Associate Professor Colm Keane

Principal Research Fellow

Frazer Institute
Faculty of Medicine
c.keane@uq.edu.au
+61 7 344 37912

Overview

Dr Keane is a haematologist at Princess Alexandra Hospital and runs the Lymphoma Research Lab at the UQDI in Brisbane. His main research interest is focused on the interface between the tumour microenvironment and the malignant lymphoma cell, with a goal to build an understanding of lymphoma from an immunological and biomarkers perspective. To bridge developments between the clinic and bench-top, the laboratory has a strong emphasis on patient material, which it obtains from international and national clinical collaborators, much being from investigator-led clinical trials.

Lymphomas studied include more common lymphomas such as Hodgkin Lymphoma, Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma and Follicular Lymphoma but his lab has a particular focus on rare lymphomas such as primary central nervous system lymphoma and lymphomas that develop in patients who are immunocompromised.

Dr. Keane has been instrumental in translating work from his lab into multiple immune based clinical trials currently being run across Australia, many in rare and hard to treat lymphomas, where patients have limited treatments available.

The goals of the lab are to directly improve outcomes for all lymphoma patients by performing innovative translational science that not only generates new knowledge and brings new treatments to Australian patients but helps to train the next generation of lymphoma researchers in Australia.

Research Interests

  • Tumour Immunology
  • DLBCL
  • Primary CNS Lymphoma
  • Hodgkin Lymphoma
  • Viral Associated Lymphomas

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Philosophy, Griffith University
  • Masters (Coursework) of Business Administration, Griffith University

Publications

View all Publications

Supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy

  • Doctor Philosophy

  • Doctor Philosophy

View all Supervision

Publications

Book Chapter

  • Keane, Colm, Nourse, Jamie P. and Gandhi, Maher K. (2012). Rituximab induced late-onset neutropenia. Rituximab: Pharmacology, Clinical Uses and Health Effects. (pp. 93-102) Hauppauge, NY United States: Nova Science Publishers.

Journal Article

Conference Publication

  • Johnson, Nathalie A., Lavie, David, Borchmann, Peter, Gregory, Gareth P., Herrera, Alex F., Minuk, Leonard, Vucinic, Vladan, Armand, Philippe, Avigdor, Abraham, Gasiorowski, Robin, Herishanu, Yair, Keane, Colm, Kuruvilla, John, Palcza, John, Pillai, Pallavi, Nahar, Akash and Timmerman, John (2022). Updated Results from an Open-Label Phase 1/2 Study of Favezelimab (anti-LAG-3) Plus Pembrolizumab in Relapsed or Refractory Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma. 64th ASH Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA United States, 10-13 December 2022. Washington, DC United States: American Society of Hematology. doi: 10.1182/blood-2022-166846

  • Timmerman, John, Lavie, David, Johnson, Nathalie A., Avigdor, Abraham, Borchmann, Peter, Andreadis, Charalambos, Bazargan, Ali, Gregory, Gareth P., Keane, Colm, Tsoran-Rosenthal, Inna, Vucinic, Vladan, Zinzani, Pier Luigi, West, Rachel Marceau, Pillai, Pallavi, Nahar, Akash and Herrera, Alex F. (2022). Updated Results from an Open-Label Phase 1/2 Study of Favezelimab (anti-LAG-3) Plus Pembrolizumab in Relapsed or Refractory Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma after Anti-PD-1 Treatment. 64th ASH Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA United States, 10-13 December 2022. Washington, DC United States: American Society of Hematology. doi: 10.1182/blood-2022-166670

  • Gunawardana, Jay, Law, Soi C., Sabdia, Muhammed B., Bednarska, Karolina, Brosda, Sandra, Zaharia, Andreea, Tsang, Hennes, de Long, Lilia M., Burgess, Melinda, Talaulikar, Dipti, Lee, Justina N., Jude, Emily, Hawkes, Eliza A., Jain, Sanjiv, Nath, Karthik, Gould, Clare, Swain, Fiona, Tobin, Joshua W. D., Keane, Colm, Birch, Simone, Shanavas, Mohamed, Snell, Cameron and Gandhi, Maher K. (2022). Abstract A17: the immune checkpoints TIGIT and PD-1 are markedly upregulated in NLPHL compared to classical Hodgkin Lymphoma. Third AACR International Meeting: Advances in Malignant Lymphoma: Maximizing the Basic-Translational Interface for Clinical Application, 23-25 June 2022, Boston, MA USA. Philadelphia, PA USA: American Association for Cancer Research. doi: 10.1158/2643-3249.lymphoma22-a17

