Francesco Forconi

Professor Francesco Forconi is a Professor of Haematology at the University of Southampton, UK. He leads the Cancer B-Cell Group, focusing on lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) pathogenesis. His research emphasizes early detection of monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis and targeting cancer-specific glycans in B-cell receptors. Clinically, he leads the CLL Service and oversees interventional trials. He chairs the UK NCRI CLL subgroup and is the UK lead for the CRUK ECRIN-M3 consortium, advancing early cancer diagnosis. He serves on the editorial board of Blood and has >150 peer-reviewed publications. Awards include the 2024 John Goldman Fellowship.

Education: MD, DM, PhD, FRCPath.
Research Interests: CLL biology, lymphoma immunology, B-cell receptor signaling, oligomannose glycans in cancer, and clinical trial development.

Awards: John Goldman Fellowship (2024).

Advising: Supervises PhD students in Cell Biology & Immunology of Cancer (e.g., Lara Victoria Graham, Dylan James Tatterton).

Labs/Groups: Cancer B-Cell Group, CRUK ECRIN-M3 consortium, Hairy Cell Leukemia Foundation (Center of Excellence).

Grants: Funds from Cancer Research UK, Blood Cancer UK, and Gilead Sciences Inc. Active projects include DC-SIGN antibody therapies for follicular lymphoma and NK cell immunotherapy.