On the weekend of 31 January-1 February 2026, the Neonatal Alloimmune Thrombocytopenia (NAIT) Registry is supporting the fundraising efforts of ‘Run for Rui’. This fundraising run will take place at the Stockton Foreshore, NSW, and will consist of a 110km run across two days. Research for rare conditions is often dependant on community engagement. To participate, donate or learn more, visit the ‘Run for Rui’ fundraiser here.

In December TRU was represented at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) congress in Florida, USA. Dr Jasmine Singh presented two posters highlighting work from her PhD on clonal haematopoiesis. Research Fellow Dr Lucy Fox presented in the late-breaking abstract session on the MRFF-funder IBMDx (inherited bone marrow failure syndrome genomics diagnosis) study, which is supported by the Aplastic Anaemia and Other Bone Marrow Failure Syndromes (AAR) registry. International conventions offer wonderful opportunities to spend time and share our work with colleagues from all around the globe.

TRU offers a warm welcome to Ms Jaimee Jalocha who joins the team as a Research Program Officer, supporting the Blood Synergy program. Alongside her role, Jaimee is also currently completing her Master of Paramedicine, broadening her understanding and expertise across both research and clinical settings.

The OPTIMAL CRE held the ‘Introduction to Myasthenia Gravis’ webinar in November in partnership with Myasthenia Alliance Australia. This 90-minute session brought together more than 100 clinicians, researchers, and people with lived experience to discuss current understanding of myasthenia gravis, insights from national research on immunoglobulin therapy, and how patient preferences can help shape future care. Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to the lively discussion. Recorded materials from the webinar will be available via the OPTIMAL CRE website in the near future.

In November, the OPTIMAL CRE hosted a free, online workshop on the Essentials of Health Economics. Led by Dr Adam Irving and Dr Laura Fanning, this workshop brought together investigators and researchers, as well as representatives from blood service providers, patient organisations and industry partners. These covered a range of topics, including how health economics can be applied in immunoglobulin research and care, and some engaging audience-participation practical exercises! The recorded webinar will be available via the OPTIMAL CRE website in the near future.

Many congratulations to Sara Carrillo de Albornoz on the award on her PhD. Sara’s PhD, was supervised by Prof Zoe McQuilten, Prof Dennis Petrie, and Dr Lisa Higgins and undertaken with the support of the Blood Synergy program. Her research examined the costs and cost-effectiveness of immunoglobulin therapy in prevention of infection in patients with haematological malignancy, from a health economics perspective.

The Blood Synergy research program has published its latest Research Report, which provides a snapshot of the activities and outcomes of the program during 2024-2025. Read the report here.

We’re thrilled to announce that Dr Jasmine Singh received the Albert Baikie Award from the Haematology Society of Australia and New Zealand (HSANZ) at the Blood 2025 meeting. The award recognises the best presentation, either oral or poster, at the Annual Scientific Meeting by a new investigator. Congratulations Jasmine!

Congratulations to Dr Allison Mo for her publication in the journal Transfusion. The paper explores transfusion support for patients with myelodysplastic syndromes and cardiac comorbidities. This research was completed as part of Allison’s PhD with TRU. Read more here.

A huge congratulations to Ms Janne Williams for being awarded for her Outstanding Individual Consumer Impact at the SPHPM Consumer and Community Involvement Showcase on 11 November. Janne is a consumer representative for LaRDR, and the RATIONALISE and RATIONAL PT clinical trials, and has contributed to shaping the Blood Synergy’s community consultation, and EpiMAP Lymphoma and LyRA data mapping projects. The impact she has had on research within TRU is invaluable and this award could not go to a more deserving individual.

Prof Erica Wood and Dr Allison Mo received the ISBT Award for their contribution to the joint ISBT and Systematic Review Initiative (SRI) Transfusion Evidence Round-Up Program. The award was presented to the Transfusion Evidence Round-Up team to acknowledge their “remarkable achievements in developing and leading the Transfusion Evidence Round-Up, a widely valued initiative that has significantly improved the way transfusion professionals access and share scientific knowledge.”

