Student Summer Research Awards
Aoife Kelly and Helena Paran represented the SENTINEL team at the UCD Summer Student Research Awards (SSRA), where they showcased their research.
Aoife Kelly presented “Progressive Structural and Immunologic Alterations in Human Skin Flaps During Cold Ischaemia: A Translational Model.” Her project was subsequently shortlisted for the SSRA Gold Medal, placing it among the top 10 projects from more than 200 SSRA research projects. She went on to give an oral presentation of her work as part of the Gold Medal final.
Aoife’s project examined how cold storage affects the viability and immune-cell composition of human skin before transplantation, helping to distinguish preservation-related changes from those caused later by reperfusion.
Exploring alternatives to liver biopsy for detecting rejection
Helena Paran presented “Beyond Biopsy: Non-Invasive and Molecular Diagnostics for Acute Rejection in Liver Transplantation – A Systematic Review.”
Helena’s project reviewed non-invasive and molecular methods for detecting acute liver transplant rejection, assessing whether newer approaches could complement or reduce reliance on liver biopsy.
Both projects reflect the wider goals of the SENTINEL programme: understanding the biology of transplant rejection, improving how rejection is detected, and developing approaches that may ultimately make transplant monitoring safer and more informative for patients.
Congratulations to Aoife and Helena on presenting their work, and to Aoife on being selected as an SSRA Gold Medal finalist.
