John Raymond Hobbs - Achievements

Achievements

• In Protein biochemistry – proved females treated for iron deficiency achieved the male normal range for haemoglobin blood levels; the preexisting ‘normal’ ranges for females were no longer acceptable.

• From monitoring the Myeloma Trials, the first to describe the natural history of myelomatosis and helped in 1971 to set up the Protein Reference Units which save the national health service £3million each year. Dr John Hobbs retired as PRU chairman in 1994.

• Established the first non-invasive screening test of the newborn to detect those affected by cystic fibrosis 1968

• As Chairman of the Expert Panel on Proteins of the International Federation of Clinical Chemists (1971–1979) created International standards for many serum proteins.

• Developed successful uses of human tumour markers

• In Clinical Immunology,

• Standardised methods and reagents (some for WHO) to provide normal ranges from 12 weeks gestation to old age for caucasian populations

• Immunoglobolin levels.

• Responses to candida albicans.

• Complement activation.

• Mixed lymphocyte reaction T-cell receptors.

• Phagocyte function.

• First to fully describe IgA deficiency.

• IgM deficiency selective deficiency to staphylococci.

• Early to recognise a circulating subset of T-cells co-optable through Fc-receptors to become killer cells.

• Defined secondary deficiencies of B-cells> and T-cells and their possible treatments predictable by cytofluorometry

• In Bone Marrow Transplantation he had been taught at Registrar level, by the late Dr Joseph G Humble at Westminster Hospital in 1959–61 and was a volunteer donor of 500 ml of his own bone marrow (under anaesthesia) to be used for research purposes. When he returned in 1970 as head of chemical Pathology and Immunology he created the Westminster Children’s Bone Marrow Team and lead it until 1992 in its pioneering work to treat 133 children with otherwise fatal genetic diseases. The team became so skilled that, of their last 56 transplants from matched family donors, all survived for over 100 days (a criterion for safety of the procedure). From matched unrelated donors 91% survived over 100 days. By 1992 these results were probably among the best in the world. The improvements in bone marrow transplantation introduced by Westminster have been published

• In Current Contents 1972, Dr John Hobbs was one of 11 British medical doctors included in a list of ‘The World’s top 1,000 scientists’.