Simon Flavell was eight years old in 1988 when diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia or T-ALL, a rarer form of childhood leukaemia. Simon was at the time the only child of Dr’s David and Bee Flavell whose own existing research at Southampton General Hospital involved making antibodies against leukaemia and lymphoma cells.
Simon’s leukaemia proved very aggressive and he lost his fight against the disease after many rounds of radiotherapy and chemotherapy in June 1990. The Simon Flavell Leukaemia Research Laboratory was established at Southampton General Hospital in 1991 by Simon’s parents who then spearheaded the development of antibody-based drugs for the treatment of leukaemia from this laboratory. It took them ten years to develop and test in clinical trials a drug developed by them and their team working in Simon’s laboratory.
It was Simon, who as a great Ghostbusters fan, invented the name Leukaemia Busters for the charity and designed the logo before he died in 1990. Now cutting edge work will continue in his name as the charity establishes the Leukaemia Busters Simon Flavell Leukaemia Research Fellowships to support the highest quality early career postdoctoral researchers to work on the development of innovative immunotherapies for leukaemia patients like Simon.
Simon Flavell Leukaemia Research Fellowships
Leukaemia Busters has partnered with the charity Children with Cancer UK to jointly fund a research fellowship for early career scientists to conduct three year research projects on the immunotherapy of T-cell leukaemias and lymphomas in children and adults. Forming partnerships like this means that the two charities can combine their resources and fund more life-saving research overall.
These exciting new fellowships, the first of which is due to be awarded in 2025/26, will be styled as Simon Flavell Leukaemia Research Fellowships as a tribute to young Simon Flavell whose demise played a major role in bringing Leukaemia Busters into existence.
Help the fight
against Leukaemia