Catriona’s PhD examined the role of cellular communication in insulin secretion and developed a pseudoislet model to study the importance of gap junction mediated cell-to-cell contact in normal beta-cell function.

In 2007, she began a post-doctoral career at Queen’s University of Belfast where she first worked on the molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation of retinal perfusion and blood pressure and the pathophysiological changes responsible for the disruption of retinal blood flow during early diabetes. She subsequently took up a post-doctoral position, where she studied NF-kB driven inflammation in the airways epithelium of patients with Asthma and Cystic Fibrosis.

Catriona took up a Lectureship at Keele in February 2011 before moving to Ulster University in 2013. 

Catriona’s research focuses on understanding how inflammatory and apoptotic signalling pathways are altered in disease. The aim of this research is to identify target genes or pathways that will predict disease development, disease severity or response to treatment.

Current research interests include:
• The use of 3D cell models for the study of diseases, which alleviates much of the reliance on animal or human tissue for initial experimental investigations
• The use of adjunctive stem cell therapies to prevent apoptosis/promote cell regeneration
• The identification of disturbances in inflammatory and apoptotic pathways that lead to development of disease and associated complications
• The stratification of patients to identify and optimise treatment regimes. 

2020
Al-Azzawi, B., Mc Guigan, D., Manderson Koivula, F., Elttayef, A., Dale, T., Yang, Y., Kelly, C. & Forsyth, N.; The Secretome of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Prevents Islet Beta Cell Apoptosis via an IL-10-Dependent Mechanism: The Secretome of Mesenchymal Stem Cells. The Open Stem Cell Journal. 6(1):12 (2020).

2019
Khan D, Kelsey R, Maheshwari RR, Stone VM, Hasib A, Manderson Koivula FN, Watson A, Harkin S, Irwin N, Shaw JA, McClenaghan NH, Venglovecz V, Ébert A, Flodström-Tullberg M, White MG, Kelly C. Short-term CFTR inhibition reduces islet area in C57BL/6 mice. Sci Rep. 2019 Aug 2;9(1):11244. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-47745-w.

Kelsey R, Manderson Koivula FN, McClenaghan NH, Kelly C. Cystic Fibrosis-Related Diabetes: Pathophysiology and Therapeutic Challenges. Clin Med Insights Endocrinol Diabetes. 2019 May 28;12:1179551419851770. doi: 10.1177/1179551419851770.

Villikudathil, A., Mc Guigan, D., English, A., Kelly, C., McClean, P., Bjourson, AJ. & Shukla, P.; Stratification of Type-2 Diabetes comorbidities using genotypic array and Machine Learning, 21st Meeting of the Irish Society of Human Genetics. Ulster Medical Journal. 88(1):70 (2019)

Elttayef A, Al-Azzawi B, Forsyth NR, Kelly C, Yang Y. Enhancing pseudoislet biofunctionality using gelatin bead technology International Journal of Polymeric Materials and Polymeric Biomaterials, 2019; 68: 53-59

2018
Khan D, Moffet CR, Flatt PR, Kelly C. Role of islet peptides in beta cell regulation and type 2 diabetes therapy. Peptides. 2018 Feb;100:212-218. doi: 10.1016/j.peptides.2017.11.014. PMID: 29412821.

2017
Gibson, DS., Drain, S., Kelly, C., McGilligan, VE., McClean, PL., Atkinson, SD., Murray, EK., McDowell, A., Conway, C., Watterson, S. & Bjourson, AJ. Coincidence versus consequence: opportunities in multi-morbidity research and inflammation as a pervasive feature. Expert Review of Precision Medicine and Drug Development. 2017 Jul; 1-10

2016
Malcomson B, Wilson H, Veglia E, Thillaiyampalam G, Barsden R, Donegan S, El Banna A, Elborn JS, Ennis M, Kelly C, Zhang SD, Schock BC. Connectivity mapping (ssCMap) to predict A20-inducing drugs and their antiinflammatory action in cystic fibrosis. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2016 Jun 28;113(26):E3725-34. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1520289113. Epub 2016 Jun 10.