It was another terrific Blood conference for the TRU team this year, with wonderful presentations from our group including Prof Erica Wood, Prof Zoe McQuilten, Dr Allison Mo, Dr Jasmine Singh, Dr Adam Irving, Ms Eliza Chung, and Dr Sara Carrillo de Albornoz. TRU also had an impressive showing in poster presentations this year, including displays from the NTD, MRDR, TRUST-Ig, VALUE-Ig and Blood Synergy teams.

Thank you to all attendees at the annual Lymphoma Breakfast Meeting held at Blood 2025 & ISBT Regional Congress, co-hosted by the Lymphoma and Related Diseases Registry (LaRDR) the Australasian Lymphoma Alliance (ALA) and Lymphoma Australia. Ms Eliza Chung and Prof Eliza Hawkes provided updates on LaRDR and the ALA respectively, and were joined for a panel discussion with representatives from Lymphoma Australia.

In October the Myeloma and Related Diseases Registry (MRDR) held another successful annual Breakfast Meeting at Blood 2025 & ISBT Regional Congress. The meeting provided the myeloma community with an update on the latest registry data and research progress. MRDR was also well-represented in 6 presentations (4 oral and 2 posters) at Blood/ISBT in areas spanning international and regional outcome analyses, real-world treatment comparisons, economic evaluations of frontline therapy, and emerging precision-medicine topics including post-BCMA outcomes and cytogenetic risk in multiple myeloma.

We're pleased to announce that the NHMRC has funded a new BloodCare Centre of Research Excellence in Supportive Care for People with Blood Cancers. The BloodCare CRE is led by Prof Zoe McQuilten, and is a partnership between Monash University, University of Queensland, University of Technology Sydney, and the University of Sydney. The BloodCare CRE will expand research in areas of transfusion support, infection prevention, nutrition and microbiome, symptom control, and psychological support. Stay tuned for more news about the BloodCare CRE in 2026 and beyond. Read more here.

Dr Laura Fanning is conducting a research survey on ‘Preferences for treatments that help to prevent infections in people with blood cancers’, open to adults who have been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, chronic lymphocytic leukaemia or any subtype of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Access the survey here. This survey is being conducted as part of the RATIONAL Platform Trial and VALUE-Ig study, supported by the OPTIMAL CRE, and Blood Synergy.

Congratulations to Steve Nwokeocha and the Haemoglobinopathy Registry (HbR) for a recent publication on the economic burden of sickle cell disease in Australia. Steve visited TRU in 2022 to perform an analysis in relation to a research dissertation. The paper was published in the Internal Medicine Journal in May and can be read here.

Congratulations to Sara Carrillo de Albornoz for the recent publication in Blood Advances. The paper, completed during Sara’s PhD studies with Blood Synergy, discusses immunoglobulin replacement therapy in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and found no association with a reduced risk of infection-related hospitalisations. Read the paper here.

Registration in now open for the annual Myeloma and Related Diseases Registry (MRDR) Breakfast Meeting to be held on October 27th at the Blood 2025 & ISBT Regional Congress in Perth. This hybrid event allows for updates on registry progress, discussion about the latest MRDR research, and networking with the myeloma community. Register here to attend.

Register now to join us for the Lymphoma Breakfast Meeting on October 28th at the Blood 2025 & ISBT Regional Congress in Perth, and online. The Lymphoma and Related Diseases Registry (LaRDR) is co-hosting the meeting with the Australasian Lymphoma Alliance (ALA) and Lymphoma Australia (LA). The theme of the meeting is ‘Working together to improve lymphoma patient outcomes’ and we expect a lively discussion driven by engaging speakers from all three organisations. Register here to attend.

The Asia-Pacific Myeloma and Related Diseases Registry (APAC MRDR) hosted their annual Open Meeting in August. This online event brought together researchers, clinicians and registry collaborators to discuss the successes of the registry over the previous 12 months. We had over 70 participants join us from around the globe, including our international speakers who shared their research and highlighted the value of this important registry. If you missed this meeting, you can view the full recording here.

