EDINBURGH OPEN DAY. Saturday 7 May 2011 Queen s Medical Research Institute University of Edinburgh

Transcription

1 EDINBURGH OPEN DAY Saturday 7 May 2011 Queen s Medical Research Institute University of Edinburgh

2 WELCOME TO EDINBURGH Dr David Grant Welcome to our Edinburgh Open Day where we are proud to share with you some of our outstanding research which is beating blood cancer here in Scotland. Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research has invested 8.6million into vital research in Edinburgh over the last ten years to improve treatments for patients with blood cancer across the UK. Our current work in Edinburgh is focused on two important areas of blood cancer research. The first is improving treatments for patients with lymphoma, a form of blood cancer that affects around 11,700 people in the UK every year. The second is cutting edge stem cell research that will benefit patients touched by all types of blood cancer. Professor Chris Gregory and Dr John Goodlad are pioneering research into more targeted treatments for patients with non-hodgkin s lymphoma by investigating how the cancer cells interact with the immune system. Professor Alexander Medvinsky is exploring ways of generating human stem cells that can be used to transplant patients with blood cancer. This potential new treatment will make lifesaving stem cell transplants safer and available to more patients. Research led by Dr Clare Blackburn is also investigating ways of generating cells to benefit patients with blood cancer. This research is working with important cells in the immune system to help blood cancer patients recover from treatment. Today you will see that we are determined to beat blood cancer, however long it takes.

3 EDINBURGH OPEN DAY QUEEN'S MEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE SATURDAY 7 MAY 10.00am Coffee and registration 10.30am Key areas of research Our scientists introduce the key areas of research in Edinburgh Welcome to Edinburgh Dr David Grant, Scientific Director, Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research Improving treatments for patients with lymphoma Professor Chris Gregory, Chair of Inflammation Cell Biology and Dr John Goodlad, Pathology Consultant, Murray Hospital Cutting edge stem cell research Dr Clare Blackburn, Group Leader, MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine and Professor Alexander Medvinsky, Professor in Haematopoietic Stem Cell Biology, MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine 11.30am Laboratory demonstrations Guests are invited to see the following live laboratory demonstrations of our research in Edinburgh Diagnosing lymphoma Dr John Goodlad s lab Macrophages the secret growth of lymphoma tumours Professor Chris Gregory s lab The origin of blood cells Professor Alexander Medvinsky s lab The power of stem cells Professor Alexander Medvinsky s lab A guide to the thymus a vital organ Dr Clare Blackburn s lab Growing thymus cells Dr Clare Blackburn s lab Stem cell exhibition 1.00pm Complimentary lunch 2.00pm Close

4 IMPROVING TREATMENTS FOR PATIENTS WITH LYMPHOMA Dr John Goodlad Lymphoma is a cancer of the blood cells that make up the immune system. This form of cancer is relatively common; in the South East of Scotland alone I see around 250 new patients every year. Treatments for lymphoma have evolved based on our detailed understanding of lymphoma cells and how these tumours grow. Most lymphomas develop because of mistakes that occur in specific blood cell genes. As such, modern treatments use toxic chemicals to interfere with the processes underlying cell growth, killing cancer cells as they multiply. These treatments, though mostly effective, have some horrible side effects because they also kill healthy cells. Chemotherapy drugs tend to affect the hair follicles and cells in the intestine, causing hair loss and severe digestion problems. In recent years, research has come a long way towards developing more targeted treatments for patients with lymphoma that are both more effective and do not cause these nasty side effects. An example of this is Rituximab, which was introduced to treat Hodgkin s lymphoma around 10 years ago. Rituximab is one of a class of new drugs called monoclonal antibodies that are designed to identify specific molecules on the surface of cancer cells. In the case of Rituximab, the drug hones in on a molecule called CD20 found on the surface of many types of lymphoma cell, but importantly, not on the surface of other types of cell. This means that monoclonal antibodies can deliver more effective therapy with far fewer side effects. DEMONSTRATION Dr Goodlad s lab Diagnosing lymphoma There are many different types of lymphoma recognised because of differences in the way they look and behave, as well as how they affect patients. Diagnosis and accurate sub-typing is therefore essential to ensure that lymphoma patients get the most effective treatment. Modern lymphoma diagnosis uses a wide range of technologies including histopathology, high quality immunohistochemistry, flow cytometry, PCR technique, sequencing, conventional cytogenetics and Fluorescent In Situ Hybridisation (FISH). This demonstration will illustrate how the results of these techniques can be integrated to produce a final diagnosis, and allow you to see what lymphoma tissues look like down a microscope.

