On the morning of 23 October 1975, the peace and quiet of a street in Kensington, West London was shattered when an IRA bomb was detonated. The blast killed Gordon Hamilton Fairley, the UK’s first Professor of Medical Oncology - a man who had dedicated his life to fighting cancer. His untimely death was a devastating blow not only to his family, but to a medical community that relied on his insight, his scientific vision and his compassion.

Now 50 years on from that tragic event, John Crown talks to two of Gordon Hamilton-Fairley’s colleagues - Professor Tim Oliver and Professor Ray Powles. John also chats to journalist Eamonn Mallie about other health care workers killed in the Northern Ireland troubles.

Dr Neil O’Brien is Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at UCLA. Dr O’Brien’s research focuses on the identification of the mechanisms of resistance to targeted therapies for cancer. By understanding the molecular alterations responsible for resistance, Neil and his colleagues hope to develop novel therapeutic strategies to overcome resistance and improve patient survival.

A Dublin native, he talks about how the discovery of a tumour on his spinal cord when he was studying for his Leaving Cert led him to a career in cancer research. We hear about how he got a chance to prove himself at the lab of the world renowned Dr Dennis Slamon in California and the work he’s being doing at UCLA for the past 20 years.

Dr Mark Pegram is a leading cancer specialist and researcher based at Stanford University in California. Mark is internationally recognised for his pioneering work in breast cancer treatment and targeted therapies, including contributions to the development of Herceptin. In this episode he talks about what he finds cool about oncology, his concerns about AI and his new career as a music producer.

Producer: Fergus Sweeney

Dr Dennis Slamon is a leading oncologist and researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His groundbreaking research led to Herceptin, a targeted therapy to transform breast cancer treatment. Thousands of patients owe their lives to the efforts of Dr Dennis Slamon.

In this interview he tells Professor John Crown about the family doctor that inspired his choice of career, he talks about his work in the lab and he shares his concerns for medical science because of the political climate in the USA in particular.

Producer: Fergus Sweeney