Current research into leukaemia

Professor George Vassiliou, Cancer Research UK senior clinical fellow at the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, and his team are identifying new treatment targets and translating their findings into new treatments for acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). In parallel, they have discovered that many people at risk of developing AML can be identified years in advance, and are developing ways to identify those at risk with the aim of preventing progression to AML in the future.

Professor Katrin Ottersbach at the University of Edinburgh is looking into the biology of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and how it develops in infants from pre-birth. This type of blood cancer is rare and affects children who are less than 1. She hopes this work will lead to the discovery of new early detection markers and targets for treatment for this type of cancer

Professor Peter Hillmen in Leeds is leading a clinical trial testing a new treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), the most common type of blood cancer. The aim is to test if a new targeted drug works as well as the chemotherapy currently used to treat CLL, but with far fewer side effects. 

At the Barts Cancer Institute in London, Dr Diu Nguyen is investigating a new therapeutic target in leukaemic stem cells, the cells that propagate acute myeloid leukaemia. This new target could allow the development of drugs that selectively kill cancerous stem cells without killing normal blood stem cells, leading to better leukaemia treatment.