Blood Cancer Biomarkers Laboratory

The Blood Cancer Biomarkers Laboratory’s research interest is in the use of blood based molecular biomarkers to understand normal and malignant haematopoiesis. The aim of the research is to translate novel biomarker discoveries from the bench into clinical practice to improve outcomes in patients with haematological malignancies.

Research aim

To translate novel biomarker discoveries from the bench into clinical practice to improve outcomes in patients with haematological malignancies.

Researchers

The Blood Cancer Biomarkers Laboratory is grateful to the following organisations for their research funding.
- National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC)
- Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF)
- The Cancer Council of Victoria (CCV)
- Snowdome Foundation
- Monash Partners Comprehensive Cancer Consortium (MPCCC) and Equity Trustees
- Mosaic chromosomal alterations are suppressed in older adults with HIV. Behrouzfar, K.; Han, W. M.; Perera, R.; Li, J.; Scull, K. E.; Howlett, K.; Bloch, M.; Vincent, T.; Baker, D. A.; Eu, B.; Lau, H.; Bowden-Reid, E.; Smith, D. E.; Acklom, K.; Hoy, J. F.; Price, S.; Woolley, I.; O’Bryan, J.; Finlayson, R.; Templeton, D. J.; Sinclair, B.; Matthews, G. V.; Costello, J.; Dawson, M. A.; Dawson, S.-J.; Polizzotto, M. N.; Petoumenos, K.; Dharan, N. J.*; Yeh, P.* Communications Biology 2026, in press
- Gut health is associated with clonal haematopoiesis in older adults with and without HIV: The ARCHIVE longitudinal cohort study. Donoghue, M. W.; Sazzad, H. M.; Han, W. M.; Bloch, M.; Baker, D. A.; Eu, B.; Bowden-Reid, E.; Smith, D. E.; Hoy, J. F.; Woolley, I. J.; Finlayson, R.; Templeton, D. J.; Matthews, G. V.; Costello, J.; Dawson, M. A.; Dawson, S. J.; Polizzotto, M. N.; Agbosu, E.; Kelleher, A. D.; Petoumenos, K.; Phetsouphanh, C.; Yeh, P.*; Dharan, N. J. *; ARCHIVE Study Group. Gut 2026, gutjnl-2025-337620. https://doi.org/10.1136/gutjnl-2025-337620
- Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP): A need for standardized definition and criteria for translational research studies. Harraka, P.; Yeh, P.; Nicholls, S. J.; Southey, M. C. Genet. Med. 2026, 28 (4), 102530. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gim.2026.102530
- MirrorCheck: An R Package Facilitating Informed Use of DESeq2’s LfcShrink() Function for Differential Gene Expression Analysis of Clinical Samples. Scull, K. E.; Behrouzfar, K.; Brasacchio, D.; Lam, E. Y. N.; Chandrananda, D.; Yeh, P. Bioinformatics Advances 2025. https://doi.org/10.1093/bioadv/vbaf07
- Smart nonuniformity for calibrating sequencing depth of a targeted gene panel to simultaneously detect somatic and germline variants. O’Reilly, R. L.; Harraka, P.; Burke, J.; Belluoccio, D.; Yeh, P.; Howlett, K.; Behrouzfar, K.; Rewse, A.; Tsimiklis, H.; Giles, G. G.; Hopper, J. L.; Bubb, K. J.; Nicholls, S. J.; Milne, R. L.; Southey, M. C. J. Mol. Diagn. 2025, 27 (8), 705–712. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmoldx.2025.04.007
- Advances in biomarkers for mantle cell lymphoma in the era of targeted therapies. Loh, Z.; Yeh, P.; Keane, C.; Hawkes, E. A. Haematologica 2025, haematol.2025.288185. https://doi.org/10.3324/haematol.2025.288185
- A framework for the molecular identification of CHIP for clinical research. Harraka, P.; O’Reilly, R. L.; Burke, J.; Yeh, P.; Howlett, K.; Behrouzfar, K.; Belluoccio, D.; Rewse, A.; Lynch, B. M.; Bubb, K. J.; Nicholls, S. J.; Milne, R. L.; Southey, M. C. HGG Adv. 2026, 7 (2), 100575. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xhgg.2026.100575
- Age-Related Clonal Hematopoiesis and HIV Infection Are Associated with Geriatric Outcomes: The ARCHIVE Study. Han, W. M.; Sazzad, H. M. S.; Bloch, M.; Winter, D.; Baker, D.; Roth, N.; Lau, H.; Smith, D.; Acklom, K.; Hoy, J. F.; Price, S.; Woolley, I.; O’Bryan, J.; Finlayson, R.; Templeton, D. J.; Sinclair, B.; Matthews, G.; Costello, J.; Dawson, M. A.; Dawson, S.-J.; Polizzotto, M. N.; Petoumenos, K.; Yeh, P.*; Dharan, N. J.* Cell Reports Medicine 2024, 5 (12), 101835. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrm.2024.101835
- Dr Nila Dharan, Kirby Institute
- Professor Tony (Anthony) Purcell, Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute
- Professor Melissa Southey, Precision Medicine, Monash University
- Dr Dineika Chandrananda and Prof Sarah Jane Dawson,Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
- Prof Eliza Hawkes,Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute
- Clonal heamatopoiesis in HIV (Contacts - Kerryn Howlett, Kiarash Behrouzfar, Paul Yeh)
- Epigenetic evolution of myeloid malignancies (Contacts - Kerryn Howlett, Paul Yeh)
- Plasma immunopeptidomics in myeloid malignancies (Contacts - Kate Scull, Paul Yeh)
- Liquid biopsy in haematologic malignancies (Contacts - Paul Yeh)
- Multiomic profiling in lymphoid maliagncies (Contacts - Kiarsh Behrouzfar, Paul Yeh)

Clinical Sciences at Monash Health

Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences

Blood Cancer Biomarkers Laboratory

Research aim

Researchers

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