Justin Loke
Institute Fellow | Myeloid Cancer Biology Group Leader
Justin Loke is a clinician scientist and Institute Fellow at the CRUK Manchester Institute, where he is establishing his new group Myeloid Cancer Biology. He is a Consultant Haematologist at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust. His specialist interest is in the myeloid blood cancers including acute myeloid leukaemia (AML).
About Dr Justin Loke
Dr Justin Loke trained at the University of Cambridge and Oxford Medical School and then completed postgraduate haematology training in Birmingham. His specialist interest is in Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) and he completed his PhD at the University of Birmingham under the supervision of Professor Constanze Bonifer in the epigenetic deregulation of AML, for which he was awarded a number of prizes from the Royal Society of Medicine and the Royal College of Pathologists.
Dr Loke subsequently completed a post-CCT fellowship with CRUK Clinical Trials Unit, Birmingham, and was a Consultant Haematologist at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham where he was involved in the development of supportive care studies in AML (PACE) and in the running of IMPACT transplant studies.
He obtained funding as an AACR-CRUK Transatlantic Fellow based in the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, USA with Professor Ben Ebert. He was also working as a haematologist at Harvard Medical School.
In August 2025, Justin was appointed to the Amit Patel Leukaemia Research Fellowship. This prestigious research fellowship is awarded in memory of Professor Amit Patel, Consultant Haematologist at The Christie, who sadly passed away in 2021.
Justin takes up his new position as Institute Fellow in the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute in November 2025, where he will establish his research group, Myeloid Cancer Biology.
Groups
Qualifications
- Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists | 2018
- PhD | 2017 | University of Birmingham
- Member of the Royal College of Physicians | 2011
- BM BCh | 2008 | University of Oxford
- Master of Arts | 2005 | University of Cambridge
Interests
- Myeloid blood cancers
- Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML)
- Regulators of malignant haematopoiesis
Publications
- Additional cytogenetic features determine outcome in patients allografted for TP53 mutant acute myeloid leukemia
- Posttransplant MRD and T-cell chimerism status predict outcomes in patients who received allografts for AML/MDS
- An in vivo barcoded CRISPR-Cas9 screen identifies Ncoa4-mediated ferritinophagy as a dependence in Tet2-deficient hematopoiesis
Why I work at CRUK MI
“I believe the cutting-edge scientific environment at the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, integrated with the internationally renowned clinical expertise at The Christie will enable the development of a translational research program to discover new mechanisms driving aggressive blood cancers and improve treatments for our patients with these diseases.”
Visit Research Group
I am an academic haematologist with an interest in myeloid blood cancer, particularly in discovering regulators of malignant haematopoiesis using genome-editing technologies. To investigate the poorly understood mechanism by which different mutations interact during cancer evolution and how these interactions shape disease behaviour, my lab aims to use advanced genetic editing techniques to build experimental models that more closely mimic the complex mutational landscapes seen in patients. These models will help us uncover new biological insights and identify novel vulnerabilities that could guide the development of future therapies.
Our vision for world leading cancer research in the heart of Manchester
We are a leading cancer research institute within The University of Manchester, spanning the whole spectrum of cancer research – from investigating the molecular and cellular basis of cancer, to translational research and the development of therapeutics.
Our collaborations
Bringing together internationally renowned scientists and clinicians
Scientific Advisory Board
Supported by an international Scientific Advisory Board
Why choose Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute?
The Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, an Institute of The University of Manchester, is a world-leading centre for excellence in cancer research. The Institute is core funded by Cancer Research UK (www.cancerresearchuk.org),
the largest independent cancer research organisation in the world.
We are partnered with The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, one of the largest cancer treatment centres in Europe, which is located adjacent to the CRUK MI Manchester Institute in South Manchester. These factors combine to provide an exceptional environment in which to pursue basic, translational and clinical research programmes.
