January - NCIC Newsletter

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to the first edition of the 2026 NCIC newsletter!

Our team has already been hard at work, including the release of the new Guidelines for Neutropenic Fever in Australasia. This was a major effort led by Professor Karin Thursky, Dr Abby Douglas and Nikhil Singh with contributions from over 50 multidisciplinary experts across Australia and New Zealand. After such an incredible 2025, filled with remarkable research and collaboration, I’m excited to see what 2026 will bring!

Australasian Consensus Guidelines for the Management of Neutropenic Fever in Patients with Cancer

NCIC members of the NF Guidelines Steering Committee

NCIC has published the Australasian Consensus Guidelines for the Management of Neutropenic Fever in Patients with Cancer, updating the 2011 Australian guidelines. These new guidelines mark a significant milestone, introducing paediatric recommendations for the first time, expanding their scope to New Zealand, and adding new chapters on modern cancer therapies, antimicrobial stewardship, ambulatory models of care, and patient education and engagement.

Led by Professor Karin Thursky, Dr Abby Douglas and Nikhil Singh and developed with contributions from more than 50 experts—including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and microbiologists—these guidelines demonstrate NCIC’s commitment to collaborative, evidence-based care.

Dr Abby Douglas, infectious diseases clinician researcher at NCIC, said the updated guidelines reflect the latest advances in cancer care and will support clinicians to deliver safer, more effective treatment for patients with neutropenic fever. NCIC pharmacist and PhD Nikhil Singh added that the inclusion of paediatric recommendations and the extension to New Zealand sets a new benchmark for neutropenic fever management across Australasia.

Congratulations to all who contributed to this outstanding achievement!You can view the guidelines on our Febrile Neutropenia page.

Researchers awarded prestigious NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarships for 2026!

Dr Alice Liu has received an NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarship to support her PhD research, “Redefining the role of clinical and biomarkers for infection outcomes in haematological malignancy in the era of targeted cancer therapies.”

Dr Jessica O’Keeffe has also been awarded an NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarship for her project, “Exploring infection-related models of care in adult cancer patients: managing patients safely at home.”

““Winning this NHMRC Postgraduate Scholarship is an incredible opportunity. It not only supports my PhD projects but also allows me to focus on advancing clinical research that could make a real difference for patients.””

— Dr Alice Liu

Goodbye to Our Visiting Fellow – Dr. Lan Lan Chan

We said farewell to Dr. Lan Lan Chan this week, our visiting fellow from Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Malaysia. Lan Lan spent 12 months with the NCIC as an honorary observer. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with our Malaysian colleagues in the future.

NCIC Recent Publications

• Stewart, A. G., Laupland, K. B., Edwards, F., Chen, S. C. A., & Slavin, M. A. Differences in clinical outcomes among patients with mold fungemia. Open Forum Infectious Diseases. 2025;13(1):ofaf793. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofaf793 

• Australian and New Zealand Study Group for Non-Aspergillus Mold Infections. Current epidemiology and infection characteristics of non-Aspergillus mold infections: A multicenter study in Australia and New Zealand. Clinical Infectious Diseases. 2026. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciag029

• Liu, A. J., Batterham, E., Nedumannil, R., Ritchie, D., Wei, A. H., Bajel, A., Slavin, M. A., Yong, M. K. Reduced burden of infection with consecutive day dosing of high dose cytarabine consolidation versus conventional dosing for acute myeloid leukemia. Leuk Lymphoma. 2025. doi: 10.1080/10428194.2025.2599991

Opportunities

We are looking for an enthusiastic and dedicated Clinical Research Nurse to join the Infectious Diseases Unit. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to world-class clinical research while providing safe, compassionate care to patients participating in clinical trials. Please circulate around your networks!

Upcoming Events

Please join us for the ICHS symposium, the event offers comprehensive scientific programming, insights into cutting-edge research, innovative care practices, and effective management strategies for immunocompromised hosts.

The ASID Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) is the Society’s flagship event and the leading professional gathering for adult and paediatric ID physicians, clinical microbiologists, public health leaders, One Health, veterinarian and ecology specialists, nurses, scientists, pharmacists, policy makers, and researchers across Australasia. Together, we shape the future of infectious diseases.

