RCSI Tissue Engineering Research Group

Congratulations to Giulio Brunetti on being awarded an Invention Disclosure award as part of the Vice Chancellor Innovation Awards at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Research Day 2026!

Louise Hosty presenting her research on developing a pro-angiogenic hyaluronic acid hydrogel decorated with vascular cell-derived extracellular matrix at Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Research Day 2026!

Juan Carlos Palomeque presenting his research entitled 'On-demand and scaffold-based delivery of miRNAs to enhance regenerative outcomes in chronic wound healing' as part of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Research Day 2026!

Hadeel Abu Shaqrah presenting at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland Research Day on her work to date on the development of a zonal composite scaffold for load-bearing and cell-derived regeneration of articular cartilage!

Congratulations to Tara McGuire and everyone involved on the article 'Development of a PTEN-siRNA activated scaffold to promote axonal regrowth following spinal cord injury' recently published in Bioactive Materials! This study demonstrates that functionalising a collagen scaffold with PTEN-siRNA enhances the biomaterial's ability to promote neurite outgrowth.

Read the article here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2452199X2600023X?via%3Dihub

Read the RCSI press release here: https://www.rcsi.com/dublin/news-and-events/news/news-article/2026/02/rcsi-researchers-develop-rna-activated-implant-to-stimulate-nerve-regrowth-after-spinal-cord-injury

This study was conducted in collaboration with the AMBER Centre and the IRFU Charitable Trust.

Another year, another BinI! Wonderful for so many TERG researchers to have the opportunity to attend and speak at the annual Bioengineering in Ireland conference hosted by the University of Limerick over the weekend. Congratulations to all involved, but particular congratulations to our TERG winners:
● Aamena Mejevdiwala for winning the best early career researcher talk in the Reproduction and Nervous track
●Eavan Pakenham for being awarded the best PhD researcher talk in the Muscle, Tendon and Bone track
●Joshua Pepper for being awarded the best postdoctoral researcher talk in the Muscle, Tendon and Bone track

We are delighted to have the article 'Laser patterning of ECM-derived biomaterials to direct degradation, site-specific resorption, controlled vascularization and functional repair of large nerve defects' published in Acta Biomaterialia! The study details the development of a next generation biomaterial for nerve repair, using tailored laser patterning treatment on a collagen-based biomaterial which may promote early vascularisation and subsequent tissue regeneration. Restoration of peak nerve action potential was restored, with improved muscle preservation shown.
This work was led by Zuzana Kočí and carried out in collaboration with the Research Ireland AMBER Centre, and Integra LifeSciences.
Read the paper here:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1742706126000395?via%3Dihub
Research Ireland

www.sciencedirect.com

Congratulations to Juan Carlos Palomeque whose recently published paper 'Development of a VEGF-activated scaffold with enhanced angiogenic and neurogenic properties for chronic wound healing applications' was included in the Biomaterials Science Most Popular 2025 Articles!

View it here:

Biomaterials Science Most Popular 2025 Articles Home Theranostic hydrogels represent a groundbreaking approach for integrating therapeutic and diagnostic capabilities within a single platform, enabling real-time monitoring of wounds and precise treatment applications.

Congratulations to Head of TERG Fergal O'Brien and Dr Claudio Intini on the publication of their Nature Nanotechnology article 'Lesion-targeted, severity-responsive nanoparticle delivery for RNA therapy in osteoarthritis'!
Read it here:

Lesion-targeted, severity-responsive nanoparticle delivery for RNA therapy in osteoarthritis - Nature Nanotechnology Matrix-INverse Targeting (MINT) nanoparticles harness cartilage changes to deliver RNA therapies, reducing degeneration and pain in osteoarthritis.

Great turn out at the annual TERG Christmas Symposium this morning! Congratulations in particular to our wonderful winners: Pierluca Cancellieri and Noémie Petit who delivered innovative and informative presentations on their research, and well done to all participants! Great as well to hear from Fergal O'Brien about the amazing things achieved by TERG P*s and researchers throughout 2025! Roll on 2026! 🌟

Join TERG for the premiere of 'Something's Missing', an animated short film based on the children's story of the same name developed in collaboration with AMBER, Fighting Words and Screen Ireland. This story, co-written by members of TERG was designed to encourage children to engage with STEM from a young age.
Join us tomorrow November 13th for the premiere, in the old Science Gallery, Trinity College Dublin from 6-8pm with an introduction from Prof Fergal O'Brien. The animation will also be available to watch online after the event has concluded.

https://ambercentre.ie/amber-science-week-event-smalltalk-on-the-big-screen/

Members of TERG headed to the Sorbonne this week to discuss a new collaborative project on cells and immunotherapy with Francisco Fernandes and Makoto Miyara!
Travel funded by Research Ireland