UCD researcher to become first non-US based recipient of Takeda Distinguished Research Award

Life

Prof Cormac Taylor, UCD

18 May 2016

The American Physiological Society (APS) has announced that Cormac Taylor, a professor of Cellular Physiology at the UCD School of Medicine, is to be presented with the 2017 Takeda Distinguished Research Award by the Society’s Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology Section.

The award is presented annually to an outstanding investigator who is internationally recognised for their contribution to physiological research. This is the first time that this award will be presented to a scientist located outside the United States since it was established in 2007.

Prof Taylor leads a research group at the UCD Conway Institute investigating the mechanisms by which epithelial cells respond to low oxygen levels (hypoxia). The group explores the regulation of gene expression in hypoxic conditions and the potential of targeting of oxygen-sensitive cellular pathways in inflammation as a means of treating conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

“I am delighted and honoured with the announcement that I am to be the recipient of the 2017 Takeda Distinguished Researcher Award,” said Prof Taylor. “This honour is a testament to the hard work of all of the PhD students and postdocs who have trained over the years in my lab at University College Dublin. I believe that the award underscores the importance of investigator-led basic research in medicine.”

In 2014 Prof Taylor, a member of the Royal Irish Academy, was recognised for outstanding scientific mentorship with the 2014 Nature Award for Mentoring in Science.