Last week was an exciting one for the LEGEND Group! We attended NUBI Live, where Lisa and Phoebe gave talks, and Ahmed and Leti presented posters. Nick also presented in the @nucancer.bsky.social PMGI Symposium. Excellent science with plenty of engaging discussions!

Very proud that LEGEND Group technician, Camille Drai, won two prestigious Techncian Awards. Well done @camilledrai.bsky.social 👏

Research looks like... Dr Jasmeen Oberoi: "Collaboration from researchers, healthcare professionals and people with lived experience." Dr Lisa Russell: "Teamwork between researchers and clinicians, turning lab discoveries into real treatments for people who need them."

Today is #WorldCancerDay. We honour everyone affected by cancer - patients, families, and loved ones ❤️ Today is a reminder of why we do what we do, to make a difference through research.

Molly’s story is a powerful reminder of why we are committed to fighting leukaemia. Every donation supports better treatment development. bloodcancer.org.uk/get-involved... Not only does research continue to grow, but our @bloodcanceruk.bsky.social project plant grows alongside it, a symbol of hope.

Shout out this #InternationalMensDay to Ahmed Alsayadi (@alsayadi.bsky.social) and Nick Brittain — brilliant cancer researchers and all-round great humans. Your skill, drive, and good vibes make the LEGEND team what it is 💙

We’re excited to welcome a talented new postdoctoral researcher, Monika Gonka, to the LEGEND group! She’ll be leading data-driven projects and supporting the team as a bioinformatics research assistant. Welcome aboard, Monika!

I was welcomed to the lab meeting yesterday by this spooky bunch 🤪. Always up for a giggle and certainly made my day 😆

Viruses effectively deliver gene-editing proteins into leukaemia cells. Envelope proteins ‘coat’ the virus, and the best envelope choice can vary between different leukaemias. We use fluorescent dyes to decide which envelope will allow the best delivery of the gene-editing proteins to the cells.

We’re proud to share the inspiring story of Dr. Dan Mattison — diagnosed with leukaemia at age 14, and now a Foundation Year 2 doctor. Dan and his family are welcoming a £4.1 million investment from @cancerresearchuk.org. Read more here: www.ncl.ac.uk/press/articl...

Last week on #WorldCancerResearchDay the whole lab and other colleagues from @nucancer.bsky.social turned into bakers to help fundraising for @cancerresearchuk.org, a charity close to us for their commitment to fund groundbreaking projects in cancer research. Lovely seeing the public engaged!

September is #ChildhoodCancerAwarenessMonth. Our team joined the @childcancernth.bsky.social campaign #PaintTheToonGold to show support for children with cancer and their families. Together, we can raise awareness and keep pushing research forward.

We were excited to share our recent research findings and projects at #CLRUK25 in York. Dr. Brittain and Dr. Alqahtani were thrilled to present their projects, supported by @cancerresearchuk.org and @bloodcanceruk.bsky.social. Dr. Marchetti brought great energy while chairing the first session.

Morning coffee and train for the whole lab today, direction #CLRUK25 in York! Looking forward to seeing everyone from the CLR-UK network! #ChildhoodCancerAwarenessMonth #BloodCancerAwarenessMonth

Research is not a solo effort. ​ It takes teamwork. It takes belief. It takes collaboration. We know what it takes to beat blood cancer and so does @dr-ahlamq.bsky.social whose work is funded by @bloodcanceruk.bsky.social grant co-led by Lisa & @letimarchetti.bsky.social​ #BloodCancerAwarenessMonth​

We recently welcomed Dr Nicholas Brittain to the LEGEND group, who has joined as a Research Associate to investigate mechanisms driving super-enhancers in paediatric leukaemia as part of a research project funded by @cancerresearchuk.org

Recent nice weather called for a social outing of the LEGEND group, filled with fun, sport and a MUST stop for ice cream by the coast 🍦. We also had our first lab retreat at Cockle Park, featuring good scientific discussion 🧬 and a visit by our @ukri.org MRC collaborators from Edinburgh ✨

Thrilled to have contributed to ground-breaking research led by Dr Joan Boyes (@universityofleeds.bsky.social‬), just out in Nature (‪@nature.com‬)! 🧬 We show that tiny DNA fragments, naturally cut from the genome, can linger—causing more damage & helping leukaemia progress.

