A partnership between the Universities of Brighton and Sussex with the NHS

 

oncology and genetics

Name: Dr Timothy Chevassut

Academic position: Senior Lecturer and Honorary Consultant in Haematology

Research: Translational research aimed at improving outcomes for patients with leukaemia. Characterisation of the leukaemia stem cell using animal models and identification of novel therapies to take forward into clinical trials.

Contact details:

Medical School Research Building (Room 2.08)
Brighton and Sussex Medical School
University of Sussex
Falmer
Brighton
BN1 9PS
UK

Tel: +44 (0)1273 873232
Fax: +44 (0)1273 877884

E-mail:

Biography:

• BA Hons. (Physiological Sciences), 1989, Oxford University
• BMBCh, 1993, Oxford University Medical School
• MRCP ( UK), 1996
• MPH (Harvard), 1998
• Research Fellow, Harvard Medical School, 1998-2000
• Research Fellow, Edinburgh University, 2000-2002
• Specialist Registrar in Haematology, Edinburgh, 2002-2007
• MRCPath ( London), 2006
• PhD (Edinburgh), 2006

Teaching focus:

As senior lecturer in haematology, I am actively involved in teaching first year students about the physiology of blood during Module 103 and participate in the “introduction to clinical practice” Module 101. In the fourth year, students learn about aspects of clinical haematology during a specialist rotation in Module 402 which I teach with clinical colleagues at the Royal Sussex County Hospital. I also look forward to supervising medical students undertaking individual research projects in Module 404 and biology students undertaking experimental laboratory projects as part of their MSc degree.

'A comprehensive knowledge of the physiology of blood provides the basis for understanding diverse haematological conditions such as bone marrow failure, haemophilia, sickle cell disease and leukaemia. I am extremely excited by the prospect of teaching highly motivated students in the vibrant and dynamic environment present here at the Medical School.'

 

Research focus:

I am fascinated by the biology of leukaemia and believe that a better understanding of the mechanism of leukaemogenesis will lead to improved treatments for people unfortunate enough to develop this disease. Current chemotherapy regimes typically achieve periods of remission but frequently fail to cure the patient who relapses some months later. Increasing evidence suggests that this is due to the presence of leukaemia stem cells that are able to evade killing by conventional drugs. Novel treatment strategies that specifically target these stem cells are needed to improve the outlook for patients with leukaemia.

'I believe that we can improve treatment strategies for cancer patients by targeting the cancer stem cell that fuels the disease and that leukaemia represents a prime model for testing this hypothesis.'

Current research:

The overarching ethos of my research is a translational bench-to-bedside approach that aims to bring new treatments to leukaemia patients. My current focus aims to characterise the leukaemia stem cell using a mouse xenograft model with a view to testing new drug treatments that specifically target the stem cell compartment such as rapamycin and parthenolide. It is hoped that the most promising compounds will be taken forward into phase I/II clinical trials in patients with relapsed or refractory leukaemia who presently have a very poor prognosis.

My previous research has included work on embryonic stem cells, haematopoiesis, RNA interference and epigenetics. In particular, I have an interest in the role of DNA methylation in tumourigenesis, as modelled by a mouse genetically modified to over-express the gene DNMT3a, and I retain strong collaborative ties with Bernard Ramsahoye in Edinburgh in this regard.

Key/recent publications:

Chevassut T., Lim B. Insights into the role of DNA methylation in murine embryonic stem cells using a modified tetracycline-inducible gene expression system. Oncol Res. 2003;13:373-9

Fortunel NO, Otu HH, Ng HH, Chen J, Mu X, Chevassut T, Li X, Joseph M, Bailey C, Hatzfeld JA, Hatzfeld A, Usta F, Vega VB, Long PM, Libermann TA, Lim B. Comment on “ ‘Stemness’: transcriptional profiling of embryonic and adult stem cells” and “a stem cell molecular signature”. Science. 2003 Oct 17:302 (5644):393

Layer K, Lin G, Nencioni A, Hu W, Schmucker A, Antov AN, Li X, Takamatsu S, Chevassut T, Dower NA, Stang SL, Beier D, Buhlmann J, Bronson RT, Elkon KB, Stone JC, Van Parijs L, Lim B. Autoimmunity as the consequence of a spontaneous mutation in Rasgrp1. Immunity. 2003 Aug;19(2)243-55

Jackson M, Krassowska A, Gilbert N, Chevassut T, Forrester L, Ansell J, Ramsahoye B. Severe global DNA hypomethylation blocks differentiation and induces histone hyperacetylation in embryonic stem cells. Mol Cell Biol. 2004 Oct;24(20):8862-71