Research

We are a translational lymphoma biology lab. Our key research questions are to:

• Understand the molecular processes that govern lymphoma initiation
• Characterise intra-tumour heterogeneity and evolution and their role in lymphoma progression
• Define novel disease- and treatment-associated biomarkers that can be translated to clinical practice

To address these questions, we aim to leverage primary lymphoma samples, including from Phase II and III clinical trials, in combination with cutting-edge multi-omic technologies, in vitro models and computational biology approaches.

Other Activities

• Reviewer Committee, German Cancer Aid – Translational Oncology (Germany)
• Scientific Advisory Board, Lymph&Co (Netherlands)
• QMUL Clinical Lead, CRUK City of London Clinical Academic Training Programme
• Clinical Research Committee, Cancer Research UK (UK)
• Research Committee, European Haematology Association
• Associate Editor, Haematologica (covering Lymphoma)
• International Advisory Board, Lancet Haematology

Major Funding

• 2025-2030 - Blood Cancer UK, Transformational Research Award, Co-PI, Science Lead
• 2025-2027 - Institute for Follicular Lymphoma Innovation, Innovation award, PI
• 2024-2026 - Astra Zeneca Grant award, PI
• 2023-2030 - Cancer Research UK-Genmab, Clinical Trial Award, Co-I, Science Lead – REFRACT trial
• 2023-2026 - Lymphoma Research Foundation (US), Priority Research Grant, Co-PI
• 2023-2025 - Astra Zeneca Scholar Award, Co-PI
• 2023-2029 - Cancer Research UK, Clinical Trial Award, Co-I, Science Lead – OptiMATe trial
• 2022-2025 - BeiGene, Investigator Initiated Trial Award, Co-I, Science Lead – PRIZM+ trial
• 2018-2023- Cancer Research UK Accelerator Award (Co-investigator)
• 2017-2022 - Cancer Research UK Clinician Scientist Fellowship, £1.4M
• 2011-2015 - Kay Kendall Leukaemia Fund Junior Clinical Research Fellowship, £290,000

Recent Publications

Targeting lysine demethylase 5 (KDM5) in mantle cell lymphoma Xu D, Bewicke-Copley F, Close K et al. Blood Cancer Journal 14(10) 29

Defining an Optimized Workflow for Enriching and Analyzing Residual Tumor Populations Using Intracellular Markers Coulter EM, Bewicke-Copley F, Mossner M et al. Journal of Molecular Diagnostics (2024) 26(10) 245-256

Impact of MYC and BCL2 double expression on outcomes in Primary CNS Lymphoma: a UK multicenter analysis. Poynton E, Chernucha E, Day JW et al. Blood Advances (2023) (10)

DLBCL arising from indolent lymphomas: how are they different? Parry EM, Roulland S, Okosun J Seminars in Hematology (2023) (10)

ABCL-184 Impact of MYC and BCL2 Double Expression on Outcomes in Primary CNS Lymphoma: A UK Multicenter Analysis Poynton E, Chernucha E, Day J et al. Clinical Lymphoma Myeloma & Leukemia (2023) 23(10) s423-s424

EXABS-109-LYM Should We Use Prognostic Indices and/or Biomarkers to Guide Therapy in Follicular Lymphoma? Okosun J Clinical Lymphoma Myeloma & Leukemia (2023) 23(10) s11-s13

POSTER: ABCL-184 Impact of MYC and BCL2 Double Expression on Outcomes in Primary CNS Lymphoma: A UK Multicenter Analysis Poynton E, Chernucha E, Day J et al. Clinical Lymphoma Myeloma & Leukemia (2023) 23(10) s200

Personalised therapy in follicular lymphoma – is the dial turning? Linton KM, Specht L, Pavlovsky A et al. Hematological Oncology (2023) (10)

Longitudinal expression profiling identifies a poor risk subset of patients with ABC-type diffuse large B-cell lymphoma Bewicke-Copley F, Korfi K, Araf S et al. Blood Advances (2023) 7(10) 845-855

IBRAP: integrated benchmarking single-cell RNA-sequencing analytical pipeline Knight CH, Khan F, Patel A et al. Briefings in Bioinformatics (2023) 24(10) bbad061

Team

Postdoctoral Researchers

• Findlay Bewicke-Copley

• Carina Edmondson

• Megan Perrett

• Donatella Talotta

• Pavel Artemov

Academic Clinical Lecturer

• Mike Spencer Chapman

PhD/Clinical Fellow

• Jesca Boot

Biography

I graduated in medicine from the University of Cambridge and subsequently undertook my medical and specialty haematology training in London. My research interest in lymphoma biology was developed during my Kay Kendall funded Clinical Research Fellowship with Professor Jude Fitzgibbon at the Barts Cancer Institute where I investigated the genetic heterogeneity and tumour evolution underlying follicular lymphoma and its progression. I was awarded the Royal College of Pathologists Specialty Research Medal for this work. In 2017, I was selected as a scholar of the prestigious ASH-EHA Translational Research Training in Haematology (TRTH) program in 2018 and returned to the Barts Cancer Institute as a Cancer Research UK-funded Clinician Scientist to establish my own group. I am also a practising Consultant Haemato-Oncologist at St Bartholomew’s Hospital. I lead several of the translational science programs on UK lymphoma clinical trials.

Appointments

2023-present: Professor of Translational Cancer Research

2017-2023: Clinical Senior Lecturer

2011-2015: Kay Kendall Clinical Research Fellow, Barts Cancer Institute

Qualifications

2015: PhD, Queen Mary University of London

2011: FRCPath, Royal College of Pathologists

2008: MRCP, Royal College of Physicians

2004: MB BChir, University of Cambridge

2002: BA (Hons) Natural Sciences, University of Cambridge