Devendra Hiwase

Devendra Hiwase

Adelaide Medical School

Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.


Qualifications: MBBS, MD, FRACP, FRCPA, PhD
Practice Responsibilities: Clinical and laboratory haematology
Specialities: Malignant haematology and stem cell transplantation
Site: Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH), Haematology Department

A/Prof Devendra Hiwase is a Consultant Haematologist at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, Senior Lecturer, University of Adelaide and Senior Research Fellow at South Australia Health Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI). He has a special interest in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and stem cell transplantation. In 2012, he started the MDS Research Group and South Australian MDS (SA-MDS) registry. Currently, the Group is involved in clinical and translational research projects, including mutational profiling, identifying novel biomarkers, and exploring the impact of nursing case management and comprehensive geriatric assessment on patients with MDS and related disorders.

A/Prof Hiwase’s research focuses on the pathogenesis of myeloid neoplasms and has presented his research findings in multiple international and national meetings and published in peer reviewed journals.

He serves on the editorial board of Leukemia Research and as a reviewer for speciality journals such as Haematologica, Leukemia and Lymphoma, as well as British Journal of Haematology. He is also a subject expert reviewer (external) for NHMRC project grants and has made regular contributions to teaching, provision of specialist medical services, and involvement in local and national committees. Dr Hiwase is a fellow of RACP, RCPA and member of the Australasian Leukaemia and Lymphoma Group (ALLG), Haematology Society of Australasia and New Zealand (HSANZ), American Society of Hematology, and a steering committee member of the national MDS and Aplastic Anaemia registry.

Myeloid neoplasms including myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) are a group of blood cancers that frequently affect older people. Some patients develop MDS/AML after treatment for their primary cancer (i.e. prostate cancer, breast cancer). This group of patients are known as having therapy-related myeloid neoplasms (T-MN). There are very limited treatment options for T-MN and the survival of these patients is poor. The MDS/AML Research Group focuses on improving the clinical outcome of patients by optimising current therapies and developing new therapies.

Our research group is split into two main arms of MDS/AML research – clinical research and basic science research. The clinical team focuses on patients’ health-related issues including developing global assessment tools to assess patients’ psycho-social needs, quality of life, overall health issues, and treatment-related toxicity. We also aim to improve treatment strategies by studying other factors, such as the management of infections, transfusion support, geriatric support, anticoagulation bleeding support and autoimmune diseases. The basic science team focuses on understanding the molecular pathogenesis of MDS/AML and identify biomarkers (i.e. predisposing mutations, abnormal bone marrow environment caused by long-term chemotherapy and drug resistance proteins) which can potentially change management and developing novel therapeutic approaches. 

  1. Molecular pathogenesis of bone marrow failure and drug resistance in MDS and therapy-related myeloid neoplasms. Miller Bequest HSCGB (2020). $30,800. Devendra Hiwase.
  2. Molecular pathogenesis of bone marrow failure and drug resistance in MDS and therapy-related myeloid neoplasms. Sail for Cancer HSCGB (2020). $30,000. Devendra Hiwase.
  3. Precision Medicine for Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukaemia: A phase II Trial Studying the Efficacy of Lenzilumab and High Dose Ascorbate with Azacitidine Based on Molecular Profiling Compared to Risk-matched Historical Cohort. MRFF Rare Cancers, Rare Diseases and Unmet Need APP1201012 (2019). $1,619,122. Timothy Hughes, Devendra Hiwase, David Ross, Daniel Thomas, David Yeung, Steven Lane, Agnes Yong, Angel Lopez, Timothy Hercus, John Reynolds.
  4. Understanding molecular pathogenesis of therapy related myeloid neoplasm. MRFF Investigator Grants MRF1195517 (2019). $560,105. Devendra Hiwase
  5. South Australian MDS-Database. Grant Funding, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Australia Pty Limited (2018). $60,000. Devendra Hiwase
  6. To evaluate the frequency of clonal haematopoiesis and risk of therapy-related myeloid neoplasm in primary cancer patients treated with chemo/radiotherapy. RAH Research Committee Clinical Project Grant (2018). $50,000. Nimit Singhal, Deepak Singhal, Devendra Hiwase, Chris Hahn, Hamish Scott
  7. Molecular pathogenesis of bone marrow failure and drug resistance in MDS. Miller Bequest HSCGB (2018). $75,886.50. Devendra Hiwase.
  8. Determine the clinical impact of mutation profile in ICUS, MDS and t-MN. Sail for Cancer HSCGB (2018). $38,220.67. Devendra Hiwase.
  9. Molecular profiling to improve diagnosis and develop therapeutic strategy for MDS/MPN overlap syndrome. Miller Bequest HSCGB (2017). $73,718. Ian Lewis, Devendra Hiwase, Amilia Wee
  10. Molecular Profiling of Idiopathic Cytopenia Undetermined Significance to Improve Diagnosis and Develop Prognostic Model. Sail for Cancer HSCGB (2017). $54,345. Ian Lewis, Devendra Hiwase, Amilia Wee

I lead the MDS/AML research group in the South Australian Health and Medical Institute (SAHMRI) and supervise a research assistant, data manager, senior nurse, two PhD students, advanced trainee registrars and medical students. I am actively involved teaching medical students and was awarded “Best teacher of the year” by the University of Adelaide.

  • Current Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2024 Principal Supervisor The burden of cure: Secondary malignancy after allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplant Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Alia Elizabeth Cibich
    2023 Co-Supervisor Novel Target Discovery for TP53 Mutated clonal Haematopoiesis Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Hossein Anani
    2023 Principal Supervisor Role of Inherited and Acquired Genetic Changes in the Molecular Pathogenesis of Therapy-Related Myeloid Neoplasms Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Dr Deepak Singhal
    2022 Co-Supervisor A humanized monocyte model of TET2 mutated clonal hematopoiesis for noel target discovery Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Miss Maha Kamel
    2021 Co-Supervisor Deciphering the Role of New Adaptors in Regulation of Nedd4 Ubiquitin Ligases Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mr Ryan Daniel Norton
    2019 Co-Supervisor Frailty in Patients with Haematological Malignancies Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Part Time Dr Angela Teresa Molga
  • Past Higher Degree by Research Supervision (University of Adelaide)

    Date Role Research Topic Program Degree Type Student Load Student Name
    2018 - 2022 Co-Supervisor Evaluating the Role of Bone Marrow Microenvironment in the Pathogenesis of Therapy-related Myeloid Neoplasms Doctor of Philosophy Doctorate Full Time Mrs Monika Maria Kutyna

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