Tyndall researcher secures €5.3m for biophotonics research
Prof Stefan Andersson-Engels has been awarded €5.3 million through the SFI Research Professorship Programme. The funding will be used to advance the work of the Biophotonics Group at Tyndall National Institute for the next five years.
The group will work on the development of new diagnostic and guidance tools to meet proven clinical needs in neonatology, neurosurgery, orthopaedics, and the GI tract, as well as oral cancer screening, and will be guided by 20 clinical and pre-clinical collaborators.
The objectives of the award are to provide better healthcare and outcomes for patients, and to grow economic activity through the commercialisation of the resulting technologies. This will be achieved through partnerships with existing medtech companies.
Prof Andersson-Engels and his team have already created two start-ups since the formation of the Biophotonics Group in 2016, one of which was in partnership with the National Cancer Centre in the Netherlands. The team has also transferred technologies to companies in the areas of cancer boundary detection and the monitoring of babies during childbirth.
The objective of Prof Andersson-Engels’ current work is to use the unique properties of light, a safe, non-invasive method for humans that can accurately detect specific cells, for diagnostic purposes such as gastrointestinal diagnostics for malignancies and inflammatory bowel diseases, in-vivo oral cancer delineation and diagnosis. As light can only penetrate short distances into tissue, Professor Andersson-Engels will seek to address this challenge, and aim to facilitate light-based diagnostics and therapy deep inside the body, permitting use for many more diseases.
Commenting on the award, Prof Andersson-Engels said: “With the medical devices sector in Ireland recognised as one of the five emerging global hubs, it is an exciting time for the Biophotonics Group to forge close collaborations with companies, clinicians and research centres for the faster development and deployment of more accurate, less invasive diagnostic treatment methods for cancer and other diseases.”
Deputy Director General of Science Foundation Ireland Dr Ciarán Seoighe said: “Recruiting and retaining world-leading scientific talent to Ireland is a key priority for SFI in partnership with our higher education institutions. Prof Andersson-Engels’ exceptional international track record will help to drive Ireland’s position at the forefront of photonics research. His work will contribute to improving the health and wellbeing of people by the invention and application of new technologies, as well as boosting industry engagement. We wish him every success with his research programme.”
Director of the SFI research centre for photonics, IPIC, Prof Paul Townsend added: “This award further strengthens IPIC’s outstanding research team by providing the scientific vision and knowledge to steer existing photonic device integration towards innovative new applications in the biomedical areas.
“Furthermore, by continuing this world-class biophotonics research programme at IPIC and Tyndall, we can underpin strong collaborative partnerships with other Science Foundation Ireland Research Centres, such as APC, through projects that will present huge opportunities at a global level and again raise Ireland’s research credentials in the biomedical space.”
Prof Andersson-Engels has received several prizes for his research achievements, and his work on the development and commercialisation of technology has been critical to ensuring that patients will benefit from the results of scientific research. His pioneering work in the area of ALA-PDT (Photodynamic therapy) using the topical application of aminolevulinic acid (ALA), a photosensitising agent for the treatment of non–melanoma skin cancer is currently one of the first lines of treatment at most skin cancer clinics around the world.
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