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Miles Andrews

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Miles Andrews

Dr

 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1231-8641

Accepting PhD Students

PhD projects

1. Defining biomarkers and mechanisms of cancer immunotherapy toxicity
2. Liquid biomarkers for cancer immunotherapy.
3. Mechanisms of microbial immunomodulation in cancer immunotherapy.
4. Modulation of androgen signalling to improve anti-cancer response.

20022026

Research activity per year

Personal profile

Research interests

Scope:

Translational immuno-oncology, including:

  • understanding how oncogenic signaling interfaces with anti-cancer immune responses
  • studying the tumour-immune microenvironment as a complex ecosystem, employing multi-omic and spatial techniques to understand the interplay between structure and function in tumour masses
  • mechanisms and biomarkers of immune-related adverse events
  • how immunosuppression and commensal microbes influence the dynamics of anti-cancer immunity

Clinical research encompassing:

  • patterns of cancer therapy use and outcomes in real-world populations through audits and registries
  • biobanking and curation of clinical samples
  • clinical trials of novel agents/combinations

Setting: melanoma, thoracic tumours, head and neck cancer, and the application of cancer immunotherapy across cancer types.

Strategy: leverage integrative immune and genomic analyses to identify how complex micro-environmental features and distinct cellular compartments interact to influence tumour growth, treatment outcomes, and treatment-related toxicity.

Biography

Dr Andrews is a Consultant Medical Oncologist at The Alfred, and NHMRC Early Career Fellow at Monash University. His clinical sub-specialty interests in cancers of the skin, chest, and head & neck complement his research focus on understanding how tumour genomics and host immunity interact to influence the outcome of cancer therapy. After gaining specialist qualifications in Medical Oncology in 2012, he completed a PhD in genomics and melanoma biology at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute and University of Melbourne, followed by a three-year postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center focused on multi-platform biomarker studies of cancer immunotherapy, targeted therapy, and the gut microbiome in cancer. Dr Andrews is also clinical lead for melanoma registry projects through the Personalised Oncology Division at WEHI and leads several translational research projects evaluating the clinical outcomes, biomarkers, and fundamental biology of cancer therapies.

Supervision interests

Available Projects:

Defining biomarkers and mechanisms of cancer immunotherapy toxicity

Description 
Cancer immunotherapy has revolutionized the treatment of many cancers, but this potentially effective treatment can also cause significant side-effects. These treatment-related toxicities occur due to non-specific activation of the immune response, leading to the unmasking or initiation of autoimmune phenomena; for this reason, they are called "immune-related adverse events", or "irAE". The mainstay of management for these toxicities is immunosuppression with anti-inflammatory steroids (glucocorticoids) and in severe, steroid-resistant cases, more aggressive immunosuppressive agents such as infliximab. These treatments have their own drawbacks, and are likely excessively broad in their action. Surprisingly little is known about the specific mechanisms involved in irAE, partly because of the sheer diversity of toxicities that can occur, affecting potentially any body organ or system. Similarly, no current methods exist to predict who will experience irAE, let alone what type or how severe. This project aims to improve the prediction and management of irAE in cancer patients by first identifying the underlying characteristics of a toxicity-prone immune system before toxicity occurs. We have previously performed extensive multi-platform immune, genomic, and microbial analyses in immunotherapy treated melanoma patients aiming to identify biomarkers of immunotherapy response and toxicity [1]. We will extend upon these studies using a combination of patient-derived samples and pre-clinical models to systematically evaluate circulating adaptive and innate immune cell populations, metabolites and genomic material for biomarkers of toxicity. Laboratory studies will explore the mechanisms that drive common types of irAE, and explore the interactions between cancer immunotherapy and co-administered immunosuppressive agents that are used in the clinic to treat irAE.

Liquid biomarkers for cancer immunotherapy.

Description 
Treatments that create or enhance anti-cancer immune responses have revolutionised the way that many cancers are treated and improved clinical outcomes. Yet many patients do not respond to treatment, and treatment-related side effects are common. Current methods to predict response and toxicity are very limited, meaning that many patients receive therapy that does not benefit them, and may cause harm. Better predictive biomarkers for immunotherapy are needed. Blood is an attractive specimen type in which to identify biomarkers as it is easy to obtain and can be sampled on multiple occasions throughout a patient’s treatment. Using patient cohorts and biospecimens collected via the Alfred Cancer Biobank, we are investigating the utility of novel chemical and cellular biomarkers in blood samples of patients receiving immunotherapy-based treatment. This project seeks to evaluate immune phenotypes, non-coding RNA (microRNA), hormones and metabolites (especially of dietary/microbial origin) as composite predictors of known clinical outcomes in patient cohorts from our clinics. Lung and skin cancers (melanoma or non-melanoma) are the primary current focus but may be extended to other cancer types of interest. These biomarker-based studies will be performed in close association with mechanistic evaluation using a variety of cellular, tumour-fragment culture and pre-clinical model systems, to determine potential causal associations with biomarkers of interest, and to incorporate these features into increasingly comprehensive molecular/cellular models of cancer immunotherapy response.

University Service

Miles is former co-Chair of the Central Clinical School's Early-Mid Career Committee. He is currently a member of the Research Implementation Committee, and Neoplasia lead for the SkIIN Discovery Program within the School of Translational Medicine.

Clinical activities

Dr Andrews has clinical sub-specialty interests in the management of patients with cancers of the skin, chest, and head & neck. After gaining his specialist qualifications in Medical Oncology in 2012, he completed a PhD in genomics and melanoma biology at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute and University of Melbourne, followed by a three-year postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center focused primarily on multi-platform biomarker studies of cancer immunotherapy and targeted therapy.

Dr Andrews is the clinical lead for melanoma registry projects through the Personalised Oncology Division at WEHI. He is actively involved with cancer clinical trials as a Principal or Co-Investigator at The Alfred and engages with the supervision/mentoring of trainees.

Education/Academic qualification

PhD, University of Melbourne

Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP)

External positions

Head of Immuno-oncology at The Alfred, Alfred Hospital

Consultant Medical Oncologist, Alfred Hospital

Deputy Chair, Medical Oncology Discipline Specific Advisory, Melanoma and Skin Cancer Trials Limited

Research area keywords

  • Cancer Immunology
  • Immunotherapy
  • Targeted Therapy
  • Melanoma
  • Lung Cancer
  • Genomics
  • Bioinformatics
  • Oncology
  • Immune-related toxicity
  • Microbiome

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  1. SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being
    SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

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