Our lab was delighted to host a visit from @cancerresearchuk.org fundraisers, campaigners, and patient advocates Sue Duncombe and Patrick McGuire. It was a pleasure to share our research, to give an insight into our daily work and highlight how CRUK support helps us move science forward.

🌟 Nominate Children’s Cancer North for a chance to win £5,000! The Benefact Movement for Good Health & Wellbeing Special Draw is open until May 4. By nominating us, Children’s Cancer North could win £5,000 to help make life better for children and young people affected by cancer 👉 loom.ly/dFhKtac

We are hiring! Great opportunity for a RA with bioinformatic skills We are looking for talented researcher to work on a project to detect gene fusions and driver mutations in a large cohort of children with ALL treated across multiple different trials to determine their clinical relevance.

Having a great day with the whole @ljrusselllab.bsky.social group, attending the @nucancer.bsky.social 2025 conference, showcasing excellent research from across the faculty, including some of our own from the #WolfsonCentre in the Herschel building, Alistair Poll and Melvin Joy. More to come later!

@ljrusselllab.bsky.social has crafted beautiful items for Children's Cancer North! If you want to help this amazing charity, have a look at the shop : Lunch Bag: shorturl.at/jvdLm Phone Holder: shorturl.at/QbFXN Pouch: shorturl.at/ryX6x

Great poster session by the LEGEND team. Lots of informative discussions had with other @nucancer.bsky.social colleagues.

Great morning had at the @nucancer.bsky.social conference. Proud to see the work of the team presented as recent success stories coming from the centre.

First time running a "Meet the Expert" session today at the European School for Haematology. Despite being nervous and not really knowing what to expect, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I had a lovely group of attendees who made the experience one to remember.

Privileged to have been asked to speak at this years ESH conference on acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in beautiful Malahide, Dublin. Great opportunity for extensive discussion and new collaborations.

Lisa Russell just wrote an insightful article for #CancerNews from @cancerresearchuk.org where she takes us through the promise of super-enhancer biology and what it means for cancer. Read the whole article here: news.cancerresearchuk.org/2025/05/21/b...

Well done to all the Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre runners for completing the #ChildrensCancerRun today at Gosforth Park. @childcancernth.bsky.social @newcastleuni.bsky.social

Great day at the #ChildrensCancerRun inspiring young minds and raising money to support families through a cancer diagnosis and to fund vital cancer research here in the North East @childcancernth.bsky.social

Had a great time at SIOPE meeting this week. Hearing the latest research on the biology and diagnosis of childhood leukaemia. Also had the privilege of seeing my PhD supervisor being awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award for her contribution to the field.

Our lab was delighted to host a lab tour for the fantastic team from @teleperformance-gp.bsky.social We were happy to showcase our expertise in cell culture(Leti&Cami), gene editing (Ahlam&Ahmed) and data analysis (Phoebe). Thanks for sponsoring the Business Beats Cancer North East.

Two weeks countdown to #PINT25! No need to be sad yet, as #Newcastle @pintofscience.uk @pintsworld.bsky.social has still tickets available! More info here: pintofscience.co.uk/events/newca... Spread the word!

Don’t miss your chance #Newcastle, tickets for #PINT25 are out! @pintofscience.uk @pintsworld.bsky.social More info for venues and tickets here pintofscience.co.uk/events/newca... Repost appreciated :)

April is Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Awareness Month (TYACAM) and @dr-ahlamq.bsky.social was thrilled to give her first presentation about our new findings in a rare type of leukaemia that affects the TYA community @newcastleuni.bsky.social. @childcancernth.bsky.social. Funded by blood cancer.

RE-POST ALERT Second chance to apply for the #bioinformaticspost funded by @cancerresearchuk.org to join our Leukaemia EpiGenomic and ENhancer Dysregulation group at @newcastleuni.bsky.social @nucancer.bsky.social, don't miss the opportunity! Closing date 1st May 2025! jobs.ncl.ac.uk/job/Newcastl...