BLOOD cancer research charity Leukaemia & Lymphoma NI is providing a university with a £790,000 grant for blood cancer research.
The funding will create two new posts at Queen's University in Belfast. The first is a clinical research fellow and the second a senior lecturer which is new post open to international candidates.
It will be the third time Leukaemia & Lymphoma NI has created a role for a clinical professional within the haematology team. It has co-funded a clinical trials nurse position in Belfast City Hospital and last year donated £30,000 to part fund the drug costs for the UK clinical trial AML18 in Belfast.
The clinical trial was developed for older patients with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) and High Risk Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS).
Professor Ken Mills, Chair of Experimental Haematology at Queen’s University Belfast said the latest grant was "a major investment" by the charity and "recognises the impact that blood cancer research is having in Belfast and globally".
Mr Richard Buchanan, Chairman of Leukaemia & Lymphoma NI, said the charity supports research that will make a difference to the lives of patients.
The charity's main objective is to improve survival rates for blood cancers by supporting the scientists and students researching these diseases in Northern Ireland.
It is the only charity in Northern Ireland dedicated to this cause. Established as the Northern Ireland Leukaemia Research Fund by the McDowell family in 1964 following the death of their daughter, the charity has now invested over £13 million to life saving research.
You can find out more about the work of the charity on their website www.leukaemiaandlymphomani.org or by contacting their office on 028 9097 2928.
FACTFILE
- Three people each day are diagnosed with blood cancer in Northern Ireland
- There are 137 different types of blood cancer and the three most common types are leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma
