Professor William Gallagher

University College Dublin

DIRECTOR

Prof LiamProfessor Gallagher is Professor of Cancer Biology in UCD, where he has established the Cancer Biology and Therapeutics Laboratory www.cbtlab.ie. This research team investigates the functional relevance of candidate tumour progression-associated genes at both in vitro and in vivo levels, as well as engaging in preclinical evaluation of novel anti-cancer agents. In 2007, he co-founded OncoMark Ltd., a private company centred on the development and application of biomarker panels and associated technologies (www.oncomark.com). Professor Gallagher is currently the Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) at OncoMark.

Prof. Gallagher is co-PI and Deputy Co-ordinator of a major Science Foundation Ireland-funded Strategic Research Cluster, Molecular Therapeutics of Cancer (2009-2014) (www.mtci.ie); this is the most extensive organ-independent research programme in the translational cancer research arena within the Republic of Ireland and involves interactions with a range of major pharmaceutical, biotechnology and imaging companies. Professor Gallagher has extensive involvement in FP7-funded projects, and he co-ordinates the IAPPs FAST-PATH (www.fastpathproject.com), focused on applying high-performance computing and automated image analysis to fast-track pathological assessment in prostate cancer; and SYS-MEL, focused on applying systems medicine approaches to development of new diagnostic solutions in melanoma; and the FP7 collaborative project, RATHER, focused on providing new rationalised therapy options for difficult-to-treat breast cancer subtypes (2011-2015). His research group is also involved in several other FP7 research programmes as partners, including AngioTox and AngioPredict.

Professor Gallagher has received a number of awards based on his research work to date, including the St. Luke’s Silver Medal Award in 2008 and the NovaUCD 2011 Innovation Award.

Professor Gallagher is the lead Principal Investigator and Director of the Irish Cancer Society Collaborative Cancer Research Centre, BREAST-PREDICT.