Research Laboratory

The Pathology Department of the Coombe Women & Infants University Hospital has an international research reputation in the area of cancer research, particularly in cervical cancer/pre-cancer and cancer of the ovary. Considerable funding has been invested by the Board of Guardians & Directors of the hospital to develop the current laboratory and, within this, a dedicated research facility.This facility has been awarded ISO 9002 accreditation.

As a leading European molecular biology research centre, the Research Laboratory has strong academic links with many important, high profile biotechnology companies.

The Research Laboratory in the hospital, under the direction of Professor John O'Leary, has generated in excess of €15m in grant income over 5 years. The laboratory currently hosts 20 PhD and 3 MD students. It also hosts two major EU research consortia as well as being the co-ordinator of the Irish Cervical Cancer Screening Research Consortium (CERVIVA). Research in the laboratory is funded by Friends of the Coombe, The Health Research Board, The Irish Cancer Society, The Meath Foundation, The Royal City of Dublin Trust, The Emer Casey Foundation, Science Foundation Ireland and The European Union. Recently, Professor O'Leary has been awarded a prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award for his extraordinary contribution to cancer medicine at the recent RNAi conference in Oxford, England. In addition, Professor O'Leary's research team has collaborated with Dr Fiona Lyng at the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) in relation to a new and revolutionary system to diagnose cervical cancer. This research was awarded the 'One to Watch'  award from Enterprise Ireland in June 2011.

The evolution of an integrated community of multidisciplinary scientists and clinicians on the Coombe campus, with cross institutional affiliations and support, has been highly successful and productive.