Dr. Cahir O Kane

Biography

Cahir O'Kane grew up in rural Northern Ireland during the Troubles before pursuing a degree in genetics at Cambridge University, which he found to be a significant cultural shift. He completed his PhD in bacterial genetics at Trinity College Dublin, followed by a postdoctoral position at the University of Basel. O'Kane developed the widely used enhancer trapping tool in Drosophila, driving his current research that focuses on using Drosophila to investigate the function of neurons at the subcellular level and their implications in human neurodegenerative diseases. He is passionate about teaching and mentoring, contributing to undergraduate teaching in cell biology and genetics, and serves as the Acting Director of Studies at Churchill College. His research interests center around the basic biology of axonal endoplasmic reticulum (ER), its relevance to neurodegenerative diseases, and leveraging Drosophila as a model organism to study these processes. His work has led to insights into the roles of hereditary spastic paraplegia proteins in the formation of axonal ER and the identification of genes and mechanisms that contribute to its development.

Research Interests

Experience