A researcher from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School in Boston, USA has been appointed to a research fellowship set up in memory and recognition of one of the UK’s most talented oncologists.
Professor Amit Patel was a leading clinician at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust and was the first person in the country to be qualified in stem cell transplantation and cellular therapy. He was also a national expert in the rare, life-threatening condition haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) and had formed national guidance on it. HLH is a critical condition where the immune system overreacts to a trigger causing severe inflammation and damage.
Father-of-2 Professor Patel, a consultant haematologist at The Christie, sadly died in 2021.
The Amit Patel Leukaemia Research Fellowship was set up in his name at The Christie and Dr Justin Loke has been appointed to the position. He will take up his new post in November 2025.
Dr Loke’s specialist interest is in myeloid blood cancers including acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and he completed a PhD at the University of Birmingham under the supervision of Professor Constanze Bonifer. He was awarded prizes for his work from the Royal Society of Medicine and the Royal College of Pathologists.
Dr Loke is currently an Instructor at Harvard Medical School and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, USA, working with Professor Benjamin Ebert. He was funded as an American Association for Cancer Research/Cancer Research UK Transatlantic Post-doctoral Fellow. He trained at both University of Cambridge and University of Oxford medical schools and then completed postgraduate haematology training in Birmingham.
Following completion of his haematology specialist training, Dr Loke completed a fellowship with Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit, Birmingham, and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, with Professor Charles Craddock where he was involved in the development of supportive care studies and transplant studies in patients with AML.
The research fellowship has been funded by The Christie Charity as part of its commitment of £30 million over the next 5 years to The Christie 2030 Research Programme, which includes funding from the dedicated Haematology Leukaemia research fund. This is a transformational investment that will accelerate research and innovation in Manchester, allowing teams to realise the potential of Christie researchers and clinicians through seamless integration of research with clinical care.
The Christie Charity supports the work of The Christie NHS Foundation Trust providing enhanced services over and above what the NHS funds.
Dr Loke said: “I am delighted and privileged to join Manchester with experience of new technologies and scientific training from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. I believe the cutting-edge scientific environment at the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, integrated with the internationally renowned clinical expertise at The Christie will enable the development of a translational research program to discover new mechanisms driving aggressive blood cancers and improve treatments for our patients with these diseases.”
Speaking about Professor Patel, his friend and colleague Professor Adrian Bloor, Consultant Haematologist at The Christie and MAHSC Honorary Clinical Chair at The University of Manchester, said: “Amit was an outstanding haematologist and his untimely death was a great shock to both his family, friends, colleagues and patients. Our research program is pivotal to being able to advance our knowledge of blood cancers and to develop novel therapies for our patients. Justin’s appointment honours an extraordinary legacy while advancing cutting edge research in acute myeloid leukaemia, bridging world class science and compassionate clinical care.”
Appointments such as this are central to The Christie Charity's commitment to supporting The Christie hospital’s vision of ‘learning from every patient’ and trebling the number of patients participating in research by 2030. Studies have shown that cancer patients treated at research-intensive hospitals have better outcomes than those treated in hospitals with little or no research activity. The Christie Charity has pledged to support and fund this goal with £30m over the next five years to accelerate research and innovation in Manchester, with the ultimate aim of bringing tomorrow’s treatments to patients faster.
To support the work of The Christie Charity, please go to Donate today or ring 0161 446 3988.