Experts from Peter Mac presented more than 50 pieces of research at the 64th annual American Society of Hematology conference in New Orleans over the weekend.
“The American Society of Hematology (ASH) is the preeminent haematology conference in the world bringing together more than 20,000 clinicians and scientists to help improve our understanding of, and outcomes for patients affected by, blood diseases,” Professor John Seymour, Director of Haematology at Peter Mac and Royal Melbourne Hospital, said.
“In 2022, more than 50 presentations of research projects conducted by Peter Mac were showcased at this international meeting! This is a true testament to the calibre of our clinicians and researchers and the Haematology program overall.”
We share with you three of the impressive research projects presented by Peter Mac at this year’s ASH conference.
Uncovering what causes a rare haematology condition
Associate Professor Piers Blombery, Professor Graham Lieschke and their collaborators have identified a rare genetic cause of a haematology condition that causes high blood counts and early onset autoimmune disease.
A local patient that was being treated for their lifelong high white blood cell and platelet count coupled with many autoimmune diseases was analysed by the diagnostic molecular service at Peter Mac. This revealed that the patient had a mutation in a gene called SH2B3.
Piers and Graham teamed up with collaborators in the UK who had identified another patient with a similar syndrome. It was found that this patient also had a mutated SH2B3 gene. To demonstrate that the mutated SH2B3 gene was causing the disease, Graham’s team genetically altered zebrafish to carry the SH2B3 mutation. These gene-edited zebrafish developed similar blood count abnormalities as the two patients.
Based on an understanding of how the SH2B3 gene normally regulates blood cell production, these fish were used to test a potential drug treatment for the disease. The treatment worked effectively to normalise their elevated blood counts.
Piers, Graham and their collaborators have combined clinical and laboratory work to successfully identify the gene responsible for this very rare disease, find a potential treatment to help with the condition, and a way to identify future patients when they present with similar symptoms.
An effective combination treatment for relapsed or refractory mantle cell lymphoma
People with a rare form of B-cell lymphoma known as mantle cell lymphoma are incredibly difficult to treat when their cancer returns or doesn’t respond to treatment. This is especially true for mantle cell lymphoma patients that carry a mutated TP53 gene.
Dr Adrian Minson and Associate Professor Michael Dickinson initiated and led a trial to test a combination of two treatments, ibrutinib which works to stop the cancer growth and tisagenlecleucel, a CD19 CAR T-cell therapy that uses the patient’s own genetically modified T-cells to seek out and destroy cancer.
The combination treatment was very effective with 80 per cent of patients having no lymphoma at four months. Patients were followed for an average of 13 months and the majority were still in remission at twelve months.
Impressively a proportion of the patients had genetic mutations that put them at a high risk of relapse with other treatments. These patients did very well on the combination providing an effective treatment for those at greatest risk of relapse.
The combination treatment only needs to be taken for a short period of time, with tisagenlecleucel given as a single dose and ibrutinib given for approximately 6 months. Despite this, the treatment was effective at keeping the lymphoma in remission.
Reducing the risk of severe COVID-19 infections in our vulnerable cancer patients
Haematology nurse, Ashley Whitechurch, presented her research into the effectiveness of a treatment to prevent COVID-19 infections.
The pandemic left people with a blood cancer called chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) at risk of a severe COVID-19 infection because their cancer made the vaccination less effective.
To better protect these patients Peter Mac and Alfred Health ran a program to provide CLL patients with a COVID-19 preventative medication called Evusheld. A follow-on study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of this medication.
The preventative treatment was offered to 571 patients with 63 per cent of people taking up the offer. Only eight of the 236 patients in ongoing follow up were diagnosed with COVID-19 within 3 months of receiving Evusheld.
Overall, Evusheld was well tolerated with early rates of severe COVID-19 infection post administration appearing low.
A new drug is showing potent results in hard-to-treat blood cancers and was able to trigger a complete response – meaning the cancer became undetectable – for more than a third of patients.
