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Professor Maureen J O'Sullivan

CONSULTANT PAEDIATRIC PATHOLOGIST/CLINIC (Histopathology)
Clinical Professor (Paediatrics)
      
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Professor Maureen J O'Sullivan

CONSULTANT PAEDIATRIC PATHOLOGIST/CLINIC (Histopathology)

 Maureen.OSullivan@tcd.ie

 

Clinical Professor (Paediatrics)


Maureen OSullivan has been a full clinical Professor at Trinity College, Dublin since February 2011. She is a full-time Consultant Paediatric Pathologist at Children's Health Ireland since March 2007, and completed her Pathology residency and Fellowships at Washington University in St. Louis, MO USA under the tutelage of Louis (Pepper) Dehner, a founding father of paediatric pathology. She has introduced diagnostic molecular genetic testing by Next Generation Sequencing into the Histology Laboratory at Children's Health Ireland and is responsible for this service. She has secured research funding for the past 17 years for her own research programme with post-doctoral researchers based at the Trinity Translational Medicine Institute. Research Focus: The focus of research in my group is characterisation of genomic mutations and particularly also epigenetic dysregulation as drivers of solid pediatric tumors, notably sarcomas and renal cancers. Much of this work has developed out of our success in the characterization of novel chromosomal translocations in these tumor types. Through multi-faceted investigation of these mutation events by Chromatin immunoprecipitation, ChIPSeq, RNASeqand DNA methylation analysis coupled with proteomics, mass spectrometry and co-immunoprecipitation, we are unraveling the basis of the oncogenesis resulting from these mutations. The aims include better insights into cancer initiation and development, establishment of clinically useful biomarkers and ultimately improved and more targeted therapeutic strategies for our young patients. We collaborate with many investigators nationally and. internationally. Funding has been through: Research Ireland Frontiers of the Future Award, HRB-Clinician Scientist Award, several combined HRB-Medical Charities Award schemes, the National Children's Research Centre/Children's Medical and Research Foundation, the Ian Daly Swim-a-Mile charity, CCLG-Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust UK and GIST Awareness, USA. Publications include several book chapters and 175 peer-reviewed publications. She was honoured and delighted to partake in the recent development of the ICCR datasets for Rhabdomyosarcoma and renal Tumours, now published. Education: Professor O`Sullivan lectures the Trinity College Medical students in years 2 and 3 on the Molecular Genetics of Cancer, and also the Masters in Translational Oncology students at Trinity College, Dublin. Teaching the Non-Consultant Hospital Doctors (NCHD) in Pathology is a component of her daily work, supplemented regularly by nationwide webinars. Further Academic Roles: She has served as invited reviewer of the French National Cancer Institute on multiple occasions and also the Canadian Institute of Health Research " Sick Kids grant review and the Swiss anti-cancer League grant reviews. She served on the Medical and Research Ethics Committee at Children"s Health Ireland for several years. Prof. O`Sullivan serves currently as : President of the pathology section of the Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland, Chair of the Pathology Group of the Children"s Cancer and Leukaemia Group (CCLG), UK, Chairperson of the International Paediatric Pathology Association (IPPA) and Vice President of the Connective Tissue Oncology Society (CTOS), THE international interdisciplinary Sarcoma Society. Co-Chair of the Education Committee of CTOS She is a member of the SIOP (International Paediatric Oncology Society"s ) RenalTumour Study Group. She is also a member of the Paediatric Pathology Working group of the European Society of Pathology. She is regularly an invited speaker at all of these annual conferences. Pro bono work: includes very active diagnostic support of paediatric oncology services in Tanzania and she has been a repeat visitor to Ho Chi Minh city, VietNam to support the paediatric onco-pathology service there also. She has been invited to give masterclasses at a symposium in HCMC in late October 2025.
  Biomedical sciences   CANCER   Cancer genetics and cell biology including metastasis   Cancer/Carcinogenesis   Chromatin biology   Epigenetics   Genomes, Genomics   Human genetics   Medicine   Molecular Biology   PAEDIATRICS
Language Skill Reading Skill Writing Skill Speaking
English Fluent Fluent Fluent
French Fluent Medium Medium
German Fluent Fluent Fluent
Irish Fluent Medium Medium
Spanish Medium Medium Basic
Details Date From Date To
Fellow, The Royal College of Pathologists of Great Britain and Ireland.
Fellow Royal College of Physicians of Ireland
Vice-President, Connective Tissue Oncology Society. November 2025-2026
Chairpseron International Paediatric Pathology Association November 2024-2030
