NUI Galway scientist among international team proposing the ‘Challenger 150’ programme to understand how changes in the deep sea impact the wider ocean and life on the planet Professor Louise Allcock, Head of Zoology and Director of the Ryan Institute’s Centre for Ocean Research and Exploration at NUI Galway, is part of an international team of scientists who have called for a dedicated decade-long programme of research to greatly advance discovery in the remote regions of the deep seas and learn how they impact the wider ocean and life on the planet. The deep seas – vast expanses of water and seabed hidden more than 200 metres below the ocean surface to depths up to 11,000 metres – are recognised globally as an important frontier of science and discovery. But despite the fact they account for around 60% of Earth’s surface area, large areas remain completely unexplored, yet the habitats they support impact on the health of the entire planet. The international team spanning 45 institutions in 17 countries, presented the rationale behind the call for action in a comment article in Nature Ecology and Evolution, simultaneously publishing a detailed blueprint of how the actions can be best achieved in Frontiers in Marine Science. The programme, which scientists have named ‘Challenger 150’ will coincide with the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, which runs from 2021-2030. Challenger 150 will generate new geological, physical, biogeochemical, and biological data through a global cooperative of science and innovation, including the application of new technology. These data will be used to understand how changes in the deep sea impact the wider ocean and life on the planet. Among its key areas of focus are to build greater capacity and diversity in the scientific community, acknowledging the fact that existing deep-sea research is conducted primarily by developed nations with access to resources and infrastructure. The programme will use this new knowledge of the deep to support regional, national, and international decision-making on deep-sea issues such as mining, hydrocarbon extraction, fishing, climate mitigation, laying of fibre optic cables and conservation. Professor Louise Allcock, one of the authors of the detailed blueprint paper, said: “The next ten years are going to be critical for our oceans - we MUST ensure that our oceans are used sustainably. This field-programme blueprint maps out how nations can share knowledge, equipment, and expertise, and develop capacity in deep-sea science across the world. By working to joint protocols, we can produce global datasets that answer broad questions about ocean diversity and resilience that cannot be answered by any one nation alone. Such knowledge can inform policy development and ensure our oceans are protected such that they also sustain future generations.”  Recent expeditions led by NUI Galway, aboard the national research vessel RV Celtic Explorer, and deploying the deep-water remotely operated vehicle ROV Holland I, have shown the Irish deep sea to be richly diverse. The proposed international programme will help scientists understand connectivity within and among oceans, and how best to conserve this rich biodiversity. These deep-sea ecosystems play a very important role in carbon storage, so maintaining their quality is paramount in the face of rising carbon dioxide levels and global climate change. Led by members of the Deep-Ocean Stewardship Initiative (DOSI) and the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research (SCOR), the authorship reflects both the gender and geographical diversity such a programme demands, with authors from the six inhabited continents of the World. They note that the UN Decade provides an unrivalled opportunity to unite the international science community to deliver a giant leap in our knowledge of the deep seas. Kerry Howell, Professor of Deep-Sea Ecology at the University of Plymouth (UK) and lead author of the research publications, said: “The deep seas and seabed are increasingly being used by society, and they are seen as a potential future asset for the resources they possess. But managing these resources sustainably requires that we first understand deep-sea ecosystems and their role in our planet, its people and its atmosphere. Our vision is for a 10 year programme of science and discovery that is global in scale and targeted towards proving the science to inform decisions around deep-ocean use. We believe the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science provides the perfect opportunity to achieve that.” Dr Ana Hilario, Researcher at the University of Aveiro (Portugal) and co-lead of the DOSI and SCOR Decade working groups, added: “The Decade also provides the opportunity to build a long-term programme for training and capacity building in ocean sciences. With Challenger 150, we aim to train the next generation of deep-sea biologists and focus on training scientists from developing countries, but also early stage scientists from all nations. Such training will create a network of enhanced capacity that will allow countries to exercise their full role in international discussions on the use of ocean resources within and outside of their national boundaries.” For more information about Challenger 150, see: https://challenger150.world and Deep-Ocean Stewardship Initiative, visit: https://challenger150.world/. To read the paper in Frontiers in Marine Science, visit: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2020.584861/full. -Ends-

