Dr Maeve Kiely is part of UL’s research team in the Laboratory of Cellular & Molecular Biology which is studying the complex interactions occurring between proteins inside cells in the hope of blocking the onset of breast cancer. Maeve is one of UL's many PhD graduates striving for excellence and making a real impact to our society. 94% of UL’s PhD graduates are employed, with the majority working in Ireland and helping to build our world-leading innovation ecosystem.
Explaining the significance of her research, Maeve said “In Ireland, breast cancer in women is the most common cancer diagnosis and the most common cause of cancer death. We are trying to figure out how cancer cells spread around the body. Understanding how this works is of important intellectual and clinical interest, and we believe that the work we are doing will generate information that might provide biomarkers and offer fresh approaches to inhibit both the development and spread of cancer.”
Led by Dr Pat Kiely, the Laboratory of Cellular & Molecular Biology is focused on deciphering the signaling events which occur in cancer cells using a series of molecular approaches and novel technologies that include 3-dimensional cell culture models, peptide array technology and nanotechnology.
This research is undertaken at the Department of Life Sciences and Materials and Surface Science Institute (MSSI), University of Limerick. Dr Maeve Kiely’s research is funded by the Irish Cancer Society. Maeve is featured in the following Irish Cancer Society video about their research funding programme.