Translational stem cell research pioneer to receive Bryan Alton Medal

Professor Timothy O’Brien, Professor of Medicine at the University of Galway and a pioneer of translational stem cell research, will be awarded the Bryan Alton Medal by the Institute of Medicine at the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland on Thursday, 30 November 2023.

We are very excited to welcome Professor O’Brien to No 6 Kildare Street where he will present “A translational journey in stem cell research in the West of Ireland”.

We caught up with Prof O’Brien to discuss his research, his career, and what we can expect from his upcoming lecture.

A graduate of the University College Cork, Prof O’Brien travelled to the United States to pursue his career and continue his medical training. He spent 13 years in the US, many of those spent working with the Mayo Clinic, a formative experience empowering him to live his own values through the clinic’s ethos. Professor O’Brien says the ethos that the needs of the patient must always come first has followed him throughout his career and underpins all activities at the Mayo Clinic.

“How do you enhance patient care? – that is always the central question in everything we do – and that is the philosophy I brought back to Ireland. We don’t just say it, we actually do it; we make it happen,” Prof O’Brien says.

With over a decade spent overseas, Prof O’Brien’s heart remained in Ireland and the plan was always to return to research and practice medicine so, he says it is an honour to receive the Brian Alton Medal.

“The concept of being recognized for my contribution to medicine in Ireland – and that is where I always wanted to practice – really means a lot to me and I have so much respect for the two physicians who received the award before me,” he says.

The medal is awarded in recognition of significant contribution to clinical and academic medicine and Prof O’Brien, a clinician, educator, and researcher, has demonstrated an exceptional ability to translate theory and clinical research into treatment solutions and patient care. He has revolutionized stem cell therapy, particularly in the West where he established Ireland’s first human stem cell manufacturing facility at the University of Galway in 2006.

The Centre for Cell Manufacturing Ireland (CCMI) elevated Ireland as a global player in the regenerative medicine field, empowering the development and testing of revolutionary treatments. Prof O’Brien, also led the first clinical trial using CCMI-manufactured cells, funded by the Health Research Board and Science Foundation Ireland, to investigate the safety of using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) isolated from bone marrow for the treatment of critical limb ischemia, a common complication associated with diabetes, and which can often result in limb amputation.

Prof O’Brien is committed to bringing his research from “bench to bedside” but to do that he says you require the right infrastructure, which he will discuss during his lecture.

“You have to create the infrastructure to allow stem cell research to occur and then you need to ensure the application of that infrastructure – conducting research in the laboratory to allow early phase clinical trials,” he explains.

“We were on a journey in the West since 2001, starting from a position of not having the facility we needed to utilize our state-of-the-art facility in Galway to conduct the first in person stem cell clinical trials in Ireland. You need a GMP cell-manufacturing infrastructure to do this type of research and that is what we have been working so hard to establish.”

That is the translational journey. A challenging journey, starting from the literal ground up. So, what advice does Prof O’Brien have for early career clinician researchers?

“Follow your heart, above all else,” he says.

“I remember sitting down with one of my mentors, Colum Gorman, who was Head of Endocrinology at Mayo Clinic at the time. I had just finished my training and had been appointed to a consultant post. He asked me what I thought was going to happen in medicine and what will be exciting developments in the future. I chose gene therapy and went to the Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular disease at the University of California San Francisco for additional training. My advice, try to pick an area or specialty that is going to develop and advance. Don’t get despondent based on the negatives and challenges – and they are often plentiful – there are lots of good things happening and the contribution you can make is great, with the ultimate goal of serving the needs of our patients.”

He explains that there are important synergies between clinical practice, research and innovation and education – the best patient care is delivered in an environment where those three things come together.

“As an academic clinician, seeing patients molds the questions that I might have in my research.

“We are privileged to be physicians – that is really precious to me. I accept there are real issues around morale and burnout, but if you can try to focus on the things you really enjoy and enhance patient care, there is no better job satisfaction.”

Research funding is vital to making all of this possible and Prof O’Brien says there are significant opportunities available for clinical medicine research in Ireland. His own research in Ireland has benefited tremendously from Science Foundation Ireland, the Health Research Board, and the European Union.

Unimposing and humble, Prof O’Brien’s passion and drive in both his research and clinical practice are unwavering.

“The needs of patients include the future patient so we will always require new approaches. My current focus is around the complications of diabetes. The translational journey for me is partway done, now we are moving on to larger phase clinical trials which will be vital moving forward.”

Hear more from Prof O’Brien at the Institute of Medicine Event on Thursday, 30 November at No. 6 Kildare St and online. Book here.

Professor O’Brien is Professor of Medicine at the University of Galway, Clinical Director for Medicine in SAOLTA, Director of the Regenerative Medicine Institute (REMEDI), and Co-Director of the Centre for Cell Manufacturing Ireland (CCMI).

Image: Dr Meadhbh Brennan, Andrew Finnerty, and Prof Tim O’Brien in the lab at the University of Galway.