MRI scanning, these changes were associated with increased cortical connectivity, which can be thought of as a strengthening of neural networks related to cognitive function.” Results from the study found that patients who completed the intervention, which consisted of 30 minutes of training at home, five days a week, supported by weekly one hour sessions with a psychologist for a total of eight weeks, showed significant gains in both cognitive and social function at both the two week follow-up and later 3-6 month follow-up timeframes. Patients who completed MRI scanning also showed improved functional brain connectivity relative to patients in the placebo condition (talking weekly to a psychologist without practicing the computerised program). The study concluded that cognitive remediation training improved cognitive and social function in patients with psychosis. This study demonstrates that, at least for some chronic but stable outpatients, a low support treatment was associated with gains that were comparable to those reported for cognitive remediation training delivered entirely on a one-to-one basis. The researchers found that cognitive remediation has the potential to be delivered even in services in which psychological supports for patients with psychosis are limited. To read the full study in Psychological Medicine, visit:  https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/psychological-medicine/article/effectiveness-of-a-low-support-remotely-accessible-cognitive-remediation-training-programme-for-chronic-psychosis-cognitive-functional-and-cortical-outcomes-from-a-single-blind-randomised-controlled-trial/99E28C54D71FC8B67536C98CC0D974A5   -Ends-