The Brendan McGonnell UCD Professor of Paediatric Molecular Haemato-Oncology has been established at the UCD School of Medicine with thanks to an award provided by the National Children’s Research Centre (NCRC) and funded by the Children’s Medical and Research Foundation (CMRF) Crumlin. This is a truly fitting gesture in memory of Mr. McGonnell and his extraordinary philanthropy. We sincerely extend our gratitude to the NCRC and CMRF for their commitment to advance research into paediatric and adolescent cancers of the blood, and to improve survival rates for those affected.
Professor Jonathan Bond has been appointed to the Chair. He will establish a research group, lead a competitive paediatric research programme and contribute to teaching within the UCD Medicine degree programmes.
Child and young adolescent haematological cancers account for approximately 40% of all cancers in children up to the age of 16. Professor Bond’s research programme, which will be carried out at Systems Biology Ireland, UCD, will focus on understanding how normal gene regulation is subverted in acute leukaemia with the ultimate goal of developing new and better treatments for every child and adolescent with this blood cancer.
Professor Bond completed his undergraduate medical study at Trinity College Dublin and trained as a clinical paediatric haematologist in Ireland before obtaining his PhD in Molecular Haematology at Imperial College London. Before his appointment to the Chair, Professor Bond underwent a research fellowship at the Hôpital Necker-Enfants Malades, in Paris. His main research interest is trying to understand how normal gene regulation gets subverted in acute leukaemia. We are absolutely delighted to welcome Professor Bond, he will be a hugely significant asset to research into paediatric haemato-oncology at UCD.