News

The 2026 ALLG & HSANZ Clinical Trials Fellow was announced at the recent Blood 2025 Conference in Perth.

ALLG is committed to supporting the next generation of blood cancer researchers through our Fellowship Program. Fellows receive funding to undertake a 12-month research project aligned to ALLG’s Scientific Research Strategy and blood cancer clinical trial portfolio.

The ALLG & HSANZ Fellowship is a joint initiative that provides opportunities for early career researchers to build experience for a successful career in blood cancer research, enabling them to undertake a research project and equipping them with access to ALLG’s extensive research network and mentoring and learning opportunities.

Introducing our 2026 Clinical Trials Fellow – Dr Safia Belbachir

Dr Safia Belbachir is a haematologist trained in Algeria and France, graduating from PARIS 7 Diderot University with advanced clinical and research experience at Hospital Saint Louis (Paris) and Saint Eloi Hospital (Montpellier). She holds a Masters in Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation from Sorbonne University (2024) and is currently a Clinical Trials Fellow at Fiona Stanley Hospital in Perth, Western Australia.

In her current role, Dr Belbachir serves as a sub-investigator on multiple commercial and investigator-initiated clinical trials. Her research focuses on precision medicine in transplantation and CAR-T cell therapy, bridging clinical outcomes with biological correlatives to inform individualised, biomarker-driven treatment strategies.

Dr Belbachir said, “This Fellowship provides an incredible opportunity to bring together my clinical experience in transplantation, and my passion for translational research, by using pharmacogenomics and data-driven science to better understand why patients respond differently to treatment and to move us closer to safer and truly personalised transplant care.”

2026 Fellowship Research Project

Allogeneic stem cell transplantation offers a potential cure for many blood cancers, often the only one, but is frequently complicated by graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and organ toxicity.

One of the most important drugs used after a transplant is cyclophosphamide, given to help prevent GVHD. It has greatly improved outcomes and made transplants possible for more patients. Yet responses to this drug vary differently with some people experiencing severe side effects, while others tolerate it well. Its effectiveness in preventing GVHD can also vary from person to person.

Dr Belbachir’s project is investigating how genetic variation (pharmacogenomics) influences the metabolism, efficacy, and toxicity of this drug. By combining genetic sequencing data with detailed clinical outcomes, the study seeks to identify key gene variants that predict drug response and toxicity risk after transplantation.

Findings from this project will help guide personalised dosing and treatment selection, improving safety and long-term outcomes for transplant recipients. This work lays the foundation for implementing precision medicine approaches in allogeneic stem cell transplantation across Australia and New Zealand.

A/Prof Gregory said, “We are incredibly proud of Safia and grateful to the ALLG for the opportunities provided with this prestigious ALLG HSANZ Clinical Trials Fellowship award.  Safia is an accomplished early career haematologist with a meritorious track record in clinical and translational research.  As a sub-investigator at Fiona Stanley Hospital for the ALLG BM12 CAST trial led by Professor David Curtis, Safia had first-hand experience in treating patients on trial and asked the question, “why do some, but not all patients, derive the clinical benefit of this intervention?”  Her research project will aim to answer this question in part through informed pharmacogenomic testing and novel proteomic studies with the aim of assisting optimal treatment selection for patients in a personalised manner.”

“As a mentor, it is incredibly satisfying to see Safia take observations from an ALLG study back to the scientific research bench with the intention of assisting treatment selection in the clinic.  This award is testament to the enabling culture of research that the ALLG provides to assist development of our early career researchers into future ALLG leaders and align with the core mission of the ALLG to improve treatments and lives of patients with haematological malignancies.”

Empowering Future Research

The ALLG & HSANZ Clinical Trials Fellowship is an investment in the future of blood cancer research, fostering the next generation of clinician researchers with the goal of accelerating research that advances better treatments for people with blood cancers like leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma.

Your support is vital to the continued success of the ALLG & HSANZ Clinical Trials Fellowship. To learn more, or to support this innovative program, visit Our Campaigns.