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Microbes may be added to supplements for C-section babies
The Irish Examiner 13th March 2020
Evelyn Ring
A major research project involving Cork-based APC Microbiome Ireland may see missing microbes being added to infant supplements or formula to rebalance babies’ gut bacteria.
Babies’ gut bacteria can be upset after antibiotic exposure or Caesarean-section birth — and APC Microbiome Ireland, a pioneer in the field of microbiome science, will look at ways to rebalance the microbiota.
The Irish Times view on the Mediterranean diet: good for the gut
The Irish Times 19 February 2020
As the global population is projected to live longer, we need to find ways of helping people live healthier into old age. Exercise and diet are the best ways of maintaining good health as we age. But recent research has started to look at the role our gut – specifically our microbiome – plays in how we grow old.
Mediterranean diet boosts good bacteria, curbs harmful ones
France 24; 18 February 2020
Switching in old age from a bland, unvaried diet to a Mediterranean mix of fresh veggies, fruits and fish restores a balance of intestinal bacteria linked to good health, researchers said Tuesday.
Mediterranean diet increases gut bacteria linked to healthy ageing in older adults
The Conversation 18 February 2020
Paul W. O’Toole
As our global population is projected to live longer than ever before, it’s important that we find ways of helping people live healthier for longer. Exercise and diet are often cited as the best ways of maintaining good health well into our twilight years. But recently, research has also started to look at the role our gut – specifically our microbiome – plays in how we age.
Mediterranean diet fuels bacteria that may reduce old-age frailty
The Irish Times 18 February 2020
Paul Cullen
Eating a Mediterranean diet promotes gut bacteria linked to healthy ageing and may help curb the advance of frailty and cognitive decline, according to new Irish-led research.
Sheep poo and human skin the latest sources of antibiotic alternatives
Silicon Republic 13th February 2020
Colm Gorey
Researchers have discovered an arsenal of new antimicrobials not only on our own skin, but within sheep poo.
The search continues for alternatives to common antibiotics that could very soon be rendered useless due to the rise of antibiotic resistance. Now, researchers from the SFI centre APC Microbiome Ireland have published two papers to the Journal of Bacteriology revealing two new alternatives with significant potential.
APC at Interface of Food and Medicine
Irish Examiner 11th February 2020
John Daly
Prof Paul Ross says demand is soaring globally for APC Microbiome’s research on food and gut health.
Gut microbiota plays a crucial role in human health and wellbeing and has become one of the most dynamic, complex, and exciting areas of research in both food and pharmaceutical arenas.
Travel for athletes jetting to competitions can cause gut problems
Irish Examiner 9 February 2020
Ailin Quinlan
Athletes jetting to competitions all over the planet must endure a downside, new research has shown — the travel plays havoc with their gut.
A study which tracked Irish cricket players around the globe found that the bacteria normally present in their gut changed during international travel.
Irish researchers help boost catalogue of RNA viruses
Silicon Republic 7th February 2020
Colm Gorey
To better understand RNA viruses, Irish researchers have pieced together parts of a massive puzzle.
28 Ireland-based researchers named among world’s elite scientists
Silicon Republic 19 November 2019
Colm Gorey
A number of Ireland-based researchers can consider themselves the cream of the crop in 2019 following the publication of this year’s Web of Science Group list of highly cited researchers.
Irish scientist to analyse fermented foods on BBC programme
The Irish Times 1 February 2017
Dick Ahlstrom
Teagasc’s Dr Paul Cotter will appear on ‘Trust Me, I’m a Doctor’ on Wednesday night.
UCC and Trinity professors strike gold after years of excellence
Silicon Republic 1 February 2017
Gordon Hunt
Two of Ireland’s “foremost contributors to the world of learning” have been awarded the 2016 Royal Irish Academy Gold Medals in recognition of their careers.
Royal Irish Academy honours Louis Cullen and Fergus Shanahan
The Irish Times 31 January 2017
Dick Ahlstrom
Research professors from Trinity and UCC awarded gold medals for achievements
Milk is having a moment
The Irish Times 31 January 2017
John McKenna
Is Irish butter and milk going to storm the supermarkets of the world and confound the standard nutritional advice that butter and dairy aren’t good for us?
Prebiotics can “lessen the effects of stress”
Irish Examiner 24 January
Evelyn Ring
Cork scientists have uncovered a dietary mechanism to reverse the effects of stress.