5 IMPROVING TREATMENTS FOR PATIENTS WITH LYMPHOMA Professor Chris Gregory Following on from the success of Rituximab, it is becoming increasingly clear that we can develop safer treatments for patients with blood cancers that are just as effective as current chemotherapy. In Edinburgh, our research is focused on understanding how lymphoma cells work with the immune system to identify new treatment strategies. All lymphoma tumours are made up of a mixture of cancer cells and healthy cells from the immune system. These healthy immune cells include T cells, dendritic cells and macrophages which are all designed to fight infection. The relationship between these immune cells and the lymphoma cells is known as the tumour microenvironment. This relationship is key to determining how patients respond to treatments. Whilst it seems logical to assume that the immune cells protect the patient from blood cancer by mounting an immune response, what does in fact happen is the complete reverse; the immune cells actually help the lymphoma tumours to grow. Our research focuses on macrophages, one of the main mediators of an effective immune response and a key culprit in controlling the tumour microenvironment. Our research has already revealed many surprising interactions between tumours and macrophages. One of these is the ability of growing tumour cells to attract macrophages by sending out chemical signals. By improving our understanding of these interactions we hope to intervene with new, more targeted treatments for patients with lymphoma that have fewer side effects. DEMONSTRATION Professor Gregory s lab Macrophages the secret growth of lymphoma tumours Our research team studies the life and death of lymphoma cells by looking at live cells growing in cultures in the laboratory. During this demonstration you will have the chance to witness the in-built cell death programmes that exist in lymphoma cells and see how the cells can be made to grow and are suppressed by macrophages. We will also demonstrate some of the methods we use to isolate different types of cell so that we can study them in the laboratory.

6 CUTTING EDGE STEM CELL RESEARCH Professor Alexander Medvinsky Stem cell transplants can be the last chance of cure for many patients with a blood cancer. However, the procedure is very intensive and not suitable for most patients. The most serious side effect is a condition called graft versus host disease (GvHD) in which the immune cells transferred from the donor attack healthy cells in the patient. Many patients suffer unpleasant symptoms in the skin, liver and gut and in too many cases the condition is fatal. Our research here in Edinburgh is pioneering new ways of generating human blood stem cells in the laboratory that can be transplanted into patients, avoiding these terrible side effects and saving more lives. This research requires a very sophisticated understanding of what human blood stem cells are, and how they develop. Using state-of-the-art technology we have been able to identify and hone in on the origin of human blood stem cells, found in the embryo. This has enabled us to study their development in detail and look at the molecules and genes involved in this complicated process. Our aim is to generate off-thepeg human stem cells that can be transplanted directly into patients with a blood cancer who need this life-saving treatment. DEMONSTRATIONS Professor Medvinsky s lab The origin of blood cells In order to generate human stem cells artificially we need to understand how and where they are made. The origins of human blood stem cells, like all human stem cells, can be found in the human embryo. During this demonstration we will show you the sites in the human embryo where these important cells develop. We will also show you how we study mature human stem cells and blood cells in the laboratory to understand more about this process. You will have the chance to see the sophisticated technology, such as flow cytometry and confocal microscopes that we use to also study the development of blood cancer cells. The power of stem cells Stem cells are capable of producing any cell in the body, holding great power and potential for the treatment of many diseases. During this demonstration we will show you some examples of stem cells growing in our laboratory. You will see the most primitive of these stem cells, called embryonic stem cells, which we have programmed to produce blood cells, endothelial cells (the cells that line the inside of the blood vessels) and heart cells. These mature cells will also be live on display for you to see, and compare with live blood cells derived naturally from specified blood stem cells.

