Prof. Mark Smales, a principal investigator at the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT), has received more than €3.5m through the Taighde Éireann – Research Ireland Research Professorship programme. Holding a joint appointment between NIBRT and the University of Kent, Prof. Smales will lead a five-year research programme focused on revolutionising the manufacturing of next-generation biotherapeutics. The project will be based at NIBRT and will support a dedicated research team, including three PhD studentships.

Developing biotherapeutics such as monoclonal antibodies, gene therapies, and RNA-based medicine, while transformative for disease treatment, remains complex, inefficient, and costly. Prof. Smales’ research will take a pioneering approach to redefine how these medicines are produced, making manufacturing more efficient, predictable, and scalable.

Smales’ project will focus on gene therapy production, RNA therapeutics, and bioprocess engineering by applying innovative techniques to create new cell factories capable of producing novel biotherapeutic proteins.

“I am honoured to receive this Research Ireland Professorship award, which will allow us to harness the breadth of world-class infrastructure and ‘know-how’ at NIBRT and across Ireland in the advanced biotherapeutic therapies sector,” commented Smales. “Ultimately, this research will deepen our understanding of the science that governs efficiency, predictability, and certainty in the design and production of next-generation biotherapeutics, so that these can be manufactured at the required quantity and quality for assessment and application in practice.”

Read the full press release in the link below.