News

Congratulations to ALLG member, Associate Professor Anoop Enjeti from Calvary Mater Newcastle and University of Newcastle, who was awarded funding in the recent Medical Research Future Fund grant round. Associate Professor Enjeti has received $827,000 in funding for the MDS MESSAGE clinical trial  the under the MRFF Early to Mid-Career Research Grant Opportunity.

A/Prof Enjeti said, “Transfusion dependent myelodysplasia (MDS) has no approved treatments available for Australian patients. It is exciting that MRFF funding will facilitate the collaboration between multiple partners translating the pre-clinical synergies between PXS 5505 and hypomethylating agents, into an early phase clinical trial with potential for improving the survival and quality of life for our patients.”

The MDS MESSAGE trial research team includes ALLG member researchers from Calvary Mater Newcastle, University of Newcastle, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Monash University, Olivia Newton John Cancer Research Institute, University of New South Wales, Concord Repatriation General Hospital and Royal Adelaide Hospital.

Find out more about ALLG’s impact on blood cancer.

 

About Associate Professor Enjeti’s Blood Cancer Research

A/Prof Enjeti is the clinical lead for leukemia and myelodysplasia clinical trials at Calvary Mater Newcastle and the MDS trial lead for ALLG.

As Co-Chair of ALLG’s Acute Leukaemia / Myelodysplasia Scientific Working Party, he investigates new ideas for research and treatments for these diseases and conducts clinical trials for patients across Australia and New Zealand.

The MDS MESSAGE Phase 2 platform trial will evaluate a new combination treatment of chemotherapy and immunotherapy for patients with myelodysplasia (MDS). His research is important as there are currently no approved treatments for transfusion dependent MDS in Australia, and the MDS Message trial will address this area of high unmet need for new treatments for myelodysplasia patients.

 

What are Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS)?

Myelodysplasia (MDS) are a group of blood cancers which affect the production of normal blood cells in the bone marrow and are caused by a mutation in one or more genes that control blood cell development. As a result, there is an increase production of immature blood cells which do not grow properly and die early. This leads to bone marrow failure and often causes infections, and transfusion dependence.

In addition, MDS has a high risk of progressing to acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), a more aggressive form of blood cancer.

 

ALLG’s Impact on Improving Cancer Treatments

ALLG continues to lead the way in blood cancer research and congratulates A/Prof Enjeti and his team on this prestigious MRFF grant.

Delaine Smith, ALLG Chief Executive Officer, said “Everyone at the ALLG congratulates our member Associate Professor Anoop Enjeti on his MRFF grant success. We look forward to working with him to deliver this vital clinical trial to help create better treatments and better lives for patients with MDS.”

ALLG is the only not-for-profit, collaborative blood cancer clinical trial group in Australasia, with over 1,300 leading haematologists, scientists & blood cancer researchers dedicated to improving blood cancer treatments and patient outcomes, while aiming for a cure.

In 2023, ALLG marked 5 decades of impact for patients with blood cancer.

Visit ALLG to learn more.