All patients in the Phase I / II clinical trial of glofitamab had Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) and their cancer had relapsed or was no longer responding to conventional treatments, including CAR T-cell therapy.
Peter Mac treated the first patients in the world with glofitamab and was a major recruitment site for this international and multi-centre study of 155 patients, led by Associate Professor Michael Dickinson. Results of the trial have just published overnight in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Overall, and at a median follow-up a year (12.6 months) after Glofitamab treatment, 39% of the patients had a complete response. This was consistent (35% complete response rate) among 52 of these patients who had earlier received CAR T-cell therapy.
Associate Professor Dickinson said glofitamab‘s effects were also durable, as for many (78%) patients with a complete response this was ongoing for 12 months or more.
“We are greatly encouraged by these data which show a fixed course of glofitamab therapy can induce durable, complete responses for many patients who have faced disappointment from their disease not responding to multiple prior rounds of treatments, including CAR T-cell therapy,” says Associate Professor Dickinson, who is Lead of the Aggressive Lymphoma Disease Group within Clinical Haematology Department at Peter Mac and Royal Melbourne Hospital.
“Glofitamab is also exciting because it offers potential of an effective ‘off the shelf’ option for patients with hard-to-treat blood cancers and who live in parts of the world that may not have ready access to CAR T-cell therapy due to the complexity of delivering this highly tailored treatment.”
Australians with DLBCL who meet eligibility criteria may have funded access to CAR T-cell therapy – which involves collecting the patient’s T-cells, re-engineering these to fight their cancer, and infusing these back into the patient. About 40% of DLBCL patients achieve a durable remission after CAR T-cell therapy.
Glofitamab is a bispecific antibody treatment that engages the patient’s T-cells to fight their blood cancer. Patients receive a fixed course of intravenous infusions available “off-the-shelf” as opposed to CAR T-cell therapy which is uniquely prepared for each patient.
Read the paper titled “Glofitamab for Relapsed or Refractory Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma”.
Associate Professor Dickinson is also leading a Peter-Mac sponsored Australian trial of glofitamab as part of front-line treatment for DLBCL that is recruiting at sites across Australia.
Note: Associate Professor Dickinson is currently in the US presenting at the 64th ASH Annual Meeting & Exposition and so availability for follow-up interviews may be limited
Contacts
For more information contact the Peter Mac Communications team on 0417 123 048
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A range of beautiful "bereavement bags" has been developed for use in Peter Mac’s palliative care ward.
They replace the standard plastic bags that have been used, up to now, to store a patient's personal effects after they have died.
Earlier this year, Peter Mac’s community was asked to submit uplifting designs for these bags which are collected by grieving families.
One of the designs chosen by Ward 1A staff was provided by Holly Clinton, who sadly lost her sister Amber to breast cancer.
“I still have the blue plastic belongings bag with my sister's ID on it,” Holly says.
“It fills me with so much joy to know that other families will have something a little nicer to bring home.”
Holly’s design has “minimal colours to portray a sense of love and empathy for those going through loss” and also the words “Until we meet again”.
“Being in this position only a year ago, I know that there is very little that comforts you during this time,” she says.
“The one thing that never faded though was the thought that I would one day see my sister again. If it brought comfort to me, I hope it will bring comfort to others too.”
Ward 1A Nurse Unit Manager Holly Pitt led the initiative, and said the aim was to have bags that reflected the respectful way the palliative care team engages with patients.
“We also hope, in a small way, they provide solace and support to grieving families,” Ms Pitt says.
There are two community submitted designs, plus a design from Peter Mac's SPLICE youth art initiative and also a design to convey cultural safety for Aboriginal patients.
This initiative also recently featured on Channel Nine news - re-watch the story below.
Peter Mac’s Chief Medical Officer Dr David Speakman and Director of Prevention and Wellbeing Geri McDonald joined the Hon. Ged Kearney MP, Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, at Parliament House in Canberra last Thursday for the official launch of the ‘Integrative Oncology and Wellness Centres in Cancer Care’ white paper.
