From a small fundraiser to a first-in-human trial

When Sydney jeweller Sarah Gardner decided to run a small fundraiser through her business, Sarah Gardner Jewellery, she hoped it would raise awareness and contribute in some small way to blood cancer research.

What she didn’t expect was that her effort would spark a chain of events that’s led to a novel immunotherapy now moving toward an Australian first-in-human clinical trial.

Sarah was originally diagnosed with essential thrombocythaemia in December 2021. After a third opinion, her diagnosis changed to myeloproliferative neoplasm unclassified, or pre myelofibrosis. Like many people diagnosed with cancer, the uncertainty was confronting.

“I was really scared and felt a great sense of anxiety about all the unknowns,” Sarah said.

“My biggest fear was leaving my daughter without a mother or being a very different version of myself.”

Balancing treatment, parenting and running a business hasn’t been easy…

“The biggest challenge is the fatigue, followed closely by the brain fog.”

Through her fellowship, Dr Thompson Peach is now leading new research into CALR-driven myelofibrosis, work that’s directly relevant to people like Sarah who have MPN unclassified or pre myelofibrosis.

These conditions sit along the same disease spectrum and often share the same underlying mutations, including CALR, long before full myelofibrosis develops.

By targeting these mutations earlier, the research aims to do more than manage symptoms. It seeks to change the course of the disease before it progresses.

What began as exploratory research has since shaped the direction of Dr Thompson Peach’s postdoctoral program and contributed to the development of a new immunotherapy, now progressing toward first in human trials expected to begin later this year.

“We knew we were onto something, but Sarah’s contribution allowed us to keep building tools and models we simply wouldn’t have had otherwise,” Prof Thomas said.

“Those tools have led directly to the development of a new therapy for many subtypes of myelofibrosis within less than 12 months.”

This early work has also opened the door to launch additional projects now being undertaken by Dr Thompson Peach’s PhD student, further expanding the impact.

“It’s like throwing a stone in the water. The ripples just keep going,” Ken said.

“When I spoke to Sarah to tell her what her fundraising had led to, she cried. She was able to show her daughter that one person really can change things.”

Ken says donations from patients themselves often carry weight far beyond their dollar value.

“Because these gifts come from people with lived experience, they really resonate,” he said.

“When researchers apply for grants, being able to include advocacy letters from the MPN community makes a huge difference. It shows people aren’t just signing forms anymore, they’re shaping research.”

Inspired by the impact of her initial fundraiser, Sarah has since gone on to raise a further $150,000 for MPN awareness through raffles, events and a silent auction. She says the impact still gives her goosebumps.

“I honestly can’t believe it. I still re-read the email Ken sent me,” she said.

“Being able to show Rose what that one decision has led to is incredibly special. From little things, big things grow.”