Research
Over the last three decades, more than £4m has been invested to support research at local academic institutions.
By restricting funding to the north of England, we help ensure that the region is an attractive choice for leading haematologists and promising registrars. Whilst we fund research solely in the north of England, these projects ultimately help patients worldwide.
To apply for a research grant, please get it touch with us at support@brightred.org.uk.
£6m+
Invested in research over three decades
£310k
Largest single grant — a new Cytometer machine
4★
By focusing our funding on the north of England, we help make the region an attractive home for leading haematologists and promising young researchers. Although we fund research solely in the north, the breakthroughs help patients worldwide.
Newcastle is already one of the safest places in the country to be a blood cancer patient. Investment like this is how we reach our ultimate goal — to be the safest in the world.
We invested £310,000 in a new Cytometer machine — our largest ever single grant. It accurately counts and measures cells, classifies them, and can even detect rare particles.
The machine gives our researchers at Newcastle University everything they need to keep pushing forward — helping not just our patients, but patients across the world.
Thanks to Bright Red we now have one of the best flow sorters in the country. It lets us separate and purify different white cells from the blood, including stem cells and leukaemia cells. The new machine is faster, more sensitive and safer than anything we have used before.
The funding from Bright Red will really boost our output of high-calibre science. Our work was rated four-star — the highest rating — but we must keep refining our technology and pushing boundaries if we are to make contributions that really matter to curing blood cancers.
Prof Matt Collin
Bright Red funds next-generation DNA sequencing technologies
We funded a £16,000 next-generation sequencing project in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) — helping doctors choose the best treatment for every patient.
Use of next generation sequencing to extend genetic analysis in acute myeloid leukaemia
Cancer cells often carry abnormalities in their chromosomes and genes. Importantly, these are nothing to do with inheritance — they are restricted to the cancer cells themselves. Spotting them in bone marrow can reveal which type of leukaemia a patient has, how aggressive it is, and which treatment will work best. Here in the North East, samples from almost all new acute leukaemias are sent to the NHS Northern Genetics Service for exactly this kind of testing.
Recent studies found more than 20 genes that are repeatedly mutated in AML. This project used new DNA sequencing to detect mutations in all of them in a single test — giving haematologists the full picture in one go.
This project used new next-generation DNA sequencing to detect mutations in all the genes frequently affected in AML in one single test. The extra information will help doctors determine the best therapy for each AML patient in the North East.
Gavin Cuthbert
Meet the people behind the science. Our researchers explain the work they do and the difference your support makes in their own words.
Quantitative Real-time PCR Machine Bought With Funds From Bright Red
Sarah Pagan, Lab Manager at Newcastle University, explains how the new equipment helps researchers compare the genes of blood cancer patients against healthy samples — a crucial step in understanding each patient’s genes.
Dr Paul Milne Senior Research Associate at Newcastle University, explains how flow cytometry is used to detect proteins on the surface of cells — helping researchers trace where leukaemia cells first originate.
Bright Red funded clinician Tom Creasy and his colleagues had their study published in the journal Genes, Chromosomes and Cancer.
They looked at a very high-risk subtype of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia called low hypodiploidy, where leukaemic cells lose chromosomes. It is easily mistaken for a milder subtype — and because it needs a bone marrow transplant, getting the diagnosis right is critical.
Using a technique called SNP array, the team built a machine-learning classifier that reads each sample’s genetic signature to identify the subtype correctly and ensure the right treatment is given.
Tom has since been appointed a consultant haematologist at the Freeman Hospital — a well-deserved promotion.
To apply for funding, or to find out more about our research, get in touch with our team.