Simon Mitchell

🔔New network opportunity!🔔

Prof @mitchell.science at @bsmsmedschool.bsky.social is advertising a new 3yr @leukaemiauk.bsky.social funded PDRA using mechanistic models to identify B-cell lymphoma therapeutic vulnerabilities.

Expected start date: April’26

Apply👇by 01/03/2026 and join Sussex BCR!

We are recruiting a postdoctoral research fellow. | Mitchell Lab We're excited to announce that we're looking for a postdoctoral research to join our team!

We’re excited to announce that we’re looking for a postdoctoral research to join our team!
This is an opportunity to lead an exciting project aiming to push the boundaries of personalised medicine through integrating data, simulation and lab experiments.

Plz share

mitchell.science/talk/we-are-...

I especially owe this promotion to the incredible and inspiring scientists that I’m fortunate enough to call my team, collaborators, and co-directors of @sussexcancer.org
I’m most excited to use my position to repay some of the incredible support I’ve had by supporting others.
🍻

Reflecting triggers imposter syndrome tbh. But I owe it to a series of advisors/supervisors/mentors who believed in me and my approaches.
Particularly, Pedro Mendes, Alexander Hoffmann, and @chrispepper68.bsky.social, who supported me in so many ways from PhD, to postdoc, and PI respectively.

Excited to have been promoted to Professor in Cancer Systems Biology at @bsmsmedschool.bsky.social, University of Sussex, @uniofbrighton.bsky.social

Research Technician – Protein Biochemistry at University of Sussex Discover Research Technician – Protein Biochemistry jobs and more in higher education on jobs.ac.uk. Apply for further details on the top job board.

👩‍🔬 We’re hiring! Join a dynamic team driving innovation in blood cancer research at the University of Sussex. Collaborate with experts, grow your skills in protein biochemistry, and contribute to vital discoveries.

👉 Apply here: www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DOP599/r...

Research Technician – Protein Biochemistry at University of Sussex Explore an exciting academic career as a Research Technician – Protein Biochemistry. Don't miss out on other academic jobs. Click to apply and explore more opportunities.

🧬🧪 A research technician position - Protein Biochemistry (6 months) is available in my lab @gdsc-sussex.bsky.social investigating structure and function of fusion kinase complexes in Leukaemia.

📅 Deadline: 29th September 2025.

🙏 Please share with anyone who might be interested.

Summary
- Targeting BCL2/MCL1/BCLXL requires unstanding the TME.
- Systems biology can identify inhibitors that make BH3-mimetics great again.
We're now working on clinical translation, making simulations easy to interpret, and in vivo testing of personalised medicine.
end/🧵

Finally, we find that despite all this complexity there is one strategy that always works to overcome the TME.
Inhibition of the key regulator of non-canonical NF-kB (NIK) totally neutralises the drug resistance caused by the TME in DLBCL🎉
5/🧵

We used computational models, ChIP-seq, imaging, phospho-protemics, and mouse models (collab with Alexander Hoffmann) to discover that high BCR signalling in these cells re-wires the NF-kB:BCL2 network.
Good news: this means Ibrutinib overcomes the TME!
4/🧵

We find:
- culturing DLBCL cells with cells expressing CD40 (to mimick the TME) creates resistance to BH3-mimetics.
- this happens whether you're targeting BCL2 or BCLXL.
- Compensatory upregulation of BCLXL causes resistance.
- In SUDHL8 cells MCL1 also increases. Why!?
3/🧵

Background:
- Established NFκB -> BCL2 link is actually a bit fuzzy (which NFκB subunits control which BCL2 proteins in DLBCL?)
- scRNAseq suggests tumour microenvironment (TME) activates non-canonical NFκB (RelB:p52).
- Can we overcome the protective effect of the TME ?
2/🧵

Systems biology-enabled targeting of NF-κΒ and BCL2 overcomes microenvironment-mediated BH3-mimetic resistance in DLBCL - Cell Death & Disease Cell Death & Disease - Systems biology-enabled targeting of NF-κΒ and BCL2 overcomes microenvironment-mediated BH3-mimetic resistance in DLBCL

New paper led by Aimilia Vareli out now.
nature.com/articles/s41...
The lymphoma microenvironment stops BH3-mimetics working.
In vitro/vivo/silico, we find inhibition of NFκB makes BH3-mimetics great again.🧵
@sussexbcr.bsky.social @bsmsmedschool.bsky.social @leukaemiauk.bsky.social @sussexcancer.org

New paper led by @ejayawant.bsky.social 🎉
We review:
- how computational biology is helping us understand lymphoma,
- how machine learning and cell simulations make sense of vast amounts of data,
- how models can personalise treatments to each person with lymphoma.
portlandpress.com/biochemsoctr...

Artist’s blood cancer treatment inspires powerful new exhibition at University of Brighton A University of Brighton graduate has turned his own cancer journey into a striking art installation exploring illness and the duality of medical treatment.

