Trinity researchers secure SFI-IRC Pathway awards

Dr Colm Delaney, Assistant Professor, Chemistry, 

Project title: Biomimetic nanocomposite architectures for responsive photonics (BIONICA)

Summary: The origins of structural colour in nature has been traced back over 515 million years. In the plant and animal kingdoms, its presence has been attributed to camouflage, signalling, mimicry, and distraction. As the vibrancy and striking reflection suggest, the mysticism of structural colouration is found in its incredible intricacy, and the ability to create multilayer reflectors, diffracting grating, and scattering features, using naturally high refractive index materials, such as guanine, cellulose, and chitin on the nano and macro scales. Not only do these give rise to the most beautiful and strongest colours observed in nature, the dazzling iridescent shades of such as beetles, butterflies, chameleons, but they can actually be modulated by in a split second to blend in, stand out, or completely disappear.

While scientists have agreed on the value of such materials, synthetic analogues with such functionality have not come close to the complexity or responsiveness of hierarchical photonic structures found in nature. This project will combine, self- assembling nano materials, stimuli-responsive polymers, 2 photon-polymerisation, and numerical simulation to yield programmable photonic structures, colour-mixing, angle independent colouration, and image encryption, which represent a new generation of dynamic photonic devices.

Dr Conor Finlay, Senior Research Fellow at Trinity Translational Medicine Institute

Project title: Macrophage Activation and Transition in the Autoimmune Kidney (MacATAK): uncovering functional outcomes of macrophage differentiation in the inflamed kidney

Summary: Macrophages are capable of a remarkable array of functions, that differ by tissue and inflammatory status. Most macrophages in the body are tissue-resident and perform homeostatic functions. However, during inflammation monocytes recruited to tissues, differentiate into pro-inflammatory M1 macrophages through exposure to type 1 cytokines. Resolution of inflammation, or exposure to type 2 cytokines, leads to macrophages adopting the anti-inflammatory pro-repair M2 phenotype.

Dr Finlay's research indicates that adoption of tissue residency alters their functional capacity to become M1 or M2 activated. To explore this further, we will investigate the disease ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV), which is characterised by irreversible macrophage-driven damage to the kidney.

His project will first create a model of macrophage differentiation in the inflamed kidney that will act as framework for understanding how macrophages drive both repair injury. He will next use a model of AAV to show that macrophage differentiation paths can be modified therapeutically, to shift away from inflammatory M1 phenotypes towards adoption of tissue residency that supports resolution of inflammation in autoimmunity. The outputs of this project will provide the basis for development of urinary biomarkers of kidney inflammation and highlight druggable targets in autoimmune kidney disease.