Grant: Conquer Cancer Foundation Young Investigator Award. 

Grant Code:  2021YIA-7358522284 

Title:   Identifying germline genetic alterations in bilateral and familial GCT. 

Awarding institution: ASCO/Conquer Cancer Foundation.  

Amount:  $50,000 Status: Awarded. Completed. 

Role: Principal Investigator Grant Period: 1/7/2021 – 31/12/2023  

Brief description:  We hypothesize that genetic alterations that predispose to Germ Cell Tumor (GCT) development and heritability will be present at higher frequencies in patients with bilateral and familial GCT. To assess this are performing whole exome sequencing on our large cohort of patients in these groups, aggregating the results to identify alterations occurring at high frequencies in these specific populations, and comparing the results to previously published cohorts on all GCT patients.  

Specific Aims:  1) Identify susceptibility genes in patients with bilateral GCT. 2) Identify preserved gene alterations among families with multiple GCT cases.  

Grant: Irish Cancer Society Improving Outcomes for Men Impacted by Cancer Award 

Grant Code:  MHI_22_BAM 

Title:  The LIAM Mc Trial – Linking In with Advice and support for Men impacted by Metastatic cancer  

Awarding institution: Irish Cancer Society 

Amount:  €300,000 Status: Awarded. Ongoing. 

Role: Principial Investigator Grant Period: 5/9/2022 – 6/30/2025  

Brief description: This is a pilot study evaluating the integration of a dedicated multidisciplinary survivorship research programme, aimed at better engaging with and supporting men in Ireland post cancer treatment. This will involve a 12-week intervention for men with advanced genitourinary (GU) cancers, encompassing intensive physiotherapy, dietician, and nurse input with Medical Oncology oversight to give men the tools to better survive with a metastatic GU cancer diagnosis. The study will involve a pilot, initial expansion and late expansion phase with increasing eligibility and refinement of the strategic goals throughout.  

Specific Aims:  1) Determine the feasibility of the comprehensive multidisciplinary intervention for men with advanced/metastatic cancer. 2) Determine the impact of the intervention on secondary outcomes including quality of life, weight maintenance, muscle mass, cardiovascular fitness, fatigue, and physical function at pre-specified timepoints.  

Grant: Irish Cancer Society/Pfizer – Exit booklet for the LIAM Mc Trial Award 

Title:  Development of a Post-Intervention Patient Pack for Patients Who Finish on the LIAM MC Trial 

Awarding institution: Irish Cancer Society Grant Code:  PFI24GLE 

Amount:  €35,133.65 Status: Awarded.  

Role: Principial Investigator Grant Period: 1/7/2024 – 1/7/2025  

Brief description: This is an award for the development and distribution of a post-intervention booklet for participants completing the LIAM Mc survivorship trial. The LIAM Mc survivorship trial involves a 12-week intervention for men with advanced genitourinary (GU) cancers, encompassing intensive physiotherapy, dietician, and nurse input with Medical Oncology oversight to give men the tools to better survive with a metastatic GU cancer diagnosis. The exit booklet will be designed to provide a useful reference for these men, with general and personalised advice for their survivorship care.   

Grant: Irish Cancer Society Cancer Research Networking Award 2024 

Title:  Brain Tumour Research Regional Networking Event 

Awarding institution: Irish Cancer Society Grant Code:  NA24GLE 

Amount:  €2,000 Status: Awarded.  

Role: Principial Investigator Grant Period: 1/10/2024 – 1/4/2025  

Brief description: This is an award for planning and carrying out a networking event for researchers from both clinical and academic disciplines in the Cork region who are working on or interested in brain tumour research to come together to discuss opportunities for collaboration and the establishment of a regional Brain Tumour Research Group (BTRG). The networking event will take place in November 2024. 

Grant: HORIZON EU  

Title:  Co-creation and implementation of an intervention to improve the understanding of TesticulaR cANcer late effects and unmet Supportive CarENeeDs of AYA survivors using eXtended Reality (TRANSCEND-XR) 

Awarding institution: Horizon Europe Amount: €6,003,930 

Grant Code:  HORIZON-MISS-2024-CANCER-01-05 Status: Awarded.  

Role: Work Package 3 Co-Lead Grant Period: 1/7/2025 – 1/1/2031  

Brief description: Project TRANSCEND-XR will ethically co-create, test, and scale up in real-life settings an innovative digital intervention to increase AYA TC survivors’ knowledge of the late effects of TesticulaR cANcer treatment and address their unmet Supportive CarE NeeDs using eXtended Reality. It involves 10 centres across 8 European countries. I will co-lead work package 3; to develop and implement a pragmatic effectiveness trial with embedded feasibility trial.

I have been actively involved in research throughout my medical career. During my Medical Oncology training I was always eager to be involved with the Phase I – Phase III clinical trials in the oncology departments I worked in. I then honed my research skills throughout my Advanced Oncology fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York, before taking up positions at Cork University Hospital (CUH) and then The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester before returning to my current role. I develop Investigator Initiated Trials (IIT’s) and am Work Package lead for the development of IIT’s in the Cork Cancer Trials Cluster as part of the HRB grant. I recruit patients to active clinical studies locally and maintain research links with both MSKCC and The Christie through ongoing active research projects and completing previously successful grants. 

I completed the grant writing workshop course at MSK (June-August 2020) and I was awarded an ASCO Conquer Cancer Foundation young investigator award (YIA) for 2021. I completed the UCC Research Skills Training Programme in 2022. I developed the successful Irish Cancer Society sponsored LIAM Mc survivorship grant application and am now the Principal Investigator (PI) on that study. I received a Merit Award at the annual International Kidney Cancer Symposium (IKCS) meeting, a Merit Award at the GU ASCO 2021 Symposium, among a number of other awards and distinctions for research highlighted in the below sections. I am PI for the IMPROVE TMZ observational/translational study for patients receiving temozolomide for high grade glioma (NCT06546631). 

I have been involved in a number of other grant applications, including the Kidney Cancer Research Program Concept Award ($100,000) and I wrote the protocol for a Phase II study involving the combination of 177Lu-labeled-girentuximab (CAIX-directed monoclonal antibody) in combination with nivolumab for advanced RCC, which began accrual in Feb 2022 (NCT05239533). 

I am an active Cancer Trials Ireland (CTI) member and since 2024 I have been the Medical Oncology lead for the Central Nervous System (CNS) disease-specific subgroup. I remain actively involved in the UCC Cancer Trials group, Cancer Research @ UCC team, and LIAM Mc Steering Group. I am also a member of ASCO, ISMO, the EORTC GU and brain tumour groups, EANO, SNO and ESMO. My future research interests are predominantly focused on clinical research in GU and CNS cancers; bringing important clinical trial options and therapies to my patients in Ireland and biomarker development to help predict both response and toxicities for patients. Above all, I am hopeful that my ongoing and future research efforts will make impactful lasting contributions to patient care and personalised cancer medicine. 

Below, in the Bibliography section (Section 6), is a list of my publications to date. My ORCID is 0000-0001-6908-495X and my Pubmed/NCBI library of publications is available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/1paysdBTcpNIJA/bibliography/public/