The transplantation of healthy stem cells from a donor into a recipient with blood cancer (stem cell transplantation) is the most effective curative therapy for the majority of patients. Unfortunately this process results in unwanted, often fatal, side effects including infection, a rejection process known as graft-versus-host disease and in some patients, the leukaemia still recurs. This research will refine new treatments focused on overcoming these limitations and improving transplant outcome
I am a hematologist with expertise in the science of immunology and clinical experience in bone marrow transplantation and the treatment of hematological malignancies. My vision is to study the biology of dendritic cells, which are the specialized white cells that initiate the immune response, and then, to apply this knowledge to the design and introduction of novel diagnostic and therapeutic immune strategies, to improve the survival of patients with leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma.