St. Jude Children's Research Hospital History
The history of St Jude children's research hospital dates back to 1962. It was founded by Danny Thomas an entertainer who was helped by Dr Lemuel Driggs. The aim of the research hospital was that children should never suffer and face death just when they are starting out in life. The hospital was named after Saint Jude Thaddeus, the catholic patron saint of hospitals and lost causes. Danny Thomas founded the American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities or ALSAC in 1957. The ALASC acts as a fundraiser for the research hospital, taking on the responsibility since the inception of St, Jude in 1962 in Memphis.
In late 2007, Chilis Care Center was opened on the campus of St Jude. 50 million dollars were pledged by a restaurant of Chile to provide funds for construction of the center. The Chili's Care Center integrates patient care and research. It has computerized tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) facilities making St Jude's center well advanced in diagnostic field. In addition, there exists a state of art Cyclotron to enable many important positions and emission tomography (PET) studies to be made. With these techniques, many new therapeutic approaches can be made.
Dr. Peter C Doharty of St Jude's Department of Immunology won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1996 along with Rolf. M. Zinkemagel M.D of University of Zurich. Their research findings let to a breakthrough in treatment of viral infections and cancer. St Jude was the first institution to develop a cure for sickle cell disease with bone marrow transplantation. St Jude had one of the largest pediatric sickle cell programs in USA.
St. Jude is a collaborating center for World Health Organization's studies on ecology of influenza, virus ecology in birds and animals. St Jude had a breakthrough when it was deemed as the only institution outside the National Institute of Health to receive federal approval for research on human gene therapy.
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