Galway’s premiere medical devices centre CÚRAM is taking part in a €1.7 million project to create new smart technologies for heart repair.
This tripartite heart health project is being done together with North Carolina State University and the Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology (CCRCB) at Queens University Belfast.
Together these three colleges aim to combine their expertise in medtech and cardiology to develop externally powered implants for continuous cardiovascular health monitoring.
The project will be led by Dr Manus Biggs, Lecturer in Biomedical Engineering at NUI Galway, along with CÚRAM partners Dr Martin O’Halloran and Professor Stewart Walsh.
“This US-Ireland R&D Partnership award will facilitate exciting multi-disciplinary research between three centres of excellence in science and engineering,” Dr Biggs said.
“We look forward to working with our partners in the US and Northern Ireland on this critical healthcare need.”
Cardiovascular disease is one of the world’s leading killers, causing 20 million deaths in 2018, though it’s estimated that 90 percent of such diseases are preventable.
Yet despite advancements in medical knowledge and technology, the mortality rate of heart disease remains stubbornly high.
The US-Ireland Research and Development Partnership, launched in 2006, is an initiative that aims to increase the level of collaborative Research and Development across the USA, the Republic, and Northern Ireland.
Welcoming the announcement while in Boston Minister Bruton said “I am delighted to welcome this US-Ireland partnership which further strengthens the strong and historic relationship between both countries.
“It is a testament to Ireland’s scientific prowess, that we are working closely with top institutions across the world, generating valuable discoveries and innovations that can benefit societies and economies across the globe.”
