From laboratory bench to patient bed: Professor Tessa Holyoake.

Issued: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 15:14:00 BST

Glasgow Professor of Experimental Haematology Tessa Holyoake has long held a vision of bringing together world leaders in experimental haematology within a state-ofthe- art research facility. In 2007 this vision became reality with the creation of the Paul O’Gorman Leukaemia Research Centre. Based at Gartnavel General Hospital, the centre has been described as ‘a flagship model of integrated basic, translational and clinical research’ (Research Assessment Exercise panel, 2008).

As the centre’s director, Professor Holyoake regards the proximity of clinical and laboratory disciplines in one single site as a key benefit.

‘The future success of leukaemia research depends entirely on our ability to integrate access to biobanks established from normal donors and patients with blood cancers within the research centre,’ she says.

‘Scientists can then interrogate the gene expression, protein expression and metabolism of cancerous cells compared with normal cells and finally apply these new discoveries in designing clinical trials that give all patients access to more effective therapies.’

Professor Holyoake’s world-leading research is on the cancer stem cell, working from the model of chronic myeloid leukaemia. She explains: ‘Cancer stem cells are now thought to exist in many different diseases and the work in haemopoiesis – the formation of blood cells – has led this field for many years. Chronic myeloid leukaemia is an excellent model with which to investigate the cancer stem cell. The disease arises by genetic mutation within a single stem cell and exists in both bone marrow and blood, making the stem cells of interest easily accessible.’

Professor Holyoake’s group has refined methods to both identify and isolate the most primitive stem cell population in this disease and is uniquely placed to develop and optimise biochemical and molecular methods to investigate these cell samples.