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Staff Profile

Professor Anthony Moorman

Professor of Genetic Epidemiology

  • Telephone: +44 (0) 191 208 2238
  • Address: Leukaemia Research Cytogenetics Group,
    Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre,
    Translational & Clinical Research Institute,
    Level 6, Herschel Building,
    Newcastle University,
    Newcastle-upon-Tyne,
    NE1 7RU
Background

Roles and Responsibilities

  • Director, Leukaemia Research Cytogenomics Group
  • Genetics lead, Childhood Cancer and Leukaemia Group (CCLG) Childhood Leukaemia Study Group
  • Genetics lead, UK adult ALL research network 
  • Genetics co-ordinator for the following clinical trials – UKALL2011, UKALL14, UKALL60,
  • ALLTogether Consotrtium: Member of the Genetics and Science Committee
  • Co-chaor of the Sample and Data Access Committee of VIVO Biobank


Major current funding

  • BIOINFORM: Biologically informed treatment decisions in acute leukaemia. Cancer Research UK Epxeriemental Medicine Award (2025-2030). PI: Anthony Moorman Co-I: Christine Harrison, Amir Enshaei, Sarra Ryan (£2.7m)
  • ALLTogether for Research (A2G4R) Knowledge Hub. Cancer Research UK. PI: Anthony Moorman, Co-I: Amir Enshaei, Chris Halsey. July 2024 to June 2026. £243,259.36
  • Genomic discovery and beyond! Application of new sequencing developments to advance our knowledge of childhood ALL genomics. Blood Cancer UK (23016) PI: Dr Sarra Ryan, Co-I: Anthony Moorman May 2023 to April 2026. £236,031.83
  • Long-term outcome and risk factors among children and adolescents with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia high-risk genetics. Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group (2022ALL13). PI: Anthony Moorman July 2023 to June 2025. £93,211.00


Google Scholar: Click here.

Research

BIOINFORM: Biologically informed treatment decisions in acute leukaemia

Funder and Scheme: Cancer Research UK Clinical Research Committee - Experimental Medicine Award (CRCEMA-Nov24/100001)

Principal Investigator – Professor Anthony Moorman

Co-Investigators – Professor Christine Harrison, Dr Amir Enshaei, Dr Sarra Ryan

Start Date: 1st May 2025

Duration: 5 years


BIOINFORM will leverage the unique resource assembled by the Leukaemia Research Cytogenomics Group to improve the accuracy of decision-making during the treatment of patients diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) or paediatric acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Using high-quality clinical trial cohorts annotated with genetic and genomic data, we will exploit traditional and advanced statistical methods alongside artificial intelligence and machine learning tools to develop, validate and evaluate genetic biomarkers, profiles and algorithms to predict the outcome of patients and thereby ensure patients are assigned to the optimal treatment pathway.


BIOINFORM comprises four work-packages:


(1) Development of an online knowledge portal (CRISTAL) to host clinical trial datasets, support analysis and foster collaboration. In addition, CRISTAL will provide pertinent information to patients, clinicians, and the public.


(2) Develop and evaluate risk algorithms and prognostic indexes to improve patient stratification in ALL, e.g. (a) to identify patients with the lowest risk of relapse who may be curable with less intensive therapy; (b) to develop a robust prognostic index for patients with T-cell disease; (c) to determine the clinical relevance of sub-clonal mutations and deletions.


(3) Establish the prognostic impact of non-canonical genomic abnormalities in ALL by (a) developing a sequencing assay to screen patient samples from consecutive treatment protocols (1990-2011) to detect newly discovered genomic abnormalities; (b) mining a curated multi-omic dataset of adult ALL; (c) exploring the utility of long-read whole genome sequencing.


(4) Describe the genomic landscape of paediatric AML and explore its association with clinical outcome. We will integrate standard-of-care genetic data with multi-omic data (whole transcriptome and genome sequencing, optical genome mapping and targeted sequencing) and outcome data to determine the prognostic significance of genomics in the international MyeChild01 trial.


The output from this research project will be a series of genetic biomarkers, risk profiles and integrated algorithms designed to be used within clinical trials to assign patients to the most appropriate therapy for their subtype of ALL or paediatric AML

Teaching

BGM3060 Diagnostic Medical Genetics module - "Cancer cytogenetics in acute leukaemia"


Research Project Supervision for BSc and MRes


International Workshop on Cancer Genetic & Cytogenetic Diagnostics - "Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia"


Princess Maxima Center - Preceptorship - "Molecular genetic diagnostics, MRD and risk stratification"


PhD supervision


Publications