Vyas Group: Biology and Treatment of Human Myeloid Cancers
- MRC Molecular Haematology Unit
- MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine
- Nuffield Division of Clinical Laboratory Sciences
We aim to understand the fundamental biological processes underlying normal and malignant haematopoiesis and translate this to improve patient outcomes through new rational therapies.
Our group focuses on understanding the biological process of normal haematopoietic stem and progenitor cell differentiation and how this is disrupted during the development of blood malignancies. The ultimate goal of our work is to translate research findings into improved clinical outcomes through better use of existing treatments and the discovery of new and personalised therapies.
Trajectory of Myeloid Malignancy
Can we predict who will develop leukaemia later in life? Why do some abnormal cells develop into aggressive malignancies and others don’t? How does the microenvironment influence the emergence of cancerous cells in older age? We are interested in the molecular mechanisms that lead to malignant transformation of preleukemic progenitor cells and the evolution of established leukaemia resulting in therapy resistance or relapse.
For this reason, our lab studies clonal architecture and heterogeneity of myeloid malignancies and preleukemic conditions such as transient abnormal myelopoiesis (TAM) in children with Down syndrome or clonal haematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) in older people. We are also interested in the contribution of the bone marrow microenvironment to disease initiation and progression in such conditions.
The application of multi-omics strategies (targeted and whole genome sequencing, single cell genomics and transcriptomics, flow cytometry and imaging) allows us to unravel evolutionary patterns within clonal trajectories and to identify cell-autonomous and non-cell-autonomous cues that influence the behaviour of individual clones. Using a wide array of techniques including gene editing and in vivo models we then can investigate the involvement of cell-intrinsic drivers such as epigenetic or transcriptional regulators as well as cell-extrinsic cues exerted by the microenvironment in the evolution of myeloid malignancies.
T cell Responses to Myeloid Cancer
Immune therapies offer the next frontier of targeted cancer treatments. Our lab has three interests in this area.
First, we are studying the immunological basis of alloreactivity in allogeneic stem cell transplantation, the most established cancer cellular immunotherapy used to treat the highest risk blood cancers. We are using state-of-the-art integrated unbiased genomic and functional immunological assays to identify novel alloreactive antigens and the adaptive immune responses to these antigens to improve the outcomes for cancer patients.
Second, we are studying the autologous immune response in patients treated for acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) to understand what role it plays in disease control.
Third, we are investigating the changes in diversity and function of the T cell compartment through ageing.
All three projects are linked and involve collaborative working with a number of immunology groups around Oxford and abroad.
Drug Resistance and Response
A central question in modern medicine is why most drugs fail to cure cancer patients. We are addressing this question in the context of AML. Patients diagnosed with this aggressive blood cancer have a poor clinical outcome mainly due to high relapse rates following treatment. Relapse is driven by therapy-resistant cells that are able to escape the therapy, remodel and dominate the blood ecosystem. In our lab we aim to understand the cellular and molecular basis of resistance by using state-of-the-art single cell methods (single-cell transcriptome, genotyping, ATAC-seq and multiparameter flow cytometry) to study patient AML samples. This highly translational work may provide novel tailored treatment options for patients.
Infrastructure
The group’s research work is supported by the well-established Haematopoietic Cell Biobank, one of the largest haematological sample biobanks in the UK (around 14,000 samples), which is coordinated and managed by our lab.
We perform high quality processing of blood, bone marrow and biopsy samples from patients with haematological malignancies and healthy volunteers, and securely store the samples on-site alongside relevant anonymised clinical data. All of our Biobank procedures are performed in compliance with Good Clinical Practice (GCP) and Human Tissue Act (HTA) regulations.
The Biobank is a powerful resource providing national and international collaborators access to samples for ethically approved research projects. Through this collection of invaluable patient specimens, the Biobank ultimately aims to facilitate better understanding of the biology of blood cancers and to improve patient outcomes through improved use of existing therapy and discovery of new therapies.