Koivula FNM, McClenaghan NH, Harper AGS, Kelly C. Islet-intrinsic effects of CFTR mutation. Diabetologia. 2016 Jul;59(7):1350-1355. doi: 10.1007/s00125-016-3936-1. Epub 2016 Mar 31.

Reihill, J. A., Malcomson, B., Bertelsen, A., Cheung, S., Czerwiec, A., Barsden, R., Elborn, J. S., Dürkop, H., Hirsch, B., Ennis, M., Kelly, C. & Schock, B. C. Induction of the inflammatory regulator A20 by gibberellic acid in airway epithelial cells. British Journal of Pharmacology, 2016 Feb:173(4):778-789 12

2015
Monaghan K, McNaughten J, McGahon MK, Kelly C, Kyle D, Yong PH, McGeown JG, Curtis TM. Hyperglycemia and Diabetes Downregulate the Functional Expression of TRPV4 Channels in Retinal Microvascular Endothelium. PLoS One. 2015 Jun 5;10(6):e0128359. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0128359.

2013
Kelly C, Canning P, Buchanan PJ, Williams MT, Brown V, Gruenert DC, Elborn JS, Ennis M, Schock BC. Toll-like receptor 4 is not targeted to the lysosome in cystic fibrosis airway epithelial cells. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2013 Mar 1;304(5):L371-82. doi: 10.1152/ajplung.00372.2011. Epub 2013 Jan 11.

Kelly C, Williams MT, Elborn JS, Ennis M, Schock BC. Expression of the inflammatory regulator A20 correlates with lung function in patients with cystic fibrosis. J Cyst Fibros. 2013 Jul;12(4):411-5. doi: 10.1016/j.jcf.2012.10.009. Epub 2012 Nov 17.

Kelly C, Williams MT, Mitchell K, Elborn JS, Ennis M, Schock BC. Expression of the nuclear factor-κB inhibitor A20 is altered in the cystic fibrosis epithelium. Eur Respir J. 2013 Jun;41(6):1315-23. doi: 10.1183/09031936.00032412. Epub 2012 Sep 27.

2012
Guo-Parke H, McCluskey JT, Kelly C, Hamid M, McClenaghan NH, Flatt PR. Configuration of electrofusion-derived human insulin-secreting cell line as pseudoislets enhances functionality and therapeutic utility. J Endocrinol. 2012 Sep;214(3):257-65. doi: 10.1530/JOE-12-0188. Epub 2012 Jun 8.

Abed A, Critchlow C, Flatt PR, McClenaghan NH, Kelly C. Directed differentiation of progenitor cells towards an islet-cell phenotype. Am J Stem Cells. 2012 Nov 30;1(3):196-204

2011
Kelly C, McClenaghan NH, Flatt PR. Role of islet structure and cellular interactions in the control of insulin secretion. Islets. 2011 Mar-Apr;3(2):41-7. doi: 10.4161/isl.3.2.14805. Epub 2011 Mar 1.

Kelly C, Shields MD, Elborn JS, Schock BC. A20 regulation of nuclear factor-κB: perspectives for inflammatory lung disease. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2011 Jun;44(6):743-8. doi: 10.1165/rcmb.2010-0339TR. Epub 2011 Jan 14.

Kelly C, Flatt CC, McClenaghan NH. Stem cell-based approaches for the treatment of diabetes. Stem Cells Int. 2011;2011:424986. doi: 10.4061/2011/424986. Epub 2011 May 18. ß

2010
Kelly C, Parke HG, McCluskey JT, Flatt PR, McClenaghan NH. The role of glucagon- and somatostatin-secreting cells in the regulation of insulin release and beta-cell function in heterotypic pseudoislets. Diabetes Metab Res Rev. 2010 Oct;26(7):525-33. doi: 10.1002/dmrr.1111.

Kelly C, Guo H, McCluskey JT, Flatt PR, McClenaghan NH. Comparison of insulin release from MIN6 pseudoislets and pancreatic islets of Langerhans reveals importance of homotypic cell interactions. Pancreas. 2010 Oct;39(7):1016-23. doi: 10.1097/MPA.0b013e3181dafaa2.