There is growing evidence that microbes in the gut can play a vital role in regulating brain functions, particularly emotional processing and behaviour.
Irish-based scientists find a way to beat stress by eating
The Irish Times 24 January 2017
Dick Ahlstrom
Scientists in Cork have come up with a way to counter stress just by eating the right foods. The stress-beating menu has shown it works well in mice and efforts are under way to get human tests going.
Breastmilk crucial to aid premature C-section babies
The Irish Examiner 18 January 2017
Joanne Fagan
Cork scientists have found that breastfeeding is very important for premature babies born by caesarian section.
It is particularly important for babies born by C-section before 35 weeks as it helps to develop a “more normal” gut microbiota.
Study proves grass-fed herds are healthier
Irish Examiner 13 December 2016
Joe Dermody
A study conducted by teams of scientists in Cork as proven that milk and butter from pasture-fed cattle are superior in nutritional properties, appearance, flavour and colour.
Irish dairy produce has better qualities than other countries – study
RTE News 12 December 2016
Ireland has good reason to market its dairy produce as having better colour, flavour, nutritional value and appearance than products from other countries, new research findings suggest. The research carried out by scientists at Teagasc and the University College Cork based APC Microbiome Institute, found milk and dairy produce from grass and clover-fed cows has significantly greater concentrations of fat, protein and casein.
Looking after dementia patient ‘can impact carer negatively’
Irish Examiner 28th November
Ailin Quinlan
The stress of looking after a loved one with dementia can negatively impact on both the memory and concentration of the carer, new research shows.
However, it has emerged stress-reduction techniques like mindfulness and meditation can lead to an improvement in both the memory and attention span of dementia care-givers.
Press Articles 2015
Keep the Christmas dinner safe from merry microbes
The Irish Times 17th December 2015
Claire O’Connell
In households around the country the countdown is on to the big dinner. but what about those uninvited guests? …………….
The impact of a sudden swell of massive dinners, chocolates, mince pies, Christmas pudding and alcoholic drinks can go beyond bacteria……….
Scientific Talent in Ireland needs to be backed by investment
The Irish Times 7th December 2015
Claire O’ConnellIreland’s got talent in scientific research, but we need to keep investing it to attract even more. That’s according to Dr Jim Sullivan of global biopharmaceutical company AbbVie, which is embarking on two new collaborations with Irish research groups.
The collaborations with Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute in Dublin and the APC Microbiome Institute in Cork will see AbbVie work with researchers on disease markers and potential new drug targets for conditions such as Crohn’s disease and psoriasis.
15 new jobs in €10m Science Foundation Ireland and AbbVie partnership
Silicon Republic 23 November 2015
Gordon Hunt
Science Foundation Ireland has joined up with biopharmaceutical giant AbbVie for a €10m collaborative project to investigate targets for new drugs…..In the larger of the two parts of this partnership, AbbVie will collaborate with researchers at the APC Microbiome Institute in UCC in a bid to identify new treatments for patients with Crohn’s disease.
Science Week show reveals digestive system journey
The Irish Times 12th November 2015
Dick Ahlstrom
The messy business of how our digestive system works is revealed in a Science Week show by the London Science Museum…….the Cork Science Festival will have a giant blow-up model that explains the system from the inside, organised by the APC Microbiome Institute at University College Cork.
Could gut bacteria actually reduce stress?
The Journal.ie 9th November 2015
Science Week 2015
It might be hard to believe, but there is new scientific evidence to show that your gut (and more importantly the bacteria in there) can affect your brain…..
Probiotics can reduce stress, UCC team finds
The Irish Independent 19 October 2015
Ailin Quilin
Good bacteria can be beneficial for your gut – now researchers have discovered they can reduce stress as well.
UCC scientists discover probiotic that reduces stress
The Irish Times 19 October 2015
Dick Ahlstrom
Scientists in Cork have discovered a live bacteria probiotic that can reduce stress and improve mental function and memory in humans.
The probiotic has potential use as a way to reduce mild forms of anxiety and stress, say the researchers, based at the APC Microbiome Institute at University College Cork.
Probiotic bacteria may aid against anxiety and memory problems
The Guardian 18 October 2015
Ian Sample
People who took capsules containing Bifidobacterium longum 1714 reported less stress and fared better on memory tests, study finds
How does the brain work, and what happens when it doesn’t?