Advocate General of the European Court of Justice, the Hon. Mr. Justice Gerard Hogan, will deliver NUI Galway’s School of Law Annual Distinguished Lecture. The online lecture will take place on Thursday, 3 December, at 6pm. During his lecture, “Re-examining McGee, Norris and the X case”, Mr. Justice Gerard Hogan will discuss and reflect upon these seminal Irish constitutional law cases and recent constitutional reform. The School of Law Annual Distinguished Lecture will be chaired by Professor Siobhán Mullally, Director of NUI Galway’s Irish Centre for Human Rights and UN Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, especially women and children. Dr Charles O’Mahony, Head of the School of Law at NUI Galway, said: “The School of Law Annual Distinguished Lecture plays an important role in further enriching our students’ learning experience. There are many important lessons to be learned in this year’s lecture “Re-examining McGee, Norris and the X case” including an opportunity to re-consider these important judgments from a comparative, legal and social perspective.” The Hon. Mr. Justice Gerard Hogan a renowned legal scholar is Advocate General of the European Court of Justice since 2018. Previously Mr. Justice Hogan was a former Judge of the Court of Appeal and the High Court of Ireland. Now in its tenth year, previous speakers of the Lecture have included: Professor Christopher McCrudden of Oxford University; Judge John T. Noonan of the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit; Professor Neil Walker of Edinburgh University; Baroness Brenda Hale of the UK Supreme Court with Mrs. Justice Catherine McGuinness of the Irish Supreme Court; Mr Justice Nial Fennelly of the Irish Supreme Court; Sir Declan Morgan, the Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland; Judge Síofra O'Leary of the European Court of Human Rights; and Justice Leona Theron of the Constitutional Court of South Africa. The virtual School of Law Annual Distinguished Lecture is free and open to the public. For more information and to register for the Lecture visit adl2020.eventbrite.ie. -Ends-

Research and analysis team at CORRIB Core Lab puts University at the cutting edge of cardiovascular diagnosis and treatment of coronary artery disease A new approach to the guidance, planning and conducting of heart bypass surgery is being tested on patients for the first time in a clinical trial coordinated by a high-level research team at NUI Galway. The FAST TRACK CABG study, overseen by the University’s CORRIB Research Centre for Advanced Imaging and Core Lab, will see surgeons plan and carry out coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), based solely on non-invasive CT images of the patient’s coronary arteries.  Trial chairman Professor Patrick W Serruys, Established Professor of Interventional Medicine and Innovation at NUI Galway, said: “The results of this trial have the potential to simplify the treatment for patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting. “The trial and the central role played by the CORRIB Core Lab puts NUI Galway on the frontline of cardiovascular diagnosis and treatment of coronary artery disease.” The trial is “first in man” as it demonstrates a way to perform medicine which has never been done before. It is being conducted across Europe on 114 patients who have severe blockages in multiple vessels which are limiting blood flow to the heart muscle. The first patient underwent surgery at the end of September under Professor Giulio Pompilio in Centro Cardiologico Monzino, Italy. A 30-day follow-up CT, performed by Professor Daniele Andreini, confirmed the success and appropriateness of the surgical treatment.  Current convention in cardiovascular diagnosis and treatment sees heart patients undergo catheterisation procedure where an artery in the wrist or groin is punctured and a catheter is fed to the heart. Dye is then directly injected into the coronary artery to visualise blockages or narrowing of vessels using X-rays. During the FAST TRACK trial, analysis of high-resolution cardiovascular imagery and data, obtained with modern high-resolution CT (Revolution CT, GE Healthcare), is carried out by the CORRIB Core Lab team. The location and severity of coronary artery blockages are assessed using CT scans after dye is put in a vein of the arm, without the need for invasive catheterisation. These images allow a functional assessment of blood flow impairment known as Fractional Flow Reserve derived from CT (FFRct, HeartFlow).  Deputy chairman of the trial Yoshi Onuma, Professor of Interventional Cardiology and medical director of CORRIB Research Centre, described it as a potential gamechanger for cardiac surgery. “Researching the possibility of reducing diagnostic catheterization procedures is important for several reasons. Catheterization is invasive and it is unpleasant for the patient. It is also costly for the health service and while there is a minimal risk with the procedure it is not completely risk free,” Professor Onuma said.  “CT scan analysis, FFRct and guidance from the team in Galway is a world first in bypass surgery. It may become a gamechanger, altering the traditional relationship between GP, radiologist, cardiologist and cardio-thoracic surgeon for the benefit of the patient.” Professor Tim O’Brien, Dean of NUI Galway’s College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences and consultant endocrinologist at University Hospital Galway, said: “The potential impact of this trial will be significant from the perspective of a patient, but also service delivery.  The combined benefits arising from a risk reduction to the patient and a less demanding and more cost-effective diagnosis of coronary artery disease present major enhancements in cardiovascular medicine and service delivery.” The trial is co-chaired by Professor Serruys and Professor William Wijns, Science Foundation Ireland Professor of Interventional Cardiology at NUI Galway, both of whom are internationally renowned experts in interventional cardiology and cardiovascular disease. The surgery is being carried out in three of Europe’s leading cardiac care hospitals - Centro Cardiologico Monzino near Milan, University hospital Brussels (UZB) and University hospital Jena, Germany. Professor Serruys added: “If a surgeon can operate on the most complex cases of coronary artery disease with the sole guidance of a non-invasive CT scan and FFRct, it will mean a dramatic change in health care. Following the example of the surgeon, the interventional cardiologist should also not hesitate to skip the conventional invasive cineangiography, and plan their procedure based solely on a CT scan. That will unload the purely diagnostic workload of the cath lab as we know it today and enable them to upgrade the catheterization laboratory to a dedicated ‘interventional suite’, thereby improving the workflow of patients.” The trial is sponsored by NUI Galway and funded by GE Healthcare (Chicago, USA) and HeartFlow, Inc. (Redwood City, California, USA). Ends