27-30 May, Hobart

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Kind regards,

Prof Monica Slavin, MBBS, MD, FRACP, FAAHMS
Head, Department Infectious Disease, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Professor of Infection in Cancer and Transplantation, University of Melbourne Department of Infectious Diseases and the Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology

Director, National Centre for Infections in Cancer

December 2025 - NCIC Newsletter

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to the final NCIC Newsletter of the year. This 2025 edition reflects on a year of achievement, highlighting the progress, partnerships and innovations that continue to strengthen our network. I am very proud of our team and look forward to what we can accomplish as we transition into 2026. Wishing everyone a calm and restful holiday break, and a fresh start to the new year.

ELSA-Adult Study Launches

The ELSA-Adult study has launched at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the Royal Melbourne Hospital to assess whether antibiotics can be safely stopped early in high-risk cancer patients. Funded by Tour de Cure and VCCC, the study focuses on patients receiving intensive chemotherapy, stem cell transplants or CAR T-cell therapy. These patients often receive prolonged antibiotics for fever despite no infection being found.

Embedded in the electronic medical record, ELSA-Adult is adapted from the successful paediatric ELSA study at the Royal Children’s Hospital. The trial compares standard antibiotic duration with early cessation under strict safety criteria, aiming to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use while maintaining patient safety.

2025 in review

We are delighted to celebrate the outstanding achievements of our colleagues across the department.

Awards and Recognitions

Prof Karin Thursky celebrated a series of major achievements:

· Launch of the Health Services Research Department at Peter Mac

· Recipient of a VCCC Leadership Award

· Inducted into the RMH Hall of Fame

Associate Professor Ben Teh, Professor Monica Slavin, Professor Karin Thursky were recognised as the Top 2% cited scientists worldwide

Prof Leon Worth was promoted to full Professor, UoM Sir Peter MacCallum Dept. Oncology

A/Prof Gabrielle Haeusler was appointed Head of Department, Infectious Diseases at the Royal Children’s Hospital

Prof Monica Slavin joined JAC as Editor in Chief

Grants, Presentations & Publications

Doctor Abby Douglas was awarded the 2025 Peter Mac Research Early Career Development (RECD) Award

Associate Professor Michelle Yong and the trials team had a high-profile publication in Clinical Infectious Diseases “Interferon-α nasal spray prophylaxis reduces COVID-19 in cancer patients; A randomized, double-blinded placebo-controlled trial”, CID 2025

Associate Professor Ben Teh and Doctor Victoria Hall had a high-profile publication in the New England Journal of Medicine “Influenza Vaccination Strategies in Patients with Hematologic Cancer” NEJM 2025

Doctor Zoe Neoh– Won Best Poster at the Mycology Masterclass and awarded a Pfizer ISR Grant “Isavuconazole treatment and prophylaxis in adult and paediatric patients with cancer - a multicentre national study (the SHIELD study)”

In 2025 we held the NCIC showcase

The showcase was a fantastic opportunity to highlight the work of the National Centre for Infections in Cancer- who we are, the projects we’re leading, our achievements, and what lies ahead. 

Part 1: Intro to the Centre + Surveillance Stream on detecting & monitoring infections in the immunocompromised host (ICH) in the digital health era.
Watch part 1.

Part 2: Innovations Stream on new diagnostics & treatments in precision medicine + Implementation Stream on improving practice through health services research.
Watch part 2.

NCIC Recent Publications

• Garg P, Yong KY, Khanina A, Yong MK, Hall L, Slavin MA, Smibert O, Worth LJ Infection Prevention and Surveillance in the Care of Australasian Solid-Organ Transplant Recipients Transpl Infect Dis. 2025

• Reynolds GK, Slavin MA Reporting infections in cellular therapies Blood Adv. 2025 Dec

• Yeoh DK, Butters C, Clark JE, Slavin MA, McMullan BJ, Haeusler GM, Blyth CC Invasive mould infection in children – advances made or obstacles remaining? Clin Microbiol Infect. 2025

• Khanina A, Singh N, Wen J, Chen C, James R, Kong DC, Slavin MA, Thursky KA Antifungal use and appropriateness: a study of Australian Hospital National Antimicrobial Prescribing Survey data Antimicrob Steward Healthc Epidemiol. 2025

• Neoh CF, Yong MK, Rowley L, Roberts AW, Kennedy GA, He S, Schwarer AP, Bilmon IA, Wei AH, Slavin MA Antifungal prophylaxis in patients with FLT3-ITD-positive acute myeloid leukaemia receiving sorafenib during induction and consolidation (ALLG AMLM16 trial) J Antimicrob Chemother. 2025

• Martin-Loeches I, Cornely OA, Denning DW, Guinea J, Bassetti M, Maertens J, Hoenigl M, Kanj SS, Slavin M, Ostrosky-Zeichner L, Muñoz P Invasive candidiasis in intensive care medicine: shaping the future of diagnosis and therapy Intensive Care Med. 2025

Upcoming Events

Please join us for the ICHS symposium, the event offers comprehensive scientific programming, insights into cutting-edge research, innovative care practices, and effective management strategies for immunocompromised hosts.

