Dr Chris Greene, StAR Research Lecturer in the Department of Physiology and Medical Physics and FutureNeuro at RCSI, has been named a 2026 Lister Prize Fellow, receiving £300,000 to support pioneering research into the blood-brain barrier.

The Lister Prize is one of the most prestigious awards available to early-career biomedical researchers in the UK and Ireland.

Awarded by the Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine, the prize provides recipients with £300,000 in flexible funding over five years, enabling them to pursue ambitious and innovative research programmes.

This year, eight researchers from across the UK and Ireland were selected as Lister Prize Fellows, with Dr Greene the only researcher based in Ireland to receive the award.

Advancing understanding

Dr Greene’s project will investigate whether the blood-brain barrier functions differently on the left and right sides of the brain, and whether disruptions to this balance could contribute to schizophrenia.

The blood-brain barrier is a protective lining that regulates the movement of substances from the bloodstream into the brain. When this barrier becomes disrupted, potentially harmful substances can enter brain tissue, contributing to inflammation and disease.

While schizophrenia has previously been linked to both blood-brain barrier dysfunction and abnormalities in left-right brain organisation, these have never been studied in combination.

Through the Lister-funded project, Dr Greene and his team will combine brain imaging, high-resolution microscopy and cell analysis to map differences throughout the lifespan and determine whether restoring balance in the system could help protect against schizophrenia.

Supporting ambitious research

Professor Fergal O’Brien, Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation at RCSI, congratulated Dr Greene, saying: “We are delighted to see Chris recognised with a Lister Prize, one of the most competitive awards for emerging biomedical researchers. This achievement reflects the originality and ambition of his research programme, as well as his leadership in brain health research. The flexibility of the Lister Prize will enable him to build a team and pursue bold scientific questions that have the potential to change how we understand and treat schizophrenia.”

The Lister Prize supports exceptional early-career researchers at a critical stage in their careers, providing the freedom to pursue high-risk, high-reward science that may not be possible through traditional project-based funding.

Professor Sir John Iredale, Chair of the Lister Institute, said: “The Lister Prize exists to back exceptional early-career researchers at the moment when bold ideas can have the greatest impact. This year’s Fellows exemplify the ambition, originality and scientific excellence needed to tackle some of the most important biomedical challenges of our time. We are proud to support them as they shape the future of research in the UK and Ireland.”

For more information about the Lister Prize Fellows 2026, visit the Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine website.