Finbarr Cotter

I graduated in medicine from the University of London in 1978, trained in Haematology at the Royal London Hospital and in Oncology at St Bartholomew's Hospital, London. I am a fellow of the Royal college of Physicians and The Royal College of Pathologists.In 1986 I obtained a PhD molecular biology of lymphoid malignancies, while working for the ICRF.

I moved in 1992 to the Inst of Child Health (University College London) and great Ormond Street Hospitsl for Sick Children, as a senior lecturer and consultant and then as a reader in molecular haematology and oncology, where I continued my molecular research into haematological malignancies as part of the Leukaemia Research Fund centre.

My particular emphasis has been on the application of molecular understanding and therapy for malignancy. I carried out the first Trial of Genasense worldwide having developed the compound in my research laboratory. Since then I have helped develop a number of molecular therapies including GCS-100 in CLL recently reported at ASCO. In 1999, I moved my research group to Barts and the London School of Medicine to continue my work on molecular therapy in the field of haematological malignancies with a particular emphasis on B-Cell tumours. I am the head of the Experimental Haematology and much of my work is based on translational medicinal chemistry research in the field of malignancy with functional modelling in Zebrafish. Grants from major charities and the government are held in these areas of research and I have extensive peer reviewed publications within the field of research. In addition, I am have developed a Regional Molecular Pathology unit within our Hospital Trust and Lead a National Childhood leukaemia diagnostic centre interacting with MRC national trials in the UK. I am an advisory to a number of UK Government committees in both therapy and molecular pathology and genetics.

I am currently the Editor in Chief for the British Journal of Haematology and the www.bloodmed.com website.