Our Funded Research
Lymphoma
Improving treatment and reducing side effects for children with B-cell NHL
With Dr Vikki Rand
B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a type of childhood cancer which has treatment with especially difficult side effects. We need safer and more effective treatments, which means scientists need to find new ways to attack lymphoma cells without harming healthy cells.
Dr Vikki Rand at Newcastle University has gathered a large group of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma samples. Her team will look at these samples’ genetic information to find targets where medicines could be used to stop cancer cell processes. The targets will then be investigated to find the one most likely to work for patients with this cancer. This project will also help form a repository of knowledge that will help find more treatment options in the future.
Project title: Identification of new drug targets to improve treatment options and reduce treatment-related toxicity for children diagnosed with aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL)
Lead investigator: Dr Vikki Rand, Newcastle University
Funded by: The Little Princess Trust
Funded: November 2016
Award: £99,998.70
Understanding lymphoma in children with poor immune systems
With Dr Chris Bacon
Children who are born with poorly functioning immune systems have a substantial additional risk of developing cancer, most commonly lymphoma. It can be very difficult to treat these children, not only because of the cancer but also the harmful treatments. Researchers think that lymphomas happen in these children due to a complicated mix of genetic mutations, immune system errors and viral infections. However, not much is known about this.
Dr Chris Bacon and his team at Newcastle University plan to perform a detailed, expert analysis of lymphomas, which will provide information on the types of lymphoma occurring in children with immune deficiency and help interpret clinical data. This project will also provide this background information to help set up a large clinical trial, which will also involve detailed genetic analysis of these lymphomas, paving the way for newer and safer treatments.
Project title: Histopathology of Lymphomas in children with primary immune deficiency
Lead investigator: Dr Chris Bacon, Newcastle University
Funded by: The Little Princess Trust
Funded: December 2017
Award: £111,331.97
Using the immune system to improve treatment for Hodgkin Lymphoma
With Professor Paul Murray
Children with Hodgkin lymphoma are normally treated with chemotherapy, but this doesn’t always work. Researchers looking for better and safer treatments for these children have found that a protein, called GPNMB is very important to Hodgkin lymphoma’s growth. It stops the immune system from recognising and attacking the cancer.
Professor Paul Murray and his team at the University of Birmingham are investigating how the protein is involved in the development of cancer and whether stopping the protein from working could dramatically improve treatments for patients with lymphoma.
Project title: Targeting GPNMB in Hodgkin Lymphoma
Lead investigator: Professor Paul Murray, University of Birmingham
Funded by: The Little Princess Trust
Funded: December 2017
Award: £111,331.97
Finding medicine targets for aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma
With Dr Vikki Rand
B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma is an aggressive cancer, meaning that aggressive treatments are needed to cure it. Unfortunately, these treatments can have serious and long term side effects. New and kinder treatments are urgently needed to improve the lives of children diagnosed with this disease.
Dr Vikki Rand at Newcastle University is investigating the DNA of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma cells. The research team hope to find out which genes and errors are connected to the cancer becoming worse or being hard to treat. They aim to create a ‘map’ of errors that could be targeted with medicines, with the idea to find potential treatment options.
Project title: Investigation of potential therapeutic targets in paediatric aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma - towards kinder, more effective treatments
Lead investigator: Dr Vikki Rand, Newcastle University
Funded by: The Little Princess Trust
Funded: January 2019
Award: £104,545
Can a new medicine help treat ALK+ anaplastic large cell lymphoma that doesn’t respond to treatment, or comes back after treatment?
With Dr Amos Burke and Professor Pam Kearns
ALK+ anaplastic large cell lymphoma is a type of blood cancer which affects children and young people. At the moment, doctors don’t have a recommended treatment for when ALK+ anaplastic large cell lymphoma doesn’t respond to treatment, or comes back after treatment.
Dr Amos Burke and Professor Pam Kearns are working on an exciting new medicine that helps the patient’s immune system recognise cancer cells by blocking the messages that the cancer is using to hide from the immune system. This project is a phase two clinical trial, which will assess how well the medicine works for different patient groups.
Project title: NIVO-ALCL -Phase II trial of nivolumab for paediatric and adult relapsing/refractory ALK+ anaplastic large cell lymphoma, for evaluation of response in patients with progressive disease (Cohort 1) or as consolidative immunotherapy in patients in complete remission after relapse (Cohort 2)
Lead investigator: Dr Amos Burke, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Professor Pam Kearns, Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit
Funded by: The Little Princess Trust
Funded: August 2019
Award: £89,882.94
Understanding B-cell lymphoma’s reaction to treatment
With Dr Suzanne Turner
For children with B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma, the side effects of chemotherapy can cause long-term problems. There is also the chance that chemotherapy doesn’t work, which leaves very few options. It is rare that children’s B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma doesn’t respond to treatment, or comes back, but that makes it very difficult to research the treatments these patients need.
Dr Suzanne Turner will be using data from the first international trial for relapsed B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma to research why some children’s cancer comes back and to find ways to see how the cancer is responding to treatment. This could help doctors understand how children will respond to different types of treatments.
Project title: Translating the biology of Paediatric B cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma to improve the quality of life of children treated for BNHL
Lead investigator: Dr Suzanne Turner, University of Cambridge
Funded by: The Little Princess Trust
Funded: July 2021
Award: £249,723
Finding a way to detect endemic Burkitt Lymphoma earlier
With Dr Suzanne Turner
In parts of Africa there is a type of cancer called endemic Burkitt Lymphoma. It can be hard for local doctors to diagnose, so it is often too late for treatment when it is eventually found. If there was a way to diagnose endemic Burkitt Lymphoma earlier and to teach families about the symptoms, then treatment could be started sooner.
Dr Suzanne Turner and her team, based at the University of Cambridge, are working with the Uganda Cancer Institute in Kampala to develop a low-cost blood test which could test at-risk children. The blood test will look for a virus that helps the cancer develop, as well as signs of a tumour. If children at risk can be found and taught about Burkitt Lymphoma, more children could be given treatment which could save lives.
Project title: Development of an early detection assay for endemic Burkitt Lymphoma (eBL)
Lead investigator: Dr Suzanne Turner, University of Cambridge
Funded by: The Little Princess Trust
Funded: March 2022
Award: £193,890.00
Finding new treatment options for Burkitt lymphoma that doesn’t respond to treatment
With Dr Simon Bomken
Burkitt lymphoma is a rare type of childhood blood cancer with harsh treatments. The current treatment works well but it is very intensive and difficult for patients to manage. At the moment, trying to reduce the amount of treatment just leads to the cancer coming back, which is extremely difficult to treat. We need to find kinder treatments, but that is difficult without knowing more about why the cancer can come back after treatment.
Dr Simon Bomken at Newcastle University plans to grow cancer cells in the lab to make models which behave just like Burkitt lymphoma, using cells from real patients. His team will then look at which genes are crucial to the cancer cells’ survival. They will then test medicines that work against these genes to find out which could be a good addition to standard treatment. Dr Bomken hopes that they will be able to find new treatment options that could move into clinical trials.
Project title: Identifying new treatment options for therapy resistant Burkitt lymphoma
Lead investigator: Dr Simon Bomken, Newcastle University
Funded by: The Little Princess Trust
Funded: March 2023
Award: £215,079
