Biography

Gerard O’Keeffe is a Professor in the Department of Anatomy & Neuroscience and a Fellow at the Centre for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning at University College Cork (UCC) in Ireland. He graduated with a B.Sc. (Hons) and PhD in Neuroscience from UCC after the award of a PhD fellowship from the Irish Research Council. He was a visiting researcher at the Karolinska institute in Sweden, which was followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the School of Biosciences in Cardiff University in the UK. He is a founding member of the Parkinson’s Disease Research Cluster (PDRC) and the Brain Development and Brain Repair Group (www.bdrg.org) at UCC. He has received a number of fellowships and awards including UCC PhD Supervisor of Year in 2019.  He serves as an elected member of governing body of the Anatomy Society which is one of the world’s oldest anatomical societies. He is also a member of NECTAR (Network of European CNS Transplantation and Restoration). He sits on the editorial board of a number of journals including Neural Regeneration Research. His work has been featured in journals such as Nature Neuroscience, Brain, JAMA Psychiatry and Journal of Neuroscience. Prof. O’Keeffe’s current research interests are focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms that regulate midbrain dopaminergic neuron development and degeneration and how these can be applied to developing new therapies for Parkinson’s disease.

Research Interests

BIOLOGICAL/TRANSLATIONAL

Dopamine is one of the major neurotransmitters found in the CNS.  Three quarters of all dopaminergic neurons in the adult brain are located in the midbrain in three distinct groups termed A8, A9 and A10.  These midbrain dopaminergic neurons (mDA) have been intensively studied given their involvement in a range of psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders.  

mDA neurons form two major projections known as the nigrostriatal pathway and the mesocorticolimbic pathway.  The nigrostriatal pathway is crucial for motor control, and loss of mDA neurons that form this pathway is a pathological hallmark of Parkinson’s disease (PD), which is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor and late cognitive impairment.  In contrast, mesocorticolimbic mDA function is crucial for the regulation of emotion and reward, and alterations in this system have been implicated in schizophrenia, drug addiction, ADHD and depression.  As part of our work we ask three main questions:

1.    How do gene-environment interactions affect the dopaminergic system?

2.    What molecular mechanisms are crucial to maintain these neurons throughout life?

3.    How do we translate these findings into new therapies to protect dopamine neurons?


We have on-going projects in the following key areas of interest:

1.  Developing AAV and small molecule neurotrophic factor therapy for Parkinson’s.

2.  Targeting the epigenome as a therapeutic approach for Parkinson’s disease.

3.  Molecular mechanisms regulating the axonal growth of dopaminergic neurons.

4.  Integrated ‘omics profiling for biomarker development for Parkinson’s disease.

5.  Effects of prenatal stress, hypoxic, inflammation and hypertension on ASD/ADHD.


Current Team Members:

Dr. Ruth Concannon:                      Postdoctoral researcher

Postdoctoral research: Developing AAV neurotrophic factor therapy for Parkinson’s.

 

Ms. Amnah Al Singh:                      PhD (Supervisor with Prof. Aideen. Sullivan & Dr. Shane Hegarty)

Thesis topic: Growing and re-growing dopaminergic nigrostriatal axons.

 

Mr. Jayantha Anantha:                  PhD (Supervisor with Prof. Aideen Sullivan)

Thesis topic: Molecular signalling cascades regulation dopaminergic axon growth.

 

Ms. Rebecca Anderson:                                PhD (co-supervisor with Prof. K. McDermott - UL)

Thesis topic: Multiple impacts of prenatal inflammation on CNS development.

 

Ms. Katie Togher:                            PhD (co-supervisor with Drs G. Clarke, A. Khashan & Prof. L. Kenny)

Thesis topic: Clinical and molecular signatures of prenatal stress in women and children.

 

Dr. Grace Crotty:                              MD (co-supervisor with Dr Sean O’Sullivan and Prof. Aideen Sullivan)

Thesis topic:  Identifying clinical, CSF and blood based biomarkers for Parkinson’s.

