Dr. Mark Ahearne
Assistant Professor, Mechanical, Manuf & Biomedical Eng
Biography
Mark received a BEng. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Limerick in 2001, a MSc. in Cell and Tissue Engineering from Keele University (United Kingdom) in 2003 and a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Keele University in 2007. His PhD research focused on the development of a novel spherical indentation system to characterise the mechanical behaviour of cell seeded hydrogels. He subsequently worked as a post-doctoral research associate for three years at Keele University where he developed an in vitro corneal wound healing model for pharmaceutical screening, in addition to working on other projects. Mark joined the Trinity Centre for Bioengineering (TCBE) as a post-doctoral research fellow in October 2010 to primarily work on developing a growth factor delivery scaffold for articular cartilage repair. In 2012 he commenced work as a research fellow and principle investigator in TCBE in the field of corneal tissue engineering and cornea repair after obtaining an Starting Investigator Research Grant from Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and the Marie-Curie COFUND. In 2015 he was award an ERC starting grant to conduct research on developing artificial cornea. In 2016 he was appointed to the position of assistant professor in biomedical engineering.
Publications and Further Research Outputs
Peer-Reviewed Publications
Bhattacharjee, P. and Madden, P.W. and Patriarca, E. and Ahearne, M., Optimization and evaluation of oxygen-plasma-modified, aligned, poly (e-caprolactone) and silk fibroin nanofibrous scaffold for corneal stromal regeneration, Biomaterials and Biosystems, 12, (100083), 2023
Treacy MP, Conway MP, Al Hammoud M, Duignan ES, Ahearne M, Ezra E., Direct exchange of Perfluoro-carbon liquid for silicone oil - a surgical technique to control pressure and avoid retinal slippage. , Retina (Philadelphia, Pa.), 2022
Bhattacharjee, P. and Ahearne, M., Silk fibroin based interpenetrating network hydrogel for corneal stromal regeneration, International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 223, 2022, p583-594
Mechanical Testing of Hydrogels in, editor(s)Hua Li; Vadim V. Silberschmidt , The Mechanics of Hydrogels: Mechanical Properties, Testing, and Applications, Woodhead Publishing, 2022, pp73 - 90, [Mark Ahearne]
Bhattacharjee, P. and Ahearne, M., Influence of spiral topographies on human limbal-derived immortalized corneal epithelial cells, Experimental Eye Research, 225, (109252), 2022
Khosravimelal, S. and Mobaraki, M. and Eftekhari, S. and Ahearne, M. and Seifalian, A.M. and Gholipourmalekabadi, M., Hydrogels as Emerging Materials for Cornea Wound Healing, Small, 17, (30), 2021
Fernández-Pérez, J. and Madden, P.W. and Ahearne, M., Multilayered fabrication assembly technique to engineer a corneal stromal equivalent, Bio-protocol, 11, (6), 2021
Fernández-Pérez J, Madden PW, Brady RT, Nowlan PF, Ahearne M., The effect of prior long-term recellularization with keratocytes of decellularized porcine corneas implanted in a rabbit anterior lamellar keratoplasty model., PloS one, 16, (6), 2021, pe0245406
Bhattacharjee P, Ahearne M., Significance of Crosslinking Approaches in the Development of Next Generation Hydrogels for Corneal Tissue Engineering., Pharmaceutics, 13, (3), 2021, p913-
Ahearne M., Fernandez-Perez J., Masterton S., Madden P.W., Bhattacharjee P., Designing Scaffolds for Corneal Regeneration, Advanced Functional Materials, 2020
Fernández-Pérez J, Madden PW, Ahearne M., Engineering a Corneal Stromal Equivalent Using a Novel Multilayered Fabrication Assembly Technique., Tissue engineering. Part A, 2020
Bhattacharjee P., Cavanagh B.L., Ahearne M., Influence of micropatterned substrates on keratocyte phenotype, Scientific Reports, 10, (1), 2020
Fabrication of corneal extracellular matrix-derived hydrogels in, 2020, pp159-168 , [Ahearne, M. and Fernandez-Perez, J.]
