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LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group @ljrusselllab.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Last month, @letimarchetti.bsky.social gave an introduction to our research to the team at Leica Biosystems. It was a great opportunity to share our work, discuss our research, and exchange ideas. Thank you to Leica and @childcancernth.bsky.social for the invitation and the engaging discussions!

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LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group @ljrusselllab.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Delighted to share that LEGEND Group Leader, Lisa Russell, has been promoted to Professor of Cancer Epigenomics! 🎉🧬 A milestone built on hard work, dedication, an amazing team, awesome support — and a healthy dose of good fortune. Excited for what comes next! 🔬

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LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group @ljrusselllab.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

This Blood Cancer Awareness Month, we stand alongside patients, families, clinicians and researchers working towards a future where blood cancers are detected earlier, treated and ultimately prevented. Every discovery starts with research at the bench 🧪🩸 #BloodCancerAwarenessMonth

Thank you to Martin Newman for capturing our research in the lab.

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LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group @ljrusselllab.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

We’re glad to have participated in the 23rd CLR-UK Annual Meeting in Nottingham! It was a great opportunity to share our research, contribute to organising the meeting, exchange ideas, and network with fellow scientists working in childhood leukaemia research. #CLRUK2026 #BCUK

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LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group @ljrusselllab.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

A multicultural lab group comes with so many advantages! We don’t only share valuable ideas and different prospective, but we also get to share traditional food and learn about each other's cultures. Thanks @alsayadi.bsky.social for introducing us to Arabic coffee and sharing sweet treats!

Arabic coffee, dates and traditional sweet treats.

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LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group @ljrusselllab.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

This week @dr-ahlamq.bsky.social has been preparing DNA for long-read sequencing. Historically, DNA is broken into 'chunks' to read the code. Long-read sequencing is newer technology for deciphering much longer stretches of DNA, providing in-depth information about leukaemia genetics.

Dr Ahlam Alqahtani is carefully examining a tube containing DNA that has been extracted for long-read sequencing technologies.

The long strands of DNA 'wrap-around' glass beads within the tube, enabling us to extract much longer DNA strands than traditional methods.

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LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group @ljrusselllab.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Proud supervisor moment for @drnickbrittain.bsky.social & @letimarchetti.bsky.social attending the MRes Poster session and supporting Lucy and Kunwoo, amazing intercalating medics who worked with @ljrusselllab.bsky.social over the last 5 months on their research project. Best luck and AD MAIORA!

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LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group @ljrusselllab.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Today we had the pleasure to host @stefanschoenfelder.bsky.social at @newcastleuni.bsky.social who gave a brilliant and insightful talk about non canonical enhancers and reset in induced pluripotent stem cells. Thank you to everyone who joined the seminar and for the great discussion at the end!

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LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group @ljrusselllab.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

Great conference this week, filled with inspiring talks and poster presentations from @nucancer.bsky.social researchers. Congratulations to our PhDs, @phoebejsnow.bsky.social & @alsayadi.bsky.social, recipients of PGR Outstanding Contribution Awards in recognition of their hard work and dedication.

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Newcastle University Centre for Cancer @nucancer.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

Congratulations to our PhD students Ahmed Alsayadi, Phoebe Snow and Emma Barlow on receiving FMS Postgraduate Outstanding Contribution Awards, recognising their outstanding contributions to the NUCancer PGR community. A brilliant achievement and very well deserved 👏

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LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group @ljrusselllab.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

@letimarchetti.bsky.social represented the LEGEND group at the 'Young Researchers Chromatin Club' seminar series by @activemotifusa.bsky.social Leti presented exciting research progress, using multiple chromatin profiling methods to understand genetic regulation in leukaemia.

A picture of Leti's online Young Researchers Chromatin Club seminar on Zoom, viewed by a laptop of a LEGEND group member.

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LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group @ljrusselllab.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

🧬 Fighting Paediatric Leukaemia with Epigenetics: 4-Year PhD Opportunity! Looking to push the boundaries of cancer research using cutting-edge epigenomic technology? We are seeking a dedicated PhD student to join the LEGEND group. Full details in the link below: bit.ly/LEGEND_PhD

The LEGEND group in the lab.
From left to right: Dr Ahlam Alqahtani, Dr Nicholas Brittain, Dr Letizia Marchetti, Camille Drai, Dr Lisa Russell (group leader), Ahmed Alsayadi, Phoebe Snow

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LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group @ljrusselllab.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

Last week was an exciting one for the LEGEND Group! We attended NUBI Live, where Lisa and Phoebe gave talks, and Ahmed and Leti presented posters. Nick also presented in the @nucancer.bsky.social PMGI Symposium. Excellent science with plenty of engaging discussions!

