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Irish Biomarker Network
Photo 1: Professor Dolores Cahill (UCD), Don Black (Chair), Dr Tom Lillie (Amgen) Dr Sarah O’Meara (IMB) Photo 2: Prof Dermot Kelleher
(TCD) Photo 3: Dr Jan Guerin (MMI) Photo 4: Dr Francis Kalush (FDA)
Irish Biomarker Network
MMI established the Irish Biomarker Network
at the request and with the close involvement
of Professor Dolores Cahill of UCD, Professor
Louise Kenny of UCC, Professor Mark Lawler
of TCD, Dr Nicola Miller of NUIG and Professor
Alice Stanton of RCSI, all of whom are principal
investigators in MMI’s partner institutions
The objective of this network is to facilitate
researchers to overcome the hurdles associated
with translating biomarker research from the
bench to the clinic and into clinical practice. MMI
believes that this initiative is central to building
the eco-system for innovation recommended by
the Innovation Taskforce.
IBN Inaugural Workshop
MMI hosted the Irish Biomarker Inaugural
Workshop on 4 November 2010 in Croke Park
Conference Centre in Dublin. Considered a
great success, the workshop brought together
over 100 academics, clinicians and industry
representatives united in their interest in
biomarkers. The workshop aimed to address
some of the key hurdles involved in translating
biomarkers to the clinic, in particular, the
European and FDA regulatory requirements,
and to explore the value and key objectives of
an Irish biomarker network.
MMI welcomed the attendance of guest chair,
Don Black, Director of MHICC/Trialynx Inc and
the International Partnership for Critical Markers
of Disease, and keynote speaker, Dr Francis
Kalush, Network Leader for the Diagnostics and
Personalised Medicine Network of the Food and
Drug Administration both of whom travelled from
the US for the event.
The first session of the workshop featured
presentations from Dr Francis Kalush and Dr
Sarah O’Meara, IMB, who respectively gave
overviews of the FDA and European regulatory
requirements for biomarker validation and
translation to the clinic. The session was
followed by a number of interesting case study
presentations from Professor Louise Kenny,
Cork University Maternity Hospital and UCC;
Professor Professor Joe Duffy, St Vincent’s
University Hospital and UCD; Dr Thomas Barry,
NUIG; Dr Isabella Bray, RCSI; and Professor
Paul Harkin, Queen’s University Hospital and
Almac Diagnostics who shared their experiences
in biomarker discovery, development and
translation.
Professsor Dermot Kelleher of TCD closed
the workshop following an invigorating and
constructive discussion on the value, focus and
the key objectives of an Irish biomarker network
which reaffirmed the need for such a network.
It was agreed that the Irish Biomarker Network
should be inclusive of all academics with an
interest in biomarkers on the island of Ireland
and should involve a relationship with industry,
the regulatory authorities, patient organisations
and ethicists.
To view the proceedings of the
workshop, please go to: http://www.
molecularmedicineireland.ie/page/g/t/44
Molecular Medicine Ireland - Annual Report 2010 - Page 29