Kabak, E.C. and Fernandez-Perez, J. and Ahearne, M., Development and validation of a 3D in vitro model to study the chemotactic behavior of corneal stromal fibroblasts, Methods in Molecular Biology, 2145, 2020, p185-196
Ahearne, M., Corneal Regeneration Methods and Protocols, Humana Press, 2020
Bhattacharjee, P. and Ahearne, M., Fabrication and biocompatibility of electroconductive silk fibroin/pedot: Pss composites for corneal epithelial regeneration, Polymers, 12, (12), 2020, p1-7
Madden, P.W. and Klyubin, I. and Ahearne, M.J., Silk fibroin safety in the eye: A review that highlights a concern, BMJ Open Ophthalmology, 5, (1), 2020
Bhattacharjee P, Cavanagh BL, Ahearne M., Effect of substrate topography on the regulation of human corneal stromal cells., Colloids and surfaces. B, Biointerfaces, 190, 2020, p110971
Fernández-Pérez J, Ahearne M., Decellularization and recellularization of cornea: Progress towards a donor alternative., Methods, 171, 2020, p86 - 96
Fernandez-Perez J., Kador K.E., Lynch A.P., Ahearne M., Characterization of extracellular matrix modified poly("-caprolactone) electrospun scaffolds with differing fiber orientations for corneal stroma regeneration, Materials Science and Engineering C, 108, 2020
Ahearne, M., Corneal extracellular matrix decellularization, Methods in Cell Biology, 157, 2020, p81-95
Fernández-Pérez J, Ahearne M., The impact of decellularization methods on extracellular matrix derived hydrogels., Scientific reports, 9, (1), 2019, p14933
Fernández-Pérez, J. and Ahearne, M., Author Correction: The impact of decellularization methods on extracellular matrix derived hydrogels (Scientific Reports, (2019), 9, 1, (14933), 10.1038/s41598-019-49575-2), Scientific Reports, 9, (1), 2019
Bhattacharjee P, Fernández-Pérez J, Ahearne M., Potential for combined delivery of riboflavin and all-trans retinoic acid, from silk fibroin for corneal bioengineering., Materials science & engineering. C, Materials for biological applications, 105, 2019, p110093
Fernández-Pérez J, Ahearne M., Influence of Biochemical Cues in Human Corneal Stromal Cell Phenotype., Current eye research, 44, 2019, p135-146
Masterton S, Ahearne M., The Effect of Calcium and Glucose Concentration on Corneal Epithelial Cell Lines Differentiation, Proliferation, and Focal Adhesion Expression., BioResearch open access, 8, (1), 2019, p74-83
Masterton S, Ahearne M, Influence of polydimethylsiloxane substrate stiffness on corneal epithelial cells, Royal Society Open Science, 6, (12), 2019, p191796-
Masterton S, Ahearne M., Mechanobiology of the corneal epithelium., Experimental eye research, 177, 2018, p122-129
Masterton S, Ahearne M, Examining the effect of mechanical conditions on corneal epithelial cells, 23rd Annual Bioengineering in Ireland Conference, Belfast, 2017
Fernandez-Perez J, Ahearne M, Repopulating decellularized porcine corneas with human corneal fibroblasts, Euro Cells Mater J , TERMIS-EU Annual meeting 2017, Davos, Switzerland, 33, (S2), 2017
Masterton S, Ahearne M, Influence of materials stiffness on corneal epithelial cell behaviour, Euro Cells Mater J, TERMIS-EU Annual meeting 2017, Davos, Switzerland, 33, (S2), 2017
Kador KE, Ahearne M, Influence of electrospun scaffolds geometry on corneal stromal cells, 23rd Annual Bioengineering in Ireland Conference, Belfast, 2017
Kelly CP, Kador KE, Ahearne M, Response of corneal stromal cell behaviour to variations in substrate stiffness, Euro Cells Mater J, TERMIS-EU Annual meeting 2017, Davos, Switzerland, 33, (S2), 2017
Fernandez-Perez J, Ahearne M, Corneal tissue engineering: Effect of biochemical cues on corneal stromal cell phenotype and scaffold repopulation, 23rd Annual Bioengineering in Ireland Conference, Belfast, 2017
