Lead investigator: Prof Mel Greaves, The Institute of Cancer Research
Funded by CCLG and CCLG Special Named Funds including Toti Worboys Fund, Elliott's Warrior Fund, Captain Ciara Killing Cancer and #GoTeamHuey
Awarded January 2019
Award: £96,810.40
Acute leukaemia is the major type of cancer in children.
Although treatment is now very successful with cure rates of around 90%, the treatment is traumatic and toxic. Prevention would be better.
Our research suggests that common infections trigger leukaemia in susceptible children. Those most at risk are children who, paradoxically, have a deficit of beneficial microbial infection in the first year of life.
We are developing model systems for studying leukaemia in mice. These allow us to test the possibility that leukaemia is preventable with exposure to benign or harmless bacteria early in life.
The long term goal is the prevention of leukaemia in children.