Category: Department of Immunology and Inflammation

The power of CAR-T cell therapy

The CAR – T Apheresis team with Professor Anastasios Karadimitris

To mark Blood Cancer Awareness Month, Dr Lucy Cook, Consultant Haematologist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer from the Department of Immunology and Inflammation, shares how CAR-T cell therapy is transforming blood cancer treatment for patients.

September is Blood Cancer Awareness month, a time dedicated to raising awareness of blood cancers, which often don’t receive the same recognition as other types of cancer types. According to the charity Blood Cancer UK, over half of British adults cannot name a single blood cancer symptom. With over 100 different types of blood cancer, patients often know the name of their specific diagnosis (such as leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma, myelodysplastic syndrome, CML etc.) but may not realise that these are all forms of blood cancer. Collectively, blood cancers are the third most common group of cancers. Raising awareness among both the public and health care professionals is critical to improving early detection and diagnosis.

At Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, September gives us the opportunity to reflect on the progress made since last year’s Blood Cancer Awareness Month.  One of the most exciting aspects has been the delivery of CAR-T cell therapy for lymphomas (a type of blood cancer that affects white blood cells) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (a rare type of cancer that affects the blood and bone marrow). This year, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) also approved several new bispecific antibody therapies (BITEs) for lymphoma and myeloma (a type of cancer that develops from plasma cells in the bone marrow). BITEs are special proteins designed to help the immune system fight cancer. CAR-T and BITEs are a new wave of therapies, that harness the immune system to kill the cancer cells, rather than relying on conventional chemotherapy.  Following successful clinical trials, these therapies are now broadly approved for use in patients who have not responded to chemotherapy, offering potentially curative treatments for patients who previously faced poor prognoses. Clinical trials for CAR-T cell therapy are in progress for multiple myeloma, which is really exciting, offering hope for longer remissions for patients with a cancer subtype where no curative treatments currently exist.

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Von Willebrand disease – hidden in plain sight

Dr Tom McKinnon

Every year on 17 April, World Haemophilia Day is recognised worldwide to raise awareness of haemophilia, von Willebrand Disease, and other inherited bleeding disorders. From his early days in lecture halls to his current work in research labs, Dr. Tom McKinnon, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Immunology and Inflammation, shares his expertise. He unravels the complexities of Von Willebrand factor (VWF), advocating for greater awareness of this commonly misunderstood condition. 

I can vividly recall an early morning undergraduate lecture I attended over 20 years ago now (has it really been that long?!). In a slightly hungover state, I listened to the lecturer describe a protein that helps blood cells stick together (clot) when you bleed called Von Willebrand Factor and Von Willebrand’s disease – a common inherited condition that can make you bleed more easily than normal. At the time, I didn’t think much about it, but two years and a BSc later, I found myself at Imperial undertaking a PhD investigating the structure and function of VWF, beginning my scientific journey into the world of the largest protein found in the blood, and in my humble opinion, the most fascinating.  

Circulating around the body, VWF is like a giant molecular ball of string that responds to the force of blood flow. When we damage our blood vessels, this ball of string sticks to the damage site, and unwinds and begins to capture platelets that are speeding past, thereby limiting blood loss.  

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There is good evidence for the benefits of osteoarthritis treatment – but we should not accept the status quo

Following the publication of new draft guidance by NICE on the care and management of osteoarthritis, Dr Fiona Watt breaks down the misconceptions surrounding its impact on patients and healthcare professionals, and why developing effective treatments for the condition is more vital than ever.

8.75 million people live with osteoarthritis in the UK and the condition is the fourth leading cause of years lived with disability worldwide. Osteoarthritis commonly affects joints such as the knee, hip or hand, leading to progressive change and damage in joint tissues, frequently causing joint pain and functional difficulties. It is the leading cause of joint replacement. As an osteoarthritis researcher and someone who treats people with osteoarthritis in the NHS, I awaited the draft updated National Institute for Health & Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on the management of osteoarthritis with some anticipation. This guidance is important because it shapes (and restricts) the way that the NHS approaches advice and treatment, based on scientific evidence.

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A letter to our taught students and their loved ones

This is an open letter from Mr Martin Lupton, Vice-Dean of Education to taught students in the Faculty of Medicine and their loved-ones.

Dear Students and their friends and families,

My eldest son has recently returned to University in the UK and, even though I work in both the health and education sector, I have to acknowledge that I have a certain level of anxiety about him. It is very difficult to read the news about all that has happened during this time of COVID and not to worry.

I am telling you this because I want you to understand that I have some inkling of what you may be feeling right now, particularly if you come from overseas or your daughter, son or relation, has just started their university life. The first thing I want to say is “Welcome to the Faculty of Medicine”. We are very proud of what we have achieved during this global pandemic; the Faculty of Medicine at Imperial College has been a key player contributing to the world’s understanding of the virus, the mapping of the virus, teaching people about the virus and developing a new vaccine. However, that is not all that we have been doing. (more…)

Embracing change as an immunologist in the time of Covid-19

Professor Danny Altmann explores how the pandemic has offered new perspectives on his research, leading to new collaborations and engaging with policy.

If any of us ever wished for greater prominence, respect, or public understanding of our scientific contributions to society, this is not the way we would have wished to achieve it. For so many at Imperial working in diverse aspects of infection, immunity and global health, this has been a time of much urgent soul-searching as to how we can best bring our skill sets to bear on the problem most effectively, whether as clinicians, disease modellers, vaccinologists or basic immunologists. It’s hard to turn on a news broadcast or open a newspaper without seeing opinions from Imperial colleagues, clinical and scientific.

At a time when the mantra is ‘policy led by the science’, this is absolutely as it should be. We often have it ingrained as scientists to keep our heads down lest we be accused of showboating or playing ‘Johnny-Big-Potato’ by making inflated claims about our research. Yet, this is a time when it’s OK and even laudable to stick your head above the parapet: when it genuinely matters, and people genuinely want to know, what are these different types of antibody tests, is antibody protective and how long does it last, which may be the most effective vaccines. This surely is the time to step up to the plate, whether by adapting the research focus of our labs to the current issues, by communicating and trying to clarify the nuances, and of course, by remembering our commitments to our students and trying to work out how to keep them stimulated and scientifically productive despite lockdown. (more…)

Blood Cancer Awareness Month: all roads lead to EVI1

PhD student Philippa May reflects on being a scientist in the field blood cancer, from working in a leukaemia diagnostic laboratory to a research laboratory. 

For the last 10 years I have been a clinical scientist in genetics working across various London NHS Trusts. Whilst I loved diagnostics, last year I left my job to complete my PhD. I worked in a part of life sciences called cytogenetics. This meant when a patient was diagnosed with blood cancer, I would analyse their chromosomes – the structures into which DNA is organised – from their blood or bone marrow to look for specific abnormalities. For some patients, this can lead to a definitive diagnosis. For others a refined prognosis, and in some, it’s simply a way of monitoring how well the patient’s leukaemia is responding to their treatment. (more…)

How does the charity Leuka support blood cancer research at Imperial?

In this post, four Imperial researchers write about the different ways in which Leuka has supported their work at the College.

Leuka is a charity that supports life-saving research into the causes and treatment of leukaemia and other blood cancers. Funding from dedicated charities such as Leuka provides an important source of support which enables high-quality research programmes here at Imperial to develop and progress. (more…)