7 CUTTING EDGE STEM CELL RESEARCH Dr Clare Blackburn A healthy immune system is vital in patients with blood cancer, particularly in those who are undergoing or who have completed treatment. The immune system is made up of different types of blood cell that fight infection and protect patients after major procedures such as stem cell transplants. These people are more susceptible to picking up infections because their immune system has been compromised by treatment. Our team here in Edinburgh is investigating a unique way of boosting the immune system by looking at the thymus. The thymus is an organ found in the lower neck that makes important cells of the immune system called T-cells. An interesting fact about the thymus is that it shrinks as we get older. This means that older patients are even more likely to pick up infections during treatment. My research has identified stem cells in the thymus that are responsible for regenerating this essential organ. Harnessing these stem cells may be the key to ensuring that all patients have a healthy immune system post treatment. At the moment, these stem cells can only be obtained from foetal tissue. Our work here in Edinburgh is focused on finding new ways of generating thymus cells in the laboratory to offer patients who have stem cell transplants a vital source of T-cells. The ability to artificially grow thymus cells from stem cells will offer new hope of safe recovery to patients with blood cancer who undergo lifesaving treatments. DEMONSTRATIONS Dr Clare Blackburn s lab A guide to the thymus a vital organ The thymus is necessary for making important cells of the immune system called T-cells and even more important for patients with a blood cancer, whose immune system is compromised. During this demonstration our interactive display including posters, models and real cells under a microscope will enable you to learn all about the thymus and why it is so important for patients with blood cancer. Growing thymus cells Our research is focused on developing ways of growing thymus cells from stem cells in the laboratory. This is no mean feat because the stem cells are very sensitive. We therefore need to recreate an environment identical to the one found in the body where these cells live. During this demonstration, you will have the chance to see this artificial microenvironment and learn about how we grow thymus stem cells in the laboratory.

8 HOW WE'RE BEATING BLOOD CANCER NEAR YOU Yvonne Dickson Our life-saving research would not be possible without supporters like you raising money to help us beat blood cancer. Across Scotland, our fundraisers walk, run, cycle, swim, take on challenges, collect and socialise to raise the vital funds needed to beat blood cancer. To find out how you can help, contact me at beatbloodcancers.org or call Find out more about research and fundraising near you by visiting our website at beatbloodcancers.org EVERY 20 MINUTES SOMEONE IS DIAGNOSED WITH A BLOOD CANCER Yvonne Dickson Regional Fundraising Manager Scotland & North of England If you d like to find out more about what s happening near you, visit beatbloodcancers.org or call us on We are determined to beat blood cancers, however long it takes, and we couldn t do it without you.

9 NOT UNTIL WE VE BEATEN BLOOD CANCER. TELL US WHAT YOU THINK Thank you for coming to our Open Day in Edinburgh. We d really like to know how much you enjoyed the day, to make our future events even better. Please complete the following questions to provide your feedback Strongly Disagree Neither Agree Strongly disagree agree or agree disagree Please circle the response that most closely reflects your feelings I have a greater understanding of how Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research spend fundraisers money I feel more inspired to support Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research after today I have a greater understanding of the research being done to beat blood cancer I now know more about how research will benefit patients in the future I enjoyed the demonstrations How did you hear about the Open Day? Our researchers and doctors won t hang up their coats until we ve beaten all blood cancers, including leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma. We need your support, contact us today. beatbloodcancers.org Mailing list Through a friend Previously attended Other, please specify Continued overleaf

10 Which research topic interests you the most? Leukaemia Lymphoma Myeloma Other, please specify What did you like most about the Open Day? How could the Open Day be improved? Do you have any other comments? Fold and tear here Please return this form to a member of staff on the day, or post to Yvonne Dickson, Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research, 24D Milton Road East, Edinburgh, EH15 2NJ Thank you

11 Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research 24D Milton Road East, Edinburgh EH15 2NJ Registered charity SC (Scotland) (England & Wales) beatbloodcancers.org