dr. john kelly

Career history

1980-1988, Researcher May and Baker Ltd., Dagenham, Essex, U.K.

1988, B.Sc. (Hons) in Applied Biology (Pharmacology), University of East London, United Kingdom

1988-1992, Researcher, Department of Pharmacology, Galway

1988-1991, Ph.D (Neuropharmacology), Galway

1993-1999, Fixed-term Lecturer in Pharmacology, Galway

1999-2002, Junior Lecturer in Pharmacology, Galway

2002-2004, College Lecturer in Pharmacology, Galway

2004 to present, Senior Lecturer in Pharmacology, Galway

2004-2005, Acting Head of Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Galway

Research Interests

Current areas of research include the mechanisms of action of antidepressants using preclinical models, developing alternatives to laboratory animals for acute toxicity assessment, and the effects of amphetamines on neurochemical, behavioural and immune parameters. This research has resulted in over 100 peer-reviewed publications.  Research links with other national and international centres, including the Departments of Anatomy, Biochemistry and Physiology, the National Centre for Biomedical Engineering Science (within NUI, Galway), University of Pennsylvania, Mississippi Medical Center, Austin Hospital, Melbourne, University of Maastricht, and a number of pharmaceutical companies worldwide. These research activities have been funded from a variety of competitive sources, including the Programme for Third Level Institutions, the Health Research Board, Science Foundation Ireland, the Wellcome Trust, and the NUI, Galway Millennium Grant Scheme.

Recent publications

Horrigan, L.A., Kelly, J.P. and Connor, T.J. (2006): Immodulatory effects of caffeine: friend or foe? Pharmacol. Ther. In press.

Diamond, M., Kelly, J.P. and Connor, T.J. (2005): Antidepressants suppress production of the Th(1) cytokine interferon-gamma, independent of monoamine transporter blockade. Eur. Neuropsychopharmacol. In press.

Connor, T.J., Brewer, C., Kelly, J.P. and Harkin, A. (2005): Acute stress suppresses cytokines TNF-alpha and IL-a beta independent of a catecholamine-driven increase in IL-10 production. J. Neuroimmunol. 159: 119-128.

Connor, T.J., Harkin, A. and Kelly, J.P. (2005): Methylenedioxymethamphetamine suppresses production of the proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha independent of a beta-adrenoceptor-mediated increase in interleukin-10.
J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 312: 134-43.

Horrigan, L.A., Kelly, J.P. and Connor, T.J. (2004): Caffeine suppresses TNF-alpha production via activation of the cyclic AMP/protein kinase A pathway. Int. Immunopharmacol. 4: 1409-1417.

Harkin, A., Connor, T.J., Burns, M.P. and Kelly, J.P. (2004): Nitric oxide synthase inhibitors augment the effects of serotonin re-uptake inhibitors in the forced swimming test. Eur. Neuropsychopharmacol. 14: 274-281.

Harkin, A ., Kelly, J.P. and Leonard, B.E. (2003): A review of the relevance and validity of olfactory bulbectomy as a model of depression. Clin. Neurosci. Res. 3: 253-262.

Harkin, A., Hynes, M.J., Masterson, E., Kelly, J.P., O'Donnell, J.M. and Connor, T.J. (2003): A toxicokinetic study of nickel-induced immunosuppression in rats. Immunopharmacol. Immunotoxicol. 25: 655-670.

Harkin, A., Shanahan, E., Kelly, J.P. and Connor, T.J. (2003): Methylenendioxyamphetamine produces serotonin nerve terminal loss and diminished behavioural and neurochemical responses to the antidepressant fluoxetine. Eur. J. Neurosci. 18: 1021-1027.

Connor, T.J., O'Sullivan, J., Nolan, Y. and Kelly, J.P. (2003): Inhibition of constitutive nitric oxide production increases the severity of lipopolysaccharide-induced sickness behaviour: a role for TNF-alpha. Neuroimmunomodulation 10: 367-368.

Harkin, A., Connor, T.J., Walsh, M., St. John, N. and Kelly, J.P. (2003): Serotonergic mediation of the antidepressant-like effects of nitric oxide synthase inhibitors. Neuropharmacology   44: 616-623

Kelliher, P., Kelly, J.P., Leonard, B.E. and Sanchez, C. (2003): Effects of acute and chronic administration of selective monoamine re-uptake inhibitors in the rat forced swim test. Psychoneuroendocrinology 28: 332-347.

Kelly, J.P. (2003): Novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of depression. Curr. Med. Chem. 3: 311-322.

Harkin, A.J., O’Donnell, J. and Kelly, J.P. (2003): A combined and comparative study of physiologic and behavioral parameters in a systemic toxicity test. Contemp. Topics Lab. Anim. 42: 30-37.

Connor, T.J. and Kelly, J.P. (2002): Fenfluramine-induced immunosuppression: an in vivo analysis. Eur. J. Pharmacol.. 455: 175-85.

Harkin, A., O'Donnell, J.M. and Kelly, J.P. (2002): A study of VitalView for behavioural and physiological monitoring in laboratory rats. Physiol. Behav. 77: 65-77.

Kelly, J.P. (2002): Animal models of depression. Brain Pharmacol. 1: 267-284.

Harkin, A., Houlihan, D.D. and Kelly, J.P. (2002): Reduction in preference for saccharin by repeated unpredictable stress in mice and its prevention by imipramine. J. Psychopharmacol. 16: 115-23.

Harkin, A., Connor, T.J., O'Donnell, J.M. and Kelly, J.P. (2002):  Physiological and behavioral responses to stress: what does a rat find stressful? Lab. Anim. 31: 42-50.

Darcy, P., Kelly, J.P., Leonard, B.E. and Henry, J.A. (2002): The effect of lofepramine and other related agents on the motility of Tetrahymena pyriformis. Toxicol. Lett. 128: 207-214.

Lab members

Ms. Catherine Caulfield

Dr. Madhavi Salgaonkar

Mr. Owen Howard (jointly with Prof. Irwin Lucki, University of Pennsylvania)

Mr. Fergal Dunne

Mr. Sarath Kiran (jointly with Dr. Karen Doyle, Department of Physiology, NUI, Galway)

Dr. Uma Senthil Kumar

Contact details

Email: john.kellynuigalway.ie

Tel: 00 353 91 493268, Ext. 3268

Fax: 00 353 91 525700

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