Development of novel therapies for stroke and retinal disorders

Professor Christian Waeber 

Professor Christian Waeber is the Head of the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics. Over his research career, he has characterized the pharmacological properties and tissue distribution of 5-HT receptors, developed new drugs for the acute management of migraine and tested the effects of immunomodulating agents (S1P receptors modulators and Pregnancy Specific Glycoproteins) in models of stroke and retinal disorders. He was included in the top 2% of most-cited academics in his field in the 2024 Elsevier/Stanford University World Rankings of Researchers.

Together with Dr Irene Hartigan (School of Nursing and Midwifery) and Dr Kirstyn James (Geriatric Medicine, CUH),  he established in 2023 the Munster Integrated Stroke Research and Education Catalyst (MISREC) with the aim of coordinating regional efforts to improve training, study mechanisms and enhance the effectiveness of interventions for the management of stroke. As Chair of UCC’s Animal Experimentation Ethics Committee and as a member of the National Committee for the Protection of Animals used for Scientific Purposes (NCPA), his  goal and core values are to ensure that all animal research is ethically justified, balancing scientific benefit with the welfare of animals by rigorously applying the Three Rs principles (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) and robust harm‑benefit assessment, while promoting best practices, compliance, and transparency across institutional and national oversight bodies.

Current Projects:

• Characterization of the neuroprotective and repair-promoting effects on Pregnancy Specific Glycoproteins in in vitro and in vivo models of ischemic and haemorrhagic stroke, with a specific emphasis on their immunosuppressive effects.
• Analysis of the risk factors, management strategies and mechanisms of Post Stroke Depression. These studies combine surveys of healthcare providers and stroke survivors with studies analysing the role of stress in animal models of stroke.
• Characterization of novel anti-angiogenesis therapeutics and development of controlled release intravitreal drug delivery systems for the management of neovascular retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.

Publications:

• Alshaikh RA, Waeber C., Ryan KB (2022) Polymer based sustained drug delivery to the ocular posterior segment: barrier challenges and future opportunities, Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, 187:114342. doi: 10.1016/j.addr.2022.114342.
• Diaz Diaz AC, Malone K, Shearer JA, Moore AC, Waeber C. (2022) Preclinical Evaluation of Fingolimod in Rodent Models of Stroke With Age or Atherosclerosis as Comorbidities. Front Pharmacol. 2022 Jul 13;13:920449. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2022.920449.
• Malone K, Shearer JA, Williams JM, Moore AC, Moore T, Waeber C. (2022) Recombinant pregnancy-specific glycoprotein-1-Fc reduces functional deficit in a mouse model of permanent brain ischaemia. Brain Behav Immun Health. 2022 Aug 24;25:100497. doi: 10.1016/j.bbih.2022.100497.
• Alshaikh RA, Zaki RGE, El Din RAS, Ryan KB, Waeber C. (2023) Siponimod As a Novel Inhibitor of Retinal Angiogenesis: In Vitro and In Vivo Evidence of Therapeutic Efficacy. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2023 Aug;386(2):224-241. doi: 10.1124/jpet.122.001529
• Mitsikostas DD, Waeber C, Sanchez-Del-Rio M, Raffaelli B, Ashina H, Maassen van den Brink A, Andreou A, Pozo-Rosich P, Rapoport A, Ashina M, Moskowitz MA. (2023) The 5-HT1F receptor as the target of ditans in migraine - from bench to bedside. Nat Rev Neurol. 2023 Aug;19(8):489-505. doi: 10.1038/s41582-023-00842-x.

I welcome enquires from students interested in discussing MSc or PhD opportunities and post-doctoral researchers wishing to join the research group. If you have ideas for collaborations on existing work or would like to discuss your own research interests then there are a number of PhD studentships, Postdoctoral fellowships and other funding schemes available which I am more than happy to discuss this with you in the first instance by email c.waeber@ucc.ie