Vasu A, Kelly C, Kador K, Ahearne M, Combined influence of substrate stiffness and topography on the proliferation and differentiation of human adipose derived stem cells towards adipocytes, chondrocytes and osteocytes in vitro, 23rd Annual Bioengineering in Ireland Conference, Belfast, 2017
Lynch AP, Ahearne M., Retinoic Acid Enhances the Differentiation of Adipose-Derived Stem Cells to Keratocytes In Vitro., Translational vision science & technology, 6, (1), 2017, p6
Kelly CP, Kador KE, Ahearne M, Material stiffness a key regulator of corneal stromal cells, 23rd Annual Bioengineering in Ireland Conference, Belfast, 2017
Prabhakar A, Lynch AP, Ahearne M, Self-Assembled Infrapatellar Fat-Pad Progenitor Cells on a Poly-"-Caprolactone Film For Cartilage Regeneration., Artificial organs, 40, (4), 2016, p376-84
Kador K, Ahearne M, Development of novel electrospun scaffolds for corneal tissue engineering, ACTA Ophthalmologica, European Vision and Eye Research Congress, Nice, France, 2016, 94, (S256), 2016
Lynch AP, O'Sullivan F, Ahearne M, The effect of growth factor supplementation on corneal stromal cell phenotype in vitro using a serum-free media., Experimental eye research, 151, 2016, p26-37
Kelly C, Kador KE, Ahearne M, Influence of material properties on corneal cell behaviour, 22nd Annual Bioengineering in Ireland Conference, Galway, 2016
Fernandez-Perez J, Ahearne M, Effect of biochemical cues on proliferation, phenotype and migration of human corneal stromal cells, ACTA Ophthalmologica, European Vision and Eye Research Congress, Nice, France, 94, (S256), 2016
Kador KE, Ahearne M, Development of novel electrospun scaffolds for corneal tissue engineering, 22nd Annual Bioengineering in Ireland Conference, Galway, 2016
Kelly C, Ahearne M, Influence of material compliance on human corneal stromal cell behaviour, ACTA Ophthalmologica, European Vision and Eye Research Congress, Nice, France, 94, (S256), 2016
Ahearne M, Coyle A, Application of UVA-riboflavin crosslinking to enhance the mechanical properties of extracellular matrix derived hydrogels., Journal of the mechanical behavior of biomedical materials, 54, 2016, p259-67
Lynch AP, Wilson SL, Ahearne M, Dextran Preserves Native Corneal Structure During Decellularization., Tissue engineering. Part C, Methods, 22, (6), 2016, p561-72
Fernandez-Perez J, Ahearne M, Influence of biochemical factors on corneal cell behaviour and scaffold design, 22nd Annual Bioengineering in Ireland Conference, Galway, 2016
Ahearne M, Lynch AP, Early Observation of Extracellular Matrix-Derived Hydrogels for Corneal Stroma Regeneration., Tissue engineering. Part C, Methods, 21, (10), 2015, p1059-69
Lynch AP, Wilson, SL, Ahearne M, Ultrastructural maintenance of decellularization corneas using dextran, European Vision and Eye Research Congress, Nice, France, 93, (S255), 2015
Wilson SL, Ahearne M, Hopkinson A, An overview of current techniques for ocular toxicity testing., Toxicology., 327, 2015, p32 - 46
Wilson, S.L. and Ahearne, M. and Hopkinson, A., An overview of current techniques for ocular toxicity testing, Toxicology, 327, 2015, p32-46
Ahearne M, Fabrication of a hydrogel from extracellular matrix for corneal bioengineering, 21st Annual Bioengineering in Ireland Conference, Kildare, 2015
Lynch AP, Wilson, SL, Ahearne M, Characterizing the role of dextran in the decellularization of porcine corneas, 4th TERMIS World Congress, Boston, USA, 2015
Wilson SL, Lynch A, Ahearne M, Investigating the use of dextran in corneal decellularization, Nottingham Eye Symposium and Research Meeting, Nottingham, UK, 2015
Lynch AP, Wilson, SL, Ahearne M, Dextran: An ally for corneal decellularization, 2nd Annual Matrix Biology Ireland Meeting, University College Dublin, 2015
Lynch A, Ahearne M, Differentiation of adipose derived stem cells to keratocytes in vitro with retinoic acid, 21st Annual Bioengineering in Ireland Conference, Kildare, 2015
