Translational Leukaemia Research

Summary

The Translational Leukaemia Research Laboratory is researching myeloid blood cancers such as acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and the myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN). These are very aggressive and rapidly fatal blood cancers that are among the most common types of cancer affecting Australians. 

The laboratory's efforts are concentrated on understanding how leukaemia stem cells in AML and MPN are able to regenerate leukaemia (or cause relapse in patients), even after cytotoxic chemotherapy. 

To achieve this, research has focused on generating robust models of leukaemia and dissecting the pathways of self-renewal in leukaemia stem cells and normal blood stem cells.

Conditions researched

• Blood cancers, including:
  • Acute myeloid leukaemia
  • Myeloproliferative neoplasm (polycythemia vera, myelofibrosis, essential thrombocythemia)
  • Myelodysplastic syndrome

Current research

Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN)

• Targeting disease-initiating stem cell populations through targeted inhibitors of Jak2 signaling or through inhibition of self-renewal pathways within stem cell populations
  

Acute myeloid leukaemia

• Examining the effect of inhibitors used alone, or in combination with chemotherapy on the preferential dependency of AML stem cells (compared to normal bone marrow) on pathways regulating DNA damage response and chromosomal stability

• Identifying novel LSC-specific targets that may be of broader interest

Normal blood development

• Novel pathways that regulate blood stem cell development
• Cytokine mobilisation of stem cells for use in transplantation medicine

Staff

Team Head: Dr Steven Lane

Other staff: Claudia Bruedigam, Rebecca Austin, Therese Vu, Catherine Paine Kuhn

Funding

• Leukaemia Foundation of Australia
• In Vitro Technologies/ J.J. Richards via the Rhys Pengelly Fellowship in Leukaemia Research
• National Health and Medical Research Council
• Private philathropic donations
• The Rio Tinto Ride to Conquer Cancer
• Cure Cancer Australia Foundation

Collaborators

Dr Ann Mullally, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.

Professor Geoff Hill, Bone Marrow Transplantation, QIMR

Dr Kelli MacDonald, Antigen Presentation and Immunoregulation, QIMR

Associate Professor Richard D'Andrea, Adelaide, Australia

Dr Florian Heidel, Magdeburg, Germany

Associate Professor Stefan Fröhling, Dr Claudia Scholl, Heidelberg, Germany

Associate Professor Lars Bullinger, Ulm, Germany

Associate Professor Stephen Sykes, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, US