A young University of Glasgow doctor is the winner of a prestigious research award from the UK's leading blood cancer charity, Leukaemia Research, for pioneering work into leukaemia in children. Leukaemia Research is committing £225,000 to the work of Dr Christina Halsey at the Division of Immunology Infection and Inflammation at the University.

The Leukaemia Research Clinical Research Fellowship award has enabled Dr Halsey, to carry out ground-breaking research into how some children with Down's Syndrome develop a type of leukaemia.

Children with Down's Syndrome are up to twenty times more likely to develop leukaemia compared to other children, but very little is understood as to why this is the case. Dr Halsey will study a specific gene, which researchers believe plays a key role in the development of this type of leukaemia.

The Clinical Research Fellowship allows young talented doctors to combine specialist training in medicine with vital research.

'I have always wanted to specialise in Haematology, it is a unique field of medicine as it combines both laboratory work and caring for patients. This Leukaemia Research fellowship gives me the opportunity to gain first class scientific training whilst carrying out crucial clinical research,' says Dr Halsey, who will be carrying out the three-year research project at the University Of Glasgow.

'I hope it will enable me in the future to combine clinical and scientific work by using basic science to investigate some of the key unanswered questions that arise when looking after children with leukaemia,' she adds.

Professor Gerry Graham, who is overseeing Dr Halsey's work, says: 'This funding from Leukaemia Research will allow us to use the most up to date molecular techniques to study the causes of leukaemia in children with Down's Syndrome. This is an exciting opportunity for us and we believe that with the support of the Leukaemia Research we can make a very significant contribution in this area.'

Dr Halsey, who is a Specialist Registrar in Haematology, attended Rickmansworth School in Hertfordshire, from where she began her studies in the field of medicine.

Media Relations Office (media@gla.ac.uk)

For further information contact Professor Gerry Graham, Department of Molecular & Structural Immunology, University of Glasgow, on 0141 330 3982, or Mike Findlay in the University of Glasgow Press Office on 0141 330-3535.

Leukaemia Research is the only national charity devoted exclusively to improving treatments, finding cures and learning how to prevent leukaemia, Hodgkin's lymphoma and other lymphomas, myeloma and the related blood disorders, diagnosed in 24,500 people in Britain every year. Further information, including patient booklets, is available from the: Leukamia Research Fund website

First published: 14 December 2004