 

Mr. Jason Radford:                          MSc      

Thesis topic: Effect of HDAC inhibition on the developing dopaminergic system.

 

Dr. David O'Driscoll:                       MSc (co-supervisor with Profs L. Kenny & G. Boylan)

Thesis topic:  Understanding the impact of mild HIE on neurodevelopmental outcomes.

 

Ms. Sophie Casey                            MSc (co-supervisor with Dr Deirdre Murray and Prof. G. Boylan)

Thesis topic: To determine the downstream targets and effects of miRNA alterations in HIE.

 

Ms. Martina Mazzocchi:               Erasmus scholar              

Thesis topic: DNMT inhibitors as novel neuroprotectants for dopaminergic axons. 



Research Grants

  Project Funding
Body
Start Date End Date Award
Molecular Mechanisms regulatiing the Sip1-mediated regulation of neurite growth in the developing brain. National University of Ireland (NUI) 01-OCT-15 30-SEP-16 €45,000.00
Summer Scholarship Health Research Board 02-JUN-15 24-JUL-15 €2,000.00
NUI Fellowship in Sciences Shane Hegarty. Irish Funded Research 01-OCT-15 30-SEP-17 €57,300.00
Development of GDF5 neurotrophic factor therapy for Parkinson's Disease. Science Foundation of Ireland 01-DEC-16 30-NOV-20 €639,453.00
To determine the effects and mechanisms by which prenatal stress reduces placntal HSD1182 expression and to develop protective pharmacotherapy for the human placenta UCC TRAP (Translational Research Access Programme) 01-OCT-14 30-SEP-15 €9,000.00
Identification of Smad-Interacting protein 1 (Sip 1) as a novel regulator of ventral midbrain dopaminergic neuron development. Irish Research Council 01-OCT-14 30-SEP-15 €45,828.00
Investigator of the cellular and molecular consequences of maternal inflammation on the cytoarchitecture of the developing spinal cord. Other: Not Listed 01-OCT-14 30-SEP-17 €77,830.00
Hypoxic-Ischemic Encephalopathy: Validating the term and pretrem animal approach and its relationship to clinical diagnosis Other: Not Listed 01-OCT-14 30-SEP-15 €22,035.00
Defining the role of the HDAC5 in the regulation of the placental HSD11B2 glucocorticoid barrier in an in vitro model of the human placenta. Other: Not Listed 02-JUN-14 19-SEP-14 €500.00
Maternal Inflammation and Foetal Nigrostriatal Development. Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering & Technology (IRCSET) 01-SEP-12 31-AUG-15 €72,000.00
Defining the potential of the transmembrane GITR receptor as a novel therapeutic for PNS neuropathies. Science Foundation of Ireland 01-AUG-10 31-JUL-14 €220,400.00
The potential of the endocannabinoid system as a pharmacological target for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering & Technology (IRCSET) 11-JUL-11 10-JUL-13 €79,280.00
The role of Smad transcription factors in embryonic neuronal survival Irish Research Council 01-OCT-10 30-SEP-13 €72,000.00
IRCSET EMBARK PG Aoife Nolan Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering & Technology (IRCSET) 01-OCT-09 30-SEP-13 €72,009.00
Defining the potential of GDF-5 as a novel therapeutic for Parkinson's desease. HRB HRA/2009/127 : Defining the potential of GDF-5 as a novel therapeutic for Parkinson's disease. Health Research Board 01-OCT-09 30-SEP-12 €147,051.00
Identifying the roles of GDF in neuronal survival and growth. Leverhulme Trust 01-OCT-08 30-SEP-09 €55,000.00
Wnts and TGF-betas interactions in midbrain dopaminergic neuron development. Enterprise Ireland 01-JUL-03 30-JUN-04 €7,000.00
Characterisation of the expression and function of GDF5 in the rat brain. Irish Research Council 01-OCT-00 30-SEP-04 €51,000.00
Supplement: Characterisation of the expression and function of GDF5 in the develop[ing rat brain. Irish Research Council 01-OCT-00 30-SEP-03 €9,000.00

