Ryan O'Hare Doig

Dr. Ryan O'Hare Doig is a Researcher at the Centre for Orthopaedic and Trauma Research within the Adelaide Medical School, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences at the University of Adelaide. He serves as Head of Spinal Cord Injury Research at the Neil Sachse Centre for Spinal Cord Research, located at the South Australian Health & Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI).

Dr. O'Hare Doig's research expertise lies in neuroscience, particularly in spinal cord injury (SCI) and molecular imaging. His work focuses on understanding the role of ion channels, oxidative stress, and inflammation as potential diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets. His research program encompasses discovery, diagnostics, and therapeutics for SCI, with projects ranging from animal studies to early-phase clinical trials. His research interests include neurotrauma, neuropharmacology, molecular biology, nuclear imaging (PET/CT), functional imaging (fMRI), nanomedicine, inflammation, oxidative stress, stem cell biology, and glia.

Dr. O'Hare Doig has secured substantial research funding, totaling $17.6 million (approximately $13.7 million as Chief or Co-Chief Investigator), supporting his work across multiple large-scale projects. These projects include the NANO-REWIRE Project, C-RESCUE Project, Project Discovery, Project SCIN, and several others focused on developing innovative treatments for spinal cord injury complications such as respiratory failure and bladder/bowel dysfunction.

Dr. O'Hare Doig has been recognized with numerous prestigious awards:

• National Neurotrauma Society Certificate of Excellence (2018)
• Spine Society of Australia Early Career Scholarship (2021)
• High Impact Publication award from the University of Adelaide (2021)
• Top scoring conference papers from the International Neurotrauma Symposium (2024)
• Dr. John and Mrs. Joy Yeo Churchill Fellowship
• National Imaging Facility (NIF) Fellow (2022)
• AO Spine Faculty (SCI Forum) appointment (2022)

As an active supervisor, Dr. O'Hare Doig is eligible to supervise Masters and PhD students. His research group at SAHMRI includes multiple ongoing projects available for Honours, Masters, and PhD candidates, focusing on innovative approaches to spinal cord injury treatment through nanomedicine, stem cell therapy, and advanced imaging techniques. He leads South Australia's only pre-clinical stem cell tissue engineering platform, collaborating with multiple departments across the University of Adelaide.

Dr. O'Hare Doig's laboratory actively works on developing advanced functional and molecular imaging techniques to provide real-time monitoring of the injured spinal cord. His research aims to establish clinical imaging pipelines that will transform how spinal cord injuries are diagnosed and treated, ultimately leading to novel therapeutic targets that improve the quality of life for individuals with SCI and their families.