Abstracts Deadline Extended!

The Call for Abstracts for the ICHS 24th Biennial Symposium deadline has been extended to Monday, January 5, 2026.

This is a firm deadline. We strongly encourage you to submit your abstract at least one day before the deadline to avoid any technical delays. 

Submit your abstract to be considered for an oral or poster presentation during the Symposium. 

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We look forward to connecting with you on both LinkedIn and BlueSky.

Kind regards,

Prof Monica Slavin, MBBS, MD, FRACP, FAAHMS
Head, Department Infectious Disease, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Professor of Infection in Cancer and Transplantation, University of Melbourne Department of Infectious Diseases and the Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology

Director, National Centre for Infections in Cancer

November 2025 - NCIC Newsletter

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to the November edition of the NCIC newsletter. Recently we have made a strong impact in research and clinical leadership; Dr Gemma Reynolds delivered her PhD completion seminar on the CLARITY Study, Prof Karin Thursky was inducted into the Royal Melbourne Hospital’s Hall of Fame and received a VCCC Leadership award, Dr Zoe Neoh won best poster at Mycology masterclass and was awarded a Pfizer ISR grant and A/Prof Ben Teh was awarded a Dalgleish Centre Mid Career Fellowship!

We are very proud of the dedication and excellence the NCIC team continues to showcase.

Research Updates

Dr Gemma Reynolds recently delivered her PhD completion seminar encompassing the CLARITY Study, an important investigation into infection risks associated with novel immunotherapies.

Infections remain a leading cause of non-relapse mortality following CAR-T and bispecific antibody (BsAb) therapies. However, infection data from clinical trials are often incomplete, lack pathogen-level detail and rarely capture late infectious complications. The CLARITY Study aims to address these gaps by generating real-world, longitudinal infection data with extended follow-up.

Dr Reynolds’ findings revealed that 49.5% of patients receiving CAR-T therapy experienced at least one infection. Among these:

• 37% viral, primarily respiratory viruses, CMV, and HHV infections;

• 22% bacterial, including bacteraemia, C. difficile, and gram-negative pneumonia;

• 7% fungal, such as yeast and Aspergillus infections; and

• 35% clinical infections, including respiratory infections and 7 cases of fatal sepsis.

These results underscore the significant infectious burden in CAR-T recipients and highlight the need for ongoing surveillance and risk prediction to improve outcomes for patients receiving these advanced therapies.

NCIC leaders, Prof Karin Thursky, Prof Monica Slavin, and A/Prof. Ben Teh, have been recognized among the top two percent of most-cited scientists worldwide, according to the newly released Stanford/Elsevier Top 2% Scientists List for 2025. This prestigious annual list celebrates the world’s leading researchers who have made a significant impact in their fields through their citation influence.

The study, based on data from Elsevier’s Scopus database and updated to the end of 2023, identifies the top 100,000 researchers across all disciplines according to a composite citation score. The ranking highlights the influence and impact of research through citations, while also considering co-authorship and author order.

Congratulations, Prof Karin Thursky, Dr Zoe Neoh and A/Prof Ben Teh!

Prof Thursky received the VCCC Outstanding Team Leader award for driving collaboration through the Centre for Health Services Research in Cancer.

Prof Thursky inducted into the Royal Melbourne Hospital Hall of Fame

A/Prof Teh was awarded the Barrie Dalgleish Centre for Myeloma & Related Blood Cancers Mid-career Fellowship

To continue his work on IMProving understanding of Response to vaccination and Infection Immunity with New Treatments for haematological malignancy (the IMPRIINT Study). Ben will be investigating the retention of immunity and response to vaccination during bispecific ab therapy for haematological malignancies

Mycology Masterclass: Dr Zoe Neoh won the Best Poster Prize

Also, a big congratulations to Zoe on her Pfizer grant for the Isavuconazole treatment and prophylaxis in adult and paediatric patients with cancer - a multi-centre national study (the SHIELD study) which aims to evaluate the clinical effectiveness and safety of isavuconazole for treatment and prophylaxis in adult and paediatric cancer patients.