Contract Researchers

  Researcher Name Project Role Funding Body
Dr. Shane Hegarty 'Identification of Smad-interacting protein 1 as a novel regulator of ventral midbrain dopaminergic neuron development.’ Postdoctoral Researcher Irish Research Council

Honours and Awards

  Year Title Awarding Body
2014 Lab member (Shane Hegarty) awardedAwarded Neuroscience Ireland Travel Bursary. Neuroscience Ireland.
2014 Lab member (Megan Straley) awarded Doctoral Student Travel Bursary. UCC
2013 Lab member (Shane Hegarty) wins best poster prize at Neuroscience Ireland Conference Neuroscience Ireland.
2013 Lab member (Shane Hegarty) awarded Doctoral Student Travel Bursary. UCC
2012 Lab member (Sean CRampton) awarded Doctoral Student Travel Bursary. UCC
2011 Lab member (Aoife Nolan) awarded BSI postgraduate reearcher of the year UCC
2008 Awarded a leverhulme Trust Fellowship Leverhulme Trust
2004 Awarded a place on FENS “Stem cells and the nervous system” workshop. Federation of European Neuroscientists
2002 Awarded best presentation at the UCC medical research day. UCC
2002 Awarded place on FENS “Stem cells for Parkinson’s disease”. Federation of European Neuroscientists
2002 Awarded place on a Welcome Trust molecular biology workshop Wellcome Trust
2001 Awarded prize for the best presentation at the ASGBI annual meeting Anatomical Society
2000 Awarded place on an EMBO bioinformatics course EMBO
2000 Awarded the academic distinction of "College Scholar" UCC
1999 Awarded the academic distinction of "College Scholar" UCC

Professional Associations

  Association Function From / To
Neuroscience Ireland Member /
Anatomical Society Member /

Committees

  Committee Function From / To
Departmental Research Quality Review submission Chair 2014 / 2015
UCC-Gothenburg Med Research Committee Committee Member 2015 /
NECTAR 2014 - Organising committee Committee Member 2013 / 2014
Israeli Science Foundation Grant Reviewer 2013 /
European Society of Anaesthesiology Grant Reviewer 2013 /
8th Neuroscience Ireland Conference 2013 - Organising Committee. Committee Member 2013 / 2013
Senior Medical Demonstrator Interviewer Committee. Committee member 2011 / 2014
Graduate Entry to Medicine Oversight Committee Semester2 coordinator 2010 /
Graduate Entry to Medicine Working Group Departmental Representative 2008 /
Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience Graduate Studies Committee Committee Member 2009 /
B.Sc. Neuroscience Curriculum Committee Committee Member 2009 /

Employment

  Employer Position From / To
Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, UCC Senior Lecturer in Anatomy and Neuroscience 01-FEB-16 /
Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre - UCC Faculty 01-JUN-13 /
University College Cork Lecturer and Principal investigator 01-OCT-08 /
Cardiff University Postdoctoral Researcher 01-OCT-04 / 30-SEP-08
Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden Visiting Researcher 01-APR-04 / 30-SEP-04

Education

  Year Institution Qualification Subject
2012 UCC Postgraduate Diploma Teaching & Learning in Higher Education Teaching and Learning
2011 UCC Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Ed. Teaching and Learning
2004 University College Cork PHD Neuroscience
2000 University College Cork BSC Neuroscience

Outreach Activities

  Description

STEM outreach:

Part of the SFI Discover Programme, which seeks to promote the awareness and engagement of the Irish public with science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).  This involves visiting secondary schools to highlight the impact and opportunities that exists in Irish Science.


