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Professor Maher Gandhi
Professor

Maher Gandhi

Email: 

Overview

Background

Maher Gandhi received his medical degree in the UK in 1989, and then trained as a haematologist, including a Fellowship in malignant haematology at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto. He was awarded a PhD in immunology at Cambridge University under Patrick Sissons. He moved to Brisbane and from 2003-2024 worked as a Senior Staff Specialist (Pre-Eminent Status) in the Haematology / Oncology Department of the Princess Alexandra Hospital. He leads his own laboratory group and has established an international reputation studying the tumour immune microenvironment in lymphoma and its manipulation, with continuous NHMRC/MRFF funding since 2005. He was Chair of Laboratory Sciences for the Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Group between 2010-2016, won the prestigious Australian Society of Medical Research Clinical Research Award in 2010 and in 2012 took up the inaugural John McCaffrey Cancer Council of Queensland / Office of Health and Medical Research Clinical Research Fellowship. Between 2011-2014 he was privileged to serve as Chair of the Metro South Human Research Ethics Committee. In 2013 he was appointed Professor of Experimental Haematology, University of Queensland, based at the Translational Research Institute, in 2014 became the inaugural Leukaemia Foundation Chair of Blood Cancer Research at the University of Queensland Frazer Institute, and was appointed Cancer Program Head in 2016. In 2018 he became Executive Director and Director of Clinical Research at Mater Research. He also continues to head the Blood Cancer Research Group, which is based in Mater Research. In 2025 to current, he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Translational Research Institute and its manufacturing branch TM@TRI, to serve Queenslanders by transforming health through collaborative research.

Availability

Professor Maher Gandhi is:
Available for supervision
Media expert

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Medicine Surgery, University of Aberdeen
  • Doctor of Philosophy, University of Cambridge

Research interests

  • Lymphoma

  • Immunotherapy

  • Biomarkers

Research impacts

The research of the Blood Cancer Research Laboratory aims to understand the basis of lymphoma; to devise new treatments which are less toxic and more effective; to establish new biomarkers which will help determine the most effective treatment strategies and to monitor response and relapse and understand the development of lymphomas. The group has a strong emphasis on patient material, which it obtains from international and national clinical collaborators. Lymphomas studied includeEBV-associated lymphomas, Hodgkin Lymphoma, PTLD, Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma, Follicular Lymphoma and amyloidosis. We utilise a broad range of approaches including genomics, transcriptomics and functional immunoassays, and are conducting a number of MRFF funded cellular therapy studies sponsored by the Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Group.

The Mater Foundation, the Leukaemia Foundation, the Mark Coghlan EBV Lymphoma Project and the Brisbane Girls Grammar School Kirsten Jack Memorial Fund are thanked for their kind support.

Works

Search Professor Maher Gandhi’s works on UQ eSpace

224 works between 1993 and 2024

81 - 100 of 224 works

2018

Journal Article

A high LDH to absolute lymphocyte count ratio in patients with DLBCL predicts for a poor intratumoral immune response and inferior survival

Keane, Colm, Tobin, Joshua, Talaulikar, Dipti, Green, Michael, Crooks, Pauline, Jain, Sanjiv and Gandhi, Maher (2018). A high LDH to absolute lymphocyte count ratio in patients with DLBCL predicts for a poor intratumoral immune response and inferior survival. OncoTarget, 9 (34), 23620-23627. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.25306

A high LDH to absolute lymphocyte count ratio in patients with DLBCL predicts for a poor intratumoral immune response and inferior survival

2018

Journal Article

Immune evasion via PD-1/PD-L1 on NK-cells and monocyte/macrophages is more prominent in Hodgkin lymphoma than DLBCL

Vari, Frank, Arpon, David, Keane, Colm, Hertzberg, Mark S, Talaulikar, Dipti, Jain, Sanjiv, Cui, Qingyan, Han, Erica, Tobin, Josh, Bird, Robert, Cross, Donna, Hernandez, Annette, Gould, Clare, Birch, Simone and Gandhi, Maher K (2018). Immune evasion via PD-1/PD-L1 on NK-cells and monocyte/macrophages is more prominent in Hodgkin lymphoma than DLBCL. Blood, 131 (16), 1809-1819. doi: 10.1182/blood-2017-07-796342

