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Staff Profile

Dr Alistair Poll

Research Associate

  • Address: Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre
    6th Floor Herschel Building
    Brewery Lane
    Newcastle University
    Newcastle upon Tyne
    NE1 7RU
Background

Background

I am a translational cancer researcher based at the Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre at Newcastle University. My work focuses on improving outcomes for children with relapsed and refractory T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (T-ALL), an aggressive blood cancer where treatment options remain limited once standard therapies fail.

My research aims to understand the biological mechanisms that allow leukaemia cells to survive treatment and to identify new therapeutic vulnerabilities that can be targeted clinically. I combine experimental molecular biology with computational analysis to study drug response, resistance, and cellular behaviour in patient-derived models.

Before joining the Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre in 2020, I completed my PhD in the School of Natural and Environmental Sciences and worked at the Northern Institute for Cancer Research on projects investigating circulating tumour cells as diagnostic biomarkers in oesophageal adenocarcinoma.

Alongside my research, I am interested in improving how complex biological data are analysed and interpreted, and in developing practical tools that help researchers extract meaningful insight from large experimental datasets.

I am also committed to public engagement and patient involvement in research, and actively support initiatives that bring patients, families, and researchers together to shape future cancer research priorities.


Areas of Expertise

  • Translational research in T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia
  • Mechanisms of drug resistance and therapeutic vulnerability
  • Functional genomics and experimental drug response
  • Cellular and molecular biology
  • Flow cytometry and imaging flow cytometry
  • Bioinformatics and computational analysis
  • High-throughput image analysis


Research Interests

  • Drug resistance mechanisms in paediatric leukaemia
  • Identifying therapeutic vulnerabilities in relapsed disease
  • Integrating experimental and computational models of treatment response
  • Improving rigour and reproducibility in translational research


Public Engagement and Patient Involvement

Patient and public involvement (PPI) plays an important role in shaping meaningful cancer research. I am keen to work with patients, families, and community groups to help guide research priorities and improve communication between scientists and the communities affected by cancer.

If you are interested in contributing to patient involvement activities or learning more about opportunities to engage with our research, please feel free to get in touch.


Writing and Commentary

I occasionally write about translational science, research culture, and the challenges of working with complex biological systems.

You can read these reflections here:

[Link to blog coming soon]

Research

Understanding drug resistance in T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia

Relapsed T-ALL remains a major clinical challenge, with limited treatment options once standard therapies fail. My research investigates the biological mechanisms that allow leukaemia cells to survive treatment, with a particular focus on signalling pathways and adaptive cellular states that contribute to resistance.


Using patient-derived xenograft models and experimental perturbation approaches, we aim to identify vulnerabilities that could be targeted to improve outcomes for children with relapsed disease.


Functional genomics approaches to therapeutic vulnerability

A key focus of my work is the use of functional genomic approaches to identify genes and pathways that influence drug response. By combining CRISPR-based perturbation screens with drug sensitivity profiling, we aim to map the genetic dependencies that shape treatment response in T-ALL.


These approaches help reveal new candidate therapeutic targets and provide mechanistic insight into how resistance emerges.


Integrating experimental and computational approaches

Modern translational research increasingly relies on integrating large experimental datasets with computational analysis. I develop and apply analytical pipelines that combine molecular biology experiments with quantitative modelling to extract meaningful insight from complex biological systems.


This includes high-throughput imaging analysis, flow cytometry data analysis, and single-cell 'omics approaches to understand how cellular states influence drug response.


Improving research rigour and experimental design

Alongside disease-focused research, I am interested in improving the way translational experiments are designed, analysed, and interpreted. This includes developing reproducible data analysis workflows and improving experimental frameworks for studying treatment response in complex biological systems.

Teaching

Teaching and Supervision

Alongside my research, I contribute to teaching and mentoring across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes within the Faculty of Medical Sciences. I am interested in helping students develop confidence in experimental design, critical thinking, and the analysis of complex biological data. My approach to teaching emphasises understanding how experiments generate meaningful insight, rather than simply learning laboratory techniques.


Student Supervision

I supervise undergraduate, Master’s, and doctoral students working on projects related to molecular biology, drug response, and quantitative analysis of biological data. These projects provide students with hands-on experience in experimental design, laboratory techniques, and data interpretation.


Teaching Contributions

I contribute to teaching activities within the Faculty of Medical Sciences, including lectures, small-group teaching, and practical laboratory training in molecular biology and experimental methods.


Educational Initiatives

I developed the Teaching Opportunities Hub, a faculty initiative designed to improve transparency and equitable access to teaching opportunities for early career researchers. The hub provides a central platform where teaching opportunities can be shared across the faculty with researchers who are interested in developing their teaching experience. The project is currently being piloted within the Faculty of Medical Sciences.

This initiative reflects my broader interest in improving access to teaching development and supporting early career researchers in building teaching portfolios alongside their research careers.


Educational Development

I am currently participating in the Newcastle Education Practice Scheme (NEPS) and working towards Fellowship of Advance HE (FHEA). This programme supports reflective practice in teaching and the development of evidence-based approaches to higher education. Through this work I am developing my teaching practice alongside my research career, with a focus on supporting student learning, effective supervision, and inclusive teaching environments.

Publications