A collaborative research programme which aims to speed up the delivery of medical advances to patient treatment has been announced.
The Biopharmaceutical Sciences Network was launched yesterday by the Minister for Education and Science, Dr Woods, at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI). The third-level network will integrate basic and clinical research in the areas of genetics and the science of proteins to understand better how drugs work on humans.
Research carried out by the network may benefit, among others, sufferers of cystic fibrosis, cardiovascular diseases, colonic cancer, retinal degeneration, and inflammatory bowel disease.
Speaking at the launch, Dr Woods said the project would "have a long-lasting and widespread impact on the treatment of diseases and illnesses and the general improvement of the quality of life for people," not only in the State but worldwide.
The network will be led by the RCSI and will involve researchers from UCC, TCD and NUI Maynooth, who will collaborate on research and share advanced facilities available at the RCSI.
The funding of over £7 million for the network has come under Cycle 2 of the Government's Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI). The network is an extension of the RCSI's Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, which won a previous £8.7 million of funding from the PRTLI.
The Government's allocation of £220 million for the PRTLI was "having profound effects on research activity in third-level institutions", said Dr Woods.