Search results

Wilkinson Group: Blood Stem Cell Expansion and Fitness

MRC MHU

Haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) support blood cell production throughout life and are also used clinically in cell and gene therapies. We are studying the biology of this important stem cell population with the aim of developing new HSC-based therapies.

de Bruijn Group: Developmental Haematopoiesis

MRC MHU

We study the embryonic origins of blood stem cells with the aim to inform the generation of these cells in culture, and ultimate produce clinically relevant blood stem cells for therapeutic purposes.

Psaila Group: The tumour microenvironment in blood cancers

MRC MHU

We focus on four key areas: (1) Dissecting how blood cancers create 'self-reinforcing' niches that promote clonal expansion and protect malignant clones from immunotherapies; (2) Development and application of human bone marrow organoids to study normal and malignant haematopoiesis and validate targets in a relevant tissue microenvironment; (3) Developing novel strategies to selectively target cancer stem cells and pathological megakaryocytes in myelofibrosis, a severe bone marrow malignancy; (4) Understanding our recent discovery that platelets contain a repertoire of DNA fragments sequestered from cell free DNA, and confirming clinical utility for cancer detection and for pre-natal diagnosis.

Chakraverty Group: Haematopoietic Transplantation and Immunotherapy

MRC MHU

Our group is interested in developing novel immunotherapeutic approaches for leukaemia. Clinical approaches currently used include allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation, chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors. While each of these approaches can be successful, they also fail in many patients as a result of tumour adaptations or diminished function of immune cells. Enhanced immunity can also lead to immune-related adverse events due to on- or off-target effects. We are exploring the mechanisms that underpin these failures and using this information to devise new strategies that can be translated into early phase clinical trials.

Childhood Leukaemia Research Group

MRC MHU

Founded in 2015, we are investigating the link between human fetal haematopoiesis and the origin and biology of childhood leukaemia. In particular, we are interested in the pathogenesis of infant leukaemia, which is a refractory disease that invariably originates in utero.

Mead Group: Haematopoietic Stem Cell Biology

MRC MHU

The Haematopoietic Stem Cell Biology (HSCB) Laboratory is focused on understanding how the normal haematopoietic stem/progenitor hierarchy is disrupted during the development of myeloid malignancies. Our overarching aim is to improve the management of myeloproliferative neoplasms and related conditions through better monitoring and therapeutic targeting of malignant stem cell populations.

Jacobsen Group: Haematopoietic Stem Cell Biology

MRC MHU

Research in the Jacobsen group is focused at unravelling normal and malignant hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell biology at the single cell level.

Davies Group: Genomics and Clinical Genome Editing

MRC MHU

We are primarily interested in understanding how the genome functions and to leverage this to develop novel genome editing based cellular therapies

Patel Group: Two tier protection and metabolic genotoxicity during blood production

MRC MHU

We study endogenous DNA damage caused by metabolites and their impact on the function of vertebrate stem cells and the ageing process

Chapman Group: Recombination mechanisms in immunity and cancer

MRC MHU

Hughes Group: Genome Biology

Centre for Computational Biology MRC MHU

Using genomics, computational and synthetic biology approaches to understand how genes are regulated in health and disease.

Nerlov Group: Hematopoietic Stem Cell Genetics

MRC MHU

Hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation is the only stem cell therapy in routine clinical use, and it is also the cell type that gives rise to most blood cancers. We use single cell biology and genetics to understand how hematopoietic stem cells normally sustain blood formation, and how this process is altered during ageing and when leukemia develops.

Vyas Group: Biology and Treatment of Human Myeloid Cancers

MRC MHU

We aim to understand the fundamental biological processes underlying normal and malignant haematopoiesis and translate this to improve patient outcomes through new rational therapies.

Milne Group: Epigenetic Control of Gene Expression in Leukaemia and Haematopoiesis

MRC MHU

Aberrant epigenetic changes are a driving force in many human cancers. The focus of our lab is centred on understanding how epigenetics impacts gene regulation so that this information can potentially be used to develop new therapeutic strategies.

Fetal and Neonatal Haematology Group

MRC MHU

We aim to discover the developmentally-regulated, molecular and biological properties of fetal haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC) that provide the permissive cellular context for leukaemia and anemia in early childhood and to investigate the mechanisms which drive these changes.