Professor Monica Slavin invited guest speaker at the Ramathibodi Hospital in Bangkok, Thailand

Professor Monica Slavin spoke on the topic "New Directions in the Diagnosis and Management of Infection in Haematologic Malignancy and ICH" and participated in clinical teaching activities at Mahidol University in Thailand, hosted by A/Prof Siriorn Watcharananan at Ramathibodi Hospital. She was warmly welcomed by the faculty and trainees, and her visit fostered strong connections for future collaborations.

Visiting Fellow Program

Welcome Dr Cherie Gan Le Si, Infectious Diseases physician in Yvone at the Singapore General Hospital. 

NCIC Recent Publications

• Tio, S.Y., Neoh, C.F., Ritchie, D., Chee, L., Kong, D.C.M., Worth, L.J., Yong, M.K., & Slavin, M.A. The changing epidemiology of breakthrough invasive fungal disease in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients in the era of modified-release posaconazole prophylaxis. Transplant Infectious Disease. 2025.

  Mikulska, M., Robin, C., Neofytos, D., Oltolini, C., Piekarska, A., Reigadas, E., Gil, L., Chemaly, R.F., Groll, A.H., Munoz, P., & Teh, B.W. Management of Clostridioides difficile infection in patients with haematological malignancies and after cellular therapy: guidelines from 10th European Conference on Infections in Leukaemia (ECIL-10). EClinicalMedicine. 2025.

  Kinsella, P., Thursky, K., Slavin, M.A., & Reynolds, G.K. From guesswork to guidelines: advancing diagnostic stewardship in immunocompromised hosts. Expert Review of Anti-Infective Therapy. 2025.

  Hill, J.A., Boonyaratanakornkit, J., Mikulska, M., Teh, B.W., Hahn, W.O., Haidar, G., Liu, C., Kumar, D., Ison, M.G., & Halasa, N. Innovation in active and passive immunisation of people who are immunocompromised: a call to action. Lancet Infectious Diseases. 2025.

  Zhu, V.Z., Garg, P., Singh, N., Selby, P.R., Ierano, C., & Yong, M.K. Understanding antiviral intolerance in the management of cytomegalovirus: a scoping review. Curr Opin Infect Dis. 2025.

  Yong, K.Y., Tio, S.Y., Sim, B.Z., Sasadeusz, J., Rivalland, A., Chee, L., Szer, J., Spelman, T., Slavin, M., Ritchie, D., & Yong, M.K. Incidence and clinical outcomes of multiple viral infections after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation. Open Forum Infectious Diseases. 2025.

Upcoming Events

The Call for Abstracts for the ICHS 24th Biennial Symposium are now open! Renowned experts of the ICHS Program Committee are preparing for a state-of-the-art scientific program that includes the most updated information about all aspects of infections and immunodeficiency. 

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We look forward to connecting with you on both LinkedIn and BlueSky.

Kind regards,

Prof Monica Slavin, MBBS, MD, FRACP, FAAHMS
Head, Department Infectious Disease, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Professor of Infection in Cancer and Transplantation, University of Melbourne Department of Infectious Diseases and the Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology

Director, National Centre for Infections in Cancer

October 2025 - NCIC Newsletter

Dear Colleagues,

NCIC recently made a strong impression at two major mycology events in Bilbao. At the TIMM conference (European Confederation of Medical Mycology), I participated in two plenary sessions, one reviewing the top 10 mycology papers and another on the updated response criteria for clinical trials of invasive fungal disease (IFD), where I presented on aspergillosis and moulds. NCIC’s work was referenced in several sessions, highlighting our global influence. The Women in Mycology event, organised by Ana Alastruey, brought together colleagues from the US, Europe, and India to celebrate and promote the contributions of women in mycology. These events showcase NCIC’s ongoing leadership in mycology, research and clinical practice and was a wonderful opportunity to strengthen our international networks and collaborations.

