The Dublin Molecular Medicine Centre A Model for Translational Research

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The Dublin Molecular Medicine CentreA Model
for Translational Research
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The Unique Irish Environment

• Small country (4million inhabitants)
• Large Pharma Presence
• Ireland is the second exporter of pharma products
  in the world
• Homogeneous Gene Pool
• The 90s was the first decade in 400 years that
  immigration gt emigration and that the GDP
  increased
• Centralised patient consultation for serious
  diseases
• The 6 major teaching hospitals in Dublin capture
  gt50 of the total population
• Recent government investment in research
  infrastructure (buildings ,equipment,people)
• Digital environment (EHQ for Intell,Dell,HP,MS,)

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Academic Environment

• Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
• Established in 1784
• incorporating
• Institute of Biopharmaceutical Sciences
• Focused on
• - Cardiovascular Disease
• Angiogenesis
• Inflammation
• - Cancer
• - Neurodegenerative Diseases
• using
• Bioinformatics (with NUIM, Ireland)
• Irish Gene Bank (SurgGen)
• Probiotics (with UCC, Ireland)
• Proteomics(SFI Centre)

• Trinity College Dublin
• Established in 1592
• incorporating
• Institute of Molecular Medicine (St. Jamess
  Hospital / TCD)
• Fucused on
• Oesophageal Cancer
• Haematological Malignancy
• Infectious Diseases
• Inflammation
• Genetics of Neuropsychiatric diseases
• in association with
• Transgenic Research Centre
• Nanotechnology Research Centre
• TCIN

University College Dublin Established in
1851 incorporating Conway Institute Focused
on - Neuroscience - Host Defence Immunity -
Vascular Disease - Prostate/Breast Cancer
using Structural Biology Proteomics Array
Technologies
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Bench to Bedside Research
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RCSI/TCD/UCD Research Centres in Molecular
Medicine
Teaching Hospitals and CRC/GRUs
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A Molecular Medicine Community
Programme for Human Genomics 45M
PRTLI Cycle 3
Biopharmaceutical Science Network (Lead by Royal
College of Surgeons in Ireland) 9.4M
Dublin Molecular Medicine Centre 27M
PRTLI Cycle 2
Institute for Molecular Medicine 0.5M
Conway Institute for Biomol Biomed Res. 61M
Institute of Biopharmaceutical Sciences 11M
PRTLI Cycle 1
Other Irish Universities
Trinity College Dublin
University College Dublin
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
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The Dublin Molecular Medicine Centre

• The DMMC is..
• An Independent Company (not for profit)
• CEO reporting to a board of directors
• BoD is Tri-Institutional, includes business
  focussed individuals and is chaired by Dr. Pat
  Gage (ex RD Head for Wyeth)

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Goal of DMMC Research
IMPROVEMENTS IN HEALTHCARE
Modern Infrastructure State of the Art
Technologies
Education of Biomedical Professionals
Links with Pharma
Basic Research
New companies
Clinical Translational Research
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The Translational Research Space
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The Translational Research Space
Academia
Clinical
DMMC
Biotech Pharma Industry
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Prostate Cancer Research Consortium
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Prostate Cancer Research Consortium
Mater Misericordiae
St James
St Vincents
St Lukes
Tissue Processing Unit (Genome Resourse Unit)
Departments of Biochemistry Chemistry Clinical
Oncology Genetics Molecular Medicine Oncology Path
ology Psychiatry Public Health Medicine and
Epidemiology Surgery
Durkan Institute Institute of Molecular
Medicine (Trinity)
Conway Institute (UCD)
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Lead Consortium Members
  Surgeons Professor John Fitzpatrick Mater/
UCD Mr David Quinlan St Vincents/UCD Mr Tom
Lynch St James/Trinity Pathologies Dr
Conor OKeane Mater/UCD Dr Tom Crotty St
Vincents/UCD Professor Eoin Gaffney St
James/Trinity  Clinical Oncologists Professor
Donal Hollywood Trinity/St Lukes/St James Dr
John McCaffery Mater Radiotherapist Dr
Michael Maher Mater     Scientists Dr
William Watson UCD/Mater Professor Mark
Lawler Trinity/St James Professor Steve
Pennington UCD/DMMC Dr Karen Woodson/Dr Joe
Tangrea NCI Dr Amanda McCann UCD Dr Daniela
Zisterer Trinity Dr Declan Gilheany UCD Pr
ofessor Joe Duffy ST Vincents/UCD Dr Peter
Doran UCD/Mater   Public Health Medicine
and Epidemiologist Dr Patricia
Fitzpatrick UCD Psychiatrist Dr John
Sheehan Mater
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Prostate Cancer Research Consortium Scientific
Programme
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Collection
Target Identification
Molecular Classification
Clinical Evaluation
Tumour Bank
Therapeutics
Phase 1 Clincal Trials
Genomics
Proteomics
Diagnostics
Apoptotic Resistance
Attitude Survey
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Resource for Psychoses Genomics Ireland