Ahearne M, Lysaght J, Lynch AP, Combined influence of basal media and fibroblast growth factor on the expansion and differentiation capabilities of adipose-derived stem cells., Cell regeneration (London, England), 3, (1), 2014, p13 - 13
Lynch A, Ahearne M, The generation of a novel corneal scaffold using decellularized porcine corneas and human corneal keratocytes, 20th Annual Bioengineering in Ireland Conference, Limerick, 2014
The mechanical characterization of hydrogels and its implication on the cellular activities in, editor(s)Connon CJ, Hamley IW , Hydrogels in Cell-Based Therapies , RSC Publishing, 2014, pp171 - 180, [Wilson SL, Ahearne M, El Haj AJ, Yang Y. ]
Lynch A, Ahearne M, Control of corneal swelling during decellularization using dextran, J Tissue Eng Regen Med, TERMIS-EU Annual meeting, Genoa, Italy, 8, (S1), 2014
Ahearne M, Development of an ECM hydrogel for corneal tissue engineering, ACTA Ophthalmologica, European Vision and Eye Research Congress, Nice, France, 92, (S253), 2014
Wilson, S.L. and Ahearne, M. and El Haj, A.J. and Yang, Y., Mechanical characterization of hydrogels and its implications for cellular activities, RSC Soft Matter, 2014, p171-190
Ahearne M, Introduction to cell-hydrogel mechanosensing., Interface focus, 4, (2), 2014, p1 - 12
Lynch A, Ahearne M, Growth factor regulation of keratocyte phenotype in serum free media, J Tissue Eng Regen Med , TERMIS-EU Annual meeting, Genoa, Italy, 8, (S1), 2014
Ahearne M, Liu Y, Kelly DJ, Combining freshly isolated chondroprogenitor cells from the infrapatellar fat pad with a growth factor delivery hydrogel as a putative single stage therapy for articular cartilage repair, Tissue Engineering Part A, 20, (5-6), 2014, p930 - 939
Lynch A, O'Suillivan F, Ahearne M, Influence of growth factors on keratocyte phenotype in serum free media, ACTA Ophthalmologica, European Vision and Eye Research Congress, Nice, France, 91, (S252), 2013
Ahearne M, Kelly DJ, A comparison of fibrin, agarose and gellan gum hydrogels as carriers of stem cells and growth factor delivery microspheres for cartilage regeneration., Biomedical materials (Bristol, England), 8, (3), 2013, p035004
Lynch A, Ahearne M, Development of a decellularized scaffold for corneal tissue engineering, 19th Annual Bioengineering in Ireland Conference, Kildare, 2013
Lynch AP, Ahearne M, Strategies for developing decellularized corneal scaffolds, Experimental Eye Research, 108, 2013, p42-47
Ahearne M, Yurong L, Kelly DJ, A single stage therapy for articular cartilage repair using selected freshly isolated infrapatellar fat pad derived cells in a growth factor delivery hydrogel, Orthopaedic Research Society Annual Meeting, San Antonio, USA, 2013
Ahearne M, Lynch A, Extracellular matrix derived hydrogel for corneal tissue engineering, ACTA Ophthalmologica, European Vision and Eye Research Congress, Nice, France, 91, (S252), 2013
Wimpenny I, Ahearne M, Yang Y, Dictation of cell orientation throughout three dimensional hydrogels, J Tissue Eng Regen Med, 3rd TERMIS World Congress, Vienna, Austria, 6, (S1), 2012
Almeida H, Buckley C, Cunniffe G, Ahearne M, Kelly DJ, Combining freshly isolated CD271+ positive infrapatellar fat pad stem cells and a TGF-ß3 releasing scaffold to develop a single stage therapy for cartilage repair, 18th Annual Bioengineering in Ireland Conference, Belfast, 2012
Almeida HV, Buckley CT, Cunniffe GM, Ahearne M, O'Brien FJ, Kelly DJ, Combining freshly isolated CD271+ positive infrapatellar fat pad stem cells and a TGF-ß3 releasing scaffold to develop a single stage therapy for cartilage repair, J Tissue Eng Regen Med, 3rd TERMIS World Congress, Vienna, Austria, 6, (S1), 2012
