Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Dr. Durga Mithraprabhu completed her Masters of Biological Sciences (Honours) at one of India’s top science and engineering colleges, the Birla Institute of Technology and Science – Pilani (BITS-Pilani) in 2003. She then pursued her Doctor of Philosophy (2004 – 2008) in Professor Kate Loveland’s laboratory at the Monash Institute of Medical Research supported by two Monash Scholarships, the Monash Graduate Scholarship (MGS) and the Monash International Postgraduate Research Scholarship (MIPRS). Dr. Mithraprabhu’s PhD investigated the role of c-KIT in spermatogenesis and haematopoiesis and she published 5 original research articles (3 first author papers) in top reproductive biology journals (Reproduction, Biology of Reproduction and International Journal of Andrology). She continues to consistently publish in reproductive biology through collaborations (3 publications – 2016, 2019 and 2020). Her PhD work provided the foundation for investigating how activin signalling regulated haematopoiesis and she was supported by the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences’ Monash Strategic Grants Scheme (2009-2010) to perform these studies.
Dr. Mithraprabhu joined Professor Andrew Spencer’s Myeloma Research Group (MRG) at the Australian Centre for Blood Diseases as a postdoctoral scientist in 2010. Her work on histone deacetylases (HDAC) in multiple myeloma (MM) and the utilisation of HDAC inhibitors (HDACi)/novel drugs for MM therapy resulted in 11 manuscripts, 6 conference abstracts, initiated a fully funded Phase I clinical trial at the Alfred Hospital and attracted significant research funding ($180K); she was subsequently promoted to Senior Research Fellow at the MRG. From 2014, Dr. Mithraprabhu has developed and led the liquid biopsy research program within MRG that focuses on the utility of circulating cell-free nucleic acids and proteins to improve genomic characterisation and therapeutic monitoring in MM. Importantly, her initial work on liquid biopsy provided the framework for the establishment of the national biobank, the M1000, that aims to procure n=1000 each of liquid biopsy samples from pre-malignant and newly diagnosed MM patients. She is also a co-investigator for liquid biopsy correlative studies on all MM clinical trials at the Alfred Hospital. Her work has resulted in several high-impact publications (3 book chapters, 9 manuscripts and 4 conference abstracts), procurement of significant research funding (2.4M) from the NHMRC, International Myeloma Foundation and Equity Trustees, invitations to speak at multiple haematology conferences, collaborations with clinicians and industry partners and 2 patents to develop circulating cell-free DNA and RNA as diagnostic modalities.
Research interests
Multiple myeloma
Liquid biopsy
Histone deacetylases
Epigenetics
Reproductive Biology
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):
Research area keywords
- myeloma
- ctDNA
- epigenetics
- haematological malignancies
- liquid biopsy
- HDAC inhibitors
- spermatogenesis
- Reproduction
- Infertility
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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GLAM study - Genomic Liquid biopsy Analysis for Multiple myeloma
Spencer, A. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Mithraprabhu, S. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Reynolds, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Wood, E. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Wellard, C. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Bingham, N. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Wong, D. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Irving, A. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Wright, T. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Ho, P. J. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & McCaughan, G. (Chief Investigator (CI))
1/08/24 → 31/07/28
Project: Research
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Establishing blood-based liquid biopsies for early detection of high-risk multiple myeloma
Bingham, N. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Mithraprabhu, S. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Spencer, A. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Reynolds, J. (Chief Investigator (CI))
1/07/24 → 1/07/25
Project: Research
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Defining the circulating genome of high-risk plasma cell disorders to improve risk stratification and clinical management
Mithraprabhu, S. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Khong, T. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Reynolds, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Murray, D. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Shah, J. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Wellard, C. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Spencer, A. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Ross, J. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Perkins, A. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Marks, A. (Associate Investigator (AI)), Beer, H. (Associate Investigator (AI)) & Henderson, M. (Associate Investigator (AI))
1/04/24 → 31/12/26
Project: Research
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Analysis of circulating tumour DNA for mutational characterisation and tracking disease progression in multiple myeloma
Spencer, A., Mithraprabhu, S., Powell, D., Reynolds, J. & Ivey, A.
1/01/18 → 31/12/21
Project: Research
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Comparison of EasyM, a clonotypic mass spectrometry assay, and EuroFlow minimal residual disease assessment in multiple myeloma
Zhao, J., Khong, T., Gorniak, M., Khaled, A., McDonald, Z., Reynolds, J., Mithraprabhu, S., Bingham, N., Lim, S., Wong, D., Johnston, A., Motorna, O., Murphy, N., Quach, H., Yang, L. & Spencer, A., Mar 2025, In: Haematologica. 110, 3, p. 764-767 4 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Letter › Research › peer-review
Open Access1 Citation (Scopus) -
Circulating tumor DNA and bone marrow minimal residual disease negativity confers superior outcome for multiple myeloma patients
Mithraprabhu, S., Reynolds, J., Quach, H., Horvath, N., Kerridge, I., Khong, T., Durie, B. G. M. & Spencer, A., Mar 2024, In: Haematologica. 109, 3, p. 974-978 5 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Letter › Research › peer-review
Open Access2 Citations (Scopus) -
Cell-free DNA chromosome copy number variations predict outcomes in plasma cell myeloma
Qiang, W., Jin, L., Luo, T., Jia, Y., Lu, J., Liu, J., He, H., Qian, Z., Mithraprabhu, S., Liang, Y., Gale, R. P., Tao, X., Wu, D. & Du, J., 5 Sept 2023, In: Blood Cancer Journal. 13, 1, 4 p., 136.Research output: Contribution to journal › Letter › Research › peer-review
Open Access1 Citation (Scopus) -
Cell Free MYC DNA Copy Number Identifies High-Risk Smouldering Myeloma and Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma
Wong, D., Reynolds, J., Wellard, C., Bingham, N., Zhao, J., Ramachandran, M., Quach, H., Gibbs, S., Khong, T. T., Mithraprabhu, S. & Spencer, A., 2 Nov 2023, In: Blood. 142, Supplement 1, p. 878 1 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Meeting Abstract › peer-review
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Circulating tumour DNA analysis predicts relapse and improves risk stratification in primary refractory multiple myeloma
Mithraprabhu, S., Reynolds, J., Turner, R., Quach, H., Horvath, N., Kerridge, I., Kalff, A., Bergin, K., Hocking, J., Yuen, F., Khong, T., Durie, B. M. & Spencer, A., 13 Feb 2023, In: Blood Cancer Journal. 13, 1, 5 p., 25.Research output: Contribution to journal › Letter › Other › peer-review
Open Access7 Citations (Scopus)
Prizes
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Awarded 2nd Prize in poster presentation
Mithraprabhu, S. (Recipient), 4 Oct 2016
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Awarded 3rd Prize for 4th Year Student Presentations
Mithraprabhu, S. (Recipient), 12 Nov 2007
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Best basic research in Myeloma
Mithraprabhu, S. (Recipient), 1 Nov 2017
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Best basic research in Myeloma
Mithraprabhu, S. (Recipient), 14 Nov 2016
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Best Presentation Award
Mithraprabhu, S. (Recipient), 29 Jun 2012
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)