Precisely

Welcome to ‘Precisely: A Precision Medicine Podcast,’ brought to you by Systems Biology Ireland!

The aim of this podcast is to bring you informal conversations with professionals in the precision medicine sphere in Ireland and abroad. We will discuss the evolution of Precision Medicine, sometimes known as "personalised medicine" looking specifically at  breakthroughs, challenges and future opportunities within this exciting area. If you are interested in learning more about any of our participants over the next several episodes, check out the links in each episode description below. 

SBI is also home to Precision Oncology Ireland, one of Ireland's larger research programmes using precision approaches to cancer treatment. In some of the following episodes, you will hear references to Precision Oncology Ireland, or POI. 

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Episode One: The Origins
Release Date: September 14, 2023
Host: Prof. Walter Kolch
Guest: Prof. Frank Gannon   
Produced by: SBI and Real Smart Media

Short Summary: SBI Director, Prof. Walter Kolch, leads the first episode in this series. Join us as Walter he sits down with Prof. Frank Gannon, former Director General of Science Foundation Ireland, former Executive Director of the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) and, most recently, the Director and CEO of the Queensland Institute of Medical Research in Australia. This informal conversation reflects on the origins of precision medicine from a policy and research perspective in Ireland, noting some of the key developments in the area (e.g. systems and network driven approaches) and also the expanding role of artificial intelligence and its numerous areas for application as it stands now.

Photos: Prof. Walter Kolch & Prof. Frank Gannon

Links:
Systems Biology Ireland (ucd.ie)
Scientific Advisory Board | Precision Oncology Ireland

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Episode Two: Precision Medicine in Paediatric Cancer
Release Date: September 28, 2023
Host: Prof. Jonathan Bond
Guests: Prof. Owen Smith and Dr. Pamela Evans
Produced by: SBI and Real Smart Media

Short Summary:  Episode Two of Precisely is hosted by SBI's Professor Jonathan Bond, who is the UCD Brendan McGonnell Professor of Paediatric Molecular Haemato-Oncology. Jonathan leads a collaborative paediatric leukaemia research program between Systems Biology Ireland at UCD and the National Children's Cancer Service at Children's Health Ireland at Crumlin, where he also holds an Honorary Consultant Haematologist position. He is joined by two clinical colleagues, Professor Owen Smith and Dr. Pamela Evans,  who will discuss what makes precision medicine so relevant in childhood cancer research, diagnoses and treatment. 

Owen Smith is Professor of Child, Adolescent & Young Adult Oncology, Trinity College Dublin, Visiting Full Professor at UCD and investigator at Systems Biology Ireland at UCD. He is a Consultant Paediatric Haematologist at Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin and NCCP National Clinical Lead for Children, Adolescent and Young Adult Cancers.

Pamela Evans is a Consultant Paediatric Haematologist in the National Children’s Cancer Service at Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin, where she is the Clinical Lead for the Bone Marrow Transplant and CAR-T service in CHI.

Photos: Prof. Jonathan Bond, Prof. Owen Smith & Dr. Pamela Evans

Links:
Systems Biology Ireland (ucd.ie)
Prof. Jonathan Bond | Systems Biology Ireland 
Prof. Owen Smith | National Children's Research Centre
Dr. Pamela Evans | Children's Health Ireland

 

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Episode Three: Precision Medicine in Gynaecological Oncology
Release Date: October 12, 2023
Host: Prof. Donal Brennan
Guests: Dr. Geraldine O'Sullivan Coyne and Dr. Ann Treacy
Produced by: SBI and Real Smart Media

Short Summary: Episode Three in this series is hosted by Professor Donal Brennan, who is a principal investigator in Systems Biology Ireland and the Conway Institute at UCD as well as a surgical oncologist in the Mater Hospital in Dublin. Donal is joined by two invited guests from the Mater Hospital in Dublin, Dr. Geraldine O’Sullivan Coyne, who is a medical oncologist and Dr. Ann Treacy, who is a Histopathologist. Hear how using a systems approach can improve gynaecological healthcare and cancer care for women, including diagnoses, clinical trials, and further advancements in research.  

Photos: Prof. Donal Brennan, Dr. Geraldine O'Sullivan Coyne, & Dr. Ann Treacy

Links:
Systems Biology Ireland (ucd.ie)
Donal Brennan Profile | University College Dublin (ucd.ie)
Dr. Geraldine O’Sullivan Coyne
Dr. Ann Treacy (materprivate.ie)

 

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Episode Four: Precision Medicine in Health & Nutrition
Release Date: October 27, 2023
Host: Prof. Helen Roche
Guest: Prof. John Reynolds  
Produced by: SBI and Real Smart Media

Short Summary: UCD Professor Helen Roche hosts Episode Four in this series,  joined by Professor John Reynolds of Trinity College Dublin and St. James's Hospital, as they share a fascinating conversation on precision nutrition and its role in health and recovery from serious illnesses such as cancer. Hear about some of the recent discoveries, how nutrition studies link to medicine, specifically disease, and what is needed next in this growing field. 

Photos: Prof. Helen Roche & Prof. John Reynolds

Links:
Systems Biology Ireland (ucd.ie)
Helen Roche Profile | University College Dublin (ucd.ie)
School of Medicine - Trinity College Dublin (tcd.ie)

 

 

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Episode Five: Clinical Trials and the Advancement of Medicine
Release Date: December 21, 2023
Host: Prof. Walter Kolch
Guest: Prof. Austin Duffy 
Produced by: SBI and Real Smart Media

 

 

Short Summary: In this episode, SBI Director Walter Kolch digs into the importance of clinical trials in shaping medicine as he chats with Austin Duffy, Professor of Translational Oncology in the Mater University Hospital and University College Dublin School of Medicine and Director of Research at START Dublin. Prof. Duffy shares his perspectives on this growing field, drawing from his extensive experience working in the clinical trial space in the United States and in Ireland. The discussion goes through the mutual benefits of clinical trials to researchers, clinicians and patients and gives a broad outlook on the future of these trials in Ireland. 

Photos: Prof. Walter Kolch & Prof. Austin Duffy

Links:
Systems Biology Ireland (ucd.ie)
START

 

 

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