Our team
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Paresh Vyas
Professor of Haematology
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Susann Rahmig
Postdoctoral Researcher
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Asger Jakobsen
Postdoctoral Research Scientist
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David Cruz Hernandez
Postdoctoral Scientist
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Sven Turkalj
DPhil Student
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Felix Radtke
DPhil Student
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Abhimanyu Gowda
DPhil Student
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Rabea Mecklenbrauck
Postdoctoral Researcher
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Verena Korber
Postdoctoral Fellow
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Maria Chiara Barbanti
Oxford-BMS Research Fellow and DPhil student
Collaborations
1. Persephone Borrow (University of Oxford) https://www.ndm.ox.ac.uk/team/persephone-borrow
2. Ronjon Chakraverty (University of Oxford) https://www.rdm.ox.ac.uk/people/ronjon-chakraverty
3. Irene Roberts (University of Oxford) https://www.imm.ox.ac.uk/people/irene-roberts
4. Courtney DiNardo (MD Anderson Cancer Center) https://faculty.mdanderson.org/profiles/courtney_dinardo.html
5. Marina Konopleva (MD Anderson Cancer Center) https://faculty.mdanderson.org/profiles/marina_konopleva.html
6. Charles Craddock (University of Birmingham) https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/staff/profiles/cancer-genomic/craddock-charles.aspx
7. Claus Nerlov (University of Oxford) https://www.imm.ox.ac.uk/people/claus-nerlov
8. Thomas Höfer (DKFZ) https://www.dkfz.de/en/modellierung-biologischer-systeme/
9. Peter Valk (Erasmus Cancer Institute) https://www.erasmusmc.nl/en/cancer-institute/research/researchers/valk-peter
10. Jurjen Versluis (Erasmus University Rotterdam) https://pure.eur.nl/en/persons/jurjen-versluis
11. John Dick (UHN Research) https://www.uhnresearch.ca/researcher/john-e-dick
12. Stephanie Xie (UHN Research) https://www.uhnresearch.ca/researcher/stephanie-xie
13. Stefan Constantinescu ( Université catholique de Louvain’s de Duve Institute & Ludwig Cancer Research) https://www.ludwigcancerresearch.org/scientist/stefan-n-constantinescu-2/
14. Owen Sansom (University of Glasgow) https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/cancersciences/staff/owensansom/
15. Bristol Myers Squibb
Clinical Studies and trials
Chief Investigator: Prof Paresh Vyas
JNJ 617 ALE 001 & JNJ 617 ALE 002 - Phase I/Ib Menin inhibitor trials in acute leukaemia.
BMS CA059-001 - Phase I anti-SIRPα inhibitor in combination with other therapies in AML.
IMGN632-0802 - Anti-CD123 antibody-drug conjugate with other therapies in AML.
ALIDHE - Phase III study of ivosidenib with azacytidine in newly diagnosed IDH1 mutant AML patients ineligible for intensive chemotherapy.
HOVON 173 - Phase III study of ivosidenib with azacytidine with or without venetoclax in newly diagnosed IDH1 mutant AML patients ineligible for intensive chemotherapy.
Lab Alumni
Alice Norton Alison Kennedy Alex Sternberg Alice Norton Anne de Groot Anna Corby Anna Schuh Batchimeg Usukhbayar Boris Guyot Bilyana Stoilova Catherine Garnett Connor Sweeney Christianne Kuhl Dimitris Karamitros Gaetan Juban Gerda Mickute Georg Otto Grigore Gafencu Helen Doolittle Isla Hamlett Jessica Doondeea | Joanna Bonnici Julia Draper Kelly Perkins Kelly Soady Ludovic Lhermitte Lynn Quek Marina Samitch Marlen Metzner Mirian Angulo Salazar Natalia Garcia Martin Natalie Sakakini Neil Rodrigues Nicolas Goardon Pengjun Xi Rachel Moore Sarah Gooding Sinead Hayes Terri Cornforth Vasiliki Symeonidou Veronica Valverde-Garduno Zahra Aboukhalil |
Members of the lab have been involved in public engagement activities at the MRC Festival of Medical Research and the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition.
We regularly host both work experience students and visiting biomedical/medical science students.
Professor Vyas has given short talks about AML and the importance of single-cell approaches to study a heterogeneous disease.