Exploring the use of new technology to improve diagnosis, prognostication and treatment for patients with bone marrow failure and cancer predisposition conditions
Dr Tamasine Stewart is a Haematology Laboratory Registrar at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and Royal Melbourne Hospital. Her PhD project aims to utilise a novel test and correct platform to improve diagnosis, prognostication and treatment for patients with bone marrow failure and germline predisposition to myeloid malignancies.
Bone marrow failure disorders are rare but serious conditions that primarily affect children and young adults. They prevent the bone marrow from producing healthy blood cells, leading to life-threatening infections, fatigue, and organ damage, and can increase the risk of developing blood cancers such as leukaemia.
Once cancer develops, treatment options are often limited due to high-risk genetic changes, leaving families in prolonged uncertainty.
Dr Stewart’s research seeks to:
- Improve understanding, diagnosis, and treatment through a new stem-cell culture platform that studies the underlying biology of these diseases.
- Help doctors predict disease progression for more precise and timely care.
- Explore the potential to repurpose existing medicines and investigate gene-therapy approaches for single-gene disorders.
- Provide faster, clearer diagnoses and more personalised treatment pathways for patients and families.
Her work will lay the foundation for future research to prevent cancer development and ultimately find a cure — offering patients and families the gift of clarity, time, and renewed hope.
