Leukaemia Immunotherapy Group

Dr Agnes Yong completed undergraduate and post-graduate internal medicine training in the UK. She continued subspecialty training in haematology and stem cell transplantation at the Hammersmith Hospital, London under John Goldman. Following her PhD on the molecular heterogeneity of chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) under Professor JuniaMelo, she was a post-doctoral fellow at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, with John Barrett. She was involved in studies characterising immune responses to tumour-associated antigens WT1, proteinase 3, PRAME and BMI-1, and co-investigator on clinical trials of peptide vaccine therapy in leukaemia. Her research interests include CML, mechanisms of inherent leukaemia immunogenicity and studies to enhance anti-leukaemia immune responses whether in the setting of an allogeneic stem cell transplant with the graft-versus-leukaemia effect, or in an autologous setting using vaccines against tumour-associated antigens. She is interested in furthering cellular and immunotherapy for leukaemia treatment, and is involved in ongoing clinical and laboratory studies on CML, graft-versus-leukaemia, and adoptive T cell therapy in Adelaide. Her research group is currently located at SAHMRI, and research funding sources include grants from the Leukaemia Foundation and NH&MRC. Dr Yong also has clinical research interest in the quality of life of long-term survivors of allogeneic stem cell transplantation, and heads the South Australia Transplant Late Effects clinic at the Royal Adelaide Hospital.