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Multiple Myeloma Lab: Who we are
Group Leader: Prof Kwee Yong
Email: kwee.yong@ucl.ac.uk
Prof Kwee Yong was educated at Oxford University and University College London (UCL). She completed doctoral studies at UCL and was awarded a PhD in 1993 for her work on growth factors. Professor Yong returned to UCL as Senior Lecturer and Honorary Consultant in 1999. Since then, she has been clinical and academic lead in multiple myeloma at University College London. Her early research programme was focussed on haemopoietic cell adhesion, migration and in vivo homing in the context of inflammation and stem cell transplantation. Her research today in multiple myeloma retains a strong focus on cellular interactions and the understanding of the bone marrow microenvironment in disease pathogenesis. Prof Yong leads national NCRN phase 2 and phase 3 studies using innovative approaches to risk stratified treatments, and the development of immunotherapies, including CAR-T treatments. She is academic programme lead in Haematology at UCL, overseeing and providing mentorship for NIHR and non-NIHR clinical academic trainees, and is the academic representative on the London Haematology Specialty training board.
Dr Lydia Lee
Dr Lydia Lee graduated from UCL in 2004 and completed her Clinical Haematology training in the North West London Rotation. She then embarked on a Bloodwise funded Junior Clinician Training Fellowship under the mentorship of Prof Kwee Yong and Dr Martin Pule at the UCL Cancer Institute to develop an APRIL based Chimeric Antigen Receptor for Multiple Myeloma. This work formed the basis for the APRIL CAR entering Phase I clinical trials. Having been awarded a Clinician Scientist Fellowship by the MRC in 2018, Lydia and her team are investigating the role of the immune dysfunction in disease progression and response to treatment. This work will provide greater insights into the pathogenic mechanisms of myeloma and aid the development of rational therapeutic strategies for the treatment of this cancer.
Dr Eileen Boyle
Dr Eileen Boyle graduated from the University of Lyon, France, in 2008, and completed her Clinical Haematology training at the University of Lille in 2015 before starting a PhD under the mentorship of Prof Brian Walker and Charles Dumontet at the University of Arkansas for Medical Science in collaboration with the University of Lyon studying the molecular architecture of plasma cell disorders and their clinical consequences. She then joined the laboratory of Prof. Gareth Morgan, at NYU Langone, as a postdoctoral fellow working on the interaction between the genomic architecture and the microenvironment of newly diagnosed myeloma. Eileen is investigating the role of immune dysfunction in shaping premalignant conditions as well as the role of aneuploidy in disease progression.
Dr Elise Rees
Dr Elise Rees graduated from Queen Mary University in 2015 with a BSc in Medical Genetics. She completed her PhD at Cardiff University, investigating the role of immune checkpoint expression in renal cell carcinoma immune evasion. Elise is a postdoctoral research fellow working on the bone marrow immune environment of patients with smouldering myeloma, with a focus on natural killer (NK) cell biology.
Daria Galas-Filipowicz
Daria studied molecular biology at Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland (BSc 2010, MSc 2012). She is a senior research technician, providing support for ongoing projects and clinical trials within the Myeloma group. She is also working towards a PhD focused on characterising the protective effect of stroma on carfilzomib mediated cytotoxicity in MM.
Dr Selina Chavda
Dr Chavda graduated from UCL in 2007 with a 1st class hons BSc in Medical Pharmacology, and then graduated in 2010 from UCL (MBBS) with distinction. Selina was an academic clinical fellow in the South West London haematology rotation, during which she undertook a translational project investigating the role of autophagy in mediating resistance to proteasome inhibitor therapy in MM. She was successfully awarded a CRUK consumables bursary for this work and was subsequently awarded an MRC funded CRTF to further pursue her doctoral studies in this field.
Kane Foster (@KaneFos)
Kane studied Biology in York and then graduated with an MSc in Infection and Immunity from UCL. He is a PhD student studying how changes to the immune system, specifically T cells, can contribute to the malignant transformation and progression of the pre-cancerous condition Smouldering Multiple Myeloma. Kane studies T cell responses in the tumour by analysing Single-Cell Sequencing and Flow/Mass Cytometry data using machine learning and computational statistics.
