Charles Mullighan is an academic haematologist who has devoted his research career to defining the genetic basis of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, a leading cause of childhood cancer death. His work has resulted in multiple seminal studies that have transformed our understanding of this disease and related tumours. He is regarded as an international leader in this research and has major leadership positions in the hematology community. His work has had major clinical impact by identifying new genetic markers that assist diagnosis and prediction of prognosis, and by identifying new targets for intervention with targeted
therapies in high risk leukaemia.