Centre for Haemato-Oncology

New £1m clinical trial launches to improve quality of life for people with myelodysplastic syndromes

Researchers have been awarded £1m to launch a new clinical trial for people with myelodysplastic syndromes, a form of blood cancer with limited treatment options.

Could a breath test detect blood cancer?

Molecules exhaled in the breath may provide clues to detect blood cancer, according to new research by scientists at Barts Cancer Institute. The findings could enable the development of a blood cancer breathalyser, providing a rapid, low-cost way to detect disease.

Cells’ recycling system plays a surprising role in shaping immune cells DNA

Researchers have discovered a new mechanism by which B cells – antibody-producing immune cells – use a cellular recycling process called autophagy to control changes to their DNA essential for antibody improvement. The findings could have future implications for the development of certain blood cancers and autoimmune diseases.

Scientists uncover promising leukaemia treatment targeting fat metabolism

Researchers at Barts Cancer Institute reveal promising acute myeloid leukaemia treatment targeting fat metabolism, addressing the urgent need for better therapies.

Blood Cancer Awareness Month: how can we personalise treatments to improve care?

For Blood Cancer Awareness Month, Dr Lou Herman reflects on the current challenges facing blood cancer patients and how we’re addressing them.

Professor John Gribben receives prestigious José Carreras award

BCI researchers part of international team shortlisted for Cancer Grand Challenges award

Dr Özgen Deniz and Dr Benjamin Werner are part of a team shortlisted for these prestigious awards

Scientists uncover a promising strategy to combat leukaemia resistance

Research reveals a vulnerability in leukaemia cells that causes them to fill with toxic fatty acids

Vitamin B5 could improve red blood cell production in people with myelodysplastic syndromes

Scientists from Barts Cancer Institute at Queen Mary University of London and the Francis Crick Institute, have uncovered why patients with a rare type of blood cancer suffer from ineffective red blood cell production, and how vitamin B5 could be combined with existing drugs to improve outcomes.

Lymphomas: Perspectives from bench and bedside

We recently spoke with Dr Jessica Okosun about her work as a clinical researcher working on lymphoma. Find out about her motivations for becoming a clinical researcher and her work on blood cancers.

Follicular lymphoma marked by spatial tumour heterogeneity

A research team at the BCI, Queen Mary University of London, led by Dr Jessica Okosun, Centre for Haemato-Oncology, has found that tumours at different sites within the same patient with follicular lymphoma can be genetically diverse. This suggests that a sole biopsy is incapable of capturing all the genetic events in any given individual and presents a significant challenge when providing targeted therapies to treat this disease.