Professor Tassos Karadimitris has been appointed as Langmuir Chair and Director of the Hugh and Josseline Langmuir Centre for Myeloma Research.

Following last year’s £10 million donation from benefactors Hugh and Josseline Langmuir, the Centre was established to consolidate and advance Imperial’s world-leading research into the biology and treatment of multiple myeloma.

Multiple myeloma, also known as myeloma, is a blood cancer that develops in plasma cells. Since the early 1990s, myeloma incidence rates have increased by 32 per cent in the UK and are projected to rise by a further 11 per cent between 2014 and 2035. Despite significant progress in research and improved treatment options, it remains incurable.

The Hugh and Josseline Langmuir Centre for Myeloma Research is based within Imperial’s Centre for Haematology at the College’s Hammersmith Hospital Campus, a world-leading diagnostic and treatment centres for blood disorders, including multiple myeloma.

Tassos Karadimitris, Professor of Haematology at Imperial College London and Honorary Consultant Haematologist at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, will now head the Centre as Langmuir Chair and Director.

Advancing research to benefit patients

“I am greatly honoured to occupy the Langmuir Chair for Haematology and lead the newly formed Hugh and Josseline Langmuir Centre for Myeloma Research, generously supported by Hugh and Josseline Langmuir,” commented Professor Karadimitris.

“This is once in a lifetime opportunity to consolidate and enhance our research efforts towards better understanding and improved treatment of the blood cancer multiple myeloma and allied disorders."

“My senior colleagues, Dr Holger Auner, Dr Aris Chaidos and I envisage the Centre being a national and international hub, not only of collaborative scientific discovery and therapeutic advancement but also of training of the next generation of scientists and clinicians with interest in the biology and treatment of multiple myeloma.”

“Our first and ultimate purpose is clear: deliver improved and more effective treatment options for the benefit of patients with multiple myeloma.”

Recognising the value of myeloma research

Professor Marina Botto, Head of the Department of Immunology and Inflammation, said: “I am delighted with the appointment of Professor Anastasios Karadimitris as Director of the Hugh and Josseline Langmuir Centre for Myeloma Research.”

“Professor Karadimitris has a fantastic track record and brings a wealth of experience and research expertise to bear in helping to shape the exciting future direction of the Centre. His appointment recognises the research and leadership strengths he brings to the role and reinforces the importance and value of the Hugh and Josseline Langmuir Centre itself, bringing together different research groups to establish new research directions in this incurable condition.”

“Professor Karadimitris is the perfect person to realise the immense opportunities ahead and I look forward to working together in spearheading new technological innovation and clinical translation to directly benefit patients with myeloma."

Professor Jonathan Weber, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, said: “We remain extremely grateful for the generous donation from Hugh and Josseline Langmuir, which continues to drive forward research in this important, yet underfunded, area. I look forward to following Professor Karadimitris’s progress in his well-deserved new role.”

Learn more about the Hugh and Josseline Langmuir Centre for Myeloma Research