Breakthrough Cancer Research Education and Travel Award 2025

The Breakthrough Cancer Research Education & Travel Award 2025 supports doctoral researchers in furthering their cancer research through travel opportunities. This award is intended for PhD students who:

• Wish to present their research findings via a poster or oral presentation at national or international conferences, symposia, or workshops.

• Need to visit another laboratory to acquire a specialized technique not available at their current institution.

In 2025, a number of bursaries were awarded, each providing up to €500 in reimbursed expenses for research-related travel. The eligible travel period was from the 20th of January to the 31st October 2025.

Purpose of the Award

The Breakthrough Cancer Research Education & Travel Award 2025 aimed to:

• Facilitate networking and professional development through active participation in academic conferences.

• Support hands-on training in advanced research techniques by funding visits to external laboratories.

2025 AWARDEES

• Aidan O’Dowling from University College Dublin (supervisor: Dr. Stephen Thorpe) attended the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium 2025 on the 22nd – 26th of January 2025 at Moscone Center, in San Francisco (USA). He presented a poster titled “Impact of Pancreatic Tumor Biomechanics on Diagnosis and Post-Operative Complications”.

• Aislinn Duggan from University College Dublin (supervisor: Dr. Claire Robinson) attended the Irish Association for Cancer Research (IACR) Annual Conference 2025 on the 5th – 7th of March 2025 at Europa Hotel, in Belfast (Northen Ireland). She presented a poster titled “The IRE1-XBP1s pathway is active in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) associated stellate cell”.

• David Hackett from Trinity College Dublin (supervisor: Prof. Stephen Maher) attended the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Targeted Anticancer Therapies (TAT) Congress 2025 on the 2nd – 5th of March 2025 at Marriott Rive Gauche Hotel, in Paris (France). He presented a poster titled “Identification of the molecular mechanism underpinning miR-31-mediated alterations in platinum agent chemosensitivity in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma”. His poster received the “Best Poster Prize” in the Cellular and Gene Therapies category.

• Rabia Saleem from Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (supervisor: Dr. Olga Piskareva) attended the Irish Association for Cancer Research (IACR) Annual Conference 2025 on the 5th – 7th of March 2025 at Europa Hotel, in Belfast (Northen Ireland). She presented a poster titled “HDAC inhibitor Vorinostat alters Glypican-2 expression in Cisplatin resistant neuroblastoma cell model”

• Eve O’Donoghue from Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (supervisor: Dr. Olga Piskareva) attended the Irish Association for Cancer Research (IACR) Annual Conference 2025 on the 5th – 7th of March 2025 at Europa Hotel, in Belfast (Northen Ireland). She presented a poster titled “Characterising GPC2 In Lung Cancer: From Differential Expression to Therapeutic Potential”.

• Jamie Casey from Maynooth University (supervisor: Dr. Marion Butler) attended the Irish Association for Cancer Research (IACR) Annual Conference 2025 on the 5th – 7th of March 2025 at Europa Hotel, in Belfast (Northen Ireland). He presented a poster titled “Investigation on how SHP2 tyrosine phosphatase inhibition slows the growth of high-grade carcinoma cells with the aim to develop new treatment for ovarian cancer”.

• Joyce Barry from Trinity College Dublin (supervisor: Dr. Melissa Conroy) attended the Irish Association for Cancer Research (IACR) Annual Conference 2025 on the 5th – 7th of March 2025 at Europa Hotel, in Belfast (Northen Ireland). She presented two posters titled “Investigating the applicability of cytokine-induced memory-like NK cell therapy for oesophageal adenocarcinoma” (for the Biomedical Session) and “Improving the cancer-fighting ability of our immune system” (for the Paddy Johnston’s Session).