Projects per year
Personal profile
Research Statement
I hold a Chair in Clinical Pharmacy and am the Director of Research at the School of Pharmacy, Queen’s University Belfast. I have an international track record in lung microbiome research with my translational research programme focusing primarily on the improved detection and treatment of lung infection in patients with respiratory diseases such as cystic fibrosis (CF), non-CF bronchiectasis and COPD. I have published over 100 research papers in peer-reviewed journals and serves on a number of scientific advisory boards as well as editorial boards.
I lead a multidisciplinary team of research staff including pharmacists, microbiologists and clinicians. My laboratory is a world class centre of excellence which aims to develop the next generation of treatments, diagnostic tools and standards of care in order to alleviate or cure respiratory infection.
All staff and students in my team are dedicated to working together to push the boundaries of scientific and clinical discovery. Our goal is to translate these advances into new clinical and therapeutic approaches that will ultimately improve the lives of patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) and other respiratory diseases.
Research in my group is focused primarily on the improved detection and treatment of lung infection in patients with respiratory diseases such as cystic fibrosis (CF), non-CF bronchiectasis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Microbiome analysis is performed, using both enhanced aerobic and anaerobic culture techniques and non-culture based next- generation sequencing, on samples from patients with CF, bronchiectasis, COPD and primary immune deficiency. Using these techniques, we have identified that a much wider range of bacteria may cause respiratory infection in patients with these diseases than was previously thought. We have also discovered that bacteria which do not require oxygen to live may be present in the airways.
My team’s current research programme is designed to:
• Establish the role of these organisms in causing infection and damage in the lungs of patients with respiratory disease
• Determine why these bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics used to treat infection
• Evaluate the efficacy of antibiotics and other agents under low oxygen conditions which mimic conditions in the lung and;
• Examine whether changes in antibiotic treatment to target a wider range of bacteria present in the lungs result in improved clinical outcomes for patients
Our group are also leading a €50 million, 5-year Europe-wide, Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) funded project to develop new drugs that could improve the lives of patients with CF and bronchiectasis. The iABC (inhaled Antibiotics in Bronchiectasis and Cystic Fibrosis) consortium, which is made up of industry partners Novartis and Polyphor and world-leading lung specialists from across Europe, will develop new ‘inhaled antibiotics’ to manage chronic lung infection, the main cause of disease and death in patients with these conditions.
Watch more about my research on this video.
Teaching
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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R6638PMY: EXIMIOUS - Mapping Exposure-Induced Immune Effects: Connecting the Exposome and the Immunome
Tunney, M. (PI)
02/01/2020 → …
Project: Research
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R6455CII: Inhaled Antibiotics in Bronchiectasis and Cystic Fibrosis
Elborn, S. (PI), Bradley, J. (CoI), Gilpin, D. (CoI), Ingram, B. (CoI) & Tunney, M. (CoI)
30/04/2015 → …
Project: Research
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R4133GFS: Pathogen Surveillance in Agriculture, Food and the Environment (PATH-SAFE) Summary
McGrath, J. (PI), Bamford, C. (CoI), Cameron, S. (CoI), Creevey, C. (CoI), Gilmore, B. (CoI), Gilpin, D. (CoI), Hughes, C. (CoI), Kelly, S. (CoI), McKinley, J. (CoI) & Tunney, M. (CoI)
23/11/2022 → 31/03/2024
Project: Research
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R1675BSC: FINGERPRINT: Fully Integrated Culturomic Platform for Rapid, High-throughput Microbial Identification and Characterisation
Megaw, J. (PI), Cameron, S. (CoI), Chin, J. (CoI), Gilmore, B. (CoI), Gilpin, D. (CoI), Huws, S. (CoI), McGrath, J. (CoI) & Tunney, M. (CoI)
16/06/2022 → 31/07/2023
Project: Research
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Airway total bacterial density, microbiota community composition and relationship with clinical parameters in bronchiectasis
Alfahl, Z., Einarsson, G. G., Elborn, J. S., Gilpin, D. F., O'Neill, K., Ferguson, K., Hill, A. T., Loebinger, M. R., Carroll, M., Gatheral, T., De Soyza, A., Chalmers, J. D., Johnson, C., Hurst, J. R., Brown, J. S., Bradley, J. M. & Tunney, M. M., Jan 2025, In: Respiratory Medicine. 236, 8 p., 107906.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile6 Downloads (Pure) -
Antibiofilm activity of Prevotella species from the cystic fibrosis lung microbiota against Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Grassi, L., Asfahl, K. L., Van den Bossche, S., Maenhout, I., Sass, A., Vande Weygaerde, Y., Van Braeckel, E., Verhasselt, B., Boelens, J., Tunney, M. M., Dandekar, A. A., Coenye, T. & Crabbé, A., 13 Jun 2024, In: Biofilm. 7, 11 p., 100206.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile18 Downloads (Pure) -
Diminished airway host innate response in people with cystic fibrosis who experience frequent pulmonary exacerbations
Houston, C. J., Alkhatib, A., Einarsson, G. G., Tunney, M. M., Taggart, C. C. & Downey, D. G., 01 Feb 2024, In: European Respiratory Journal. 63, 2, 15 p., 2301228.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile2 Citations (Scopus)25 Downloads (Pure) -
Inhaled dry powder liposomal azithromycin for treatment of chronic lower respiratory tract infection
Dallal Bashi, Y. H., Ali, A., Al Ayoub, Y., Assi, K. H., Mairs, R., McCarthy, H. O., Tunney, M. M. & Kett, V. L., 25 Mar 2024, In: International Journal of Pharmaceutics. 653, 11 p., 123841.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile4 Citations (Scopus)66 Downloads (Pure) -
In vitro activity of cefiderocol against Gram-negative pathogens isolated from people with cystic fibrosis and bronchiectasis
Tunney, M. M., Elborn, J. S., McLaughlin, C. S. & Longshaw, C. M., 02 Mar 2024, In: Journal of Global Antimicrobial Resistance. 36, p. 407-410 4 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile2 Citations (Scopus)12 Downloads (Pure)
Activities
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The lung and gut microbiome in people with CF.
Tunney, M. (Advisor)
31 Jan 2020Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited or keynote talk at national or international conference
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Higher Education Academy (External organisation)
Tunney, M. (Member)
2003 → …Activity: Membership types › Membership of external research organisation