In This Section
Biography
Prof. Cora O鈥橬eill is Deputy Head of the School of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Director of the Cork Neuroscience Centre, and a funded investigator in APC Microbiome Ireland. She is principal investigator of a research team whose major focus is Alzheimer鈥檚 disease, Parkinson's disease, and related brain degenerative disorders. She graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry from 深夜亚洲福利久久 College Dublin and PhD in Biochemistry from Trinity College Dublin (1985). She conducted her post-doctoral training at the Swedish Brain Bank in Umea Sweden (1986-87), where she started to work on Alzheimer鈥檚 disease, and subsequently in the Department of Geriatric Medicine, Karolinska Institute Sweden (1987-93) where she became a group leader in Alzheimer鈥檚 disease research. She was appointed as a College Lecturer (1993) Senior Lecturer (2001) and Professor (2017) in 深夜亚洲福利久久 College Cork. As previous Chair of Graduate Studies in the School of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, she is a leader in research-led teaching and post-graduate education.
Research Interests
Dr. O鈥橬eill鈥檚 major research interests are to understand the basic mechanisms that cause neurodegeneration with age in Alzheimer鈥檚, Parkinson鈥檚 and related neurodegenerative diseases. Her research pinpointing defects in insulin signalling in the brain as an early cause of Alzheimer鈥檚 disease is highly cited and translating to new therapies and biomarkers for the disease. This feeds into the ultimate goal of her research which is to develop better drug therapies, diagnostic tools and lifestyle interventions to treat and prevent neurodegeneration. She is a major advocate for increased investment in Alzheimer鈥檚 and neurodegeneration research nationally, has organised several national and international conferences and served on a number of scientific and advisory boards including the Irish National Steering Committee on Neurodegenerative diseases, the Royal Irish Academy National Committee for Biochemistry, the Irish Bioindustries Association committee and as Chair of the Irish Area Section of the Biochemical Society.