Dr Bela Wrench
Group Leader
Overview
We are interested in understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for relapses in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and progressing these insights into translational diagnostics and clinical trials.
Team
Research
Our overarching aim is to understand the forces driving minimal residual disease (MRD) resistance and relapse in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and to develop effective interventions that could eliminate or prevent these processes. We apply dynamic models of the tumour microenvironment and functional screening of a widely characterised panel of patient xenotransplantation models as well as direct molecular (bulk and single cell RNA/DNA sequencing) and cellular assessment of clinical samples to define, characterise and target vulnerabilities in resistant leukaemia cell fractions.
My laboratory interests are complimented by my clinical expertise in adult ALL (Honorary Consultant, Dept of Haemato-Oncology, St Bartholomew’s Hospital). I am clinical lead of the National Adult ALL Minimal Residual Laboratory and a member of the National Cancer Research Institute adult ALL subgroup.
Key Publications
Author name on publications, Bela Patel
Adipocytes disrupt the translational programme of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia to favour tumour survival and persistence. Nature Communications (2021) 12(1):5507. PMID: 34535653
Priming Death Receptor Mediated Apoptosis with Arginine Starvation Sensitises Arginine Auxotrophic B-ALL to CAR-T. Blood (2021) 138 (Supplement 1): 2787. doi.org/10.1182/blood-2021-151734
Molecular Classification Improves Risk Assessment in Adult BCR-ABL1-negative B-ALL. Blood (2021) 138(11): 948-958. PMID: 33895809
Mouse xenograft modelling of Human Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia provides mechanistic insights into adult LIC biology. Blood (2014) 124(1):96-105. PMID: 24825861
See recent publicationsMajor Funding
- 2022-2025 – Barts Charity, NGS based Minimal Disease Monitoring in Adult ALL, £219,556
- 2022-2025 – Polaris Grant, ADI-PEG20 tumour pre-sensitisation as a new paradigm in immune-oncology, £115,000
- 2019-2022 – Cancer Research UK (CRUK), Clinical Research Training Fellowship, Investigating ADI-PEG20 metabolic therapy to target improved anti-cancer immune responses and outcomes from chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (CART)
- 2016-2023 – CRUK Programme Award, Personalising therapy for adults with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia, £1,678,115.55 (£208,076 to BW)
- 2017-2023 – CRUK New Agents Committee, Targeting arginine deprivation in adult acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), £50,000
- 2015-2022 – Blood Cancer UK Bennett Senior Fellowship, Unravelling mechanisms of tumour dormancy in adult ALL, £1.2M
Other Activities
- Clinical Lead for the National Adult ALL Minimal Residual Disease Laboratory
- Member of the National Cancer Institute ALL subgroup
- Cancer Pathway Board Member For Acute Leukaemia
Biography
I undertook my medical studies at Imperial College of Science Technology and Medicine.
After general post-graduate medical training I decided to sub-specialise in Haematology, inspired by the opportunity to link laboratory diagnostics with clinical care in a meaningful way.
In 2005 I joined Professor Letizia Foroni’s Laboratory at University College London to undertake MD research into adult ALL and MRD resistance. Subsequently, in 2008, I was awarded an intermediate Clinician Scientist Fellowship (Bloodwise) where I investigated mechanisms regulating adult leukaemia initiating cell activity. I was awarded the Blood Cancer UK Bennett Senior fellowship in 2015 to start my research group at the Barts Cancer Institute.
Related News
Tackling blood cancer with Blood Cancer UK
This Blood Cancer Awareness Month, find out about the Blood Cancer UK-funded research projects currently underway at the Barts Cancer Institute, which span from looking at the specific genetic changes that drive blood cancer development, to identifying new treatment strategies to improve the outcomes for patients.
General News 10 September 2021