  • Manos, Kate, Khor, Richard, Chong, Geoffrey, Palmer, Jodie, MacManus, Michael, Keane, Colm, Scott, Andrew M., Shortt, Jake, Ritchie, David, Churilov, Leonid, Johnston, Laura, Witkowski, Tom, Barraclough, Allison, Lee, Sze Ting, Lin, Wendi, Koldej, Rachel and Hawkes, Eliza (2021). Phase I Dose Escalation Study of Radiotherapy and Durvalumab (MEDI4736) in Relapsed or Refractory Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBCL): The RaDD Study. Annual Meeting of the American-Association-for-Cancer-Research (AACR), Philadelphia Pa, Apr 10-May 21, 2021. PHILADELPHIA: AMER ASSOC CANCER RESEARCH.

  • Tsang, Hennes, Patch, Ann-Marie, Keane, Colm, Law, Soi C., Gunawardana, Jay, Blombery, Piers, Thompson, Ella R., Sabdia, Muhammed B., De Long, Lilia Merida, Belle, Clemence J., Nath, Karthik, Tobin, Joshua W.D., Kazakoff, Stephen H., Seymour, John F., MacManus, Michael and Gandhi, Maher K. (2020). Neoantigens are typically associated with intact HLA class I presentation in early-stage follicular lymphoma. 62nd ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition, Online, 5-8 December 2020. Washington, DC United States: American Society of Hematology. doi: 10.1182/blood-2020-135954

  • Hawkes, Eliza Anne, Manos, Kate, Chong, Geoffrey, Palmer, Jodie, MacManus, Michael Patrick, Keane, Colm, Scott, Andrew Mark, Shortt, Jake, Ritchie, David, Churilov, Leonid, Johnston, Laura, Witkowski, Tom, Barraclough, Allison Anne, Lee, Sze Ting, Lin, Wendi, Koldej, Rachel and Khor, Richard (2020). Phase I study of radiotherapy (RT) & durvalumab in relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) & follicular lymphoma (FL): The RADD study. Annual Meeting of the American-Society-of-Clinical-Oncology (ASCO), Electr Network, May 29-31, 2020. PHILADELPHIA: LIPPINCOTT WILLIAMS & WILKINS.

  • Nath, Karthik, Law, Soi C., Sabdia, Muhammed B., De Long, Lilia Merida, Shanavas, Mohamed, Tobin, Joshua W. D., Gunawardana, Jay, Vari, Frank, Halliday, Sarah-Jane, Hernandez, Annette, Cross, Donna, Bird, Robert J., Keane, Colm and Gandhi, Maher K. (2019). Intra-tumoral CD8+T-cells in follicular lymphoma contain large clonal expansions that are amenable to dual-checkpoint blockade. 61st Annual Meeting and Exposition of the American-Society-of-Hematology (ASH), Orlando, FL, United States, 7 - 10 December 2019. Washington, DC, United States: American Society of Hematology. doi: 10.1182/blood-2019-130050

  • Hawkes, Eliza A., Manos, Kate, Chong, Geoff, Palmer, Jodie, MacManus, Michael, Keane, Colm, Scott, Andrew, Shortt, Jake, Ritchie, David, Churilov, Leonid, Johnston, Laura, Witkowski, Tom, Barraclough, Allison, Lee, Sze-Ting, Lin, Wendi, Koldej, Rachel and Khor, Richard (2019). y Phase I Dose Escalation Study of Radiotherapy and Durvalumab (MEDI4736) in Relapsed/Refractory Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL): The RaDD Study. 61st Annual Meeting and Exposition of the American-Society-of-Hematology (ASH), Orlando Fl, Dec 07-10, 2019. WASHINGTON: AMER SOC HEMATOLOGY. doi: 10.1182/blood-2019-122635