The Inaugural OPTIMAL CRE on Improving Immunoglobulin Use Open Meeting was a roaring success and we want to extend our gratitude to all who joined us on the 1 August. We were pleased to welcome nearly 100 registrants who joined us both in person and online. Our excellent presenters helped identify the gaps in immunoglobulin research while showing us all the steps forward that can be taken in this exciting field of research. If you missed out, select presentations from the day will be available from the Optimal CRE website or reach out at optimal.cre@monash.edu to find out more.

The OPTIMAL Centre of Research Excellence recently held a workshop on Mapping Immunoglobulin Services and Experiences. During the workshop healthcare professionals, researchers and lived-experience representatives, explored the challenges patients go through receiving immunoglobulin treatment and how future research avenues could improve its delivery. A special thankyou to A/Prof Leah Heiss, Ms India Read and Dr Giannie Barsha for facilitating this important work.

It’s been a busy month for the OPTIMAL CRE, co-hosting a Kawasaki Disease Information Day alongside the Kawasaki Disease Foundation and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. The event provided families and health practitioners the opportunity to learn more about the latest research and ask questions of the panel of clinical experts and people with lived experience.

Dr Allison Mo and Helen Haysom represented TRU at the I-WISH (Inspiring Women in Science and Health) event at St Catherine’s School. The program pairs year 10 students with a PhD student to create an advocacy strategy project for a piece of scientific research, and our team were excited for the students to share a special encore presentation of their project with us. Read more about the event here.

Members of TRU attended the 4th National Symposium on Bone Marrow Failure Syndromes, held by Maddie Riewoldt’s Vision in May. Dr Lucy Fox, TRU Research Fellow and PMCC Haematologist, chaired the organising committee, while Professor Zoe McQuilten presented the preliminary results of the MRFF-funded DIAAMOND trial. Updates were also presented on the Aplastic Anaemia and other Bone Marrow Failure Syndromes Registry (AAR), now having recruited other 600 patients, and on the progress of the Australian Marrow Failure Biobank (AMFB).

We’re excited to share the Transfusion Research Unit’s inaugural Research Report, showcasing the breadth and depth of work undertaken by our unit between 2023 and 2024. We are very proud of everything our unit has achieved in this time! If you’d like more information about our research, please contact us at SPHPM.Transfusion@monash.edu.

Registration is now open for the OPTIMAL Centre of Research Excellence's inaugural Open Meeting, to be held on 1st August 2025. The hybrid meeting will include presentations and discussions on immunoglobulin use, including dosage, patient experiences and health economics, as well as opportunities to network. All are welcome to join us for this free event. Register here.

Thank you to all who joined us in May for the Blood Synergy Open Meeting 2025. We he had a stellar turn-out of nearly 200 registrants joining us from around Australia and the world, both in person and virtually. Our presenters showed up in excellent form to share their research and help us identify where future Blood Synergy efforts will be most needed. If you missed out, select presentations from the day will be available from the Blood Synergy website or reach out at sphpm.bloodsynergy@monash.edu to find out more about what we do.

The Asia-Pacific Myeloma and Related Diseases Registry (APAC MRDR) is preparing to host its annual Open Meeting. Register now for this one-hour online event, to be held on August 5, and join us for an overview of the registry, our progress and current research, and discussion of research ideas, collaborations and future analyses. All are welcome to register here.

The Australian Marrow Failure Biobank (AMFB) has celebrated the enrolment of their first participant. The biobank collects, processes and stores matched tissue samples from patients diagnosed with inherited and acquired bone marrow failure syndromes to support research in identifying new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies to treat these rare conditions. Read more in the press release here.

The International Society of Blood Transfusion Congress was held in Milan, Italy in June and attended by Prof Erica Wood, Dr Cat Parker and Dr Allison Mo. Cat delivered an oral presentation on the Blood Synergy's research priorities that will inform a platform study on transfusion in trauma. She also presented a poster on the work underway through the OPTIMAL CRE to develop a core outcome set for immunoglobulin replacement therapy in blood cancers and encourage the standardised reporting of outcomes in both research and routine care. Allison presented a poster on real-world red cell transfusion practice and cardiac outcomes in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes, and chaired a workshop on critical appraisal of the literature, as part of an ongoing partnership between ISBT and the UK Systematic Review Initiative. Erica chaired a workshop on knowledge implementation – getting guidelines into clinical practice. A jam-packed but very productive week for all!

