Westway Health Team
Project Manager, Aoife McCarthy, BSc, PhD
Aoife has acted as Project Manager at Westway Health since September 2017. Prior to joining the company, Aoife spent 15 years working in R&D, Regulatory Affairs and project management roles in both industrial and academic settings.
She brings to Westway Health a strong background of advancing research to the next stage of product development and commercialisation from her experience working as Project Manager with a Venture Capitalist company. Exploring funding opportunities, and managing deliverables under the H2020 SME Phase 2 project at Westway Health is her focus at present.
Aoife received her 1st class honours undergraduate degree, Bachelor of Science, Chemistry, and PhD from NUI Galway.
Senior Scientist, Cathy Abberton, BSc, MSc
Cathy has been with the company since July 2015 and has played a key role in the development of LARS, focusing on the advancement of the in vitro aspects of the LARS technology and optimisation of the excipient. More recently, she has been investigating PanaMast™ LC administration and dosage regimes in vivo.
She has brought a strong microbiological background to the team, in particular, expertise using both culture-dependant and -independent techniques to investigate the persistence of pathogenic organisms in water systems, biofilms, and other environments. She has developed several key assays within the company, and is responsible for coordinating and delivering a number of critical laboratory studies under the on-going H2020 SME Phase 2 project. Cathy is also responsible for the training and up-skilling of new staff.
Cathy received her honours undergraduate degree, Bachelor of Science, Microbiology, and MSc by Research, Environmental Microbiology, from NUI Galway.
Research Associate, Lilit Tonoyan, BSc, MSc, PhD
Lilit is a Research Associate at Westway Health since October 2017, and brings with her a strong background in antimicrobial activity testing, biofilm studies, resistance studies, cell culturing, and cytotoxicity testing. Her role at the company involves generating the antimicrobial database, studying the potential development of microbial resistance to PanaMast™ and the potential for development of cross-resistance to antibiotics through the use of PanaMast™, and examining the effects of antimicrobials and the mechanism of their action. Her research forms key components of the H2020 SME Phase 2 project.
Lilit received her honours undergraduate degree, Bachelor of Science, from Yerevan State University, Armenia, MSc from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, and PhD from NUI Galway, Ireland in collaboration with Westway Health.
Research Associate, Conor Larkin, BSc
Conor joined the Westway Health team in July 2017, with his main focus at the company involving research into the use of PanaMast™ as a treatment for mastitis with an emphasis on efficacy testing. This forms a critical part of the current H2020 SME Phase 2 research. He brings a strong work ethic and a good microbiological know-how to the company.
Conor received his 1st class honours undergraduate degree, Bachelor of Science, Microbiology, from NUI Galway.