RCSI researcher Prof Killian Hurley has been awarded a European Research Council (ERC) Starting Grant to conduct innovative research into treatments for the lethal lung condition, pulmonary fibrosis.
The project, called STAR-TEL, is one of 408 projects chosen out of almost 3,000 applications to receive ERC funding. A total value of €636 million has been awarded across all ERC Starting Grant projects.
Pulmonary fibrosis occurs when lung tissue becomes damaged and scarred. While existing medications can slow the progression of the disease, currently there is no known cure, with many patients dying within three years of diagnosis as a result.
STAR-TEL will seek new personalised treatments for patients with pulmonary fibrosis by first investigating how the disease develops, and then generating new mRNA medications specifically designed for individual patients. The treatments will be tested in innovative stem cell models, known as ‘lung-in-a-dish’ models, to ensure their effectiveness and understand potential side-effects prior to administering them to patients.
The drugs will be targeted at the lungs specifically, so that patients only get the treatment where they need it. It is hoped this will result in life-changing personalised treatments for patients with this devastating lung disease.
Prof Hurley, who is a Principal Investigator in RCSI’s Department of Medicine and Tissue Engineering Research Group and Consultant Respiratory Physician at Beaumont Hospital, commented on the award: “I am delighted to receive an ERC Starting Grant to help STAR-TEL find new personalised treatments for patients with pulmonary fibrosis. By developing the ‘lung-in-a-dish’ models in the lab using adult stem cells, we can learn if medications work for individual patients and about the side-effects or toxicity of drugs before ever giving them to real-life patients. Our overall aim is to better understand how pulmonary fibrosis happens and to provide improved medications to patients, allowing them to live normal and healthy lives.”
RCSI’s Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation, Prof Fergal O’Brien, welcomed the announcement, saying: “I congratulate Prof Hurley on this prestigious award from the European Research Council, which is testament to the high-quality health sciences research taking place at RCSI. We are very proud to be hosting another ERC award in RCSI and it’s a real testament to the quality of Prof Hurley’s own research and his developing international reputation. The STAR-TEL project will do important work to deepen our understanding of pulmonary fibrosis and how it can be treated, and ultimately help to improve the lives of those who suffer from it.”
The ERC, set up by the European Union in 2007, is the premier European funding organisation for excellent frontier research. It funds creative researchers of any nationality and age, to run projects based across Europe.
