Research Interests Overview

Personalised Medicine of Myeloma

Myeloma is a cancer of plasma cells, and its clinical features include lytic bone disease, kidney failure and bone marrow failure. It is usually preceded by a non-malignant condition called MGUS, with 1% of MGUS patients progressing to myeloma per year. Myeloma itself can progress to plasma cell leukaemia, whereby the malignant plasma cells acquire genetic changes that allow them to leave the protective environment of the bone marrow and enter the circulation. These different stages of disease provide a framework for some of our genetic research. Read more.

Chronic Lymphoproliferative Disease

Chronic lymphoproliferative diseases are a group of diseases resulting from the malignant transformation of a variety of peripheral lymphoid cells. The commonest of these diseases, is chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), which is leukaemia of small mature lymphoid cells with a relatively indolent clinical course.  It presents with the features of anaemia, weight loss, lymph gland swelling and a large spleen.  There is often a raised white cell count, which can go to very high levels.  These circulating cells are characterised by the expression of CD5 on their surface and belong to the B cell lineage.  The biology and the molecular abnormalities of these cells, is of great interest, as they can predict clinical outcomes and we are developing targeted treatment strategies for each of these important biological subgroups. Read more.

Haemato-Oncology Molecular Diagnostic Service

Molecular diagnostics relies on a range of different technologies to identify changes genetic within the cancer cell.  The aim of detecting such abnormalities is to either predict a specific clinical outcome or to identify a tumour, which will respond to a specific therapy.  Molecular diagnostics, such as this, are essential to the development of stratified medicine approaches where a therapy is personalised to the genetic make up of a given patient’s tumour. This approach is essential to improve response rates, decrease side effects and to improve the value of expensive cancer chemotherapeutics. Read more.

Haemopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Our clinical outlet at the Royal Marsden Hospital is one of the largest stem cell transplant units in the UK with dedicated inpatient and outpatient facilities. We use autologous stem cells as well as alternative donor sources, including cord blood transplants. Read more.

Molecular Haematology Team