This inaugural white paper provides a framework of recommendations to maximise the potential benefits that Integrative Oncology and Wellness Centres can provide for cancer patients.
It was developed on behalf of Chris O’Brien Lifehouse, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Solaris Cancer Care Foundation, Bloomhill Cancer Centre, and NICM Health Research Institute at Western Sydney University with support from the Dry July Foundation.
Geri McDonald, Director Prevention & Wellbeing at Peter Mac said the Deakin University undertook an environmental scan to inform the white paper’s recommendations.
“The growth in the establishment of Wellness Centres across Australia provides an opportunity to focus on the social determinants of health and the issues that people with cancer face when managing their cancer experience,” Geri said.
“Wellness Centres provide a platform for the delivery of Integrative Oncology and wellbeing services. However, Integrative Oncology services can also be offered in the absence of a Wellness Centre.
“The establishment of an Integrative Oncology framework would enable Wellness Centres to achieve best practice evidence based Integrative Oncology and wellbeing services across Australia ensuring equity of access for all Australians,” she said.
The white paper outlined six strategic recommendations:
Services such as acupuncture, massage, meditation, yoga, music therapy, exercise and nutrition are among recommendations for alleviating common symptoms such as fatigue, pain, nausea, hot flashes and sleep disorders.
The authors of the paper noted that cancer care in Australia is changing and evidence-based Integrative Oncology services are playing a more important role than ever before.
“This inaugural white paper validates the services and provides the strategic recommendations to guide this conversation and to enable the sector to consider a consistent and coordinated approach. Only by doing so will we be able to deliver the benefits of Integrative Oncology and Wellness Centres to more Australians affected by cancer,” they said.
To view a full copy of the white paper, please scan the QR code below or you can view here.
Peter Mac congratulates Professor Graham Lieschke and Professor Gail Risbridger on being named Members of the Order of Australia (AM) in today's Australia Day Honours list.
Peter Mac clinical and research haematologist Professor Lieschke has been honoured for significant service to medicine as a haematologist, and to medical research. Professor Lieschke treats people with leukaemia and lymphoma at Peter Mac and the Royal Melbourne Hospital, and runs a laboratory at the Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute at Monash University. Recognised globally for his research into blood disorders and cancer using zebrafish and mice, he has published over 100 scientific papers and co-edited 2 books. Alongside collaborators he recently identified a rare genetic cause of a haematology condition that results in high blood counts and early onset autoimmune disease.
An NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow, Professor Risbridger leads an internationally recognised research team of scientists and clinicians as a Group Leader in the Prostate Cancer Research Program (Immunology) at Peter Mac. She has been awarded her medal for significant service to medical research and administration, and to education. As one of Australia’s leading authorities in prostate cancer and men’s health, Professor Risbridger has over 290 publications in elite journals. She also leads a research laboratory at Monash University, and has a long and impressive track record of student supervision.
Additionally, Professor Mary-Jane Gething was named an Officer (AO) in the General Division of the Order of Australia, for distinguished service to biochemistry and molecular biology, to tertiary education and to the arts. Professor Gething contributes to judging Peter Mac's Joseph F. Sambrook Prize for Research Excellence each year, in memory of her husband. Professor Sambrook was a pivotal figure in Peter Mac history - as Research Director he grew Peter Mac’s scientific staff from around 75 to 200 and founded ground-breaking programs in cancer genetics and molecular pathology.
In extending his congratulations, Governor General David Hurley said, “The recipients have had a significant impact at the local, national and international level and are, quite simply, inspiring,”
“They go above and beyond, are from all over the country, and contribute every day in every way imaginable. These are the people who see us through good times and bad. They’re the first to show up and the last to leave."
Thank you Professors, for your enormous contributions to the advancement of cancer research and treatment.