From the canine world to exploring human immunology

The study, led by Professor Linda Wooldridge at the University of Bristol, will investigate whystem cell transplantation, which is used to treat blood cancers, cures the disease in some patients but can fail or cause severe side effects in others.

As a qualified vet, Professor Wooldridge was fascinated by diseases in dogs and how to better treat them through research into the immune system which she now conducts within her lab at the Bristol Veterinary School.

Her work led her from the canine world to exploring human immunology, and ultimately into vital research that could help patients with blood disorders such as leukaemia.

Together with a dedicated team of researchers, she is setting out to explore how morbidity and mortality rates for patients who undergo stem cell transplants could potentially be improved using her extensive knowledge of T-cell biology gained during years spent examining patient samples.

Professor Wooldridge, Chair in Translational Immunology, explained: “T-cells are an important component of our immune system as they help to protect our bodies against a range of different infections. They are also capable of killing cancerous cells.

“Stem cell transplants are used to treat patients with cancers that affect blood cells, so leukaemia is one of the most common diseases treated with this approach. During stem cell transplantation, patients receive T-cells from the donor which have the potential to recognize and remove leukemic cells in the patient. For many patients, this potentially life-saving procedure is their only treatment option.

“But following treatment, a proportion of stem cell transplants aren’t always successful which can result in relapse of the original leukaemia. Patients can also experience side effects which can sometimes be severe.”

Dr Hattie Brooks, Research Information Manager at Cancer Research UK, added: “Thanks to research leukaemia survival has more than quadrupled in the last 50 years, but with around 4,800 people dying from the disease each year more still needs to be done.

“Stem cell transplants are a life-saving treatment option for some people with leukaemia, but unfortunately it doesn’t work for everyone. This study is exploring how T-cells, a type of immune cell that helps protect us against infection and disease, behave after a stem cell transplant, and why in some cases they fail to target the cancer cells, or attack healthy cells instead.

“Funding research into how we can make treatments more effective brings us closer to a world where more people live longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer.”