Ahearne M, Kelly DJ, The chondrogenic potential of growth factor delivery microspheres is dependent on the hydrogel in which they are encapsulated, 18th Annual Bioengineering in Ireland Conference, Belfast, 2012
Buckley CT, Ahearne M, Downey R, Mulhall KJ, Kelly DJ, Engineering cartilage grafts using fibrin hydrogels seeded with diseased human infrapatellar fat pad derived stem cells, Orthopaedic Research Society Annual Meeting, San Francisco, USA, 2012
Vinardell T, Rolfe RA, Buckley CT, Meyer EG, Ahearne M, Murphy P, Kelly DJ, Hydrostatic pressure acts to stabilise a chondrogenic phenotype in porcine joint tissue derived stem cells., European Cells & Materials, 23, 2012, p121-134
Wilson SL, Wimpenny I, Ahearne M, Rauz S, El Haj AJ, Yang Y, Chemical and topographical effects on cell differentiation and matrix elasticity in a corneal stromal layer model. , Advanced Functional Materials, 22, (17), 2012, p3641 - 3649
Wimpenny I, Ahearne M, Yang Y, Dictation of cell orientation throughout three dimensional hydrogels, 9th World Biomaterials Congress , Chengdu, China, 2012
Ahearne M, Kelly DJ, Development and optimization of a growth factor delivery hydrogel for cartilage regeneration, J Tissue Eng Regen Med, 3rd TERMIS World Congress, Vienna, Austria, 6, (S1), 2012
Wilson SL, Ahearne M, Rauz S, El Haj AJ, Yang Y, Controlling corneal stromal cell phenotype via chemical cues, Euro Cells Mater J, TCES Conference, Leeds, UK, 2011
Then KY, Yang Y, Ahearne M, El Haj AJ, Effect of microtopographical cues on human keratocyte orientation and gene expression., Current eye research, 36, (2), 2011, p88-93
Yang Y, Wimpenny I, Ahearne M, Portable nanofiber meshes dictate cell orientation throughout three-dimensional hydrogels., Nanomedicine : Nanotechnology, Biology, and Medicine, 7, (2), 2011, p131-6
Ahearne M, Buckley CT, Kelly DJ, TGF-ß1 loaded gelatin microspheres in fibrin constructs for chondrogenic differentiation of MSCs, 17th Annual Bioengineering in Ireland Conference, Galway, 2011
Yang Y, Rupani A, Weightman A, Wimpenny I, Bagnaninchi P, Ahearne M. , The study of optical properties and proteoglycan content of tendons by PS-OCT, Dynamics and Fluctuations in Biomedical Photonics VIII , 2011, pp7898-7
Ahearne M, El Haj A, Rauz S, Yang Y, Online monitoring the mechanical remodeling of hydrogels by corneal fibroblasts., IFMBE Proceedings , 30, 2011, pp1-4
Ahearne M, Buckley CT, Kelly DJ, Engineering a MSC seeded fibrin hydrogel containing TGF-beta 1 loaded gelatin microspheres for cartilage repair, TERMIS-EU Annual meeting, Granada, Spain, 2011
Ahearne M, Buckley CT, Kelly DJ, A growth factor delivery system for chondrogenic induction of infrapatellar fat pad-derived stem cells in fibrin hydrogels., Biotechnology and Applied Biochemistry, 58, (5), 2011, p345-352
Ahearne M, Liu KK, El Haj AJ, Then KY, Rauz S, Yang Y, Online monitoring of the mechanical behavior of collagen hydrogels: influence of corneal fibroblasts on elastic modulus., Tissue Engineering. Part C, Methods, 16, (2), 2010, p319-27
Li C, Ahearne M, Liu KK, Micromechanical characterizations of hydrogel based contact lens, International Journal of Modern Physics B, 24, (1), 2010, p117 - 127
Ahearne M, Wilson SL, Liu KK, Rauz S, El Haj AJ, Yang Y, Influence of cell and collagen concentration on the cell-matrix mechanical relationship in a corneal stroma wound healing model., Experimental Eye Research, 91, (5), 2010, p584-91
Yang Y, Ahearne M, Wimpenny I, Guijarro-Leach J, Torbet J, Investigation of a tissue engineered tendon model by PSOCT, Optics in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine IV , 2010, pp7566-
Ahearne M, El Haj AJ, Rauz S, Yang Y, Control of corneal fibroblast orientation and behaviour by nanofibers, Euro Cells Mater J, TCES Conference, Manchester, UK, 2010
