Science - News & Events | Trinity College Dublin

Fresh insights into how glucose drives tuberculosis vaccine responses offer hope for improved efficacy

BCG is a live bacterial vaccine, of limited effectiveness for tuberculosis, but it's the only one we've got. However, scientists in the TB Immunology group at Trinity College Dublin and St. James's Hospital have provided fresh insights into the behaviour of a crucial cell in vaccine mechanisms, which may offer a fresh target for scientists seeking to improve vaccine efficacy.

6 Jul 2023

Health|Research|Science

The weeds shall inherit the Earth

Human land use is now comparable to climate in driving global patterns of plant occurrence, with new research showing that species are not affected equally; slow-growing plants like trees are less able to cope with more intensive human land use than disturbance-tolerant species like grasses.

4 Jul 2023

Environment|Research|Science|Sustainability

A new bacterial blueprint to aid in the war on antibiotic resistance

A team of scientists from around the globe, including those from Trinity, has gained high-res structural insights into a key bacterial enzyme, which may help chemists design new drugs to inhibit it and thus suppress disease-causing bacteria.

1 Jul 2023

Health|Research|Science

“The start of something big” – first compelling evidence of low-frequency gravitational waves in the cosmos

Scientists from Trinity are part of the European Pulsar Timing Array, which joins teams worldwide in today announcing evidence for gravitational wave signals of cosmological origin. They believe these ripples in space-time, predicted by Einstein’s general theory of relativity, are produced by pairs of supermassive black holes.

29 Jun 2023

Research|Science

Oral vaccine programme secures non-dilutive funding

Trinity’s Professor Ed Lavelle identified vaccine adjuvants that will be used as part of the research.

26 Jun 2023

Awards and Funding|Innovation|Research|Science

Cryo conservation – a cool solution to saving species from extinction

In the face of the biodiversity crisis, and alarming data showing a 69% decline in global animal populations since 1970, researchers are banking on a cool solution to help save species from extinction.

20 Jun 2023

Environment|Research|Science

New anti-coagulants discovered in Trinity may help treat sepsis and COVID-19

Scientists have just discovered that the drug dimethylfumarate can block blood clotting during infection. Their work offers hope that it could be used to treat a number of conditions, such a life-threatening disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC), which can occur in serious infections with bacteria that lead to sepsis or in response to viral infections such as COVID-19.

19 Jun 2023

Health|Research|Science

BioNTech founders among recipients of Trinity honorary degrees

Philanthropist Dr Beate Schuler and scientist Joan Steitz - known for her pioneering work on RNA (ribonucleic acid) - also received Trinity’s highest honour from Trinity’s Chancellor Dr Mary McAleese at a ceremony conducted in Latin in the historic Public Theatre.

16 Jun 2023

Awards and Funding|Innovation|Research|Science

Orla Sheils becomes Doctor in Science, joins WHO Scientific Council

Provost Dr Linda Doyle said: "These honours are richly deserved. In her busy role as Vice-Provost and Chief Academic Officer of Trinity, Orla Sheils is a pivotal force in the University, while her research has enhanced Trinity's reputation as an international leader in cancer research.

16 Jun 2023

Awards and Funding|Research|Science

National economies recover faster when countries are powered by renewable energy

Researchers from Trinity looked for patterns in data from 133 systemic economic crises that affected 98 countries over a 40-year span en route to their main finding, which has profound implications for global energy policy.

14 Jun 2023

Business|Environment|Research|Science|Sustainability