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LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group @ljrusselllab.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

Very proud that LEGEND Group technician, Camille Drai, won two prestigious Techncian Awards. Well done @camilledrai.bsky.social 👏

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Reposted by LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group

Blood Cancer UK @bloodcanceruk.bsky.social · 11/02/2026

Research looks like... Dr Jasmeen Oberoi: "Collaboration from researchers, healthcare professionals and people with lived experience." Dr Lisa Russell: "Teamwork between researchers and clinicians, turning lab discoveries into real treatments for people who need them."

Image is of Dr Jasmeen Oberoi in a burgundy lab coat and gloves using a pipette in a lab setting looking down at what she's doing

Image of Dr Lisa Russel looking into a microscope wearing a white lab coat and blue gloves with a colleague behind looking over her shoulder

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LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group @ljrusselllab.bsky.social · 04/02/2026

Today is #WorldCancerDay. We honour everyone affected by cancer - patients, families, and loved ones ❤️ Today is a reminder of why we do what we do, to make a difference through research.

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LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group @ljrusselllab.bsky.social · 12/12/2025

Molly’s story is a powerful reminder of why we are committed to fighting leukaemia. Every donation supports better treatment development. bloodcancer.org.uk/get-involved... Not only does research continue to grow, but our @bloodcanceruk.bsky.social project plant grows alongside it, a symbol of hope.

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LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group @ljrusselllab.bsky.social · 19/11/2025

Shout out this #InternationalMensDay to Ahmed Alsayadi (@alsayadi.bsky.social) and Nick Brittain — brilliant cancer researchers and all-round great humans. Your skill, drive, and good vibes make the LEGEND team what it is 💙

Ahmed is happily working away in our tissue culture lab

Nick is working in the lab pipetting reagents for his current experiment.

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LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group @ljrusselllab.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

We’re excited to welcome a talented new postdoctoral researcher, Monika Gonka, to the LEGEND group! She’ll be leading data-driven projects and supporting the team as a bioinformatics research assistant. Welcome aboard, Monika!

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LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group @ljrusselllab.bsky.social · 01/11/2025

I was welcomed to the lab meeting yesterday by this spooky bunch 🤪. Always up for a giggle and certainly made my day 😆

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LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group @ljrusselllab.bsky.social · 13/10/2025

Viruses effectively deliver gene-editing proteins into leukaemia cells. Envelope proteins ‘coat’ the virus, and the best envelope choice can vary between different leukaemias. We use fluorescent dyes to decide which envelope will allow the best delivery of the gene-editing proteins to the cells.

Here one of our team members, Dr Nicholas Brittain, is pointing to a green cell that has successfully taken up the gene-editing proteins.

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LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group @ljrusselllab.bsky.social · 28/09/2025

Last week on #WorldCancerResearchDay the whole lab and other colleagues from @nucancer.bsky.social turned into bakers to help fundraising for @cancerresearchuk.org, a charity close to us for their commitment to fund groundbreaking projects in cancer research. Lovely seeing the public engaged!

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LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group @ljrusselllab.bsky.social · 19/09/2025

September is #ChildhoodCancerAwarenessMonth. Our team joined the @childcancernth.bsky.social campaign #PaintTheToonGold to show support for children with cancer and their families. Together, we can raise awareness and keep pushing research forward.

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LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group @ljrusselllab.bsky.social · 12/09/2025

We were excited to share our recent research findings and projects at #CLRUK25 in York. Dr. Brittain and Dr. Alqahtani were thrilled to present their projects, supported by @cancerresearchuk.org and @bloodcanceruk.bsky.social. Dr. Marchetti brought great energy while chairing the first session.