The Irish Times 13 October 2015
Claire O’Connell
Going back to basics to learn about how the brain works could help guide better treatments for diseases.
Every second of the day, your brain is fizzing with activity. Your neurons send signals to each other across a tiny gap between them, in turn spreading electrical messages across vast networks to make your brain do what it does.
Fibre-rich foods stave off disease
Irish Independent 12 October 2015
Eilish O’Regan
Eating a lot of fibre-rich foods such as fruit, vegetables and legumes – typical of a Mediterranean diet – is linked to a rise in health-promoting short chain fatty acids, according to Irish research.
Press Articles 2014
A gut feeling – could depression be prompted by what you eat?
Irish Independent 16 December 2014
Ailin Quinlan
So says Professor Ted Dinan of UCC, who has been researching the relationship between bacteria and mood…..
Warning as use soars of ‘last resort’ antibiotics
The Irish Independent 11 November 2014
Eilish O’Regan
The growing use of ‘last resort’ antibiotics in Irish hospitals could result in the drugs becoming less effective against serious infection, leading to more illness and death, a new report has warned……It comes as members of the public are invited to a free lecture on the antibiotic crisis in UCC tomorrow night where experts will reveal how resistance threatens to make routine operations impossible…
Cork Scientists can show who can thrive on stress or buckle
The Irish Times 7 October 2014
Dick Ahstrom
Scientists in Cork have discovered a way to show whether you are the kind of person who can deal with stress or are vulnerable to its negative effects, a finding that could lead to new drugs for the treatment of depression….
UCC probes why some are more resilient to stress
The Irish Examiner 7 October 2014
Kelly O’Brien
Dubbed the health epidemic of the 21st century, scientists are looking to the human brain to combat the negativeeffects of stress…
When yoghurt affects the brain
The Atlantic 23 September 2014
Olga Khazan
Our gut bacteria play a role in our moods and emotions and switching up the microbiome has been shown to help mice be less anxious. Do probiotics hold the key to a better antidepressant?….
Our microbiome may be looking out for itself
The New York Times 14 August 2014
Carl Zimmer
Your body is home to about 100 trillion bacteria and other microbes, collectively known as your microbiome. Naturalists first became aware of our invisible lodgers in the 1600s but it wasn’t until the past few years that we’ve become really familiar with them….
Children are game to learn about health with apps
The Irisah Examiner 23 July 2014 2014
Niall Murray
Computer games to promote healthy tummies might seem ironic, but two new apps aim to help kids of all ages better appreciate the benefits of keeping the guts in good working order…
Exercise and the good bugs in our guts
The New York Times 18 June 2014
Gretchen Reynolds
Being physically active may encourage beneficial germs to thrive in your gut, while inactivity could do the reverse, according to an innovative new study. The findings suggest that, in addition to its other health benefits, frequent exercise may influence our weight and overall health by altering the kinds of organisms that live inside of us. ….
Irish rugby stars demonstrate true meaning of guts
The Irish Examiner 10 June 2014
Catherine Shanahan
We all know that Irish rugby players are an incredibly gutsy bunch but few would have thought it possible to scientifically prove it…
Rugby players show good guts
The Irish Times 10 June 2014
Claire O’Connell
It takes some guts to play rugby, and a new study from Cork has shown that the guts of professional rugby players are home to a wide variety of bacteria. The research which involved 40 rugby players on the Irish squad, suggests links between diet and exercise and the diversity of microbes in the gut….
Press Articles 2013
Study: Antibiotics affect babies’ long-term health
The Irish Examiner, 1 January 2013 EVELYN RING
Giving infan ts antibiotics that also kill many evolving healthy gut bacteria could be putting them at risk of developing asthma, obesity and allergies later on, a groundbreaking Irish study suggests.
Press Articles 2012
Bright futures: Atlantia
The Sunday Business Post, 2 December 2012
Changing regulatory environments can create business opportunities for canny start-ups, of which Atlantia is a classic example.
Press Articles 2011
Award win for Spioraid Naoimh
Evening Echo, Monday 12 December 2011
A team from Colaiste an Spioraid Naoimh, Bishopstown, Cork are the winners in the senior category of this year’s Science Raps competition. James Carr composed and performed the vocals for “The Chemistry of Life” rap and the video was produced and edited by Eoghan Calnan. Additional support was provided by their “actor” classmates Luke Delaney, James Meeke, David O’Neill and John Spillane.