University of Birmingham

Birmingham is a Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research Centre of Excellence.

We are currently investing more than £7 million into research in Birmingham, which is one of our largest research centres.

We are also investing in important research at Birmingham Children’s Hospital that is part of this Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research Centre of Excellence. Find out more about all our Centres of Excellence.

Birmingham has been recognised for its world-class clinical research that is driving better treatments for adults and children touched by blood cancers locally and across Britain.

In particular Birmingham is one of the UK’s largest transplant centres. Stem cell transplants are often the last chance of cure for many patients of all ages with leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma.

Unfortunately this vital treatment is still very risky, and can have some harmful side effects. Through our research we are determined to make stem cell transplants available to all patients with blood cancers in the UK.

Harnessing the immune system

As well as donating stem cells, transplants also transfer important cells of the immune system from the donor to the patient.

In some cases the immune system of the donor attacks blood cancer cells in the patient, preventing relapse. This is called the graft versus leukaemia (GvL) effect and is extremely beneficial.

But not all patients have a strong GvL response. Professor Paul Moss at University of Birmingham has long-term Specialist Programme funding to investigate exactly how donor immune cells recognise and kill cancer cells. This will enable us to strengthen the GvL response for all patients in the future.

Professor Moss is supporting this research with an unusual clinical trial recruiting healthy volunteers who have offered to be stem cell donors. Research has shown that people with particular genetic make up have an immune system that recognises blood cancer cells.

Volunteers are given a harmless vaccine to stimulate their immune cells prior to the transplant, increasing the chances that the immune system will recognise blood cancer cells.

Professor Charlie Craddock, who heads up the Bone Marrow Transplant Centre in Birmingham and treats blood cancer patients, works closely with Professor Moss to ensure the best new transplant treatments are available to patients.

New drugs for adults with leukaemia

Developing and testing new drugs can be expensive and time consuming. Intriguing research led by Dr Chris Bunce at the University of Birmingham is investigating the use of existing drugs for patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML).

AML is a particularly aggressive blood cancer, which is difficult to treat, especially in patients who cannot tolerate chemotherapy.

A group of AML patients, who had failed all other treatments, were given an unusual but life-saving combination of a common anti-cholesterol drug and the female contraceptive pill. Laboratory research led by Dr Bunce, who has long-term Specialist Programme funding, showed that in combination, these drugs destroy AML cells in the blood.

Dr Bunce’s research continues to explore the use of existing drugs in new ways for patients with leukaemia who cannot tolerate conventional treatments.

Improving care for children with leukaemia

The increase in the number of children who now survive the most common form of leukaemia, acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) has been helped by the UKALL trials, which started in the 70s. These have guaranteed that breakthroughs in treatments and the same high standard of care is consistent for all children with ALL across the UK.

Traditionally, these trials have been paid for by the government, but recent changes to funding threatened their continuation. In April 2010, Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research stepped in to manage the next stage of the trial, UKALL2011, which is being funded by Children with Leukaemia. Our researchers, and leading childhood leukaemia doctors, Dr Pam Kearns, at University of Birmingham and Dr Nick Goulden at Great Ormond Street Hospital, are managing this trial.

As well as treating children with leukaemia, Dr Kearns is running several of our research projects in Birmingham. Her research focuses on developing new treatments for hard-to-treat children with leukaemia, in particular those with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML).

Research has shown that AML in children is very similar to AML in adults. Dr Kearns is running a new clinical trial testing treatments designed for adults, in children. Dr Kearns is also designing clinical models that can be used to test drugs for children with AML and ALL. Early phase trials are expensive and time consuming. This research will accelerate the transition of new drugs from the laboratory and onto the wards.

Teenagers with lymphoma

One third of all patients who develop Hodgkin lymphoma are less than 35 years of age and many of these are teenagers.

Research led by Professor Paul Murray at University of Birmingham, who has Specialst Programme support, is seeking to understand the link between Hodgkin lymphoma in children and teenagers and infection with a common virus called Epstein Barr (EBV).

Most people are infected with EBV at some point during their lives, but only a few go onto develop Hodgkin lymphoma. Research has shown that this is due to an abnormal response to infection by the immune system, a reaction that is controlled by each person’s genetic makeup. Although infection cannot be reversed, Professor Murray believes that the genes responsible for the immune reaction can be controlled. By investigating this process, Professor Murray hopes to develop safer and more targeted treatments.

Birmingham research open day

Many thanks to everyone who came to learn about our life saving work at the recent Research Open Day in Birmingham on Saturday 14 May 2011. Visit our events page to see the photos and find out more about our research events.