Immune evasion via PD-1/PD-L1 on NK-cells and monocyte/macrophages is more prominent in Hodgkin lymphoma than DLBCL

2018

Conference Publication

Outcomes of Stages I and II Follicular Lymphoma in the Era of 18F-FDG PET-CT Staging: An International Collaborative Study from the Australian Lymphoma Alliance

Tobin, Joshua W. D., Rule, Gabrielle, Colvin, Katherine, Calvente, Lourdes, Hodgson, David C., Dunduru, Chengetai, Bell, Stephen, Gallo, James, Tsang, Erica, Tan, Xuan, Pearce, Jessica, Wong, Jonathan, Campbell, Robert, Tneh, Shao Yang, Shorten, Sophie, Ng, Melissa Liet Hing, Darch, Jacob, Cochrane, Tara, Tam, Constantine S., Abro, Emad Uddin, Hawkes, Eliza, Hodges, Georgina, Talaulikar, Dipti, Gilbertson, Michael P., Johnson, Anna, Kansara, Roopesh R., Villa, Diego, Savage, Kerry J., Morris, Kirk Lachlan ... Hapgood, Greg (2018). Outcomes of Stages I and II Follicular Lymphoma in the Era of 18F-FDG PET-CT Staging: An International Collaborative Study from the Australian Lymphoma Alliance. 60th Annual Meeting of the American-Society-of-Hematology (ASH), San Diego, CA United States, 1-4 December 2018. Washington, DC United States: American Society of Hematology. doi: 10.1182/blood-2018-99-114097

Outcomes of Stages I and II Follicular Lymphoma in the Era of 18F-FDG PET-CT Staging: An International Collaborative Study from the Australian Lymphoma Alliance

2018

Journal Article

B cell lymphoma progression promotes the accumulation of circulating Ly6Clo monocytes with immunosuppressive activity

McKee, Sara J., Tuong, Zewen K., Kobayashi, Takumi, Doff, Brianna L., Soon, Megan S. F ., Nissen, Michael, Lam, Pui Yeng, Keane, Colm, Vari, Frank, Moi, Davide, Mazzieri, Roberta, Leggatt, Graham, Gandhi, Maher K. and Mattarollo, Stephen R. (2018). B cell lymphoma progression promotes the accumulation of circulating Ly6Clo monocytes with immunosuppressive activity. OncoImmunology, 7 (2) e1393599, e1393599. doi: 10.1080/2162402X.2017.1393599

B cell lymphoma progression promotes the accumulation of circulating Ly6Clo monocytes with immunosuppressive activity

2018

Conference Publication

The Tumor Microenvironment of Nodular Lymphocyte Predominant Hodgkin Lymphoma Is a Unique Immunobiological Entity Distinct from Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma

Gunawardana, Jay, Bednarska, Karolina, Law, Soi C., Lee, Justina, Sabdia, Muhammed Bilal, Tobin, Joshua W. D., Birch, Simone, Keane, Colm and Gandhi, Maher K. (2018). The Tumor Microenvironment of Nodular Lymphocyte Predominant Hodgkin Lymphoma Is a Unique Immunobiological Entity Distinct from Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma. 60th Annual Meeting of the American-Society-of-Hematology (ASH), San Diego CA, United States, 1-4 December 2018. Washington, DC United States: American Society of Hematology. doi: 10.1182/blood-2018-99-115836

The Tumor Microenvironment of Nodular Lymphocyte Predominant Hodgkin Lymphoma Is a Unique Immunobiological Entity Distinct from Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma

2018

Conference Publication

Elevated LAG-3 111,xpression in the Tumor Microenvironement of Patients with DLBCL Is Associated with a Non-GCB Phenotype and Poor Prognosis

