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
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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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