Professors Zoe McQuilten and Erica Wood participated in the Collaboration in Clinical Trials in Intensive Care meeting, held at the Monash University campus in Prato, Italy. Convened by the Australian and New Zealand Intensive Care Research Centre (ANZIC-RC), highlights of the meeting included a session on platform trials, and a presentation by Dr James Winearls on his experience as an ICU patient. Zoe and Erica were delighted to catch up with some Blood Synergy investigators during the conference.

Professors Zoe McQuilten, Eliza Hawkes and Erica Wood, Dr Catriona Parker and Ms Eliza Chung participated in the European Hematology Association Congress in Milan in June. This was the 30th Anniversary of the Congress and TRU, along with Monash, was pleased to contribute posters on the preliminary results from the DIAAMOND-NEXT study, the Lymphoma and Related Diseases Registry (LaRDR), and the Australian/NZ and the Asia-Pacific Myeloma and Related Diseases Registries. This was also a chance to meet up with collaborators such as Dr Pratyush Giri and Dr Stephen Opat, both investigators for the LaRDR.

Rounding out the travel for the team, Profs Eliza Hawkes and Erica Wood and Ms Eliza Chung, met with key international collaborators and members of the Lymphoma Coalition (an international patient advocacy group) ahead of the Global LyRA meeting at the International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma in Lugano, Switzerland, on June 19. LyRA is being led from Monash University with the goal of harmonising data and collaborating on insights to improve the care for patients. Partnering with the Lymphoma Coalition helps us elevate the important patient voice in research.

On June 27 TRU team members, Prof Erica Wood, Dr Catriona Parker, Dr Giannie Barsha, Dr Adam Irving and Mr Neil Waters, visited the CSL Behring site in Broadmeadows, along with A/Prof Leah Heiss and Ms India Read from Monash Art, Design and Architecture. A goal of the NHMRC-funded OPTIMAL CRE is to assemble a clear picture of immunoglobin production and use in Australia to inform service and system design innovation. India Read has recently commenced PhD studies, supervised by Leah, Cat and Erica, with a scholarship funded by the CRE. CSL welcomed our team with a tour of their infrastructure and manufacturing facilities. We thank the CSL Behring team for their wonderful hospitality.

Four students commenced their PhDs with us this year. Dr Elizabeth Prime and Dr Nathanael Lucas join researchers on the Aplastic Anaemia & Other Bone Marrow Failure Syndromes Registry (AAR) to examine long term patient outcomes, and the epidemiology of bone marrow failure syndromes in New Zealand, respectively. Ms India Read’s project, undertaken with the OPTIMAL CRE, looks at codesigning transfusion futures to enable safer and more sustainable immunoglobulin delivery. Ms Eliza Chung, project manager for the Lymphoma and Related Diseases Registry (LaRDR) and the Global Lymphoma Registry Alliance (LyRA), will target improvements in registry data quality to measure and benchmark patient outcomes. Read more about these projects in the TRU Research Report.

The OPTIMAL Centre of Research Excellence is proud to be co-hosting a Kawasaki Disease Information Day alongside the Kawasaki Disease Foundation and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute on July 19. The event for families and health practitioners will include clinical updates from leading experts, a family focused session on shared lived experiences, and opportunities to ask questions and connect with community members. Attend virtually, or in person at MCRI at the Royal Children’s Hospital. Find out more and register for this free event here.

Prof Zoe McQuilten attended the Palliative Care Clinical Studies Collaborative (PaCCSC) and Cancer Symptom Trials (CST) Research Forum 2025 at the University of Technology Sydney, presenting her work on using clinical registries to conduct clinical trials: opportunities and challenges.

Ms Eliza Chung and Dr Tracy Zhang represented the Lymphoma & Related Diseases Registry (LaRDR) and Myeloma & Related Diseases Registry (MRDR) respectively at the Janssen H3 symposium in Sydney in March 2025.

