GROUND-breaking research has shown that a drug, developed from the results of cancer immunology research at the University of Southampton, can reduce the risk of the most common blood cancer.

Follicular Lymphoma causes white blood cells of the immune system, called lymphocytes, to grow and multiply uncontrollably.

The drug in question, Obinutuzumab, was developed by the world’s largest biotech pharmaceutical company, Roche, after a decade of research by Southampton scientists.

Professor Martin Glennie, a cancer immunology scientist at the University of Southampton, explained: “Obinutuzumab seeks out the ‘CD20’ protein on the surface of malignant B-cells and flags its destruction by the body’s killer cells.

"Being a type II reagent gives the antibody an advantage as it remains at the cell surface longer than previously used antibody drugs.

“It has been an exciting and rewarding process to go from the discoveries in our laboratories all the way through to treating patients in clinical trials and working with them to understand exactly which types of lymphoma will respond best to which treatments."

Results from a study led by Kings College Hospital with support of the university showed combining Obinutuzumab with chemotherapy reduced the risk of disease progression or death by 34 per cent in patients with follicular lymphoma.

Peter Johnson, Professor of Medical Oncology at the University of Southampton said: “This new type of antibody treatment for lymphoma has been developed from immunology research in Southampton which started more than 10 years ago.

“When we started to find out how these antibodies work. We have much more to do in many different types of cancer, but this is a great example of how discovery science can work through into better treatments for our patients.”