Blood Cancer Immune Therapy Team (BITT)
Royal Prince Alfred Haematology unit, directly supported by Sydney Blood Cancer Research, is a pioneer in Immune therapy in Australia. Chimeric antigen T (CAR-T) cell therapy is a state-of-the-art therapy achieved by harvesting the immune T cells from a patient, transfecting the cells with a receptor for a cancer, then re-infusing those cells into the patient to attack the cancer.
In 2016, we were one of two Australian sites for the first CAR-T cell trial in Australia using a CAR-T directed against CD19, a target on lymphoma cells, in diffuse large B cell lymphoma. We are currently performing the next trial against follicular lymphoma. We are anticipating the commencement of allogeneic (using T cells from donors) CAR-T trials and CAR-T in myeloma in the coming year.
In addition, there are other non-cellular forms of immune therapy, utilising engineered antibodies to attack a Cancer. We are also performing first-in-human Phase I non-cellular immunotherapy trials in myeloma.
Our Blood Cancer Immune Therapy Team consists of a well-structured group of professionals listed below:
Director
Joy Ho (Director of Research and RPA Principal Investigator in CAR-T trials)
Apheresis/transplant Director
Stephen Larsen
Immune therapy specialists/Haematologists
Christina Brown, Christian Bryant, Scott Dunkley, John Gibson, Liane Khoo, Derek McCulloch, Vinay Vanguru
Apheresis manager
Paul Malau
Cell collection lab managers
Kon Zarkos, Karieshma Kabani
Quality manager
Craig Wright
Nurse practitioner
Katrina Debocz
Logistics officer
Louise Kerr
Education officer
Sally Taylor
Clinical trials nurse consultant
Louise Brooks
Haematology clinical nurse specialists
Tracy King, Eleanor Romney
