Southampton scientists awarded Blood Cancer UK grant to develop new leukaemia immunotherapy

11 September 2025

The three-year project, led by Dr Salah Mansour and Dr Ali Roghanian, will focus on harnessing a rare type of human immune T cell known as invariant Natural Killer T (iNKT) cells. These cells can act as powerful cancer killers and, crucially, can be developed as an “off-the-shelf” treatment, a universal therapy that doesn’t need to be made for each individual patient.

A new approach to a deadly cancer

AML is the most common acute leukaemia in adults. Despite intensive chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation, fewer than one in three patients survive beyond five years. New treatments are urgently needed.

The Southampton team has recently shown that iNKT cells derived from healthy individuals can effectively kill AML cells in the laboratory. With Blood Cancer UK’s support, the researchers will now investigate how these cells work, using cutting-edge single-cell analysis techniques to understand them in detail, test their potential in advanced preclinical models, and develop genetically engineered immune cells, known as CAR-iNKT cells, designed to better target human AML.

Dr Salah Mansour, Associate Professor in Immunology at Southampton, said: “AML remains a devastating blood cancer with far too few effective options. Our discovery that certain T cells are naturally potent against AML opens up a new way to design therapies. We are transforming these rare immune cells into a universal, off-the-shelf treatment, designed to reach patients more quickly and safely than current options.”

Dr Ali Roghanian, Associate Professor in Cancer Immunology, added: “This is an exciting opportunity to translate years of fundamental research into a therapy that could make a real difference for people with leukaemia. The combination of our preclinical expertise, Southampton’s Centre for Cancer Immunology, and support from Blood Cancer UK puts us in a strong position to deliver.

We are incredibly grateful to Blood Cancer UK for this new award. Their long-standing support has been instrumental in our fight against blood cancers in Southampton, and this grant will allow us to continue our vital work for patients with AML.”

Southampton at the forefront of cancer immunology

The project will be based in Clinical and Experimental Sciences (CES) and the Centre for Cancer Immunology (CCI), the UK’s first dedicated cancer immunology centre. The team will work closely with Dr Andres Vallejo , an expert in single-cell analysis, to dissect the mechanisms by which human iNKT cells recognise and kill AML. They will also collaborate with Professor Kim Orchard and the Acute Leukaemia and Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) team at University Hospital Southampton to ensure direct clinical translation, alongside national partners (University College London and The Crick Institute).

Richard Francis, Deputy Director of Research at Blood Cancer UK, said: “We’re delighted to fund this project to help develop safer and more effective treatments for acute myeloid leukaemia, which is a hard-to-treat blood cancer. Despite advances in recent years, heartbreakingly, blood cancer is the third largest cancer killer. Accelerating the path for more effective treatments for those living with the disease is one of our top priorities. It takes research, dedication and long-term investment if we are to bring about a whole new generation of immunotherapies that could transform outcomes for those living with acute myeloid leukaemia and other blood cancers.”