@letimarchetti.bsky.social and Frederik van Delft are chairing the first session at CLRUK25

Dr. Nicholas Brittain is presenting his CR_UK funded project titled (Mechanistic investigation of super-enhancer dynamics in B-ALL)

@dr-ahlamq.bsky.social is presenting her BloodCancer_UK funded project titled (Investigating the consequences of CEBP dysregulation in acute lymphoblastic leukaemia)

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LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group @ljrusselllab.bsky.social · 11/09/2025

Morning coffee and train for the whole lab today, direction #CLRUK25 in York! Looking forward to seeing everyone from the CLR-UK network! #ChildhoodCancerAwarenessMonth #BloodCancerAwarenessMonth

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LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group @ljrusselllab.bsky.social · 04/09/2025

Research is not a solo effort. It takes teamwork. It takes belief. It takes collaboration. We know what it takes to beat blood cancer and so does @dr-ahlamq.bsky.social whose work is funded by @bloodcanceruk.bsky.social grant co-led by Lisa & @letimarchetti.bsky.social #BloodCancerAwarenessMonth

Lisa is the Principal Investigator of the group
but she still enjoys spending time in the lab to drive
the work to beat blood cancer.

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LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group @ljrusselllab.bsky.social · 08/08/2025

We recently welcomed Dr Nicholas Brittain to the LEGEND group, who has joined as a Research Associate to investigate mechanisms driving super-enhancers in paediatric leukaemia as part of a research project funded by @cancerresearchuk.org

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LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group @ljrusselllab.bsky.social · 08/08/2025

Recent nice weather called for a social outing of the LEGEND group, filled with fun, sport and a MUST stop for ice cream by the coast 🍦. We also had our first lab retreat at Cockle Park, featuring good scientific discussion 🧬 and a visit by our @ukri.org MRC collaborators from Edinburgh ✨

Deserved rest after an exciting volleyball tournament

Ice-cream is the best way to end a great social outing with the lab

The group got bigger! We count, from the left: Camille (Research Technician), Ahmed (PhD student), Leti (PostDoc), Lisa (Group Leader), Ahlam (PostDoc), Nick (PostDoc) and Phoebe (PhD student)

MRC collaborators from Edinburgh, Chris A.Brackley (left) and Rodrigo Rivas Barbosa (right)

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LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group @ljrusselllab.bsky.social · 07/08/2025

Thrilled to have contributed to ground-breaking research led by Dr Joan Boyes (@universityofleeds.bsky.social‬), just out in Nature (‪@nature.com‬)! 🧬 We show that tiny DNA fragments, naturally cut from the genome, can linger—causing more damage & helping leukaemia progress.

Dr Zeqian Gao, Dr Joan Boyes, and Dylan Casey (PhD student) in the lab

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LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group @ljrusselllab.bsky.social · 08/07/2025

Our lab was delighted to host a visit from @cancerresearchuk.org fundraisers, campaigners, and patient advocates Sue Duncombe and Patrick McGuire. It was a pleasure to share our research, to give an insight into our daily work and highlight how CRUK support helps us move science forward.

Camille is showing how the transfected cell lines appear under a florescent microscope

Ahmed and Nick are explaining how we visualize genome editing using gel electrophoresis

Ahmed and Nick are explaining the technical aspect of using gel electrophoresis

Leti is explaining how we use blood cancer cell lines to explore options for better therapy interventions

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Reposted by LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group

Children's Cancer North @childcancernth.bsky.social · 28/04/2025

🌟 Nominate Children’s Cancer North for a chance to win £5,000! The Benefact Movement for Good Health & Wellbeing Special Draw is open until May 4. By nominating us, Children’s Cancer North could win £5,000 to help make life better for children and young people affected by cancer 👉 loom.ly/dFhKtac

loom.ly

Nominate a charity - Movement for Good

Nominate a charity for a Movement for Good award now.

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Reposted by LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group

Letizia Marchetti @letimarchetti.bsky.social · 10/06/2025

Having a great day with the whole @ljrusselllab.bsky.social group, attending the @nucancer.bsky.social 2025 conference, showcasing excellent research from across the faculty, including some of our own from the #WolfsonCentre in the Herschel building, Alistair Poll and Melvin Joy. More to come later!

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Reposted by LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group

Camille Drai @camilledrai.bsky.social · 11/06/2025

@ljrusselllab.bsky.social has crafted beautiful items for Children's Cancer North! If you want to help this amazing charity, have a look at the shop : Lunch Bag: shorturl.at/jvdLm Phone Holder: shorturl.at/QbFXN Pouch: shorturl.at/ryX6x

childrenscancernorth.org.uk

CCN Lunch Bag - Children's Cancer North

With this CCN lunch bag, you’re not only getting a beautifully hand-crafted accessory but also helping fund vital research and support children with cancer

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LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group @ljrusselllab.bsky.social · 10/06/2025

Great poster session by the LEGEND team. Lots of informative discussions had with other @nucancer.bsky.social colleagues.

