Dr Kedia-Mehta’s was one of 25 projects to receive funding of €14.6 million, announced by Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Patrick O’Donovan.
“This Pathway funding will help facilitate a defined journey from post-doctoral research to independent researcher. Bridging this gap is a challenging but critical milestone, and the research selected for investment will address key challenges and opportunities, ranging from new therapies for Parkinsons to the development of sustainable supercapacitors,” he said.
The SFI-IRC Pathway programme is a collaborative initiative between Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and the Irish Research Council (IRC) to support early-career research across all disciplines and to encourage a cohesive research ecosystem in Ireland. The awards enable postdoctoral researchers to develop their career pathway and transition to become independent research leaders.
The funding covers a four-year period and provides additional support for a postgraduate student who will be supervised by the awardee.
Dr Kedia-Mehta’s research focuses on an immune cell type known as Mucosal Associated Invariant T or MAIT cells and their ability to regulate cancer fighting cells known as Natural Killer cells (NK), a critical component of the anti-tumour response. Her proposed study aims to elucidate the molecular and metabolic mechanisms via which MAIT cells regulate NK cell responses in the steady state.
The project will also investigate how “obese” MAIT cells dysregulate NK cells. Finally, it aims to explore if glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1), a potent weight therapy, GSK3 inhibitor and ROS scavengers can normalize MAIT-NK cell interactions in people with obesity.
Research is a key element of MU’s Strategic Plan 2023-2028, which focuses on five beacon areas, including Health and Wellbeing.
Other projects to receive funding under the SFI-IRC Pathway programme include:
- Investigating the link between the microbiome and the developing brain
- Identifying the chemical biomarkers of Irish Whiskey
- Non-invasive brain stimulation to treat Parkinsonian symptoms
- An additive to lower the climate and air polluting impacts of manures
- Exploration of the habitability of Jupiter’s moons
- The genomics of diverse bee species and how they adapt to their environment
- Development of sustainable supercapacitors
Commenting on the awards, Dr Ruth Freeman, Director, Science for Society at Science Foundation Ireland, said: “We are delighted to work in partnership with our colleagues in the IRC to deliver the SFI-IRC Pathway programme. It provides targeted support to early-career researchers who will use the funding to pursue independent research at the frontiers of knowledge. Investment in these projects will generate novel discoveries and insights across diverse research topics, from environmental sustainability to disease treatment and prevention, to wireless network security.”