Dr Louise Ainley
Louise studied at the University of Oxford, graduating with a BA in Physiological Sciences in 2010 and a degree in Medicine (BMBCh) in 2013. She moved to London for medical training and is a haematology specialist registrar in North Central Thames. Louise has been awarded an MRC funded CRTF to pursue a PhD and is studying the role of B cells in the immune microenvironment in smouldering myeloma.
Iwan Williams
Iwan Williams studied biochemistry at Cambridge and is an iCASE PhD student on the UCL-Birkbeck MRC DTP. He works between Professor Yong's group and UCL's spin-out company Autolus to improve CAR-T cell therapy for myeloma via inhibition of ectoenzymes in the tumour microenvironment.
Jongwon Yoon
Jongwon Yoon studied Biotechnology and then graduated with an MSc in Genetic Engineering from Seoul National University in 2015. After working in the biopharmaceutical industry in 2017-2020, he joined our lab in 2021/2022 as a PhD student. Jongwon studies the persistence of CAR T cells in the tumour microenvironment using CRISPR screening and animal models.
Annabel Laidler
Annabel studied Anatomy, Developmental and Human Biology at Kings College London and subsequently graduated from UCL in 2022 with an MSc in Cancer. She is now a PhD student studying the role of tumour reactive T cell reactivity in progression of disease from smouldering myeloma to multiple myeloma.
Bethan Hudson-Lund
Beth graduated with a first-class degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Durham before working as a lab scientist in the bioassay department of a CRO in Cambridge. She is an iCASE PhD student with the MRC UCL-Birkbeck DTP and will be collaborating with the University of Oxford and Achilles Therapeutics to find potential neoantigens from multiple myeloma patients and characterise neoantigen-specific T cells to inform immunotherapy strategies.
Emma Lyon
Emma Lyon has recently graduated from the University of Reading with a BSc in Biological Sciences. She is a research technician responsible for processing clinical samples from both UCLH and the upcoming Myeloma XV (RADAR) trial.
Dylan Jankovic
Dylan graduated from the University of Reading in 2020 with a BSc in Biomedical Sciences. He has since investigated SARS-CoV2 vaccine responses in B-Cell Malignancy patients. He is now a research technician working on the COSMOS trial, investigating circulating tumour cells in Smouldering and Multiple Myeloma patients.
Jasmin Rahman
Jasmin graduated from the University of Bristol in 2022 with a degree in Cellular and Molecular Medicine (BSc). Currently she is working as a research technician primarily on the Myeloma XV (RADAR) trial and assisting in other ongoing projects.
Dr Catherine Lecat
Dr Catherine Lecat graduated from Imperial College London with a 1st class hons BSc in Haematology in 2010, followed by Medicine (MBBS) in 2012. She is a haematology specialist registrar in London North Central Thames and was awarded the RM Partners Pan London Clinical Research Fellowship in UCL Cancer Institute in 2019. Currently she is undertaking a MD(Res) degree, focusing on the study of immune microenvironment through multiplex immunofluorescent staining of multiple myeloma bone marrow trephine biopsies.
Dr Dipal Mehta
Dr Dipal Mehta studied at UCL, graduating with a BSc in neuroscience in 2011, and a degree in medicine in 2014 (MBBS). He completed core medical training in London and is currently a clinical haematology specialist registrar in North East Thames. Dipal is currently working as a clinical research fellow as part of the RADAR (Myeloma XV) trial for patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.
Dr Daniel Hughes
Dr Daniel Hughes studied at UCL, graduating with a BSc in physiology in 2012, followed by a degree in medicine (MBBS) in 2015. He is a haematology specialist registrar in the East of England and undertook a postgraduate diploma in genomic medicine (PGDip) at Queen Mary University completing in 2023. He currently works as a clinical research fellow on the COSMOS study in patients with smouldering myeloma.
Ambreen Rashid
Ambreen graduated in 2023 with a BSc in Biomedical Sciences after spending her placement year working in the co-ordination of Phase I Oncology trials. She currently works as a trial coordinator for the COSMOS study.