Research

I have a research interest in B-cell Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Our current focus is on follicular lymphoma, an indolent malignancy that remains incurable and for which the typical clinical course is one where patients relapse on several occasions eventually becoming therapy resistant. Our main research questions are to:

• Understand the molecular processes that govern lymphoma initiation
• Characterise intra-tumour heterogeneity and evolution and their role in lymphoma progression
• Define novel biomarkers that can be translated to clinical practice

To address these questions, we aim to utilise primary lymphoma samples in combination with cutting-edge tools, in vitro and in vivo approaches.

Other Activities

• Associate Editor for eJHaem (2020-)
• Member of International Advisory Board for Lancet Haematology (2020-)
• Member of the International Scientific Advisory Committee for the Lady Tata Memorial Trust (2020-)
• Chair of the CRUK Barts Centre Patient and Public Involvement Research Advisory Group
• Expert Panel, Lymphoma Connect
• Member of the European Haematology Association
• Member of the NCRI Low Grade Lymphoma Subgroup
• Member of the NCRI Primary CNS Lymphoma Working Party

Major Funding

• 2018-2023- Cancer Research UK Accelerator Award (Co-investigator)
• 2017-2022 - Cancer Research UK Clinician Scientist Fellowship, £1.4M
• 2011-2015 - Kay Kendall Leukaemia Fund Junior Clinical Research Fellowship, £290,000

Recent Publications

A Lack of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Clinical Research Has Direct Impact on Patient Care El-Galaly TC, Gaidzik VI, Gaman MA et al. HemaSphere (2023) 7(7) E842

Longitudinal expression profiling identifies a poor risk subset of patients with ABC-type diffuse large B-cell lymphoma Bewicke-Copley F, Korfi K, Araf S et al. Blood Advances (2023) 7(7) 845-855

IBRAP: integrated benchmarking single-cell RNA-sequencing analytical pipeline Knight CH, Khan F, Patel A et al. Briefings in Bioinformatics (2023) 24(7)

Impact of positron emission tomography - computed tomography status on progression-free survival for relapsed follicular lymphoma patients undergoing autologous stem cell transplantation Eyre TA, Barrington SF, Okosun J et al. Haematologica (2023) 108(7) 785-796

Personalised therapy in follicular lymphoma – is the dial turning? Linton KM, Specht L, Pavlovsky A et al. Hematological Oncology (2023) (7)

Biology of follicular lymphoma: insights and windows of clinical opportunity Perrett M, Edmondson C, Okosun J Hematology (United States) (2022) 2022(7) 688-694

Optimizing MATRix as remission induction in PCNSL: de-escalated induction treatment in newly diagnosed primary CNS lymphoma Wendler J, Fox CP, Valk E et al. BMC Cancer (2022) 22(7)

The EHA Research Roadmap: Malignant Lymphoid Diseases Dreyling M, André M, Gökbuget N et al. HemaSphere (2022) 6(7) E726

Thyroid MALT lymphoma: self-harm to gain potential T-cell help Wu F, Watanabe N, Tzioni MM et al. Leukemia (2021) 35(7) 3497-3508

Pathogenesis of follicular lymphoma: genetics to the microenvironment to clinical translation Kumar E, Pickard L, Okosun J British Journal of Haematology (2021) 194(7) 810-821

For additional publications, please click here

Team

Postdoctoral Researchers

• Carina Edmondson

Clinical Research Fellows/PhD students

• Dr Emil Kumar (co-supervision with Professor Jude Fitzgibbon)
• Dr Lucy Pickard

PhD students

• Megan Perrett

Academic Clinical Fellows

• Dr Edward Poynton

Biography

I graduated in medicine from the University of Cambridge and subsequently undertook my medical and specialty registrar haematology training in London. My research interests in lymphoma biology was developed during my Kay Kendall funded Clinical Research Fellowship with Professor Jude Fitzgibbon at the Barts Cancer Institute where I investigated the genetic heterogeneity and tumour evolution underlying follicular lymphoma and its progression. I was awarded the Royal College of Pathologists Specialty Research Medal for this work.

I returned to the Barts Cancer Institute as a Clinical Senior Lecturer in 2017 and will also be working with collaborators at the Francis Crick Institute.

Appointments

2017 to present: Clinical Senior Lecturer

2011-2015: Kay Kendall Clinical Research Fellow, Barts Cancer Institute

Qualifications

2015: PhD, Queen Mary University of London

2011: FRCPath, Royal College of Pathologists

2008: MRCP, Royal College of Physicians

2004: MB BChir, University of Cambridge

2002: BA (Hons) Natural Sciences, University of Cambridge