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LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group @ljrusselllab.bsky.social · 10/06/2025

Great morning had at the @nucancer.bsky.social conference. Proud to see the work of the team presented as recent success stories coming from the centre.

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LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group @ljrusselllab.bsky.social · 23/05/2025

First time running a "Meet the Expert" session today at the European School for Haematology. Despite being nervous and not really knowing what to expect, I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I had a lovely group of attendees who made the experience one to remember.

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LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group @ljrusselllab.bsky.social · 23/05/2025

Privileged to have been asked to speak at this years ESH conference on acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in beautiful Malahide, Dublin. Great opportunity for extensive discussion and new collaborations.

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LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group @ljrusselllab.bsky.social · 18/05/2025

Well done to all the Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre runners for completing the #ChildrensCancerRun today at Gosforth Park. @childcancernth.bsky.social @newcastleuni.bsky.social

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LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group @ljrusselllab.bsky.social · 18/05/2025

Great day at the #ChildrensCancerRun inspiring young minds and raising money to support families through a cancer diagnosis and to fund vital cancer research here in the North East @childcancernth.bsky.social

Photo of cancer researchers in the science tent, ready to inspire some young minds.

Nefeli is showing a boy how to measure small amounts of liquid using a pipette

Phoebe is showing some children how to make a healthy cell using play dough

Lisa is explaining how studying the genetic code of children with leukaemia can inform the treatment they receive. The children are completing a chromosome puzzle.

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LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group @ljrusselllab.bsky.social · 17/05/2025

Had a great time at SIOPE meeting this week. Hearing the latest research on the biology and diagnosis of childhood leukaemia. Also had the privilege of seeing my PhD supervisor being awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award for her contribution to the field.

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LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group @ljrusselllab.bsky.social · 02/05/2025

Our lab was delighted to host a lab tour for the fantastic team from @teleperformance-gp.bsky.social We were happy to showcase our expertise in cell culture(Leti&Cami), gene editing (Ahlam&Ahmed) and data analysis (Phoebe). Thanks for sponsoring the Business Beats Cancer North East.

It was lovely to meet Jamie Smith, Chris Breckon, Dave Green, Rachel Robinson, serena Magee, Anna Vrublevskaya, Christopher Burns, Suzanne Middleton, Mark McCarthy, and Suzannah Harnor at the event.

Cami is explaining how we use blood cancer cell lines to explore options for better therapy interventions.

Leti is showing how the transfected cell lines appear under a florescent microscope .

Ahmed and Ahlam are explaining the technical aspect of using gel electrophoresis.

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Reposted by LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group

Letizia Marchetti @letimarchetti.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

Two weeks countdown to #PINT25! No need to be sad yet, as #Newcastle @pintofscience.uk @pintsworld.bsky.social has still tickets available! More info here: pintofscience.co.uk/events/newca... Spread the word!

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Reposted by LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group

Letizia Marchetti @letimarchetti.bsky.social · 15/04/2025

Don’t miss your chance #Newcastle, tickets for #PINT25 are out! @pintofscience.uk @pintsworld.bsky.social More info for venues and tickets here pintofscience.co.uk/events/newca... Repost appreciated :)

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LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group @ljrusselllab.bsky.social · 23/04/2025

April is Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Awareness Month (TYACAM) and @dr-ahlamq.bsky.social was thrilled to give her first presentation about our new findings in a rare type of leukaemia that affects the TYA community @newcastleuni.bsky.social. @childcancernth.bsky.social. Funded by blood cancer.

Ahlam is in the tissue culture lab, doing the first experiment for the project funded by @bloodcancer_uk. Using a hemocytometer, she will count the number of cancer cells to assess cell viability.

Ahlam is super excited to give her first presentation on a rare subtype of leukaemia. The planted money tree is doing great and growing strong as the project moves along!

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LEGEND: Leukaemia EpiGenomic & ENhancer Dysregulation group @ljrusselllab.bsky.social · 10/04/2025

RE-POST ALERT Second chance to apply for the #bioinformaticspost funded by @cancerresearchuk.org to join our Leukaemia EpiGenomic and ENhancer Dysregulation group at @newcastleuni.bsky.social @nucancer.bsky.social, don't miss the opportunity! Closing date 1st May 2025! jobs.ncl.ac.uk/job/Newcastl...

jobs.ncl.ac.uk

Research Assistant/Associate: Leukaemia Research

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