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Introduction
2004 marks the 20th Anniversary of the first successful bone marrow transplant for leukaemia carried out in St. James’s Hospital, Dublin.
The formation of the bone marrow transplant unit was made possible by funding from the Bone Marrow for Leukaemia Trust, a charitable trust founded by Professor Ian Temperley, the late Eugene Murray and other friends.
Initially the unit was housed in Hospital One in St. James’s Hospital but in 1995 it moved to a new purpose built unit in the new St. James’s Hospital which in turn was subsequently replaced by a state of the art unit, containing 21 air conditioned, en suite rooms in 2001. The unit, in conjunction with The Irish Blood Transfusion Service, carries out stem cell transplantation for patients in Ireland, Northern Ireland and also provides volunteer stem cells from Irish donors for patients abroad. Likewise patients in other countries such as North America, Europe and Australia have provided stem cells for Irish patients who lack a suitable donor in their family. To date the unit has carried out more than 600 stem cell transplants and it is also audited annually for the International Bone Marrow Transplant Registry. The results in the unit are comparable with those in any unit in North America or Europe and in some instances the expectation is for a 75% cure rate for certain types of leukaemia.
The new unit carries out approximately 100 stem cell transplants a year. The Bone Marrow for Leukaemia Trust has to-date raised €10,000,000 in support of the unit. The unit remains the only one in the country offering stem cell transplantation for adult patients and is named after the late Eugene Murray and situated in the new Denis Burkitt Haematology ward in St. James’s Hospital. The ward is named after Dr. Denis Burkitt, a graduate of Trinity College, Dublin and a famous Irish Haematologist.
Other support provided by the trust
It is clear that the treatment of leukaemia with chemotherapy or stem cell transplantation is a highly complex. The team is comprised of doctors, specialist nurses, social workers, clinical nutritionists, pharmacists and also relies on the imput of many different specialists in the hospital. The Bone Marrow for Leukaemia Trust has supported specialist nurses, nurse education, salaries for haematologists in training and for research scientists and physicians. Dr. Mark Lawler from Trinity College, Dublin was initially supported by the Bone Marrow for Leukaemia Trust. As a result of his research he is now Associate Professor in Trinity College, Dublin and head of the Cancer Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory in St. James’s Hospital, Dublin. The Trust has also supplied financial support for staff members to attend at important international meetings. The Department of Haematology has recently been strengthened by the appointment of Dr. Eibhlin Conneally, who started her training originally in St. James’s Hospital and has returned from Vancouver in Canada and Dr. Elisabeth Vanderberghe who has returned as a Consultant Haematologist from the UK. The training program run by the department is the only one in Ireland which is fully recognised for higher specialist training in the field of Haematology.
Future Developments
Dr. Paul Browne is developing a special interest in the treatment of Multiple Myeloma with Autologous Stem Cell transplants. To date over 100 patients have been treated and he is carrying out research with Dr. Amjad Hayat to try and improve the long term results with the use of new drugs in association with Autologus Stem Cell Transplantation. Dr. Eibhlin Conneally and Professor Shaun McCann continue their research into the treatment of Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia both with Stem Cell Transplantation and new combinations of drugs. The unit continues to have an interest in the treatment of severe Aplastic Anaemia with stem cell transplantation with a 90% cure rate in the last 10 years. The unit works closely in association with the department of haematology in Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin who carry out stem cell transplants in children. A joint research project funded by the Trust and Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children into the treatment of childhood leukaemia has been completed. New molecular technology developed at James’s Hospital has allowed the close monitoring of children and an early decision can be made as to when therapy such as stem cell transplantation might be appropriate.
The future aims of Bone Marrow for Leukaemia Trust
The Trust will continue to support research in the New John Durkan Research Leukaemia Memorial Laboratories and will continue to take an interest in supporting patients and their families through the difficult times ahead. It is hoped to raise funds to complete, purpose built accommodation either on or close to the hospital campus. Currently the Bone Marrow Trust owns two apartments close to the hospital, which have proved invaluable for patients and their families during the time of chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation. It is hoped that a new facility will provide space for up to 10 families as requirement for transplantation increases with the development of new technologies.
The Trust has only been successful because of the dedication of its staff and trustees and because of the tremendous financial support given by Irish people since the early 1980s.
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