Chair, Pathology Section, Children's Cancer and Leukaemia Group, UK/Eire July 2024-ongoing
President Pathology Section Royal Academy of Medicine of Ireland July 2019- ongoing
Member, Societe Internationale d'Oncologie Paediatrique [SIOP].
Member, SIOP Renal Tumor Study Group.
Member Society for Pediatric Pathology
Member, Paediatric Pathology Society
Member, American Association for Cancer Research.
Member, National Institutes of Health [NIH] Pediatric and Wild-type GIST Clinic
Stenke E, Stallard L, Cooper S, Dominik A, Pilkington A, Sugrue S, O'Sullivan M, McDermott M, Quinn S, Broderick A, Bourke B, Hussey S., Mucosal atrophy predicts poorer outcomes in pediatric ulcerative colitis- a national inception cohort study., Journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition, 2023, pe003746 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Marek-Yagel D, Stenke E, Pode-Shakked B, Dunne C, Crushell E, Bryce-Smith A, McDermott M, O'Sullivan MJ, Veber A, Krishnamurthy M, Wells JM, Anikster Y, Bourke B., Nonsense mutation in the novel PERCC1 gene as a genetic cause of congenital diarrhea and enteropathy., Human genetics, 2022, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Coyle, R. and O'Sullivan, M.J. and Zisterer, D.M., Targeting inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) with IAP inhibitors sensitises malignant rhabdoid tumour cells to cisplatin, Cancer Treatment and Research Communications, 32, (100579), 2022, Notes: [cited By 0], Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Hannon Barroeta, P. and Magnano, S. and O'Sullivan, M.J. and Zisterer, D.M., Evaluation of targeting autophagy for the treatment of malignant rhabdoid tumours, Cancer Treatment and Research Communications, 32, (100584), 2022, Notes: [cited By 0], Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Sasaki, E. and Phelan, E. and O'Regan, M. and Kassim, A.H. and Miletin, J. and McMahon, C. and O'Sullivan, M.J. and Baptista, J. and Lynch, S.A., HK1 haemolytic anaemia in association with a neurological phenotype and co-existing CEP290 Meckelâ€"Gruber in a Romani family, Clinical Genetics, 101, (1), 2022, p142-143 , Notes: [cited By 0], Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Sahoo SS, Pastor VB, Goodings C, Voss RK, Kozyra EJ, Szvetnik A, Noellke P, Dworzak M, Starý J, Locatelli F, Masetti R, Schmugge M, De Moerloose B, Catala A, Kállay K, Turkiewicz D, Hasle H, Buechner J, Jahnukainen K, Ussowicz M, Polychronopoulou S, Smith OP, Fabri O, Barzilai S, de Haas V, Baumann I, Schwarz-Furlan S, European Working Group of MDS in Children (EWOG-MDS), Niewisch MR, Sauer MG, Burkhardt B, Lang P, Bader P, Beier R, Müller I, Albert MH, Meisel R, Schulz A, Cario G, Panda PK, Wehrle J, Hirabayashi S, Derecka M, Durruthy-Durruthy R, Göhring G, Yoshimi-Noellke A, Ku M, Lebrecht D, Erlacher M, Flotho C, Strahm B, Niemeyer CM, Wlodarski MW., Publisher Correction: Clinical evolution, genetic landscape and trajectories of clonal hematopoiesis in SAMD9/SAMD9L syndromes., Nature medicine, 27, (12), 2021, p2248 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Sahoo SS, Pastor VB, Goodings C, Voss RK, Kozyra EJ, Szvetnik A, Noellke P, Dworzak M, Starý J, Locatelli F, Masetti R, Schmugge M, De Moerloose B, Catala A, Kállay K, Turkiewicz D, Hasle H, Buechner J, Jahnukainen K, Ussowicz M, Polychronopoulou S, Smith OP, Fabri O, Barzilai S, de Haas V, Baumann I, Schwarz-Furlan S, European Working Group of MDS in Children (EWOG-MDS), Niewisch MR, Sauer MG, Burkhardt B, Lang P, Bader P, Beier R, Müller I, Albert MH, Meisel R, Schulz A, Cario G, Panda PK, Wehrle J, Hirabayashi S, Derecka M, Durruthy-Durruthy R, Göhring G, Yoshimi-Noellke A, Ku M, Lebrecht D, Erlacher M, Flotho C, Strahm B, Niemeyer CM, Wlodarski MW., Clinical evolution, genetic landscape and trajectories of clonal hematopoiesis in SAMD9/SAMD9L syndromes., Nature medicine, 27, (10), 2021, p1806-1817 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
McCarthy P, Harford J, O'Marcaigh A, Malone A, Evans P, Sills A, Storey L, Rooney S, Betts D, O'Sullivan MJ, McDermott M, Bond J, Trinquand A, Smith OP., Ongoing excellent outcomes with reduced toxicities following integration of molecular targeted therapies in pediatric anaplastic large cell lymphoma., Leukemia & lymphoma, 62, (8), 2021, p1995-1999 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Shi Y, Yuan J, Rraklli V, Maxymovitz E, Cipullo M, Liu M, Li S, Westerlund I, Bedoya-Reina OC, Bullova P, Rorbach J, Juhlin CC, Stenman A, Larsson C, Kogner P, O'Sullivan MJ, Schlisio S, Holmberg J., Aberrant splicing in neuroblastoma generates RNA-fusion transcripts and provides vulnerability to spliceosome inhibitors., Nucleic acids research, 49, (5), 2021, p2509-2521 , Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
Kenny C, O'Meara E, Ula" M, Hokamp K, O'Sullivan MJ., Global Chromatin Changes Resulting from Single-Gene Inactivation-The Role of SMARCB1 in Malignant Rhabdoid Tumor., Cancers, 13, (11), 2021, Journal Article, PUBLISHED  DOI
  

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