Bright Red Research Fellow, 2018
Consultant Haematologist at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care, specialising in myeloma.
Tom Creasey’s Story
Tom received one year of funding from Bright Red to start his PhD in 2018, in the laboratory of Prof Anthony Moorman, an expert in the genetics of leukaemia.
That funding enabled him to apply for and receive a grant from the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) worth over £200,000 to complete the PhD, which was awarded in January 2021.
He is now a consultant haematologist at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care, specialising in myeloma, and continues to have close involvement with clinical and translational research.
2018
£200k+
2021
The focus of my research was on understanding the genetic changes that occur in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) affecting older adults. This is a significant area of unmet clinical need, as many of these patients are unable to tolerate the more intensive treatments we use for younger adults with the aim of curing their leukaemia. Through my research, I was able to characterise in detail the genetic landscape of ALL in older adults and identify some abnormalities which could respond to more targeted and less toxic treatment.
The funding I received from Bright Red was instrumental in allowing me to develop knowledge and expertise in translational research. Alongside gaining valuable training in lab techniques and developing my own research ideas, it gave me a foundation in the work that goes into developing new treatments for cancer and setting up clinical trials.
This set me on a path where now, as a consultant, I am heavily involved in the delivery of clinical trials at our site. These give us a unique opportunity to provide potentially transformative treatments to patients and, in the longer term, bring these closer to being available to everyone.
Tom Creasey
Research published by Tom and his colleagues, made possible in part by Bright Red funding.
Single nucleotide polymorphism array-based signature of low hypodiploidy in acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Creasey T, Enshaei A, Nebral K, Schwab C, Watts K, Cuthbert G, Vora A, Moppett J, Harrison CJ, Fielding AK, Haas OA, Moorman AV. Genes Chromosomes Cancer. 2021 Sep;60(9):604–615. doi: 10.1002/gcc.22956
Genetic and genomic analysis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in older adults reveals a distinct profile of abnormalities
Creasey T, Barretta E, Ryan SL, Butler E, Kirkwood AA, Leongamornlert D, Papaemmanuil E, Patrick P, Clifton-Hadley L, Patel B, Menne T, McMillan AK, Harrison CJ, Rowntree CJ, Morley N, Marks DI, Fielding AK, Moorman AV. Analysis of 210 patients from the UKALL14 and UKALL60+ clinical trials. Haematologica. 2022 Sep 1;107(9):2051–2063. doi: 10.3324/haematol.2021.279177
Bright Red funding gives promising researchers like Tom the time and space to get their work off the ground — and keeps world-class blood cancer care here in the north of England.