Meet the team

Prof Tim Chevassut
Chair of Haematology

Prof Chevassut is a clinical haematologist whose research programme is focussed primarily on understanding acute myeloid leukaemia and myelodysplasia with a particular interest in DNA methylation and epigenetic therapy. The research is translational bench-to-bedside with the goal of bringing better treatments to patients through improved understanding of disease biology. Prof Chevassut’s research laboratory is located in the BSMS Medical Research Building on the University of Sussex campus with strong links to the clinical service and clinical trials unit at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton.

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Dr John Jones
Senior Lecturer in Haemato-oncology and Consultant Haematologist

Dr John Jones is a Consultant Haematologist and basic scientist specialising in blood cancer, with a particular focus on multiple myeloma. In 2020, he joined BSMS as a Senior Lecturer in Haemato-oncology. His clinical practice is undertaken at Eastbourne and King’s College Hospitals. He is a member of a number of UK myeloma trial management groups including Myeloma XI and Myeloma XIV. 

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Prof Erika Mancini
Reader in Biomedical Structural Biology (Biochemistry)

Erika's research seeks to understand at the molecular level the specific protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions involved in the regulation of haematopoiesis by transcription factor complexes. Insights into the deregulation of these complexes in Leukaemia helps Erika to contribute to the design of novel targeted therapies. She is particularly interested in transcription factors involved in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (T-ALL) and Multiple Myeloma (MM).

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Dr Simon Mitchell
Co-Director and Reader in Cancer Systems Biology

Simon’s primary research focus is in understanding how intracellular, molecular signalling networks control immune cell fate, and how misregulation of these molecular networks lead to haematological malignancies. His combination of immunology and haematological training lead to a particular interest in B-cell lymphomas. 

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Dr Rhys Morgan
Co-Director and Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Science (Biochemistry)

Rhys' research seeks to investigate the role of a signal transduction pathway, Wnt/β-catenin signalling, in both normal blood development and haematological malignancy. Ultimately, Rhys is seeking to understand how this cell signalling pathway converts normal healthy blood cells into 'faulty' leukaemia cells, and develop novel therapeutic strategies for patients. His research is focused on one particularly aggressive blood cancer called acute myeloid leukaemia (AML).

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Professor Andrea Pepper
Professor of Cancer Biology

The focus of Andrea's research has been on the effect of the microenvironment on tumour proliferation and survival. This work has built on the main finding of her PhD, which was that the successful elimination of a tumour requires looking beyond the tumour itself to the effects of the surrounding microenvironment.

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Professor Chris Pepper
Professor in Cancer Studies

For more than two decades, Chris’ research has focused on understanding the mechanisms that underpin the development of disease progression and drug resistance using primary chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) cells as a model. Chris maintains that the study of this disseminated tumour represents an unrivalled opportunity to unravel these processes as longitudinal sampling from both the lymphoid tissues and the peripheral blood is possible.

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Dr Fabio Simoes
Lecturer in Cancer Research (Clinical and Experimental Medicine)

Fabio’s core research interest is in the use of models of disease to unravel pathological mechanisms that underpin disease phenotypes, with a view to uncovering and testing novel targets for therapeutic intervention. In 2017, he completed his PhD at BSMS, focusing on the role of molecular motors and the cytoskeleton in the selective vulnerability of motor neurons to degeneration in motor neuron diseases. In his first postdoctoral position at the University of Sussex, he created a novel model to investigate whether reduced function of an important molecular motor could increase susceptibility to motor neuron disease. He then returned to BSMS for a second postdoctoral position in which he utilized a surgical model of osteoarthritis to test the effectiveness of a novel potential therapy.

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Professor Michelle West
Professor of Tumour Virology (Biochemistry) 

Michelle’s research investigates how the cancer-associated Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) drives lymphoma development. EBV is associated with the development of Burkitt’s, Hodgkin’s, post-transplant and certain T-cell and natural killer cell lymphomas. The virus infects normal short-lived B lymphocytes and immortalises them by altering the expression of cell growth and survival genes. Michelle’s research examines the molecular mechanisms of immortalisation and gene regulation by EBV proteins and is focussed on long-range transcriptional and epigenetic control and cell cycle deregulation.

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