Dr Paul Browne MB, FRCPath, FRCPI Consultant Haematologist was the recipient of the St Luke's Medal

Dr Paul Browne MB, FRCPath, FRCPI Consultant Haematologist in the Department of Haematology St James's Hospital and TCD was the recipient of the St Luke's Medal and presented the St Luke's annual Lecture in the Royal College of Physicians on the 28th January 2009. Dr Browne delivered his lecture 'Stem Cell
transplantation: implications for cancer treatment in Ireland' to a large audience. He traced the history of Stem Cell Transplantation, pioneered by Professor E Donal Thomas from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre in Seattle, Washington, USA. The first Stem cell transplant in Ireland was carried out by Professor Shaun McCann in St James's Hospital, Dublin and since then 1300 patients have been the recipients of stem cell transplants. Dr Brown pointed out that the results from St James's Hospital, where he is now the lead clinician in the stem cell transplant unit, are comparable to the international experience.
Dr Brown alluded to the reseach spin offs from the transplant programme including the detection of chimaeric status, donor leukaemia, detection of minimal residual disease and detection of circulating endothelial progenitore in peripheral blood.

Dr Browne pointed out that Ireland needed to invest further in infrastructure to make stem cell transplant available to a larger number of patients if we are to equate to the wider European experience. Dr Brown's address was warmly received.

28 January 2009

A Good Manufacturing Licence (GMP) has been granted to the Stem Cell Facility/Tissue Establishment in St James’s Hospital

The licence was granted by the Irish Medicines Board to comply with the EU Tissue Directive which has been incorporated into Irish law. This guarantees a very standard for all aspects of Stem Cell Collection and Processing for all patients receiving Stem Allogeneic or Autologous Transplantation in St James’s Hospital. Professor McCann extends his thanks and congratulations to all members of the team. The laboratory is housed in the National Blood Centre on the St James’s Campus.

September 2008