Dr Pamela Judith Walsh, Queen's University Belfast

My research focuses on understanding the glue mechanism used by marine biofouling crustaceans that are found along the Irish coastline. Mussels, barnacles, and other marine crustaceans have developed, a highly effective glue that enables them to stick to surfaces underwater in highly saline and hostile conditions. Marine organisms have evolved to produce glue with exceptional sticky properties that could have great benefits in many medical applications, e.g., bone trauma. Glues that are currently used in bone repair have been taken from other applications, as opposed to being designed for bone, resulting in poor clinical performance. The long-term goal is to reverse engineer marine glues into suitable bone glues so that a less invasive approach can be taken to repair broken bone.