  • Gandhi, M.K., Hoang, T., Tobin, J.W., Law, S.C., Talaulikar, D., Jain, S., Vari, F., Murigneux, V., Fink, L., Gunawardana, J., Gould, C., Oey, H., Delecluse, S., Trappe, R.U., Merida de Long, L., Sabdia, M.B., Bhagat, G., Hapgood, G., Blyth, E., Clancy, L., Casey, J., Wight, J., Hawkes, E. and Keane, C. (2019). EBV+ CNS lymphomas have a distinctive tumor microenvironment and genetic profile, which is amenable to combination 3rd party EBV-specific CTL and Ibrutinib therapy. 15th International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma, Lugano, Switzerland, 18–22 June 2019. Oxford, United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons. doi: 10.1002/hon.91_2629

  • Gould, Clare, Keane, Colm, Murigneux, Valentine, Oey, Harald, Ellis, Jonathan, Birch, Simone, Gunawardana, Jay, Talaulikar, Dipti, Hertzberg, Mark S., Jones, Kimberley and Gandhi, Maher K. (2019). B2M Gene Expression Reflects an Immunologically Active Tumor Microenvironment in DLBCL. ASH Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL, United States, 7-10 December 2019. Washington, DC, United States: American Society of Hematology. doi: 10.1182/blood-2019-126537

  • Abro, Emad Uddin, Law, Soi C., Keane, Colm, Birch, Simone, Sabdia, Muhammed Bilal, Tobin, Joshua W. D., Johnson, Peter, Trotman, Judith, Berkahn, Leanne, Fulham, Michael, Anderson, Richard A., Saunderson, Anne L., Gunawardana, Jay, Cross, Donna, Hernandez, Annette, Halliday, Sarah-Jane, Bird, Robert, Law, W. P., Gill, Devinder and Gandhi, Maher K. (2018). A critical role for intratumoral and circulating LAG3 in classical Hodgkin Lymphoma: analysis from the Rathl prospective phase III international clinical trial. 60th ASH Annual Meeting, San Diego, CA United States, 1-4 December 2020. Washington, DC United States: American Society of Hematology. doi: 10.1182/blood-2018-99-112008

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • 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

  • Tobin, Joshua W. D., Royle, Jane, Mason, Robert, Michael, Millward, Lydia, Warburton, Sandhu, Shahneen, Haydon, Andrew, Long, Georgina, Carlino, Matteo, Smith, Jessica L., Dearden, Helen, Mollee, Peter, Gill, Devinder, Mapp, Sally, Atkinson, Victoria and Keane, Colm (2017). The Effect of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Patients with Concomitant Advanced Melanoma and Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia. 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Lecao K.-A., Keane C., Han E., Talaulikar D. and Gandhi M. (2015). Improving conventional prognosticators in diffuse large B cell lymphoma using marker ratios. Scientific Stream at Big Data in Health Analytics 2015, BigData 2015, Sydney; Australia, October 20, 2015-October 21, 2015. Aachen, Germany: Rheinisch-Westfaelische Technische Hochschule Aachen.

  • Scherer, Florian, Kurtz, David Matthew, Green, Michael Richard, Newman, Aaron M., Klass, Daniel M., Zhou, Li, Krishnan, Rashi, Liu, Chih Long, Glover, Cynthia, Ohgami, Robert S., Hicks, Rodney J., Keane, Colm, Kong, Katherine A., Faham, Malek, Hertzberg, Mark S., Gandhi, Maher K., Advani, Ranjana H., Levy, Ronald, Diehn, Maximilian and Alizadeh, Ash A. (2015). Pre-treatment circulating tumor DNA as a biomarker for disease burden in diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), Chicago, United States, May 29-June 2, 2015. Alexandria, United States: American Society of Clinical Oncology.

  • Keane, Colm, Jones, Kimberly, Gould, Clare, Hamm, David, Wood, Peter, Birch, Simone, Crooks, Pauline, Green, Michael R., Taulaulikar, Dipti, Jain, Sanjiv, Tobin, Josh and Gandhi, Maher K. (2015). The T Cell Receptor (TCR) Repertoire Is a Key Determinant of the Tumour Microenvironment (TME) in Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL). 55th Annual Meeting and Exposition of the American-Society-of-Hematology, New Orleans, LA, United States, 7-10 December 2013. WASHINGTON: AMER SOC HEMATOLOGY.