INFANT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition Outreach: 

INFANT centre representative (with Dr. Anthony Morrissey) at the BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition 2015, Dublin, Ireland to explaining brain development and brain injury to the public and school children.

Journal Activities

  Journal Role To / From
Journal Of Neuroscience Referee -
Journal Of Perinatology : Official Journal Of The California Perinatal Association Referee -
Bmc Genetics Referee -
Brain And Development Referee -
Neural Regeneration Research Member of Editorial Board -
Neuropharmacology Referee -
Journal Of Neuroscience Methods Referee -
World Journal Of Gastroenterology Referee -
Molecular Neurobiology Referee -
Bmc Biochemistry Referee -
International Journal Of Neuroscience Referee -
Neural Regeneration Research Referee -
Journal Of Neuroscience Research Referee -
Journal Of Neuroscience Referee -
Plos One Referee -
Stem Cells And Development Referee -
Neurochemistry International Referee -
Proceedings Royal Society London B Referee -
Stem Cells Referee -
Neuroscience Letters Referee -
Placenta Referee -

Other Activities

  Description

Invited Internal Examiner (2014): PhD Thesis - Elaine O'Loughlin. Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, UCC, 2014.

Invited External Examiner (2013): PhD Thesis - Konstantin Grygoryev. Tyndall Institute, 2013.

Invited Internal Examiner (2012): MSc Thesis - Ian O'Brien. Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, UCC, 2012.

Invited Internal Examiner (2010): MSc Thesis - Lorna Farelly. Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, UCC, 2010.

Invited External Examiner (2012): PhD Thesis - Jennifer Day. Department of Physiology, Trinity College Dublin, 2012.

Invited External Examiner (2012): PhD Thesis - Stephaine Denieffe. Department of Physiology, Trinity College Dublin, 2012.

Invited Internal Examiner (2012): MSc Thesis - Martin Kelly. Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience, UCC, 2012.

Teaching Interests

Overview:
      • Signature pedagogies are the precise forms of teaching and learning that define the fundamental educational framework that prepares students for a particular profession.  They are the units of educational inheritance of the professions.  But if they are to be a true unit of educational inheritance, they should continue to evolve and change to allow the professions to adapt to an ever changing world in which they are based.  However this is not always the case.
      • Using a SoTL based approached my research interests are in mapping the existing signature pedagogies for the life sciences in medical education onto the teaching for understanding (TfU) framework.  This approach allows the design of new signature pedagogies that map fully onto the TfU framework and are subject to a process of "educational natural selection".  The impact of these changes in the context of fitness to practice is being assessed as students move through their medical education. 

      Current Research Projects:

      • "The role of Anatomy in preparing students for Surgery:  New approaches to integrate basic surgical skills into the early years of a medical program."
      • "Design and development of signature pedagogies that are subject to "educational natural selection" within the Teaching for Understanding Framework.                                                                                                             
      • ""Anatomy Education for the YouTube Generation"- the impact of social media in blended learning."


      Current Team Members:

      • Dr. Ahmad Hassan Sheikh MBBS:       MD (2013 to present)
      • Orla Duggan BSc Physio MCSP:         MSc (2015 to present)






      TEACHING CONTRIBUTIONS

      Undergraduate teaching:

      • I deliver Neuroscience lectures across the BSc Neuroscience program in UCC.  This include lectures of 3rd and 4th years in this program on various modules with titles:

        • AN3001 - Research Methodology in Neuroscience and Biomedical Science

        • AN3003 - Neurobiology of Regulatory Systems

        • AN3011 - Library Project in Neuroscience

        • AN3012 - Human Nervous System

        • AN3013 - Neurobiology of Disease

        • AN4008 - Developmental Neurobiology

        • AN4010 - Research Project in Neuroscience

        • AN4013 - Advanced Topics in Neuroscience

        • AN4014 - Cellular and Molecular Neuroscienc

      Graduate Teaching:

      • I deliver an array of Anatomy and Neuroscience lectures and cadaveric based practical sessions across years 1 and 2 of the graduate entry to medicine in UCC.

