National Children’s Research Centre Signs a Strategic Partnership with Trinity College Dublin’s School of Medicine
Posted on: 16 February 2011
National Children’s Research Centre Awards €5 million for Research into Children’s Diseases
Trinity College Dublin’s School of Medicine has signed a strategic partnership with the National Children’s Research Centre in relation to paediatric research into children’s illnesses and diseases. As part of the agreement, the National Children’s Research Centre, funded in its entirety by the Children’s Medical & Research Foundation (CMRF), has awarded €5 million in funding to the new research programme which will have implications for the development of more targeted treatment of children’s inflammatory diseases such as eczema, asthma, childhood rheumatic diseases and cystic fibrosis.
Commenting on the significance of the strategic partnership and paediatric research programme the Director of Research at the National Children’s Research Centre, Professor Carlos Blanco stated: “In line with our policy this new immunology programme will target world-class research on the early origin of disease. Through research, we will drive improvement in the care and treatment of children.”
Professor Padraic Fallon, SFI Stokes Professor of Translational Immunology at Trinity’s School of Medicine has been appointed as Director of the new Paediatric Research in Translational Immunology Programme. Professor Fallon has previously led groundbreaking research on asthma and inflammatory bowel disease among other diseases.
He will be joined by Professor Alan Irvine, Consultant Dermatologist at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin and Associate Professor of Dermatology at TCD, as Associate Director who has led cutting-edge research into eczema and other skin-related diseases. Dr Patrick Walsh will also be joining the team and has been appointed to a new Ussher Lectureship in Paediatric Immunology.
In welcoming the new partnership and appointments, Head of Trinity’s School of Medicine and Vice-Provost for Medical Affairs, Professor Dermot Kelleher said: “This is a very exciting development in Irish paediatric research. This new programme brings together a critical mass in paediatric immunology which will allow for the translation of leading research into real tangible clinical benefits in patient care for children.”
Back Row: Director of Research at the National Children’s Research Centre, Professor Carlos Blanco and TCD Head of the School of Medicine and Vice-Provost for Medical Affairs, Professor Dermot Kelleher
Front Row: President of the Children’s Medical & Research Foundation, Shane Molloy and Provost of TCD, Dr John Hegarty
About the National Children’s Research Centre:
About the National Children’s Research Centre, Ireland’s leading paediatric research facility targets research to key issues in childhood health, such as cancer genetics, diabetes and obesity and supports clinical research in children. For more information on the National Children’s Research Centre, at Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin click on:www.childrensresearchcentre.org.
About the Children’s Medical & Research Foundation:
The Children’s Medical & Research Foundation is Ireland’s largest children’s health charity supporting sick children and their families to have state of the art equipment and facilities in the most comfortable and reassuring surroundings in Ireland’s largest children’s hospital Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin while also improving the quality of healthcare for future generations by supporting investigations into childhood illness & diseases at the National Children’s Research Centre. http:///www.cmrf.org