Kelly C, Flatt PR, McClenaghan NH. Cell-to-cell communication and cellular environment alter the somatostatin status of delta cells. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2010 Aug 20;399(2):162-6. doi: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2010.07.036. Epub 2010 Jul 15

Persaud SJ, Arden C, Bergsten P, Bone AJ, Brown J, Dunmore S, Harrison M, Hauge-Evans A, Kelly C, King A, Maffucci T, Marriott CE, McClenaghan N, Morgan NG, Reers C, Russell MA, Turner MD, Willoughby E, Younis MY, Zhi ZL, Jones PM. Pseudoislets as primary islet replacements for research: report on a symposium at King's College London, London UK. Islets. 2010 Jul-Aug;2(4):236-9. doi: 10.4161/isl.2.4.12557.  

NIHR-AIMS, 2021, £117,076
CF Trust, SRC019, 2020 – 2023, £750,000
CF Trust SRC007, 2016 – 2019, £750,000
Wellcome Trust, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, £2,000 per summer studentship
Physiological Society, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017 £1,800 per summer studentship
Society for Endocrinology, 2013, 2014 £1,600 per summer studentship
Iraqi Ministry for Higher Education, 2014 – 2018, £61,500
CF Trust, 2014, £1,550
Society for Endocrinology, 2014 – 2016, £10,000
CF Trust, RS032, 2014 – 2017, £95,059
Iraqi Ministry for Higher Education, 2013 – 2017, £61,500
Diabetes Research and Wellness Foundation, 2013 – 2015, £14,600 

PhD

Current 
Wiktoria Ratajczak - Development of gene-editing technologies to aid diagnosis of type 1 diabetes
Ciara Devlin Off Target Benefits of GLP-1 therapy in type 2 Diabetes 
Evangeline Johnston - Developing more effective, less toxic drug combinations with statins as novel therapies in childhood leukaemia

Former
Dr Ryan Kelsey - The role of CFTR in islet development and signalling (completed 2020)
Dr Declan McGuigan - Identifying drivers of glycaemic control in response to sulphonylurea treatment (completed 2018)
Dr Andrew English - Biomarkers associated with glycaemic control, comorbidity and response to GLP-1 analogue therapy (completed 2018)
Dr Ajile Elttayef - Generation and characterisation of tissue-engineered pseudoislet models for the study of diabetes (completed 2018)
Dr Fiona Manderson Koivula - The impact of CFTR in the endocrine pancreas (completed 2017)
Dr Buthainah Al Azzawi - A role for human MSCs in attenuation of cytokine-induced beta cell apoptosis (completed 2017) 

Catriona is a fellow of the Higher Education Academy. He current serves as lecturer on the BSc and MSc degrees in Personalised Medicine.

Course Director, BSc Hons Personalised Medicine, 2015 – 2019
Associate Course Director, BSc Hons Personalised Medicine, 2014 – 2015
Revalidation Unit Coordinator, Personalised Medicine, 2018

Module Coordinator 
BIO122 – Anatomy and systems-based Physiology (BSc Hons Personalised Medicine)
BIO539 – Clinical Decision Making and Healthcare Economics (BSc Hons Personalised Medicine)

Lecturer/Tutor 
BIO336 – Pharmacology and Pharmacogenomics (BSc Hons Personalised Medicine)
BIO349 – Cellular and Molecular Pathophysiology (BSc Hons Personalised Medicine)
BMS712 – Foundation in Clinical Medicine and Pharmacology (PgDip Physician Associates Course)

Moderator/Examiner
BIO122 – Anatomy and systems-based Physiology (BSc Hons Personalised Medicine)
BIO336 – Pharmacology and Pharmacogenomics (BSc Hons Personalised Medicine)
BIO537 – Clinical or Fundamental Research Design (BSc Personalised Medicine)
BIO539 – Clinical Decision Making and Healthcare Economics (BSc Hons Personalised Medicine)
BIO540 – Clinical Research Project (BSc Personalised Medicine)
BIO833 – Research Project (MSc Personalised Medicine)
BMS809 – MSc Research Project (MSc Biomedical Science)
BMS505 – Investigsative Project (BSc Biomedical Science)