Blood donors in England are being invited to give a sample to the UK’s largest health research programme to enable the NHS to better match lifesaving transplants and transfusions. The blood samples will be sent to Our Future Health, a collaboration between the public sector, life sciences companies and UK health charities including NHS organisations. Our Future Health aims transform the…

The results of a Dutch study of a new treatment protocol for children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia have shown a large improvement in five-year survival, particularly for a poor-prognosis group. Dr Rob Pieters of the Princess Maxima Centre for Paediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands led a team who measured the effectiveness of their new ‘ALL11’ protocol. The study recruited 819 child…

Scientists have reported new discoveries about how haematopoietic stem cells diversify in the early embryo. Haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) in the adult bone marrow are diverse, and produce a number of different cell lineages. This diversity is apparent in embryos, where HSPCs are generated from endothelial cells. However, to date it has not been clear how these intrinsic…

Scientists working on an EU project to develop a multiple myeloma treatment are assessing its progress as the first phase comes to an end. The CARAMBA project focused on developing a virus-free chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy. During the project, the researchers tested the effectiveness of a CAR-T therapy for multiple myeloma that alters and reinfuses the patient’s own white…

Young patients with a high body mass index (BMI) have a reduced survival rate after treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, new research has found. A US-based study was carried out on 388 patients ages 15 to 50 years, collectively referred to as adolescents and young adults (AYAs). The cohort were treated on Dana-Farber Consortium paediatric regimens between 2008-2021, which included the…

A genetic signature of CAR T-cells has been identified that could explain why some children have a longer remission than others after receiving the therapy for leukaemia. Researchers at University College London, Great Ormond Street Hospital and the Wellcome Sanger Institute combined novel immune therapy design and computational analysis to identify a genetic signature of CAR T-cells that could…