Dr Steven Lane
Fulbright Postgraduate Scholar
Media Profile
“Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive and rapidly fatal cancer of the bone marrow and blood. Despite intensive chemotherapy, most adults with AML eventually succumb to the disease. New and more effective treatments are urgently needed to improve patient survival.”
Dr Steven Lane has won the Fulbright Postgraduate Alumni (WG Walker) Scholarship to conduct research into acute myeloid leukemia (AML) at the Harvard Medical School and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. The prestigious Alumni (WG Walker) Scholarship goes to the highest ranked postgraduate and is funded through an endowment fund supported by donations from Australian Fulbright Alumni. Dr Lane is currently an Advanced Training Haematology Registrar at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital in Brisbane.
“AML is a devastating cancer of the blood and bone marrow which is rapidly fatal unless effectively treated,” explains Steven. “Treatment involves administering high doses of chemotherapy and providing intensive inpatient supportive care. Although significant progress has been made in the last 30-40 years, we are still unable to cure the majority of patients with AML and certain groups (such as the elderly who are less tolerant of intensive therapies) have particularly poor outcomes.”
“A new class of drugs known as small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors are highly effective in the treatment of similar diseases such as chronic myeloid leukemia, however their role in AML remains poorly defined. We aim to characterise the role that these agents play in AML by evaluating efficacy, clarifying the biological mechanism of action and determining important factors that lead to treatment failure. This research may be used in conjunction with current clinical trials to discover a relevant biomarker for disease response or possibly to develop more effective and potent drugs to treat AML.”
Having the opportunity to study at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute will provide Steven with access to a world leading centre of learning and research excellence. Professor Gary Gilliland, head of the laboratory, has a wealth of expertise and established track record in this field.
Steven completed a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery with honours at The University of Queensland in 1999 and was awarded the AMAQ Memorial Prize for the top Queensland student in the subject of clinical medicine. He worked as resident medical officer and subsequently as a registrar in internal medicine at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital. He has also worked at the Princess Alexandra Hospital as a haematology registrar and was awarded a Princess Alexandra Hospital Foundation research scholarship in 2006. Steven has recently presented his research at national and international conferences and has published a number of peer reviewed articles.
“My time in the United States will complete the final year of training towards dual fellowships with the Royal Australasian Colleges of Physicians and Pathologists. This work will encompass a professional doctorate (PhD/ MD) degree from University of Queensland. Importantly, I will also develop the technical and management skills together with research kudos which will allow me to establish an internationally competitive lab on my return to Australia.”
“My goal is to develop ongoing long-term collaboration between laboratories and hospitals, allowing Australian sites to participate in multi-centre investigational trials based either in the U.S. or Australia. This would also facilitate access to developing pharmaceuticals and technologies not currently available in Australia.”