Cardiff University

Cardiff is a Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research Centre of Excellence.

We are currently investing £2 million into research in Cardiff. Find out more about all Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research’s Centres of Excellence.

Cardiff has been recognised for its world-class research into the two most common forms of leukaemia in adults - chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) and acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), which together affect more than 5,000 people in the UK every year.

Over recent years Cardiff has emerged as a key player for driving research into better treatments and cures for leukaemia patients in South Wales and across the UK. Our researchers in Cardiff work closely with doctors at the local University Hospital of Wales to ensure any new drugs and improvements in diagnosis benefit patients as soon as possible.

New drugs for AML

Research led by our scientists in Cardiff has developed a new targeted drug for AML patients who do not respond to standard treatments. This new drug, called LC-1, will soon be available to patients as part of a local clinical trial. LC-1 blocks an important molecule found on AML cells resulting in the targeted killing of cancer cells.

"Anybody who has been touched by blood cancer can't fail to see the benefits of the important research taking place in Cardiff."
Deborah Wortlehock, AML patient who is being treated at University Hospital of Wales

Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research have recently awarded long-term Specialist Programme funding to Dr Richard Darley at Cardiff University to continue developing new drugs for AML patients. Our Specialist Programmes enable our most experienced researchers to lead a team of scientists to investigate long-term research aims.

Dr Richard Darley’s research will focus on identifying genes responsible for controlling the development of AML in order to build a repertoire of new drug targets for clinical testing.

Also in Cardiff is research led by Dr Alex Tonks investigating molecules on the surface of AML cells that protect them from being destroyed by the immune systems. This research will help us to develop more targeted treatments that have less unpleasant side effects.

New treatments for CLL

Dr Chris Pepper at Cardiff University has also been awarded long-term Specialist Programme funding to investigate new treatments for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). This research is focused on a particular molecule, called CD38 that is found on the surface of CLL cells.

Dr Pepper is seeking to understand how CD38 controls the development of CLL cells so that new and better treatments can be developed. Supporting this research is Dr Paul Brennan, who is investigating the genetics behind CD38.

Dr Duncan Baird, who has developed new technologies to study the genetics behind CLL, is currently investigating how damage to the end of chromosomes, the structures that carry our DNA, can cause some people with CLL to respond poorly to chemotherapy.