  • Kurtz, David Matthew, Green, Michael R., Bratman, Scott Victor, Liu, Chih-Long, Glover, Cynthia, Keane, Colm, Kong, Katie, Faham, Malek, Miklos, David Bernard, Advani, Ranjana H., Levy, Ronald, Hertzberg, Mark S., Gandhi, Maher K., Diehn, Maximilian and Alizadeh, Ash A. (2014). Noninvasive monitoring of cellular versus acellular tumor DNA from immunoglobulin genes for DLBCL. 50th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Chicago IL United States, May 30-June 3, 2014. Alexandria VA, United States: American Society of Clinical Oncology.

  • Gandhi, Maher K., Vari, Frank, Crooks, Pauline, Keane, Colm, Nourse, Jamie P., Seymour, Louise A., Ritchie, David, Gottlieb, David, Gill, Devinder and Jones, Kimberley (2012). Serum CD163 and TARC in Combination As Disease Response Biomarkers in Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma. 54th Annual Meeting and Exposition of the American-Society-of-Hematology (ASH), Atlanta GA, United States, 8-11 December 2012. Washington, DC United States: American Society of Hematology.

  • Gandhi, MK, Hertzberg, MS, Han, E, Seymour, JF, Hicks, R, Gill, DS, Keane, C, Crooks, P, Radford, K and Vari, F (2011). Monocytes Are Associated with Impaired T-Cell Immunity and Residual Interim-PET/CT Avidity After 4 Cycles of CHOP-R In Patients with High-Risk DLBCL. 53rd Annual Meeting and Exposition of the American-Society-of-Hematology (ASH), San Diego Ca, Dec 10-13, 2011. WASHINGTON: AMER SOC HEMATOLOGY.

  • Keane, C, Shen, L, Han, E, Nourse, JP, Lea, R, Mollee, P, Gill, DS and Gandhi, MK (2011). Tissue Microarray in DLBCL Patients receiving R-CHOP Chemo-Immunotherapy Shows Survival Benefit for Coexpression of LMO2/BCL6. 53rd Annual Meeting and Exposition of the American-Society-of-Hematology (ASH), San Diego Ca, Dec 10-13, 2011. WASHINGTON: AMER SOC HEMATOLOGY.

  • Keane, C., Shen, L., Nourse, J., Han, E., Jones, K. and Gandhi, M. (2011). Tissue microarray in DLBCL patients receiving CHOP-R chemo-immunotherapy shows survival benefit for coexpression of LMO2/BCL6 and poor outcome for EBER-ISH positive patients. 11th International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma, Lugano, Switzerland, 15-18 June 2011. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.

  • Gandhi, M., Keane, C., Nourse, J., Jones, K., Ross, N., Han, E. and Nguyen-Van, D. (2010). Ebv-Positive Dlbcl of the Elderly Is a Distinct Clinico-Biological Entity with Poor Outcome in Chop-R Treated Patients. 15th Annual Meeting of the European-Hematology-Association, Barcelona Spain, June 10-13, 2010. Pavia, Italy: Fondazione Ferrata Storti.

  • McHugh, Johnny, O'Ceallaigh, Cathal, Keane, Colm, Otridge, Brian W. and O'Gorman, Peter (2006). Thalidomide and dexamethasone in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. 48th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology, Orlando, FL, United States, 9-12 December 2006. Washington, DC, United States: American Society of Hematology. doi: 10.1182/blood.V108.11.5120.5120

  • McHugh, Johnny, Keane, Colm, Otridge, Brian W., Thornton, Patrick and O'Gorman, Peter (2005). Thalidomide and dexamethasone in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. 47th Annual Meeting of the American-Society-of-Hematology, Atlanta, GA, United States, 10-13 December 2005. Washington, DC, United States: American Society of Hematology. doi: 10.1182/blood.V106.11.5185.5185

  • Mills, AK, Gibbs, S, Keane, C, Mollee, P, Grimmett, K, Van Kuilenburg, R, Saal, R, Gill, D, Prince, HM, Seymour, JF and Marlton, P (2004). Optimal timing of peripheral blood stem cell mobilisation in patients with hematological malignancies treated with the hyper-CVAD chemotherapy regimen. 46th Annual Meeting of the American-Society-of-Hematology, San Diego Ca, Dec 04-07, 2004. WASHINGTON: AMER SOC HEMATOLOGY.

Grants (Administered at UQ)

PhD and MPhil Supervision

Current Supervision

  • Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor

  • Master Philosophy — Associate Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor

  • Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor