Join us to celebrate a special milestone for one of our new professors and hear about their inspiring career journey. Doors for this event will open at 16.45, with the lectures to commence at 17.00. A drinks reception will be held immediately after the lecture at around 17:40.

Please note registration closes at 12 am on the Sunday before the lecture as King’s Venues require a list of all attendees, particularly those external to King’s, 48 hours in advance of the event. If you wish to attend after registration has closed, please email communicationsunit@kcl.ac.uk to let us know.

Professor Shahram Kordasti

From T-rex to Tregs: An “Accidental” Professor’s Deliberate Path  

Abstract

Our immune system is a marvel of controlled aggression, capable of destroying tumours, fighting infection, and, at times, turning on its own host. In this lecture, I trace a journey from the roaring chaos of early immunological activation to the quieter wisdom of regulation; from T-Rex to Tregs.

I explore how understanding immune tolerance has reshaped our view of cancer, particularly myeloid malignancies. What once appeared a simple battle between immune cells and cancer has revealed itself as a subtle dialogue between inflammation, suppression, and the cellular micro-ecology of the bone marrow.

Along the way, I’ll reflect on the scientific detours, collaborations, and occasional frustrations and misadventures that shaped my path from bench to bedside, mirroring the immune system itself, whose greatest strength lies not only in its capacity to attack, but in its ability to regulate itself.

Biography

Professor Shahram Kordasti is a clinician–scientist specialising in the immunobiology of myeloid malignancies and bone marrow failure. Following medical training in Internal Medicine and Haematology, he obtained an MSc in Medical Immunology and a PhD in Cancer Immunology at King’s College London. His early work established a key role for regulatory T cells in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and aplastic anaemia, shaping current understanding of immune dysregulation, treatment response, and disease progression. This research led to translational studies and a first-in-human clinical trial of Treg therapy in aplastic anaemia.

Appointed Senior Lecturer in 2018, Reader in 2022, and Professor of Systems Cancer Immunology in 2025, he is Research Lead for the School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences at King’s College London. He is also a practising Haematologist at Guy’s Hospital and Chair of the European Haematology Association (EHA) Specialised Working Group on MDS.