Staff Profile

Background

I am a clinician scientist specialising in paediatric oncology with a particular interest in the applications of immuno-oncology to patient risk stratification and the development of novel targeted therapies. I currently work as a postdoctoral researcher fellow within the Lymphoma research group at the Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre alongside providing clinical service as a paediatric oncology higher specialty resident at the Great North Children’s Hospital.

Qualifications

PhD (Immuno-oncology), 2025
MRCPCH, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, 2019
PGCert Clinical Research (Distinction), 2018
MSc Public Health and Health Services Research (Distinction), 2016
MBChB (Hons), 2012
BMed Sci (Hons), 2008

Roles and Responsibilities

Paediatric Oncology GRID Resident, Great North Children’s Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
RCPCH Paediatric Oncology CSAC Member - Trainee Representative
Paediatric Oncology Trainees Group (POTG) - Co-chair
Newcastle University Clinical Academic Training (NU-CAT) Committee Member - External Fellows Representative (2021-2024)

Awards and Honours

CCLG Experimental and Translation Science Award (2024)
BACR/AstraZeneca Student Award (2022).
Cancer Research UK Clinical PhD Fellowship (2021-2024).
Lymphoma Research Trust Grant (2021).
Northern Deanery Annual Research and Development Conference, Runner up best oral presentation (2019).
NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship (2017 - 2020).
North of England Children's Cancer Research Fund (2016).
Newcastle University Institute of Health and Society prize for best Masters dissertation (2016).
Great North Paediatric Conference, Best Clinical Research Poster (2016).
Newcastle University Postgraduate Scholarship Award (2015).

Memberships

Children’s Cancer and Leukaemia Group (CCLG) - NHL Special Interest Group
International Society of Paediatric Oncology (SIOP)
British Association for Cancer Research (BACR)
European Haematology Association (EHA)

Research

Research Areas

My interest in immuno-oncology is focused on developing a comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanisms that drive the risk of high grade B cell lymphomas in children and young people, particularly EBV-driven lymphoproliferative disease in immune dysregulated children. This includes establishing the temporal trajectory of immune reconstitution in children following a solid organ transplant and its impact on viral oncogenesis and the composition of the tumour immune microenvironment.

Teaching

I provide clinical teaching to medical students and junior doctors within the paediatric oncology department at the Great North Children’s Hospital. I conduct MRCPCH clinical exam revision sessions within the Northern School of Paediatrics. I have collaborated with the Northern deanery to establish a monthly region-wide virtual journal club for paediatric trainees alongside a training curriculum for evidence-based clinical practice. This has been formally integrated into the regional teaching programme for paediatric specialty training in the North East.

Publications

Articles
- Offor UT, Hollis P, Ognjanovic M, Parry G, Khushnood A, Long HM, Gennery AR, Bacon CM, Simmonds J, Reinhardt Z, Bomken S. Immunology of THymectomy And childhood CArdiac transplant (ITHACA): protocol for a UK-wide prospective observational cohort study to identify immunological risk factors of post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease (PTLD) in thymectomised children. BMJ Open 2023, 13(10), e079582.
- Offor UT, Bacon CM, Roberts J, Powell J, Brodlie M, Wood K, Windebank KP, Flett J, Hewitt T, Rand V, Hasan A, Parry G, Gennery AR, Reinhardt Z, Bomken S. Transplantation For Congenital Heart Disease Is Associated With An Increased Risk Of Epstein-Barr Virus-Related Post-Transplant Lymphoproliferative Disorder In Children. Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation 2021, 35(5), 24-32.
- Prunotto G, Offor UT, Samarasinghe S, Wynn R, Vora A, Carpenter B, Gowdy C, McHugh K, Windebank KP, Rovelli AM, Slatter MA, Gennery AR, Veys P, Bacon CM, Bomken S, Lucchini G. HSCT provides effective treatment for lymphoproliferative disorders in children with primary immunodeficiency. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 2020, 146(2), 447-450.
- Zhou P, Blain AE, Newman AM, Zaka M, Chagaluka G, Adlar F, Offor UT, Broadbent C, Chaytor L, Whitehead A, Hall A, O'Connor H, Van Noorden S, Lampert I, Bailey S, Molyneux E, Bacon CM, Bomken S, Rand V. Sporadic and endemic Burkitt lymphoma have frequent FOXO1 mutations but distinct hotspots in the AKT recognition motif. Blood Advances 2019, 3(14), 2118-2127.
- Offor UT, Akyea RK, Neequaye JE, Renner LA, Segbefia CI. The changing clinical pattern of endemic Burkitt lymphoma in Western Africa: Experience from a tertiary center in Ghana. Pediatric Blood & Cancer 2018, 65(10), e27275.
- Offor UT, Basta NO, James PW, McNally RJQ. Is there a socioeconomic variation in survival from renal tumours in children and young people resident in northern England (1968-2012)?. Cancer Epidemiology 2017, 50(Part A), 92-98.
Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstracts)
- Offor UT, Long HM, Filby A, Ognjanovic M, Simmonds J, Parry G, Khushnood A, Reinhardt Z, Gennery AR, Bacon CM, Bomken S. Defining the systemic immune landscape in children at an increased risk of posttransplant lymphoproliferative disease: The immunology of thymectomy and childhood cardiac transplant (ITHACA) study. In: 7th International Symposium on Childhood, Adolescent and Young Adult Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. 2022, New York, NY, USA: Leukemia Research.
- Offor UT, Hinchliffe A, Ollett L, Bailey S. Improving the early detection and management of constipation in children and young people living with cancer in the North East of England. In: 53rd Congress of the International Society of Paediatric Oncology. 2021, Virtual: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Dr Ugo Offor

Postdoctoral Research Fellow