Full Name
A/Prof Allen Yeoh
Designation
Goh Foundation Associate Professor in Paediatric Oncology, NUS
Senior Consultant & Head of Division of Paediatric Haematology-Oncology, NUH
Senior Consultant & Head of Division of Paediatric Haematology-Oncology, NUH
Bio
A/Prof Yeoh is the principal investigator of Malaysia-Singapore ALL studies. Ma-Spore ALL successfully used minimal residual disease (MRD) to deintensify therapy. Currently, Ma-Spore ALL 2020 uses RNA-Seq and ddPCR MRD to risk stratify children and adults with B-ALL. Patients with high risk genetics or those with high middle of consolidation MRD will either receive CAR-T, BMT or high-risk chemotherapy in first complete remission. Together with Prof Dario Campana, the team successfully performed 22 CAR-T cell therapy for B-leukaemias in children and adults in Singapore. Currently, 2 CAR-T ALL trials for B and T-ALL are open.
A/Prof Yeoh received his MBBS in Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS. He did his clinical/research fellow in St Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He focuses on translational clinical research in childhood leukaemias and cost-effective care.
A/Prof Yeoh received his MBBS in Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS. He did his clinical/research fellow in St Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He focuses on translational clinical research in childhood leukaemias and cost-effective care.
Topic
ALaCART: Acute Leukaemia and CART - What’s on the menu?
Abstract
The most common type of cancer in children is acute leukaemia. In treatment of childhood acute leukaemias, accurate risk assignment is key. Current risk-assignment is based on the genetic subtype and accurate measurement of early response to therapy by minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring.
Acute leukaemia is biologically heterogeneous. For example, in B-lymphoblastic leukaemia (B-ALL) there are >20 subtypes of ALL each with its distinct genetic drivers and specific risk of relapse. It is now possible to assign a genetic subtype in 93% of children with B-ALL using RNA-Seq. With the genetic assignment, we can pick up patients with unfavourable genetics that are incurable with standard chemotherapy.
Flow cytometry can comprehensively profile the complete antigen expression on leukaemia cells. Using this comprehensive profile of antigen expression, we can ensure complete multi-antigen targeting using CAR-T cells. In NUS, we engineer a pool CAR-T cells with different target specificity. Using the CAR-T pool we hope to completely target the antigens expression on leukaemia cells with the hope of avoiding antigen escape.
In our ALaCART study, we carefully select high-risk patients, who are incurable with chemotherapy, for CAR-T. Our CAR-T pool of cells comprehensively targets multiple antigens on the leukaemia blasts.
Acute leukaemia is biologically heterogeneous. For example, in B-lymphoblastic leukaemia (B-ALL) there are >20 subtypes of ALL each with its distinct genetic drivers and specific risk of relapse. It is now possible to assign a genetic subtype in 93% of children with B-ALL using RNA-Seq. With the genetic assignment, we can pick up patients with unfavourable genetics that are incurable with standard chemotherapy.
Flow cytometry can comprehensively profile the complete antigen expression on leukaemia cells. Using this comprehensive profile of antigen expression, we can ensure complete multi-antigen targeting using CAR-T cells. In NUS, we engineer a pool CAR-T cells with different target specificity. Using the CAR-T pool we hope to completely target the antigens expression on leukaemia cells with the hope of avoiding antigen escape.
In our ALaCART study, we carefully select high-risk patients, who are incurable with chemotherapy, for CAR-T. Our CAR-T pool of cells comprehensively targets multiple antigens on the leukaemia blasts.