Keane, Colm, Law, Soi C., Gould, Clare, Francis, Santiyagu, Abro, Emad Uddin, Tobin, Joshua W. D., Birch, Simone, Gifford, Grace, Gabreilli, Sara, Stevenson, William S., Talaulikar, Dipti, Gill, Anthony, Jain, Sanjiv, Cross, Donna, Hernadez, Annette, Halliday, Sarah-Jane, Bird, Robert, Hertzberg, Mark and Gandhi, Maher K. (2018). Elevated LAG-3 111,xpression in the Tumor Microenvironement of Patients with DLBCL Is Associated with a Non-GCB Phenotype and Poor Prognosis. 60th Annual Meeting of the American-Society-of-Hematology (ASH), San Diego, CA, United States, 1-4 December 2018. Washington, DC, Untied States: American Society of Hematology. doi: 10.1182/blood-2018-99-112830

Elevated LAG-3 111,xpression in the Tumor Microenvironement of Patients with DLBCL Is Associated with a Non-GCB Phenotype and Poor Prognosis

2018

Conference Publication

The Tumour Microenvironment as an Independent Prognostic Biomarker in Follicular Lymphoma

Tobin, J., Keane, C., Mollee, P., Birch, S., Gould, C., Gunawardana, J., Hoang, T., Savarimuthu, S., Ma, T., Li, L., Murigneux, V. , Fink, L., Matigian, N. and Gandhi, M. K. (2018). The Tumour Microenvironment as an Independent Prognostic Biomarker in Follicular Lymphoma. RACP Congress 2018, Disruption for Healthy Futures, Sydney, NSW Australia, 14–16 May 2018. Hoboken, NJ United States: Wiley. doi: 10.1111/imj.2_13826

The Tumour Microenvironment as an Independent Prognostic Biomarker in Follicular Lymphoma

2017

Conference Publication

The tumor microenvironment is independently prognostic of conventional and clinicogenetic risk models in follicular lymphoma

Tobin, Joshua W. D., Keane, Colm, Mollee, Peter, Birch, Simone, Gould, Clare, Gunawardana, Jay, Hoang, Thanh, Ma, Ti, Abro, Emad Uddin, Shanavas, Mohamed, Yoo, Hyung, Li, Li, Scuffham, Paul, Murigneux, Valentine, Fink, Lynn, Matigian, Nicholas, Vari, Frank, Francis, Santiyagu and Gandhi, Maher K. (2017). The tumor microenvironment is independently prognostic of conventional and clinicogenetic risk models in follicular lymphoma. 59th Annual Meeting of the American-Society-of-Hematology (ASH), Atlanta, GA United States, 9-12 December 2017. Washington, DC United States: American Society of Hematology. doi: 10.1182/blood.V130.Suppl_1.728.728

The tumor microenvironment is independently prognostic of conventional and clinicogenetic risk models in follicular lymphoma

2017

Journal Article

The T-cell receptor repertoire influences the tumor microenvironment and is associated with survival in aggressive B-cell lymphoma

Keane, Colm, Gould, Clare, Jones, Kimberley, Hamm, David, Talaulikar, Dipti, Ellis, Jonathan, Vari, Frank, Birch, Simone, Han, Erica, Wood, Peter, Le-Cao, Kim-Anh, Green, Michael R., Crooks, Pauline, Jain, Sanjiv, Tobin, Josh, Steptoe, Raymond J. and Gandhi, Maher K. (2017). The T-cell receptor repertoire influences the tumor microenvironment and is associated with survival in aggressive B-cell lymphoma. Clinical Cancer Research, 23 (7), 1820-1828. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-16-1576

The T-cell receptor repertoire influences the tumor microenvironment and is associated with survival in aggressive B-cell lymphoma

2017

Journal Article

Early treatment intensification with R-ICE and 90Y-ibritumomab tiuxetan (Zevalin)-BEAM stem cell transplantation in patients with high-risk diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients and positive interim PET after 4 cycles of R-CHOP-14

