DCU project receives over €2.7 million in SFI funding

Professor Oliver Dolly, Director of the International Centre for Neurotherapeutics (ICNT) at Dublin City University has been awarded over €2.7million by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) for a research project investigating chronic pain.

SFI are investing €40 million in 24 research projects as part of its Investigators Programme.

Professor Dolly’s project aims to design a “pain killer” for chronic pain by using neurotoxins to lower the electric signals on sensory nerves.

The effectiveness of the new nociceptive has already been conclusively shown in animal pain models.

The project title “Delineating the exocytotic proteins (SNAREs) underlying sensitisation of nociceptor sub-sets in chronic pain: engineering botulinum neurotoxins as improved versatile analgesics” received the largest level of funding by the SFI.

Professor Dolly has previously been honoured at the US-Ireland research innovation awards and has received the Conway Medal from The Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland for his contribution to research.

The funding was announced on Wednesday, August 3rd by Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation Mary Mitchell O’Connor who said that funding provided an important platform for research.

Director General of the SFI, Professor Mark Ferguson outlined that all projects underwent rigorous peer review and funding was provided to those that were deemed to be at the pinnacle of scientific excellence.

For full details on all of the projects click here.