Women in Mycology Event, Bilbao Spain organiser Ana Alastruey

Research Updates

NCIC Team Publishes Key Findings on Breakthrough Fungal Disease in Transplant Recipients

The NCIC team and collaborators have a new publication in Transplant Infectious Disease (Wiley). This single-center retrospective cohort study on 300 allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients from January 2017 to May 2020, in which posaconazole modified release was the most common primary antifungal prophylaxis, demonstrated a breakthrough invasive fungal disease (bIFD) rate of 9%, with associated significant all-cause mortality at 12 weeks. Ongoing surveillance of IFD including resistant organisms is warranted to optimize treatment and patient outcome.

World Sepsis Day

“Sepsis can escalate within hours, particularly in cancer patients, so having a clear, evidence-based pathway is essential to keeping our most vulnerable patients safe”

— Belinda Lambros

Infectious Diseases nurses Belinda Lambros and Evona Fung recently visited wards and units across Peter Mac to thank our nursing and medical teams for their incredible work in recognising and responding to sepsis.

Belinda is Australia’s first accredited Nurse Practitioner specialising in infections in cancer, antimicrobial stewardship, allergy, and sepsis. She leads Peter Mac’s involvement in Safer Care Victoria’s Victorian Sepsis Program, a statewide initiative that supports fast, evidence-based treatment through a structured Sepsis Pathway. Peter Mac contributes cancer-specific expertise to help protect immunocompromised patients.

“Patients with cancer are up to ten times more likely to develop sepsis,” Belinda explains. “That’s why it’s so important that we recognise the signs early and act quickly.”

During her recent visit, Belinda spoke with one of her former patients who shared his experience with sepsis. He remembered feeling that something was very wrong but couldn’t describe exactly why. Subtle signs were not recognised early, and his condition worsened — leading to a four-month recovery before he was able to return home. Cases like this remind us of how sepsis awareness and early intervention and is critical.

Associate Professor Michelle Yong presented at the International Congress of Blood and Marrow Transplantation (ICBMT 2025) in Busan, Korea

Her presentation, “CMV Infection in Allogeneic HSCT: Risk Stratification and Prevention”, focused on advances in prophylaxis for cytomegalovirus (CMV) management after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). She discussed the clinical benefits of identifying early risk factors for infectious complications and extending therapy to 200 days, highlighting the importance of prevention strategies in transplant patients.

Congratulations to Associate Professor Yong for representing the NCIC and sharing these important insights with the global transplant community!

NCIC Recent Publications

• From Guesswork to Guidelines: Advancing Diagnostic Stewardship in Immunocompromised Hosts. Kinsella P, Thursky K, Slavin MA, Reynolds GK. Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther. 2025 Sep;23(9):723-737. doi:10.1080/14787210.2025.2545504. Epub 2025 Aug 18. PMID:40785091.

• Management of Clostridioides difficile infection in patients with haematological malignancies and after cellular therapy: guidelines from 10th European Conference on Infections in Leukaemia (ECIL-10). Mikulska M, Robin C, Neofytos D, Oltolini C, Piekarska A, Reigadas E, Gil L, Chemaly RF, Groll AH, Muñoz P, Teh BW. EClinicalMedicine. 2025 Aug 7;87:103371. doi: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2025.103371. Epub 2025 Sep. PMID:40823499. Free PMC article.

• Innovation in active and passive immunisation of people who are immunocompromised: a call to action. Hill JA, Boonyaratanakornkit J, Mikulska M, Teh BW, Hahn WO, Haidar G, Liu C, Kumar D, Ison MG, Halasa N. Lancet Infect Dis. 2025 Aug 11:S1473-3099(25)00345-7. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(25)00345-7. Epub 2025 Aug. PMID:40812340.

• The Changing Epidemiology of Breakthrough Invasive Fungal Disease in Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Recipients in the Era of Modified-Release Posaconazole Prophylaxis. Tio SY, Neoh CF, Ritchie D, Chee L, Kong DCM, Worth LJ, Yong MK, Slavin MA. Transpl Infect Dis. 2025 Sep 26:e70104. doi: 10.1111/tid.70104. Epub 2025 Sep. PMID:41004247.

Upcoming Events

Follow us!

We look forward to connecting with you on both LinkedIn and BlueSky.

Kind regards,

Prof Monica Slavin, MBBS, MD, FRACP, FAAHMS
Head, Department Infectious Disease, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Professor of Infection in Cancer and Transplantation, University of Melbourne Department of Infectious Diseases and the Sir Peter MacCallum Department of Oncology

Director, National Centre for Infections in Cancer