Hertzberg, Mark, Gandhi, Maher K. , Trotman, Judith, Butcher, Belinda, Taper, John, Johnston, Amanda, Gill, Devinder, Ho, Shir-Jing, Cull, Gavin, Fay, Ketih, Chong, Geoff, Grigg, Andrew, Lewis, Ian D. , Milliken, Sam, Renwick, William, Hahn, Uwe, Filshie, Robin, Kannourakis, George, Watson, Anne-Marie, Warburton, Pauline, Wirth, Andrew, Seymour, John F. , Hofman, Michael S. and Hicks, Rodney J. (2017). Early treatment intensification with R-ICE and 90Y-ibritumomab tiuxetan (Zevalin)-BEAM stem cell transplantation in patients with high-risk diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients and positive interim PET after 4 cycles of R-CHOP-14. Haematologica, 102 (2), 356-363. doi: 10.3324/haematol.2016.154039

Early treatment intensification with R-ICE and 90Y-ibritumomab tiuxetan (Zevalin)-BEAM stem cell transplantation in patients with high-risk diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients and positive interim PET after 4 cycles of R-CHOP-14

2017

Conference Publication

The T-Cell Receptor Repertoire Predicts Interim-PET in Patients with DLBCL Treated with R-CHOP: An Observational Study from a Prospective Clinical Trial

Shanavas, Mohamed, Hertzberg, Mark, Hicks, Rodney J., Seymour, John F., Tobin, Joshua W. D., Mathews, Marina, Francis, Santiyagu, Vari, Frank, Gandhi, Maher K. and Keane, Colm (2017). The T-Cell Receptor Repertoire Predicts Interim-PET in Patients with DLBCL Treated with R-CHOP: An Observational Study from a Prospective Clinical Trial. 59th Annual Meeting of the American-Society-of-Hematology (ASH), Atlanta, GA United States, 9-12 December 2017. Washington, DC United States: American Society of Hematology.

The T-Cell Receptor Repertoire Predicts Interim-PET in Patients with DLBCL Treated with R-CHOP: An Observational Study from a Prospective Clinical Trial

2017

Conference Publication

The impact of EBV upon the tumor microenvironment and mutational profile of primary CNS lymphoma in PTLD

Gandhi, Maher K., Keane, Colm, Tobin, Joshua W. D., Talaulikar, Dipti, Jain, Sanjiv, Vari, Frank, Kruze, Lutz, Murigneux, Valentine, Fink, Lynn, Gunawardana, Jithendra, Gould, Clare, Oey, Harold, Fink, Susanne, Trappe, Ralf Ulrich, Mathews, Marina, Francis, Santiyagu and Hoang, Thanh (2017). The impact of EBV upon the tumor microenvironment and mutational profile of primary CNS lymphoma in PTLD. 59th Annual Meeting of the American-Society-of-Hematology (ASH), Atlanta, GA, United States, 9-12 December 2017. Washington, DC, United States: American Society of Hematology.

The impact of EBV upon the tumor microenvironment and mutational profile of primary CNS lymphoma in PTLD

2017

Conference Publication

Prognostic role of antitumor immunity within tumor microenvironment in follicular lymphoma

Yoo, H., Tobin, J., Palmatier, L., Gandhi, M. and Li, L. (2017). Prognostic role of antitumor immunity within tumor microenvironment in follicular lymphoma. Southern Regional Meeting of the American Federation for Medical Research (AFMR), New Orleans, LA, United States, 11-13 February 2017. London, United Kingdom: BMJ Group. doi: 10.1136/jim-2016-000393.429

Prognostic role of antitumor immunity within tumor microenvironment in follicular lymphoma

2016

Journal Article

Dielectrophoretic microfluidic chip enables single-cell measurements for multidrug resistance in heterogeneous acute myeloid leukemia patient samples

Khamenehfar, Avid, Gandhi, Maher K., Chen, Yuchun, Hogge, Donna E. and Li, Paul C. H. (2016). Dielectrophoretic microfluidic chip enables single-cell measurements for multidrug resistance in heterogeneous acute myeloid leukemia patient samples. Analytical Chemistry, 88 (11), 5680-5688. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.5b04446

Dielectrophoretic microfluidic chip enables single-cell measurements for multidrug resistance in heterogeneous acute myeloid leukemia patient samples

