Mark Ahearne
Assistant Professor
Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering
Trinity College Dublin
Ireland
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.
Research Interest
Biomaterials; CARTILAGE; EYE; HYDROGELS; NANOFIBERS; Ophthalmology; Stem cells; Tissue Engineering
Publications
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Lynch AP, Wilson, SL, Ahearne M, Ultrastructural maintenance of decellularization corneas using dextran, European Vision and Eye Research Congress, Nice, France, 93, (S255), 2015
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Wilson SL, Ahearne M, Hopkinson A, n overview of current techniques for ocular toxicity testing., Toxicology., 327, 2015, p32 - 46
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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
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Kelly C, Kador KE, Ahearne M, Influence of material properties on corneal cell behaviour, 22nd Annual Bioengineering in Ireland Conference, Galway, 2016
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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
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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
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Lynch AP, Wilson SL, Ahearne M, Dextran Preserves Native Corneal Structure During Decellularization., Tissue engineering. Part C, Methods, 22, (6), 2016, p561-72
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Kador KE, Ahearne M, Development of novel electrospun scaffolds for corneal tissue engineering, 22nd Annual Bioengineering in Ireland Conference, Galway, 2016
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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
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Fernandez-Perez J, Ahearne M, Influence of biochemical factors on corneal cell behaviour and scaffold design, 22nd Annual Bioengineering in Ireland Conference, Galway, 2016
