TU Dublin Researcher Awarded €595,099 to Advance AI-Enabled Prostate Cancer Diagnostics
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TU Dublin is delighted to announce that Dr Dinesh Kumar Reddy Medipally, postdoctoral researcher in the Centre for Radiation and Environmental Science (RESC) has been awarded €595,099 under the Taighde Éireann/Research Ireland Pathway Programme 2026 for his project titled ‘Development of a multiclass liquid biopsy for prostate cancer.’
The Pathway Award supports the establishment of independent research careers and recognises excellence in innovative, interdisciplinary research. Dr Medipally’s work builds on more than a decade of research spanning molecular biology, analytical chemistry, optical spectroscopy and machine learning, with a strong focus on developing novel liquid biopsy technologies for cancer diagnosis and prognosis.
Speaking about the award, Dr Medipally said:
I am honoured to receive the Research Ireland Pathway award. This support enables me to strengthen my independent research trajectory and to continue developing next-generation liquid biopsy technologies with the potential to transform cancer diagnostics.
Through previously funded IRC postgraduate and postdoctoral projects, Dr Medipally has developed advanced expertise in spectroscopy-based diagnostic platforms and robust machine learning frameworks for disease detection and stratification. His research in the Centre for Radiation and Environmental Science (RESC) in collaboration with Dr Aidan Meade and Prof Fiona Lyng has centred on translating complex biological signals into clinically actionable insights, particularly in oncology.
The Pathway-funded project directly extends this trajectory by advancing an AI-enabled liquid biopsy for prostate cancer capable of both detecting disease and stratifying tumour grade simultaneously. Current screening methods, such as the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test, suffer from low specificity and can lead to over-diagnosis and unnecessary invasive procedures. The proposed multiclass liquid biopsy aims to provide a more accurate and less invasive alternative, reducing physical discomfort and financial burden for patients while improving clinical decision-making.
Professor Fiona Lyng, RESC Centre Manager commented:
I’m delighted that Dinesh has been awarded the TÉ-RI Pathway Fellowship. This is a well-deserved recognition which will accelerate this research on minimally invasive prostate cancer diagnostics and bring benefits to patients in the future.
This award supports the structured progression of the platform towards translational validation, in alignment with national priorities in precision oncology and digital health. It also marks an important step in consolidating Dr Medipally’s independent research programme focused on minimally invasive, data-driven cancer diagnostics, while further strengthening TU Dublin’s strategic emphasis on interdisciplinary and translational research.