2016

Journal Article

Recent treatment advances in Hodgkin Lymphoma: a concise review

Arulogun, Suzanne, Hertzberg, Mark and Gandhi, Maher K. (2016). Recent treatment advances in Hodgkin Lymphoma: a concise review. Internal Medicine Journal, 46 (12), 1364-1369. doi: 10.1111/imj.13051

Recent treatment advances in Hodgkin Lymphoma: a concise review

2016

Journal Article

The impact of HLA class I and EBV latency-II antigen-specific CD8+ T cells on the pathogenesis of EBV+ Hodgkin lymphoma

Jones, K., Wockner, L., Brennan, R. M., Keane, C., Chattopadhyay, P. K., Roederer, M., Price, D. A., Cole, D. K., Hassan, B., Beck, K., Gottlieb, D., Ritchie, D. S., Seymour, J. F., Vari, F., Crooks, P., Burrows, S. R. and Gandhi, M. K. (2016). The impact of HLA class I and EBV latency-II antigen-specific CD8+ T cells on the pathogenesis of EBV+ Hodgkin lymphoma. Clinical and Experimental Immunology, 183 (2), 206-220. doi: 10.1111/cei.12716

The impact of HLA class I and EBV latency-II antigen-specific CD8+ T cells on the pathogenesis of EBV+ Hodgkin lymphoma

2016

Conference Publication

Low-dose doxorubicin reduces an immunosuppressive Ly6C(lo) monocyte population to improve efficacy of anti-41BB monoclonal antibody against B cell lymphoma

Mckee, S. J., Doff, B. L., Gandhi, M. K. and Mattarollo, S. R. (2016). Low-dose doxorubicin reduces an immunosuppressive Ly6C(lo) monocyte population to improve efficacy of anti-41BB monoclonal antibody against B cell lymphoma. International Congress of Immunology (ICI), Melbourne, Australia, Aug 21-26, 2016. Weinheim, Germany: Wiley - V C H Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA. doi: 10.1002/eji.201670200

Low-dose doxorubicin reduces an immunosuppressive Ly6C(lo) monocyte population to improve efficacy of anti-41BB monoclonal antibody against B cell lymphoma

2016

Conference Publication

The IRE1/XBP1) pathway is a critical regulatory hub for human NK-cell mediated lysis and motility that modulates the actin-binding protein XIRP1

Gandhi, M. K., Mujaj, S., Vari, F., Cui, Q., Nourse, J. P., Han, E. and Cristino, A. (2016). The IRE1/XBP1) pathway is a critical regulatory hub for human NK-cell mediated lysis and motility that modulates the actin-binding protein XIRP1. International Congress of Immunology (ICI), Melbourne Australia, 21-26 August 2016. Hoboken, NJ United States: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing.

The IRE1/XBP1) pathway is a critical regulatory hub for human NK-cell mediated lysis and motility that modulates the actin-binding protein XIRP1

2016

Journal Article

Whole blood EBV-DNA: a surrogate for immune dysfunction in aggressive lymphoma?

Cui, Qingyan and Gandhi, Maher K. (2016). Whole blood EBV-DNA: a surrogate for immune dysfunction in aggressive lymphoma?. Leukemia and Lymphoma, 57 (3), 507-508. doi: 10.3109/10428194.2015.1087522

Whole blood EBV-DNA: a surrogate for immune dysfunction in aggressive lymphoma?

2016

Conference Publication

A Novel Anti-Lymphoma Immune Evasion Mediated By the Interaction Between PD-1 Enriched NK-Cells and CD163+PD-L1+PD-L2+Tumor Associated Macrophages, That Is More Prominent in Hodgkin Lymphoma Than Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

Gandhi, Maher K., Arpon, David, Keane, Colm, Han, Erica, Tobin, Josh, Bird, Robert, Hertzberg, Mark S., Self, Marlene, Cross, Donna, Hernandez, Annette and Vari, Frank (2016). A Novel Anti-Lymphoma Immune Evasion Mediated By the Interaction Between PD-1 Enriched NK-Cells and CD163+PD-L1+PD-L2+Tumor Associated Macrophages, That Is More Prominent in Hodgkin Lymphoma Than Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma. 58th Annual Meeting and Exposition of the American-Society-of-Hematology, San Diego CA, United States, 3-6 December 2016. Washington, DC United States: American Society of Hematology.

