Childhood Leukaemia Research Group (Halsey Lab)

Team

Chris Halsey - Group Leader

PROFESSIONAL: I am a clinical academic who is privileged to be able to combine leading my fantastic childhood leukaemia research group, with an Honorary NHS position caring for children with blood disorders and their families at the Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow.

The mission of our research group is to improve outcomes for children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) by 1) discovering novel drugs to treat central nervous system (CNS) leukaemia that are more effective and have less side-effects and 2) reducing the toxicity of current CNS-directed therapy regimens. We also aim to advance scientific and clinical progress in childhood leukaemia more generally and promote high-quality inclusive team science.

PERSONAL: I love food, travel, the natural world, Munro bagging, and family time with my husband and 3 teenage sons

Sharon Burns – Technician

PROFESSIONAL: I am a core technician in the Institute of Cancer Science, working within the Halsey group. I’ve worked in the University of Glasgow for almost 30 years and have learned a number of molecular biology techniques.

PERSONAL: I spend my spare time with my family, I enjoy dancing and I love to cook.

Anand Manoharan - Postdoctoral Researcher

PROFESSIONAL: I am a molecular biologist with a PhD in Cell Biology (Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg, Germany). My project focusses on identifying drivers of central nervous system (CNS) involvement in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (T-ALL). We are working in close collaboration with leading scientists in the field from UCL Cancer Institute, and utilise genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 in conjunction with multi-omics approaches with an ultimate goal to unravel the underlying mechanisms and therapeutic targeting of CNS driven ALL.

PERSONAL: I am a DIY enthusiast, video creator, spend my free time in aqua scaping, culinary adventures … yet to explore Scottish Highlands.

Ainy Wahid – PhD Student

PROFESSIONAL: I am a Clinical Research Fellow. My internationally collaborative PhD project focuses on understanding chemotherapy-induced neurotoxicity in paediatric acute lymphoblastic leukaemia with deep phenotyping and genotyping approach.

PERSONAL: In my spare time, I enjoy cooking and baking and trying new recipes from different cuisines. I also love trekking, walking and hiking, the best part of living in Scotland.

Alex Collings – PhD Student 

Amy Muir – PhD Student

PROFESSIONAL: I am a PhD student with an interest in paediatric leukaemia research. My PIs are Chris Halsey, Mhairi Copland, Gillian Horne and Vignir Helgason. My project investigates heterogeneity within Ph+ acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (Ph+ALL) with the goal of identifying a novel Ph+ALL subtype and understanding when important cancer-causing mutations occur during blood cell development.

PERSONAL: I'm a fully qualified yoga teacher, award winning illustrator and bouldering enthusiast.

Alasdair Duguid – Clinical Research Fellow

Professional: I am a PhD student and clinical haematology trainee, co-supervised by Chris and Katrin Ottersbach. I aim to understand the drivers of CNS disease in infant leukaemia.

Personal: In my spare time I like to drink coffee, listen to podcasts and admire my houseplants.

Ekaterini Himonas – PhD Student

Professional: I am a PhD student in Cancer Sciences at the Wolfson Wohl Cancer Research Centre. I work on two different projects; the one focuses on identifying and targeting metabolic dependencies in myeloid leukaemia and the other one focuses on targeting autophagy in CNS ALL. Both projects aim to identify novel therapeutic strategies.

Personal: I am a photography lover, I mostly capture sunsets and sky aesthetics, and a music maniac.

Dr Tania Christoforaki - Clinical Research Fellow

Past Group Members

• Dr Yasar Yousafzai – PhD completed Dec 2014 – Current post: Assistant Professor, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Khyber Medical University, Peshawar, Pakistan
• Dr Anthony Cousins – PhD completed Aug 2017 – Current post: Consultant Paediatric Haematologist Sheffield Children's NHS Foundation Trust and Honorary Clinical Lecturer, ICS University of Glasgow
• Dr Nagla M El Fakhari – PhD Completed Jan 2016 – Current post: Completing medical training
• Dr Orianne Olivares - Current post: Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, France
• Sheena McGowan – Current post: Project manager, University of Glasgow
• Dr Mark Williams – Current post: Lecturer in Cell and Molecular Biology, Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University