Assoc ProfessorEoin O'Cearbhaill

My research focuses on designing and translating medical devices that address unmet clinical needs, with an emphasis on minimally invasive technologies for diagnosing and treating disease. Working closely with clinicians and industry partners, my group takes devices from early concept and prototyping through mechanical testing and pre-clinical evaluation, and on towards commercialisation.

Current areas of interest include:

• Minimally invasive devices and delivery systems: catheter- and needle-based technologies, embolisation devices, and tools for precise access to tissue
• Therapeutic delivery and microneedles: bio-inspired microneedle platforms for drug delivery and tissue adhesion
• Soft robotics for medicine: soft actuators and robotic models that replicate physiological function, particularly in the gastrointestinal tract
• Biomechanics of the GI tract and vasculature: computational and experimental characterisation of tissue mechanics to inform device design
• Additive manufacturing of medical devices: 3D printing for rapid prototyping, patient-specific devices and novel device architectures
• Mechanobiology: how mechanical loading affects cell behaviour, with applications in tissue engineering
• Medical device innovation and commercialisation: needs-led design (Biodesign), intellectual property, and translation through university spin-outs