Ahearne M, Wilson SL, Liu KK, El Haj AJ, Rauz S, Yang Y , Influence of cell number and collagen concentration on the mechanical behaviour of collagen hydrogel constructs, TCES Conference, Glasgow, UK, 2009
Yang Y, Ahearne M, Wimpenny I, Torbet J, Monitoring the effect of magnetically aligned collagen scaffolds on tendon tissue engineering by PSOCT, Optics in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine III , 2009, pp7179-
Ahearne M, Siamantouras E, Yang Y, Liu KK, Mechanical characterization of biomimetic membranes by micro-shaft poking., Journal of the Royal Society Interface , 6, (34), 2009, p471-8
Ahearne M, Wilson SL, Liu KK, El Haj A, Rauz S, Yang Y, Online monitoring of the mechano feedback loop between fibroblasts and their surroundings, 2nd TERMIS World Congress, Seoul, South Korea, 2009
Ahearne M, Liu KK, El Haj AJ, Rauz S, Yang Y, In vitro corneal stroma model for pharmaceutical screening and influence of corneal fibroblasts on elastic modulus, 9th Corneal Conference, Cardiff, UK, 2009
Ahearne M, Wilson SL, Liu KK, AJ El Haj, S Rauz, Yang Y, Influence of cell number and collagen concentration on the mechanical behaviour of collagen hydrogels, Bioengineering 09, Oxford, UK, 2009
Yang Y, Ahearne M, Bagnaninchi PO, El Haj AJ, Visualization of structural evolution in tissue engineering tendon, TERMIS-EU Annual meeting, Porto, Portugal, 2008
Ahearne M, Liu KK, El Haj A, Yang Y, Influence of corneal fibroblasts on the mechanical behavior of collagen hydrogels, TERMIS-NA Annual meeting, San Diego, USA, 2008
Ahearne M, Bagnaninchi PO, Yang Y, El Haj AJ, Online monitoring of collagen fibre alignment in tissue-engineered tendon by PSOCT., Journal of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, 2, (8), 2008, p521-4
Yang Y, Ahearne M, Bagnaninchi PO, Hu B, Hampson K, El Haj AJ, Application of polarization OCT in tissue engineering., Optics in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine II., 2008, pp6858-
Ahearne M, Liu KK, Yang Y, Dual-camera spherical indentation system for examining the mechanical characteristics of hydrogels, IFMBE Proceedings , 22, 2008, pp2011-2014
Ahearne M, Ladva E, Liu KK, El Haj A, Yang Y, Non-destructive monitoring of collagen degradation in tissue engineered corneal constructs, TCES Conference, Nottingham, UK, 2008
Ahearne M, Liu KK, Yang Y, Online monitoring of MMP's released by corneal fibroblasts in collagen hydrogels, 8th World Biomaterials Congress, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 2008
Mechanical characterisation of hydrogels for tissue engineering applications in, editor(s)Ashammakhi N, Reis R, Chiellini, F , Topics in Tissue Engineering Volume 4, 2008, pp16 , [Ahearne M, Yang Y, Liu KK]
Ahearne M, Yang Y, Then KY, Liu KK, Non-destructive mechanical characterisation of UVA/riboflavin crosslinked collagen hydrogels., The British journal of ophthalmology, 92, (2), 2008, p268-71
Yang Y, Bagnaninchi PO, Ahearne M, Wang RK, Liu KK, A novel optical coherence tomography-based micro-indentation technique for mechanical characterization of hydrogels., Journal of the Royal Society Interface , 4, (17), 2007, p1169-73
Ahearne M, Yang Y, Then KY, Liu KK, An indentation technique to characterize the mechanical and viscoelastic properties of human and porcine corneas., Annals of biomedical engineering, 35, (9), 2007, p1608-16
Yang Y, Bagnaninchi PO, Ahearne M, Wang RK, Liu KK, A novel OCT-based micro-indentation technique for mechanical characterization of soft tissues, Optics in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine I, 2007, pp6439-
Ahearne M, Yang Y, El Haj AJ, Then KY, Liu KK, Mechanical characterization of tissue engineered corneal stroma, World Congress of Biomechanics, Munich, Germany, 2006
Ahearne M, Yang Y, El Haj AJ, Then KY, Liu KK, Mechanical characterisation of UVA-riboflavin crosslinked collagen hydrogels, TCES Conference, Sheffield, UK, 2006
