As Lecturer in Biomedical Engineering in the School of Engineering, I want to use my expertise to study concussion diagnosis, an area of societal and scientific importance. Concussion is the most commonly reported injury in rugby within Ireland. However, the diagnosis of concussion still relies on a subjective assessment necessitating a need to objectively indicate concussion. This may be achieved through the measurement of brain-derived proteins (biomarkers) found in the blood post-injury.

My current scientific activities are based on two strands; biomechanics and cellular mechanobiology. In the context of the brain they are interlinked as mechanical stimulation causes alterations to how cells behave in the brain. With this in mind, my research aims to study cell behaviour under various loading conditions that mimic concussion. Further, I want to identify and measure the brain derived proteins that enter the bloodstream which can be used as biomarkers for disease. My work will be a crucial step in understanding how and why certain proteins enter the blood and the significant step in developing a device for real-time concussion diagnosis.

Publications

Mulvihill JJE, Raykin J, Snider EJ, Schildmeyer LA, Zaman I, Platt MO, Kelly DJ, and Ethier CR. Development of a Platform for Studying 3D Astrocyte Mechanobiology: Compression of Astrocytes in Collagen Gels. Annals of Biomedical Engineering. 2018;46(2):365-74. DOI: 10.1007/s10439-017-1967-5. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10439-017-1967-5

Walsh, D.R., Ross, A.M., Malijauskaite, S., Flanagan, B.D., Newport, D.T., McGourty, K.D. and Mulvihill, J.J.E., 2018. Regional mechanical and biochemical properties of the porcine cortical meninges. Acta biomaterialia. 80: 237-246. DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2018.09.004. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S174270611830521X

Hagmeyer, S., Cristóvão, J.S., Mulvihill, J.J., Boeckers, T.M., Gomes, C.M. and Grabrucker, A.M., 2017. Zinc binding to S100B affords regulation of trace metal homeostasis and excitotoxicity in the brain. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, 10, p.456. DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2017.00456. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnmol.2017.00456/full

Mulvihill, J.J., Cunnane, E.M., McHugh, S.M., Kavanagh, E.G., Walsh, S.R. and Walsh, M.T., 2013. Mechanical, biological and structural characterization of in vitro ruptured human carotid plaque tissue. Acta biomaterialia, 9(11), pp.9027-9035. DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2013.07.012. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1742706113003516

Davis, N.F., Mulvihill, J.J.E., Mulay, S., Cunnane, E.M., Bolton, D.M. and Walsh, M.T., 2017. Urinary Bladder Versus Gastrointestinal Tissue: a Comparative Study of Their Biomechanical Properties for Urinary Tract Reconstruction. Urology. DOI: 10.1016/j.urology.2017.11.028. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0090429517312293