June 2, 2016

Team Margot Foundation continues to help fund leukaemia Research

By
Vicki & I with Dr Owen Williams (R) and Jasper de Boer

Vicki & I with Dr Owen Williams (R) and Dr Jasper De Boer

Last year, through Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity, we funded some leukaemia research which is being undertaken by Doctors Owen Williams and Jasper De Boer at the University College London (UCL) in conjunction with the Institute of Child Health (ICH) and Great Ormond Street Hospital. Please click here to read about our previous visit.

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This latest grant from Team Margot Foundation brings the total we have donated towards this leukaemia research project to £65,000

A few weeks ago, Vicki and I returned to meet the team again, not least because the Team Margot Foundation trustees decided to follow our initial funding with a further grant. It’s our trustees intention to continue to help fund this research, as Team Margot Foundation finances permit.

We were delighted to hear that the research project continues to make good progress and move along well; significantly it may shortly become translational ie be trialled on humans.

Margot had ‘refractory leukaemia’ i.e. resistant leukaemia which survived chemotherapy. This project aims to kill refractory leukaemia

Margot had ‘refractory leukaemia’ i.e. resistant leukaemia which survived chemotherapy. This project aims to kill refractory leukaemia

The research focusses on the MLL fusion genes and targets those infant leukaemia’s which do really poorly with treatment (Margot’s leukaemia, for example).

One particular mutation has been identified as being the cause of the disease – it has the effect of “turning on” a gene which starts the leukaemia programme – and 80% of infant leukaemia has this mutation.

The aim is to find out what drugs “turn off” these genes, so that the blood becomes normal again.

Importantly, the patients blood would be unaffected after treatment.

We look forward to providing you with further updates, as they are received.

Team Margot
Together, saving lives

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Previous post on this subject:

Last year’s GOSH fundraise goes towards ‘elegant’ research project

Husband to Vicki and father to Oscar (2007), Rufus (2008), Digby (2015), Humphrey (2017) & Margot (2012-2014)

Posted in: Journal