Team/Members of the group:

• Dr Barr is a member of the Thoracic Oncology Research Group which is made up of the following core staff: 
• Dr Stephen Finn (Consultant Pathologist) 
• Dr Sinead Cuffe (Consultant Medical Oncologist) 
• Dr Kathy Gately (Clinical Scientist) 
• Dr Steven Gray (Clinical Scientist)

Close Collaborators:
Multidisciplinary collaborations between research & clinical departments at TCD & St James’s Hospital, Cancer Molecular Diagnostics (CMD) Laboratory, European Thoracic Oncology Platform (ETOP) 

Main Funders: 
Charitable, institutional & industry funding 

Active research programmes: 
Dr Barr is a Clinical Scientist within the Thoracic Oncology Research Group at the TSJCI. With a keen interest in translational cancer biology, he has a number of key research interests in thoracic malignancies, in particular, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Active research programmes currently under investigation include, elucidating molecular mechanisms and therapeutic targets in chemotherapy-resistant NSCLC and the role of cancer stem cells in this drug-resistant phenotype; repurposing old drugs for new indications in lung cancer; biomarker discovery & validation; the development & use of liquid biopsy for monitoring drug resistance mutations in NSCLC patients during treatment with targeted therapies.

Additional Information:
Many of the above translational cancer research programmes have been made possible through extensive collaborations with industry, in addition to access to consented patient samples and associated pathological & clinical data as part of our Lung Cancer (Thoracic) Biobank at the TSJCI. These are compliant with current GDRP and Health Research Regulation guidelines and have significantly enhanced the translation of our research findings from the bench to the clinic and back again. Dr Barr is Co-Lead of TSJCI Biobank activities & Strategic Plans. He is a member of a large number of professional bodies, including the newly formed, Irish Lung Cancer Alliance (ILCA). This is a network of clinical and translational lung cancer researchers that provides a platform to foster the development of innovative investigator-led clinical trials & collaborative translational research in Ireland.