Ahearne M, Yang Y, Then KY, El Haj AJ, Liu KK, A new technique for mechanical characterization in corneal tissue engineering, World Cornea Congress, Washington DC, USA, 2005
Then KY, Ahearne M, Liu KK, Yang Y, Siamantouras E, McDonnell PJ, Shah S, Rauz, S, El Haj A, A new technique for mechanically characterising hydrogels for tissue engineering cornea, Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, ARVO Annual meeting, Fort Lauderdale, USA, 46S, 2005
Ahearne M, Yang Y, El Haj AJ, Then KY, Liu KK, Characterizing the viscoelastic properties of thin hydrogel-based constructs for tissue engineering applications., Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 2, (5), 2005, p455-63
Ahearne M, Yang Y, El Haj AJ, Then KY, Liu KK, A novel indentation technique for the mechanical characterization of human cornea, IFMBE Proceedings EMBEC, 11, (1), 2005, pp1885-
Ahearne M, Yang Y, El Haj AJ, Then KY, Liu KK, Mechanical characterisation and stimulation of corneal stroma equivalents, TCES Conference, London, 2005
Ahearne M, Liu KK, Yang Y, E Siamantouras, Then KY, El Haj AJ, A new technique for mechanically characterising hydrogels for tissue engineering cornea, Engineering in Regenerative Medicine Meeting, Liverpool, UK, 2004
Ahearne M, Liu KK, Yang Y, Then KY, El Haj AJ, Development of a new technique for mechanically characterising and stimulating tissue-engineered cornea, TCES Conference, Keele, UK, 2004
Ahearne M, Yang Y, Magnay J, Cooper J, Gene expression from osteoblasts cultured on poly-e-caprolactone based biodegradable biomaterials, TCES Conference, Keele, UK, 2004
V. P. Panov, S. S. Seomun, N. M. Shtykov, J. K. Vij and H. T. Nguyen, The biaxiality of the chiral smectic subphases in very thin freestanding films, Ferroelectrics, 278, 2002, p47 - 55
Woodruff, D.P., Holloway, S., McGovern, I.T. , Preface , 1994, - vii
Research Expertise
Description
My research has focused on generating novel therapies to treat blindness by using tissue engineering, advanced biomaterials, mechanobiology and cell-based technologies. My approach involves first understanding how ocular cells respond to differing environments and then using this information to develop novel therapeutic strategies. Specific examples of my research include: - Developing decellularized corneal scaffolds and hydrogels for corneal regeneration. I led the first research team to develop a decellularized corneal matrix hydrogel to replace damaged cornea, a technique that is now used by many other researchers. The hydrogels do not require sutures for implantation, integrate well with the native tissue and allow light to pass through to enable vision. - Investigating the influence that different physical factors, such as stiffness, matrix viscoelasticity, topography and shear stress, have on corneal and trabecular meshwork cells with the aim of determining how these factors can be used to control cell behaviour and design better implants. I have also examined how specific signalling pathways within cells are affected by these factors. - Isolation and differentiation of human adipose-derived stem cells into corneal cells for corneal regeneration. The lack of donor corneal tissue for transplantation has led me to investigate using these cells as an alternative cell source for generating corneal tissue. - Manufacturing novel nanofiber constructs for tissue repair using a variety of different biomaterials. I have been able to fabricate constructs that mimic the complex microstructure of real tissues. - Designing organ-on-a-chip technology to model fluid flow in the eye. My team have developed a trabecular meshwork model that could be used to test novel glaucoma pharmaceutics as an alternative to animal testing. We have also developed