THERAPIES FOR CHRONIC MYELOID LEUKAEMIA
Professor Tim Hughes
Clinical Director Precision Cancer Medicine Theme, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI)
& Consultant Haematologist, Royal Adelaide Hospital, South Australia
RESEARCHER PROFILE (Filmed in Adelaide, South Australia | December 2024)
Professor Tim Hughes is the Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia Group Leader at SAHMRI, Clinical Director in the Precision Cancer Medicine Theme at SAHMRI and Consultant Haematologist in the Division of Haematology at SA Pathology and at the Royal Adelaide Hospital.
He is also Inaugural Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (AAHMS) and Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science.
Professor Hughes is an international expert in the biology and treatment of leukaemia. He led the establishment of the molecular response criteria that are used world-wide to measure response in chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) and has led many of the key Global and National trials. His group has successfully developed predictive bioassays and molecular targets that influence the way CML patients are managed world-wide. He has published over 350 papers that have been cited over 65,000 times.
He has been recognised for his achievements with several national awards including the GSK Award for Research Excellence in 2017 for pioneering the use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and the Ramaciotti Medal for Excellence in Biomedical Research in 2019. He was also awarded the International CML Foundation Goldman Prize in 2017 for lifetime contributions to improving outcomes for patients with CML.
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Causal genes and pathogenic mechanisms underlying gastrointestinal diseases
Professor D’Amato has more than 25 years research experience in the field of human genetics and complex diseases, with activities most recently geared towards a translational application for therapeutic precision in gastroenterology. His team, the Gastrointestinal Genetics Laboratory, combine leading expertise in genomic, computational and pre-clinical research, and have contributed important breakthroughs linking specific genes and pathogenetic mechanisms to a number of gastrointestinal diseases like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), microscopic colitis (MC) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
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Touched by bowel cancer and chasing science outcomes
Dr Josephine Wright is a Senior Research Fellow in the Gut Cancer group. She has been developing a translational network of labs, hospitals and clinics to enable validation of new approaches to prevent and treat colorectal and gastric cancer. Her key focus is studying human tumour organoids to better personalise therapy in cancer.
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Biomarkers for early sepsis detection
Dr Gabrielle Briggs is a biomedical scientist dedicated to finding smarter, faster ways to diagnose and treat life threatening complications in critically ill patients. Dr Briggs established a research laboratory embedded within the John Hunter Hospital – one of the busiest major trauma centres in NSW. Dr Briggs works alongside surgeons, intensivists, and pathologists to turn complex clinical problems into practical research solutions. Her work spans two major programs: developing a rapid diagnostic test to detect bacterial infections in blood before sepsis takes hold, and exploring mitochondrial transplantation as a novel therapy to rescue injured tissues after trauma and ischaemia.
