Dr Sinead Loughran
Biography
Dr. Sinéad Loughran is a lecturer in the Department of Life and Health Sciences where she plays a pivotal role in instructing students across programmes in Bioscience, Pharmaceutical Science, and Biopharmaceutical Science. She has a PhD and a BSc (hons) in Biotechnology from DCU and is a highly accomplished molecular biology with over 20 years experience in the field and a strong track record of high-impact publications (see her research highlight for more info).Teaching
BSc in Pharmaceutical Science
BSc in Bioscience
BSc (Hons) in Biopharmaceutical Science
Qualifications & Awards
- B.Sc (Hons) Biotechnology (First class honours)
- PhD in Molecular Biology (Expression and role of the human anti-apoptotic bfl-1 gene in Hodgkin's Lymphoma)
Research & Interests
Dr. Sinéad Loughran has a Ph.D in the field of molecular biology/virology from Dublin City University and has worked in the area since 2002. Her Ph.D. centered on a cancer of the lymphatic system; Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (HL) and how the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) interacts with a protein involved in HL cell survival. She worked under the direction of Dr Dermot Walls, Associate Professor and virologist at DCU’s School of Biotechnology; together they identified the Bfl-1 protein as a potentially useful target for new chemotherapy treatments.During her Ph.D. studies she was recipient of the Orla Benson Travel Award for Postgraduate Research, which afforded her the opportunity to work at the UK’s leading EBV/Hodgkin’s Lymphoma laboratory at the Cancer Research UK Institute, University of Birmingham. In 2007, Sinéad took up a postdoctoral position at the National Centre for Sensor Research, DCU to continue to work on the cancer-causing EBV. In 2009, Sinéad joined the Viral Immunology Group at DCU, under the direction of Dr Patricia Johnson and went on to work on respiratory viruses including the influenza virus in a major study which unraveled the immune basis for why pneumonia often supersedes flu infection.
During her research career, Sinéad has carried out research and published findings at the frontiers of cancer and virus biology. Her research during this time has produced 25 peer-reviewed publications and has involved investigating a role for viruses in cancer, understanding the molecular mechanisms of viral-bacterial co-pathogenesis and assessing the usefulness of novel drug formulations in immune and cancer models. Individually and as part of several teams of researchers, she has contributed to the understanding of how viruses subvert normal cellular processes to cause cancer or reduce immune function, publishing repeatedly in the leading journal in the field, the Journal of Virology, with more than 590 citations as author (see Google Scholar Link for details).
Sinead is also a member of the DkIT Research Group on Teaching & Learning and has special interests in employability and technology-enhanced learning. Her research in Teaching & Learning has focused on how electronic laboratory notebooks and virtual simulations can enhance student learning and employability.
Publications
The publications listed below represent my 10 most recent works as recorded on ORCiD
Advances in Physiology Education
1 June 2025
DOI: 10.1152/advan.00227.2024
Type: Journal article
Methods in Molecular Biology
2023
Type: Book chapter
Methods in Molecular Biology
2023
Type: Book chapter
Methods in Molecular Biology
2023
Type: Book
Methods in Molecular Biology
2023
Type: Book chapter
Methods in Molecular Biology
2023
Type: Book chapter
DigitalEd 2023 Conference, Galway, 17 May 2023. Loughran ST, Kelly B, Bree RT, Drumm BT, Griffin CS, van Rossum A, Morrin A, Murphy B, Moore E, Aly M, Breslin C, Heaney F & Rooney D (2023).
2023
Type: Conference paper
European Distance & E-Learning Network (EDEN) Conference, Dublin. 18-20 June 2023. Loughran ST, Kelly B , Bree RT, Drumm BT, Griffin CS, van Rossum A, Morrin A, Murphy B, Moore E, Aly M, Breslin C, Heaney F & Rooney D (2023)
2023
Type: Conference poster
Physiological Society Conference: Innovation and updates in teaching and student education across physiology and STEM in the UK. Leeds University, UK, April 2023. Griffin CS, Drumm BT, Bree RT, Kelly B, Loughran S, van Rossum A, Morrin A, Murphy B, Moore E, Breslin C, Heaney F & Rooney Denise (2023).
2023
Type: Conference paper
PLOS ONE
13 October 2021
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0258261
Type: Journal article