A Novel Anti-Lymphoma Immune Evasion Mediated By the Interaction Between PD-1 Enriched NK-Cells and CD163+PD-L1+PD-L2+Tumor Associated Macrophages, That Is More Prominent in Hodgkin Lymphoma Than Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

Funding

Current funding

  • 2025 - 2027
    Personalized immunotherapy for the treatment of light chain amyloidosis
    Snowdome Haematology Fellowship
    Open grant
  • 2024 - 2029
    BrainCAR19 Study- Treatment of relapsed Primary Brain Lymphoma with CD19 directed CAR-T cells
    NHMRC MRFF CTA - Clinical Trials Activity
    Open grant
  • 2023 - 2025
    Metabolic Reprogramming of Malignant B-cells Impairs Immune-Fitness of Intratumoral T-Cells in Follicular Lymphoma
    Conquer Cancer AstraZeneca Young Investigator Award
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2025
    An Open label, Multicentre, Phase I study of Ibrutinib, Rituximab and EBV specific T-cells in Patients with EBV-positive Primary or Secondary CNS Lymphoma unsuitable for standard therapies
    NHMRC MRFF - Lifting Clinical Trials Registries Capacity
    Open grant

Past funding

  • 2020 - 2022
    PiggyBac transposon UCB-CAR19-NK cells: a novel off-the-shelf cellular immunotherapy for children with CD19+ blood cancers
    Children's Hospital Foundation Immunotherapy Research Grants
    Open grant
  • 2019 - 2020
    Indolent Lymphoma: Establishing a prognostic score fit for the modern era
    The Leukaemia Foundation of Australia Limited
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2019
    A novel immunotherapy strategy for lymphoma using artificial microRNA gene targeting
    Metro South Hospital and Health Service
    Open grant
  • 2018 - 2022
    Integrating immunity and genetics in Follicular Lymphoma to establish a prognostic score fit for the modern era
    NHMRC Project Grant
    Open grant
  • 2017 - 2019
    Pre-clinical studies of anti-LAG3 in lymphoma
    Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceuticals Pty Limited
    Open grant
  • 2017
    Improving the evidence base for resource allocation in indolent lymphoma
    Gilead Australia Fellowship
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2018
    Prognosticator for Follicular lymphoma (FL) and Mantle celly lymphoma (MCL)
    Research Donation Generic
    Open grant
  • 2016 - 2017
    Blood biomarkers in Hodgkin Lymphoma
    PA Research Foundation NHMRC Infrastructure Support
    Open grant
  • 2016
    Marshaling NK-cells in the fight against blood cancers: a novel approach
    PA Research Foundation NHMRC Near Miss Grant
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2016
    Funding Assistance for Gandhi laboratory
    Metro South Hospital and Health Service
    Open grant
  • 2015 - 2016
    Using single-cell transcriptomics to define T-cell tolerance in EBV+ lymphoma
    PA Research Foundation
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2018
    Leukaemia Foundation Queensland Chair in Blood Cancer Research (2014-2019)
    Leukaemia Foundation
    Open grant
  • 2014 - 2017
    Circulating Biomarkers in advanced classical Hodgkin Lymphoma
    NHMRC Project Grant
    Open grant
  • 2013 - 2020
    The Diamantina Individualised Oncology Care Centre (DIOCC)
    Australian Cancer Research Foundation
    Open grant
  • 2013 - 2014
    Monocytic myeloid derived suppressor cells and antiCD20-antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (Cancer Council Queensland grant administered by PAH)
    Metro South Hospital and Health Service
    Open grant

Supervision

Availability

Professor Maher Gandhi is:
Available for supervision

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Supervision history

Current supervision

Completed supervision

Media

Enquiries

Contact Professor Maher Gandhi directly for media enquiries about:

  • Biomarkers
  • Immunotherapy
  • Lymphoma

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