King’s recruits world’s first patient for rare blood cancer trial
07 September 2026 - King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has recruited the first patient globally for a trial exploring treatments for a rare type of blood cancer.
The trial, studying those with a medical condition known as Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), is recruiting 300 people who have the option to stay in the study for up to five years. King’s is just one of two hospitals in the UK who are involved.
The Takeda Pharmaceuticals ‘TAK-226-3001’ trial, taking place at King’s College Hospital, is a phase 3 trial comparing the safety and effectiveness of a novel treatment (erlitercept) with the standard treatment (erythropoietin) to treat anaemia in adults with ‘lower risk’ Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).
MDS is a pre-leukaemia disorder, with around 4 cases per 100,000 people in the UK, affecting predominantly older adults. Patients have increased risk of progression to leukaemia and suffer with anaemia, which affects their quality of life.
Dr Austin Kulasekararaj, Consultant Haematologist at King’s and Chief Investigator of the study, said: “King’s College Hospital is a National Reference Centre for MDS, and patients are referred to us for cutting-edge clinical trials to improve their outcomes and quality of life.
“The only approved treatment in the UK for ‘lower risk’ MDS is supportive treatment with erythropoietin (natural hormone) injections and if this fails, patients start needing blood transfusions. This trial could provide a fantastic opportunity for our patients to benefit from this therapy.”
With the support of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Facility at King’s, the first patient for this trial was recruited at King’s College Hospital ahead of the national targets set by the government. Introduced in April 2026, these new targets help speed up the set-up of clinical trials in the UK meaning patients have access to potential life-changing treatments quicker than before.
Elka Giemza, Clinical Research Facility Manager, added: “The King’s CRF is thrilled to have recruited the very first participant to an important study helping to treat this rare disease.
“A special thank you to our research nurse, Tamera Osei-Mintah, and the entire CRF team for their hard work and relentless determination. Their ability to set up and recruit to this study so rapidly is a fantastic achievement.”
Research is central to improving the patient care we provide at King’s. The Trust consistently ranks among the leading NHS organisations for research recruitment and delivers more than 1,200 active studies each year, spanning discovery science, translational research, clinical trials, data-enabled research and population health. King’s is also home to leading clinical units and research centres, including the Clinical Age Research Unit, the HIV Research Centre, the Cicely Saunders Institute and the Harris Birthright Centre.