£2.3m grants boost medical research projects

How clean is the water you rinse your mouth with during a trip to the dentist? And what about that dental chair: does it harbour dangerous bacteria?

These questions will be answered as part of a research project at the school of dental science at Trinity College, backed by the Health Research Board. It is one of 51 projects supported by the board, with £2.3 million worth of funding announced last week by its chairman, Prof Michael Murphy.

The 51 projects cover an exceptional range of medical issues. The department of mathematics at NUI Maynooth, for example, received a grant to study the impact and cost of the hepatitis C virus infection in Irish drug users.

The department of surgery at Cork University Hospital will examine the use of local immune stimulants to enhance wound healing. Trinity's department of psychiatry is searching for the genes that cause autism in the Irish population.

Announcing the awards, Prof Murphy described the quality of the projects as highly impressive. "The climate for research in Ireland has never been better and we are well placed to develop world-class research capabilities," he said.

The HRB's project grants scheme provides support for innovative research in biomedical and health research. The programme also provides an important mechanism for training highly skilled researchers. In total, 41 Ph.D. students will be supported through the awards announced by the board. "This represents a significant contribution to the continued development of Ireland as a knowledge economy," Prof Murphy said.

There are five new projects being supported in cancer research, including studies into the role of a protein called survivin that helps cancer cells to resist chemotherapy. Another project will use DNA technology to learn about tumour cell growth, invasion and resistance.

DNA techniques are also employed in a research area known as bioinformatics. This involves using DNA sequence information from bacterial and viral pathogens to help identify potential drug targets.

The causes of retinitis pigmentosa, a disease of the retina that causes gradual loss of sight and eventual blindness, will be studied by the RDS/Irish Times Boyle Medal Laureate, Prof Tom Cotter, of University College Cork.

Finding ways to enhance communication for adults with severe speech and physical impairment will be examined by the school of clinical speech and language studies at TCD.