Professor Freda Stevenson is Professor of Immunology within Medicine at the University of Southampton. She aims to apply molecular understanding to clinical problem and her research has focused on B lymphocytes. This includes two aspects: first, analysis of the ways by which normal human B cells become malignant and second, in developing strategies to activate anti-tumour immunity. 

Professor Stevenson has been involved in the initiation and establishment of research into lymphoma for which the University of Southampton is now widely recognized. She pioneered the use of immunogenetics to probe the origin and behaviour of B-cell malignancies and she is the author of >250 papers. A particularly important paper, identified in the Focus on Haematology section of Blood, described how the immunoglobulin gene status in cases of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) acts as a major prognostic factor. The paper has been cited >1500 times and the findings are having a significant impact on the management of this disease. It has led to drug targeting of immunoglobulin signalling pathways which are inducing remissions in a wide range of patients.

In 2015, she was awarded the Rai-Binet medal for her work on chronic lymphocytic leukemia by the International Workshop on CLL.

The second area of research began from investigating the use of surface idiotypic Ig on B-cell tumours as a target for immune attack. Using the idiotypic antigen, she developed genetic vaccines in which DNA encoding a tumour antigen linked to an alert signal is injected directly (Nature Medicine 1998). Application of these novel vaccine designs to other antigens expressed by various cancers followed, with clinical application via a collaboration with Prof Christian Ottensmeier/Dr Natalia Savelyeva.
Her research interests continue in the field of human B-cell malignancies working closely with Dr Francesco Forconi on the effects of new drugs in CLL. She also works with Prof Graham Packham on the pathogenesis of human follicular lymphoma with novel findings reported (Proc Natl Acad Sci 2010), and on signalling pathways operating in normal and malignant human B cells, with new significant findings already published.

In 2014 Professor Stevenson received the Jean Bernard Lifetime Achievement award from the European Haematology Association for this work.

In 2018 Professor Stevenson received the Henry M Stratton medal of the American Society of Hematology in recognition of her pioneering work in B-cell malignancies.

In 2020 Professor Stevenson was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the British Society of Haematology. The award honours those whose working life has significantly contributed to the advancement of Haematology.

Professor Stevenson is an elected Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and is an Associate Editor of the top haematological journal Blood.