A UNIVERSITY of York scientist has been granted £1.2m in new funding from Cancer Research UK to carry out research for six years into a specific blood cancer.

Dr Ian Hitchcock will investigate myeloproliferative neoplasms - MPNs - a group of blood cancers that cause the over-production of red blood cells and platelets.

There are over 3,000 new MPN cases diagnosed in the UK each year. the majority of in older people.

Dr Hitchcock said: “There are a limited number of curative treatment options available to people with MPNs.With this funding we hope to change this.

"We will use truly groundbreaking technologies to answer questions about MPNs which previously would have been impossible and use these answers to develop new, targeted treatments."