Which Doctor?—Dr Laurence Catley

Mater has successfully attracted yet another top doctor to the Smart State. Dr Laurence Catley has accepted a joint position with Mater Health Services and Mater Medical Research Institute (MMRI) where he will head up the Haematology Department located in Mater Pathlogy.

What do you specialise in?

Haematology

What is your special interest?

Multiple myeloma, molecular targeted therapies

What is your medical background?

I have trained as a haematologist at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and Flinders Medical Center in South Australia and Middlemore and Auckland Hospitals in New Zealand. In 2001, I became a researcher at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, with Dr Kenneth C. Anderson, the inaugural Kraft Professor of Medicine at Harvard University.

Why did you choose to specialise in your area of specialty?

I have always been fascinated by the blood, marrow, haematopoiesis (the formation of blood) and malignant haematology. My early training was mainly in conventional chemotherapy in malignant disease, with high dose therapy and stem cell transplantation. Subsequently, I have focused more of my interests on novel molecular targeted therapies and rationalising treatment intensity to maximise benefit while minimising toxicity.

What is the most interesting/exciting area of your work, and why?

Current research into novel molecular targeted therapies is making great progress. Haematological malignancies are in most cases disseminated at diagnosis, and are often incurable. Although chemotherapy offers hope for patients, new treatments are urgently needed. In recent years, molecular targeted therapies have revolutionised the management of many patients with malignant haematological diseases by targeting key components of the malignant cell, as well as preventing deleterious effects on the bone. It has been great to see patients experiencing the benefit of these new molecular targeted therapies.

What has been your greatest professional achievement so far?

The discoveries I made in Boston were my greatest professional achievement. I was privileged to have been part of the team that led to the pre-clinical and clinical development of the new proteasome inhibitor bortezomib, or Velcade. Bortezomib was the first in a new class of drugs for the treatment of malignant disease, and the first new drug in over 30 years to be approved for use in multiple myeloma. Bortezomib has since made an impressive impact by significantly improving the survival of patients with multiple myeloma.

Another part of my research was to take part in the phase one clinical trial for Revlimid in multiple myeloma. Revlimid is a novel immunomodulatory drug, which has also been shown to improve survival of patients with multiple myeloma, and was recently approved for use in the USA.

Finally, I have also contributed to pre-clinical development of a novel drug called AMN107, which is highly specific and targeted against the malignant cells that have become resistant to the first generation of molecular targeted therapy in chronic myeloid leukemia.

What is the most challenging thing about working in your specialty?

Unfortunately, modern treatments still cannot cure many patients. When managing patients for whom their disease overwhelms them by becoming drug resistant, or for whom modern treatments have little to offer, I have to break the news, and counsel the patients and their families. This can be a very personal moment for all people involved, and demands a lot of emotional strength.

Do you have a passion besides medicine? If yes, what is it?

I am passionate about sport, art and music. Coming from Adelaide, my big passion is the AFL. My years in Boston have turned me into a passionate skier and also a Boston Red Sox baseball fan. My passion for sailing was one of the attractions of Auckland in 2000, when NZ successfully defended the America's Cup. I play classical guitar.