Blood disorders and cancer

This research area focuses on blood disorders, which include conditions affecting blood cells and blood clotting. These range from problems with blood cell numbers (such as anaemia or low white blood cells), to bleeding or clotting disorders, and blood cancers. We use large health research resources to better understand why these conditions develop.

Our aims

  1. Understand how genetic differences influence blood health and disease
  2. Explore why some people with mild blood abnormalities go on to develop more serious conditions, including certain types of blood cancer 
  3. Investigate how genetic factors interact with lifestyle or environmental factors
  4. Improve methods for identifying people who may be at higher risk of blood disorders, including clotting and bleeding complications which arise in different types of cancer

 

Understanding blood health and disease using large genetic studies

Modern health research increasingly uses large studies that collect information from many thousands – sometimes millions – of volunteers. These studies bring together different types of information, including health records, questionnaires about lifestyle and health, medical test results, and genetic information from DNA.

By analysing patterns across very large groups of people, researchers can begin to understand why some people develop certain diseases while others remain healthy. For example, researchers can explore how our genes interact with environmental factors and whether genetic information can help identify people who may be at higher risk of certain conditions. Studying large and diverse populations also helps ensure that research findings apply to people from many different backgrounds. This type of research can ultimately help improve healthcare by identifying new causes of disease, finding opportunities for earlier diagnosis, and supporting the development of more personalised approaches to prevention and treatment.

Ultimately, we hope this research will help improve early detection, prevention, and treatment of different blood disorders, and support the development of more personalised approaches to healthcare.

Our current blood cancer projects include:

Blood clots (thrombosis) are a common and sometimes serious complication of cancer. This project, which is funded through a Wellcome Trust GW4 clinical academic PhD fellowship, aims to identify genetic factors which increase the risk of cancer-associated thrombosis. We use large genomic data resources to investigate whether inherited genetic variants and acquired DNA changes within tumours can help predict which people with cancer are most likely to develop blood clots. This work aims to support the development of more personalised approaches to the prevention of cancer-associated thrombosis and identify patients who may benefit from targeted treatments to reduce their risk of this condition.
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Contact: naomi.cornish@bristol.ac.uk

Lucy Goudswaard is a Research Fellow working on a World Cancer Research Fund INSPIRE Research Challenge grant, investigating the links between body composition, inflammation, and the risk of monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance (MGUS) and myeloma. From August 2026, Lucy will begin a three-year Blood Cancer UK Early Career Fellowship, funded by the Langmuir Family Foundation. This work will extend her research to examine how additional lifestyle factors, including obesity, sleep quality, and physical activity, as well as circulating proteins, may contribute to the progression from MGUS to myeloma.

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Contact: lucy.goudswaard@bristol.ac.uk

Every year in the UK, more than 4,000 adults and children with blood cancers and other serious illnesses receive a life-saving stem cell transplant. Most donors give their stem cells after taking a growth factor called G-CSF, which moves stem cells out of the bone marrow and into the blood, where they can be collected. But this doesn't always work well: around 40% of donations don't yield enough cells for a transplant, so donors need repeat treatments or a surgical bone marrow harvest.

If we could predict how many stem cells a donor will produce, their management could be tailored to them, improving outcomes for donors and patients alike. At present this isn't possible. Donor characteristics such as age, sex, weight and blood counts explain only part of the variation in the number of stem cells collected, and predictions remain inaccurate.

Our study asks whether a donor's genes influence how many stem cells they produce. Using clinical and genetic data from donors on the UK (NHS and Anthony Nolan) and German (German Red Cross) registries, we will carry out a genome-wide association study to find genetic markers linked to stem cell yield. This could provide a tool to predict yield when future donors join a registry, and lay the groundwork for research into personalised mobilisation treatments.

Key publications:
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