• TCD/UCD/RCSI and associated hospitals
• Funded (1.8 million) Wellcome Trust
• Academic lead Professor Michael Gill (TCD,SJUH)

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Aims Sample Collection

• To ascertain and characterise a sample of
  1200-1500 subjects with a Major Psychotic
  disorder to establish a resource for use by the
  scientific community
• Collect parental DNA and selected phenotypic
  information for a subset of cases (sub-sample of
  300-400 trios)
• Collection to take 2 years

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Sample Collection

• At least 5 clinical teams
• Belfast
• Cork
• Borders/North West
• Dublin/South East
• Dublin/North East
• Wide geographical spread throughout the island of
  Ireland
• Biomaterials sent to central facility (GRU) for
  banking
• Collection to begin in January 2005

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Ongoing

• More programmes of this type in pipeline
• Hepatitis C
• Type II Diabetes
• Upper GI tract cancers
• Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Breast Cancer
• Colon Cancer
• Epilepsy

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Challenges

• Critical Mass
• Focus
• Technology
• Disease Area
• Geography (virtual organisation)
• Sustainibility
• Individual Vs collective mindset
  (Instition/Individual)

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Opportunities

• Translational research
• Create recognised centre of excellence in this
  domain over a ten year time frame (2010)
• European projects. Links with North America
• Identify similar (size , technologies, diseases)
  centres elsewhere and build partnerships built on
  science (not politics)
• We must increase our interaction with industry
  and venture capital sources

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Thoughts from yesterday

• Do some benchmarking but create your own model
  that will work for Ottawa .
• Everywhere is different.
• In Ireland a top down approach does not work
• Need buy-in from the top but work up from the
  bottom
• Focus on strengths and decide on niche areas
• Link up with International,like minded centres
• Need money.
• No-one will move without it
• Be strategic.
• Position yourselves for the world in 5-10 yers
  time
• It is a global competition

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Summary of DMMC Strategy

• Defragment existing environment to create
  internationally competitive trans-institutional
  clusters
• Develop collaborations that accelerate the
  translation of fundamental research to clinical
  application
• Assemble cutting-edge technologies that advance
  fundamental research bioresources that allow
  specific hypotheses to be tested
• Partner with several leading international
  centres to build a strong network that has Dublin
  at the centre
• Develop multi-disciplinary education curricula
  that is business-focused and allows career-long
  learning
• Develop a commercialisation strategy partnering
  with Pharma and creating new companies based on
  home grown knowledge

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DMMC Directorate

• DMMC Directorate Office
• Newman House
• 85 St Stephens Green
• Dublin 2
• Tel [phone]
• Fax [phone]
• E-mail info_at_dmmc.ie
• www.dmmc.ie

• Chief Executive Pierre Meulien
• Executive Assistant Carmel Ní Luanaí
• Education Information Officer Mark Watson
• Financial Controller Peter OHara
• Programme Manager Paul Harkin