A Delta doctor who's at the forefront of organ transplant medicine in B.C. is the recipient of this year's Clinic Trials BC Leadership and Advocacy Award.
The award is presented by Clinical Trials BC, part of Health Research BC, to recognize "an outstanding leader and advocate for clinical trials at the local, provincial, or national level. It celebrates leaders who educate, mentor, advocate or spearhead projects, programs, and strategies that benefit B.C.鈥檚 clinical trials community," as a press release notes.
This year's winner is Dr. Paul Anthony Keown, a clinician and trialist with four decades of contributions to the advancement of clinical trial, advocacy and mentorship in British Columbia and beyond.
His research focuses on immunology, organ transplant, and precision medicine 鈥� where information about someone鈥檚 genes, lifestyle, and environment is used to make the best treatment decision. He's on a quest to better match donated organs with recipients.
"The award is a great honour. And to have it conferred by colleagues and friends of many years is wonderful,鈥� Keown said in the release. 鈥淚鈥檓 delighted.鈥�
Keown is described as a "visionary leader" who has helped to create a culture of innovation and mentorship by advancing innovative trial methods and designs. He has also spent countless volunteer hours training and guiding the next generation of clinicians, biostatisticians, and trialists, and he provides ongoing leadership and advocacy on dozens of international advisory committees and boards.
After training in medicine, immunobiology, and transplantation in the U.K., France, and Ontario, Keown was invited to move to Vancouver, where he played a key role in establishing multi-organ transplant networks in B.C. His early leadership roles, including executive director of BC Transplant and president of the Canadian Society of Transplantation, set the stage for groundbreaking clinical initiatives.
He led one of the first clinical trials in B.C.鈥檚 proteomics unit in Victoria, which studies the role of certain proteins on a donated organ that can signal if a recipient鈥檚 immune system would attack the organ. That unit was the province鈥檚 first to become certified for Good Clinical Practice, Good Laboratory Practice, and Good Manufacturing Practice, which are instrumental in upholding trial integrity and patient safety.
With the intention to bridge the academia-led research and industry, Keown founded Syreon Corporation in 1995, a Vancouver-based research organization, originally part of the Discovery Parks Program at UBC. Under his leadership, Syreon continues to maintain strong affiliations with academic sites across B.C., employ local talent, and contribute to the local economy.
This summer, Keown is starting the world鈥檚 first clinical trial using what is known as "epitope matching" for organ transplants. The research, which includes centres across Canada, looks at certain proteins on a donated organ that could trigger rejection 鈥� and tries to find a match so close that the recipient鈥檚 body thinks the organ is its own. As lead investigator, Paul is leading the multi-partner study supported by Genome BC, Genome Canada, Michael Smith Health Research BC, and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute.
鈥淭he excitement will be if we can carry it forward one more step to where people will get their kidney and never have to take immune suppressing drugs,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think that is now within our grasp.鈥�
When Keown began his medical career, successful organ transplants were in their infancy. He says rejection rates for new kidneys were close to 80 percent. He recalls about half of his patients losing the new kidney within six months. Many died.
Rejection rates are much lower now, thanks in part to his contributory clinical trials work evaluating treatments that stop the immune system from attacking a new organ and advances in organ matching.
鈥淭o me, it鈥檚 the most exciting thing,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 would do all of this again even if I didn鈥檛 get paid for it. It鈥檚 science at the highest level. And it鈥檚 working with great people to provide benefits to the patients we care for. Who would want more than that? I鈥檝e been very fortunate.鈥�
