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Barwon Health / Research

(03) 4215 0000

Cancer Services Trials Unit - Dr Sumi Ratnasingam

Background

I am an enthusiastic haematologist committed to patient care and ongoing professional development in the field of haematology. I have experience in managing a variety of cases from thrombosis/ haemostasis to malignant disorders. I worked for a year at the Royal Melbourne managing complex allogeneic transplant patients. I was previously employed as the Malignant Haematology/Lymphoma fellow for Monash Health and tasked with managing most of their malignant trials, including myeloid disorders.

I am currently the co-lymphoma lead at University Hospital Geelong and co-chair our Lymphoma MDM’s. My interest is lymphoma, with a focus on aggressive lymphoma and novel therapies in clinical trials such as CAR T cells or BITEs. In order to expand my knowledge in this field, I have also worked at the Peter MacCallum (PMCC) Aggressive Lymphoma clinic for the past year gaining exposure to CAR T cells, bispecific agents and other novel agents as a sub-investigator on these clinical trials. I remain as a honorary haematologist at PMCC and still maintain a strong working relationship with my colleagues.

Research Focus

My research focus is primary on lymphoma trials - with a focus on aggressive lymphomas such as diffuse large B cell lymphoma and mantle cell lymphoma. However, I also have experience in managing all other lymphoma subtypes as well. I have worked in various clinical trial units in Melbourne - PMCC and Monash Health. I hope to bring a wealth of my experience to Andrew Love Cancer Centre’s clinical trials unit and to further develop our lymphoma portfolio.

I am an active member of the Australasian Lymphoma Alliance (ALA) and ALLG (Australasian Lymphoma Leukaemia Group). I continue to work closely with my colleagues on various clinical research, encompassing both retrospective audits and prospective studies.Sumita Ratnasignam about me

Feature Publications

  • Cytarabine-based induction immunochemotherapy in the front-line treatment of older patients with mantle cell lymphoma. Published in Scientific Reports - Vol 9; Article number 13544, 19th Sept 2019
  • Bortezomib-based antibody depletion for refractory autoimmune haematological diseases. Published in Blood Advances inaugural issue – Vol 1, No 1, 29th Nov 2016
  • A Multi Center Retrospective Comparison of Induction Chemoimmunotherapy Regimens on Outcomes in Transplant-Eligible Patients with Previously Untreated Mantle Cell Lymphoma. Hematological Oncology 2019; 37 (5)
  • Outcomes of Stage I and II Follicular Lymphoma in the Era of 18F-FDG CT-PET Staging: An International Collaborative Study from the Australian Lymphoma Alliance. Blood Advances 2019; 3(19)
  • Twice daily dosing with the highly specific BTK inhibitor BGB-3111, achieves complete and continuous BTK occupancy in lymph nodes, and is associated with durable responses in patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia  (CLL)/ Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma (SLL). Blood 2016; 128 (22)
  • High major response rate, including very good partial responses (VGPR), in patients with Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia (WM) treated with the highly specific BTK inhibitor BGB-3111: Expansion phase results from an ongoing Phase 1 study. Blood 2016; 128 (22)

How you can help

Participate in a Clinical Trial

To find out about Clinical Trials currently underway at Barwon Health, click here. To learn more about the Adrian Costa Clinical Trials Centre, click here.

Donate

Research requires ongoing investment and there are several ways to support our work. You can make a donation today and contribute to an item on our research group’s wish list, consider a bequest in your will, or establish a lasting legacy fund in your name. No matter what size, your philanthropic support will deliver an immediate impact to this important work. To donate now or for more information, please contact the Barwon Health Foundation.

Last Modified: Monday, 26 September 2022

Dr Sumita Ratnasingam photo

Dr Sumi Ratnasingam

MBBS, BMedSci, FRACP, FRCPA

Clinical Researcher, Co-Lymphoma Lead, CSTU

[email protected]

Phone: (03) 4215 2701