Question: what have you been able to achieve in your research so far?

Barbara Guinn answered on 13 Jun 2011:

We identified a new protein which is only found in tumour cells and showed it was present in leukaemia cells. We (my colleagues in Oxford and I) have been showing it is present in lymphoma and now in solid tumour cells. I started my PhD in 1991 and since then I have also worked on vaccines for B-cell lymphoma and finding proteins in leukaemia cells which can predict patient survival. This may help doctors decide how aggressive a leukaemia is and give patients advice on how long they have to live. In the longer term we may find these proteins will indicate which treatment will work best and personalised treatment will save patients having to suffer side effects from treatments that won’t help them get better. It may also ensure patients get the best treatment for them from the moment they are diagnosed.