Dr Zahra Anwar joined the TRU team in March. Zahra has a background as a clinical pharmacist and research associate in oncology trials, and commenced her role with us as a Clinical Research Associate with the RATIONAL platform trial and RATIONALISE trial.

Registration for the Blood Synergy Open Meeting 2025 is now open. The hybrid meeting will be held on Tuesday 27th May, and everyone with an interest in blood products, transfusion, and clinical trials is invited to attend. Join us to hear about the latest in transfusion research, including a keynote on using data in transfusion presented by Prof Simon Stanworth. Register to attend either on-site or online before May 26th.

The TRU team warmly welcomed two new staff members in March. Dr Giannie Barsha joins OPTIMAL CRE, while Dr Sasha Taylor joins the Blood Synergy and National Transfusion Dataset (NTD) teams.

Prof Erica Wood has been awarded an NHMRC Investigator Grant for 2026. The prestigious five-year grant will support Erica’s continued leadership in transfusion research. Read more here.

Dr Allison Mo has been awarded an inaugural Dana Devine Fellowship from the Biomedical Excellence for Safer Transfusion (BEST) international research collaborative. The fellowship will enable Allison to participate in a number of BEST events, including the BEST meeting in Edinburgh this coming May.

Getting a trial off the ground is always hard work and can be a slow process, so it’s important to celebrate the big milestones. This month the MRFF-funded Rational-PT trial celebrated their first site initiation visit. Well done team! This new platform trial compares oral antibiotics as alternatives to immunoglobulins to prevent infections in patients with blood cancers.

We’re excited to welcome four new team members to TRU in early 2025. Dr Brendan Gillespie is a Clinical Research Associate working on the TMA Registry, REDDS-2 trial, and MY-PROMPT2 study, whilst Mr Aiden Scholey joins us as a Clinical Research Associate on the RATIONAL Platform Trial. Ms Tasmyn Greentree joins our team as part of the RMIT Pharmaceutical Sciences program. She will undertake a professional placement with us in 2025, working with the clinical trials and registry teams. Lastly, Ms Jenny Le-Nguyen re-joins our team as a Research Officer with the Lymphoma and Related Diseases Registry (LaRDR) after completing the RMIT Pharmaceutical Sciences program with TRU in 2024. TRU has participated in this valuable industry placement scheme since 2017, preparing students for careers in research.

Congratulations to both the Lymphoma and Related Diseases Registry (LaRDR) and Myeloma and Related Diseases Registry (MRDR) who have now each recruited over 8,000 patients! The Asia-Pacific Myeloma and Related Diseases Registry (APAC-MRDR) also hit a significant new milestone in 2025, with 2,500 patients recruited to the registry. These registries provide valuable real-world data for researchers and vital reports to hospitals for benchmarking purposes to improve the care of myeloma, lymphoma and related diseases. Thank you to all participating sites for their continued support.

Results from the TREATT trial have been published in The Lancet Haematology. The phase 3 trial revealed that tranexamic acid does not prevent bleeding in patients with haematological malignancies and severe thrombocytopenia. The trial (funded in Australia by NHMRC and ANZSBT) was a collaboration between our team led by Prof Erica Wood and Prof Zoe McQuilten, and the UK’s NHS Blood and Transplant team in Oxford, led by Prof Simon Stanworth and Prof Lise Estcourt. Read the paper here.

Prof Zoe McQuilten and Dr Lucy Fox presented the first results of the DIAAMOND trial at the American Society of Hematology (ASH) annual meeting in 2024 on behalf of the study team. A sub-study of the Aplastic Anaemia and other Bone Marrow Failure Syndromes Registry (AAR), the DIAAMOND trial examined the efficacy and safety of avatrombopag for use in severe aplastic anaemia.

Congratulations to Dr Joanna Loh and the Australian & New Zealand Massive Transfusion Registry (ANZ-MTR) team on the publication of outcomes for recipients of ABO-incompatible fresh frozen plasma. The paper was recently published in Transfusion. Read more here. Based on the success of the ANZ-MTR we are developing the National Transfusion Dataset (NTD).