Research areas

Gene-activated materials

Non-viral vectors and biomaterial platforms that deliver genes, microRNAs and other nucleic-acid therapeutics at the site of repair.

Overview

About this research

Non-viral vectors and biomaterial platforms that deliver genes, microRNAs and other nucleic-acid therapeutics at the site of repair.

People

Research team

Director of TERG · Professor of Bioengineering and Regenerative Medicine · Principal Investigator

Fergal O’Brien

Biomaterials · Tissue engineering · Regenerative medicine

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Principal Investigator

Caroline Curtin

Bio-nano interactions · Biomaterials · Gene delivery

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Senior Lecturer · Principal Investigator

Ciara Murphy

Biomaterials · Bioengineering · Bioinorganic ions

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Principal Investigator

Shane Browne

Angiogenesis · Biomaterials · Gene delivery

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Principal Investigator

Tom Hodgkinson

Bone and joint repair · Biomaterials · Gene delivery

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Research Fellow · Principal Investigator, Biomimetic Design Lab

Ian Woods

Electroconductive biomaterials · Gene therapeutics · Neurological disease models

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Outputs

Related publications

2026Bioactive materials

Scaffold-mediated miRNA-155 inhibition promotes regenerative macrophage polarisation leading to anti-inflammatory, angiogenic and neurogenic responses for wound healing.

Palomeque Chávez JC, Dobricic M, McGrath M, O'Connor C, McGuire T, Maughan J, Dervan A, Dixon JE, Kearney CJ, Browne S, O'Brien FJ

Gene-activated materials Antimicrobial and immunomodulatory materials Spinal cord, peripheral nerve and neural repair Skin and wound healing Biomaterial scaffolds

DOI Article

2026Bioactive materials

Development of a PTEN-siRNA activated scaffold to promote axonal regrowth following spinal cord injury.

McGuire TK, Stasiewicz M, O'Connor C, Woods I, Maughan J, Dobricic M, Brunetti G, Dixon JE, Dervan AG, O'Brien FJ

Gene-activated materials Spinal cord, peripheral nerve and neural repair Biomaterial scaffolds

DOI Article

2024Materials Today BioFeatured

A miR-activated hydrogel for the delivery of a pro-chondrogenic microRNA-221 inhibitor as a minimally invasive therapeutic approach for articular cartilage repair

Shan An, Claudio Intini, Donagh O’Shea, James E. Dixon, Yiran Zheng and Fergal J. O’Brien

Hydrogels Targeted therapeutic delivery Gene-activated materials Bone, cartilage, joint repair and PTOA

DOI Article

2024Advanced Healthcare Materials

Mobilizing Endogenous Progenitor Cells Using pSDF1α-Activated Scaffolds Accelerates Angiogenesis and Bone Repair in Critical-Sized Bone Defects

Rosanne M. Raftery, Arlyng G. Gonzalez Vazquez, David P. Walsh, Gang Chen, Ashang L. Laiva, Michael B. Keogh and Fergal J. O’Brien

Biomaterial scaffolds Gene-activated materials Bone, cartilage, joint repair and PTOA

DOI Article

2024Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)

A Multifunctional Scaffold for Bone Infection Treatment by Delivery of microRNA Therapeutics Combined With Antimicrobial Nanoparticles.

Sadowska JM, Power RN, Genoud KJ, Matheson A, González-Vázquez A, Costard L, Eichholz K, Pitacco P, Hallegouet T, Chen G, Curtin CM, Murphy CM, Cavanagh B, Zhang H, Kelly DJ, Boccaccini AR, O'Brien FJ

Gene-activated materials Antimicrobial and immunomodulatory materials Bone, cartilage, joint repair and PTOA Targeted therapeutic delivery Biomaterial scaffolds

DOI Article

2023Methods in Molecular Biology

Assessment of Cell Cytotoxicity in 3D Biomaterial Scaffolds Following miRNA Transfection

Elizabeth Sainsbury, Lara Costard, Fergal J. O’Brien and Caroline M. Curtin

Biomaterial scaffolds Gene-activated materials Advanced disease models

DOI Article

2020Pharmaceutics

Layered Double Hydroxide as a Potent Non-viral Vector for Nucleic Acid Delivery Using Gene-Activated Scaffolds for Tissue Regeneration Applications.

Costard LS, Kelly DC, Power RN, Hobbs C, Jaskaniec S, Nicolosi V, Cavanagh BL, Curtin CM, O'Brien FJ

Gene-activated materials Targeted therapeutic delivery Biomaterial scaffolds

DOI Article

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