Cathal Kearney

Engineering tools to understand and mimic natural cue timing motivates the central research themes in my laboratory: the precise temporal control of local therapeutic delivery; the effect of therapeutic delivery timing on efficacy; and integrating these platforms within biomaterials. The biolgoical motivation for this is that natural bioactive cue profiles are typically transient with cues switching on/off to coordinate successful outcomes. However, dysregulation of healthy sequences is often observed in disease. My research aims to probe the role of timing in repair process and ultimately drive coordination of biological processes by delivering therapeutics at specific time-points. Designing novel biomaterials and integrating these delivery systems inside them is a key parallel focus in the lab. Our initial application areas include diabetic wound healing, tissue engineering, cancer treatment, and circadian rhythms.