      • GM1001 – Fundamentals of Medicine I – includes regional and topographical as well as PNS structure and development and diagnostic uses in clinical medicine.

      • GM1003 Fundamentals of Medicine III – includes lectures on the neuroendocrine regulation and its relationship to clinical presentation and diagnosis.

      • GM2001 Fundamentals of Medicine IV – neuroanatomical and neurophysiological correlates of brain disorders in clinical medicine.

      Post-Graduate Teaching:

      • I deliver lectures on “Advanced Topics in Neuroscience” to the following taught MSc programs in UCC including the MSc in Applied Science Biotechnology (Course Code: CKR01) and the MSc in Molecular Cell Biology with BioInnovation (Course Code: CKR44).

      Problem-Based Learning:

      • Have acted as a facilitator for 6 years for weekly, case-based small group sessions as part of the GEM program in UCC.  This has involved designing and using clinical cases to frame a “problem” in clinical medicine and neurology.

      Research Project supervision:

      • I supervise the final year laboratory research projects each year for 2-3students in the BSc Neuroscience (AN4010), and occasionally for intercalated BSc in Anatomy or Neuroscience (AN4011).  I also supervise Masters-level laboratory research projects for the MSc Molecular Cell Biology with Innovation (ML6001) and MSc in Biotechnology (BT6002) as well as teaching on these courses.

       Module Coordination:

      • I am module coordinator for “GM1002-Fundamentals of Medicine II” which is essentially the largest component of the Year 1 graduate entry to medicine (GEM) program, from January to April.  This involves ensuring the horizontal integration of teaching from five contributing departments:  Anatomy/Neuroscience, Pathology, Microbiology, Pharmacology, Physiology and well as coordinating the weekly Problem-Based Learning activities of the GEM student during this time. 


      Recent Postgraduates

        Graduation Year Student Name Institution Degree Type Thesis Title
      2014 Shane Hegarty University College Cork PHD
      2014 Rebecca Sheenan NUI (UCC) MSc Biomedical Science
      2014 GiorgiaDal Bo NUI (UCC) MSc Biomedical Science
      2013 Aisling Gavin NUI (UCC) PhD
      2013 Aoife Nolan NUI (UCC) PhD
      2013 Laura McKelvey NUI (UCC) PhD
      2013 Emer O'Shea NUI (UCC) MSc Health Sciences
      2013 David O'Driscoll NUI (UCC) Intercalated BSc
      2012 Sarah Louise Long NUI (UCC) MSc Health Sciences
      2011 Eimear Treacy NUI (UCC) MSc Health Sciences
      2010 Sean Crampton NUI (UCC) MSc

      Internal Collaborators

        Name Institute Country
      Dr. Aideen Sullivan UCC IRELAND
      Prof. John Cryan UCC IRELAND
      Dr. Humberto Gutierrez University of Linclon UNITED KINGDOM
      Prof. Louise Kenny INFANT IRELAND
      Prof. Geraldine Boylan INFANT IRELAND
      Dr. Deirdre Murray INFANT IRELAND
      Dr. John MacSharry APC - UCC IRELAND
      Dr. Yvonne Nolan UCC IRELAND
      Dr. Siobhain O'Mahony UCC IRELAND

      External Collaborators

        Name Organisation / Institute Country
      Prof. Susan Vannucci Cornell University U.S.A.
      Prof. Carmen Marsit Darmouth, USA U.S.A.
      Dr. Alexander Galkin Queens University Belfast NORTHERN IRELAND
      Prof ALun Davies Cardiff University UNITED KINGDOM
      Prof. Carlo Riccardi University of Perugia ITALY
      Dr. Sean Wyatt Cardiff University UNITED KINGDOM
      Dr. Michele Morari University of Ferrara ITALY