Artist’s blood cancer treatment inspires powerful new exhibition at University of Brighton, @bsmsmedschool.bsky.social

www.brighton.ac.uk/news/2025/ar...

jobs — Sussex Cancer Research Centre

Multiple positions currently open for applications but with imminent dealines:
- PhD studentship with Sally Wheelwright on cancer-related fatigue.
- PhD studentship with Chris Pepper on multiple myeloma.
- Postdoc with @mitchell.science
on cancer systems biology.
sussexcancer.org/jobs

Recruiting for a post doc on a UKRI Future Leaders fellowship project | Mitchell Lab We are really excited to be advertising for an enthusiastic and committed post doc to work on a wet lab/dry lab project applying systems biology to mulitple diseases. Deadline 29th June.

Excited to announce that thanks to securing a UKRI FLF follow-on award (mitchell.science/talk/566k-fo...)
✨We are hiring✨
3-year systems biology (wet/dry) postdoc, to pioneer new approaches to personalised medicine.
Learn more + apply (before 29 June):
mitchell.science/talk/recruit...

Plz share

🧵1/
🔬 A postdoc in numbers (and life beyond the lab)
As I wrap up my postdoc with @mitchell.science at @bsmsmedschool.bsky.social, I've been reflecting on everything that’s changed since I started in 2021. A lot can happen in a few years…

so lovely to be at @cshlnews.bsky.social for the Systems Immunology Meeting.
Great venue and even better science.

Congrats Okan!

I’m using the old “stand one step down” trick here.

I will be talking about our new cancer genomics toolkit DepMine at the first meeting of the @sussexcancer.org Sussex Cancer Research Centre Computational Biology Group today - new career trajectory ok so far 🤞

BBC News, South East covers Words from the Waiting Room. — Sussex Cancer Research Centre Creative Community Engagement project led by Deborah Humphrey, and Karina Patfield highlighted on BBC news. Words from the Waiting Room offers cancer patients, survivors, and supporters a safe enviro...

Exciting to see SCRC Creative Community Engagement project led by Deborah Humphrey, and Karina Patfield, highlighted on BBC news.
"Words from the Waiting Room offers cancer patients, survivors, and supporters a safe environment to express themselves"
sussexcancer.org/news/bbc-new...

Custom artwork, lightning lecture competition, new theme launch, and exciting events. Reminder: studentship deadline 24th March, computational and brain tumour meetings, creative community engagement.

Latest newsletter:
- PhD studentships deadline: 24th March
- Kick-off of the SCRC Computational Cancer Research themed meetings
- Sussex Brain Tumour Research launch
- Custom artwork inspired by your research
- Lightning lecture competition
And more!
sussexcancer.curated.co/issues/9#start

Also good for reducing excess iron, free radicals, and therefore DNA damage which leads to cancer.

Proud moment from Arran Pack's graduation.
It's so rewarding to see our lab's first PhD student graduate, and I couldn't have asked for a better first student.
Job well done Arran!
🤜🤛

🎓Graduation news! 🎓

Some of the HaemTeam were at @bsmsmedschool.bsky.social graduation this week celebrating new Drs. The @andreapepper.bsky.social @chrispepper68.bsky.social team were celebrating Eleni Ladikou and Kim Sharp PhD graduation, whilst @mitchell.science were toasting Arran Pack grad!

Updates from the Sussex Cancer Research Centre on World Cancer Day. — Sussex Cancer Research Centre The theme of World Cancer Day 2025 is “United by Unique”, which places people at the centre of care and their stories at the heart of the conversation. Today the Sussex Cancer Research Centre (SCR...

It is #WorldCancerDay
We are excited to announce our funded research projects, a new community engagement strategy, creative award winners, and interviews.

sussexcancer.org/news/announc...

@bsmsmedschool.bsky.social @sussexuni.bsky.social @uniofbrighton.bsky.social @eshtnhs.bsky.social

Trump hits NIH with ‘devastating’ freezes on meetings, travel, communications, and hiring Researchers facing “a lot of uncertainty, fear, and panic”

This is devastating.
Grant review panels not meeting completely halts scientific progress
3 people at the inauguration had their wealth increase by $233 billion between them since the election, while scientists and people with disease are abandoned.
www.science.org/content/arti...

New position available: Research Fellow in Cancer Studies!
Work on a cutting edge research project funded by @bloodcanceruk.bsky.social.
Applications close on January 26th.
www.SussexCancer.org/jobs

What unique insights can modeling approaches capture about the immune system? The immune system, optimized by evolution to maintain health and prevent disease, is remarkably good at what it does. It detects pathogens and monitors physiological stresses with a sensitivity and selectivity that far surpasses that of man-made biosensors. It then mounts potent yet precise responses, enabling the body to maintain homeostasis amid varying internal milieu and external threats.

Thoughts from leaders of systems #immunology how mechanistic models can leverage omics/ML for deeper understanding of how our immune system works #sysbio @cp-cellsystems.bsky.social
www.cell.com/cell-systems...