Enda O'Connell 2014 Research Article

The Power of Science, by Dr. Oliver Carroll

In the eighth of our weekly series of articles by NUI Galway researchers, Dr. Oliver Carroll, Research Technical Officer with the Network of Excellence for Functional Biomaterials, writes about the power of tissue engineering to help the body to repair injured or degenerated tissue.

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Various scaffolds used to promote cell growth and tissue repair: Osteoblast cultured on calcium phosphate scaffold. Collagen sponge for bone regeneration. Collagen sponge for wound healing. Nerve cells cultured on non-aligned collagen scaffold. Aligned electrospun nanofibres (Images courtesy NFB http://www.nfb.ie/research)

Cell regeneration therapy is a developing technology to meet the increasing demand to treat injured or degenerated tissue. Organ transplants are the ideal treatment for many patients with tissue damage, but the demand of organs surpasses available organs for transplantation. There are several types of cell-based regenerative therapies currently being applied, including injection of isolated cells, scaffold engineering, and cell sheet tissue engineering.  Continue reading “The Power of Science, by Dr. Oliver Carroll” →

Enda O'Connell 2014 Research Article

The Science of Exercise, by Dr. Nicole Burns

In the fifth of our weekly series of articles by NUI Galway researchers, Dr. Nicole Burns, Lecturer in the Discipline of Physiology, in the School of Medicine, writes about ‘The Science of Exercise’.

Ever notice how, when you walk up three flights of stairs your legs begin to ache and you are a little out of breath? If you put your hand to your chest you may also notice that your heart is beating a little faster than normal.

Were you going “too fast”?

If you slowed down would you still feel your heart beating faster than it was at rest?

If you sped up, would you breathe harder?

A subject seated on a cycle ergometer. A heart rate monitor is worn across the chest under the clothing to measure pulse at rest and during exercise. The facemask is connected to a computer which analyses the expired for percentage oxygen, carbon dioxide and total volume. A blood pressure cuff is worn on the right arm to measure changing blood pressure during exercise. (Photo credit Dr. Nicole Burns)
A subject seated on a cycle ergometer. A heart rate monitor is worn across the chest under the clothing to measure pulse at rest and during exercise. The facemask is connected to a computer which analyses the expired air for percentage oxygen, carbon dioxide and total volume. A blood pressure cuff is worn on the right arm to measure changing blood pressure during exercise. (Photo credit Dr. Nicole Burns)

Continue reading “The Science of Exercise, by Dr. Nicole Burns” →

Enda O'Connell 2013 Competition

Meet our friends at Cell EXPLORERS

cell explorers logo

Cell EXPLORERS is the NUI Galway School of Natural Sciences’ hands-on programme of discovery of molecular and cellular biology, promoting biological and biomedical sciences to the general public. The programme proposes school visits and interactive workshops and has so far reached 700 children, parents and teachers. The team is made of volunteer scientists at different stages of their careers and currently includes 26 undergraduates, 5 postgrads and 6 researchers.

NUI Galway Science Experience Summer Event participants
NUI Galway Science Experience Summer Event participants

Last week, Cell EXPLORERS presented some of the model organisms used by School of Natural Sciences researchers, including E. coli, Baker’s yeast, Hydractinia, P. patens, Arabidopsis, Zebrafish, and HeLa cells,  to the Science Experience Summer Event participants!

You can follow Cell EXPLORERS activities on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Cellexplorers