a corneal model to identify how fluid flow affects specific cell processes in the eye and used this information to target those processes for the development of new drugs and therapies. In addition to conducting ocular research, I have experience in other areas of biomedical engineering. These include the development of a growth factor delivery hydrogel for cartilage regeneration, production and characterization of biodegradable composite bone implants, characterizing tenocyte (tendon cells) behaviour in a cyclical strain bioreactor system and examining the mechanical and viscoelastic characteristics of tissues and cell seeded hydrogels.Projects
- Title
- Examination of the effect matrix viscoelasticity and fluid flow on the regulation of corneal and trabecular meshwork cells
- Funding Agency
- Irish Research Council
- Date From
- 1/9/2022
- Title
- EyeRegen: Engineering a scaffold-based therapy for corneal regeneration
- Funding Agency
- European Research Council
- Date From
- 01/07/2015
- Date To
- 30/06/2020
- Title
- Development of a novel stem cell approach for corneal tissue engineering
- Funding Agency
- Science Foundation Ireland and Marie-Curie COFUND
- Date From
- 01/07/2012
- Date To
- 31/12/2016
Recognition
Representations
Editorial board member for Scientific Reports
Editorial board member for Discover Applied Sciences
Fight for Sight UK Research Assessment Panel member
Management committee member for COST action CA18116
Management committee member and elected vice-chair of scaffold development working group for COST action BM1302
Symposium organiser and session chair at Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society European Chapter (TERMIS-EU) meeting (Freiburg, Germany)
Symposium organiser and session chair at Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society European Chapter (TERMIS-EU) meeting (Manchester, UK)
Symposium organiser and session chair at Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society European Chapter (TERMIS-EU) meeting (Rhodes, Greece)
Session organizer and chair for International Society of Eye Research biannual meeting 2018
Symposium organiser and session chair at Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society European Chapter (TERMIS-EU) meeting (Davos, Switzerland)
Invited session chair for the Annual Bioengineering in Ireland Conferences from 2012 to 2024
Session chair at European Vision and Eye Research meeting (Nice, France)
Awards and Honours
Listed in the Stanford/Elsevier top 2% scientist rankings for 2023 and 2024
Best student poster at 8th China-Europe Symposium on Biomaterials in Regenerative Medicine in Nuremberg, Germany - Student Supervisor
1st placed poster award, 20th Nottingham Eye Symposium and Research Meeting, University of Nottingham - Co-author
DePuy Young Researcher Award - Student Supervisor
Travel award for best paper in the category of Corneal and Ocular Surface at the European Vision and Eye Research Conference - Student Supervisor
1st placed poster award, 4th Annual Limbal Stem Cell Meeting, Nottingham, UK - Co-author
Royal Academy of Engineers Travel Award Recipient
Royal Society Conference Travel Award Recipient
1st place at Expertissues Bioreactor Design and Stem Cell Processing Workshop, UK
3rd placed poster award, TCES annual conference, Sheffield, UK - First Author
Royal Academy of Engineers Travel Award Recipient
Memberships
Engineers Ireland
COST action - BM1302 (Management committee member and working group vice-chair)
Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS)
European Vision and Eye Research (EVER)
Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO)
International Society for Eye Research (ISER)
COST action - CA18116 (Management committee member)
Fight for Sight Scientific Grants Assessment Panel