LEUKAEMIA MICROENVIRONMENT & HIGH RISK CHILDHOOD LEUKAEMIA
With
Associate Professor Laurence Cheung
Curtin University
& Research Lead, Curtin Medical Research Institute,
Western Australia &
Research Lead,
The Kids Research Institute,
Western Australia
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Perth, Western Australia | February 2026
Associate Professor Laurence Cheung is an exemplary pharmacist-scientist whose research is focused on improving outcomes in children with high-risk leukaemia.
He obtained his Bachelor of Pharmacy degree with First Class Honours from the Curtin University in 2000 and have been a registered pharmacist since 2001. In 2014, he completed the PhD studies at The Kids Research Institute Australia (The Kids) in the area of haematopoiesis and paediatric leukaemia.
He is now an Associate Professor at the Curtin Medical School as well as Curtin Medical Research Institute, and a Co-head of the Leukaemia Translational Research Laboratory at The Kids.
He has attracted over $8.7 million in research funding, including 16 awards as CIA (over $6.1 million). Assoc Prof Cheung was named the 2019 Cancer Council of WA Early Career Cancer Researcher of the Year and received the STEM Early Career Research Award at Curtin University in 2019.
Assoc Prof Cheung enjoys nurturing and motivating the next generation scientists and HDR students and he believes that the true success is about influencing others to achieve their own greatness.
He has supervised two PhD and one Masters students to completion, and is currently supervising 4 PhD students as a Primary Supervisor. In 2023, Assoc Prof Cheung received the Faulty of Health Sciences Teaching Excellence Individual Award for Honours, Postgraduate, or HDR supervision at Curtin University.
Funding sources include: Toby for Childhood Cancer, Cancer Council Western Australia, WA Government
Source: Supplied and adapted
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6298-5288
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Investigating invasive lobular carcinoma and metaplastic breast cancer sub-types
Assoc Prof McCart Reed is the scientific lead on an MRFF-funded (Medical Research Future Fund) genomics program investigating the potential for the application of Whole Genome Sequencing in the breast cancer care pathway in Australia, ‘Q-IMPROvE’. She applies genomics and spatial transcriptomics methodologies to archival clinical samples to understand the differences between tumour types and their potential for treatment. Amy is passionate about clinical research, biobanking and precision oncology. In addition to her breast cancer research portfolio, she is on the steering committee for the Brisbane Breast Bank and the Scientific Advisory Board for Breast Cancer Trials.
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Biostatistics in Clinical Trials
As a biostatistician working in research and clinical settings, Kate Francis plays a vital role in ensuring all projects adhere to best practice guidelines and are transparently reported. She has served as the lead statistician for the analysis of clinical trials across a broad range of subject areas, including neonatal resuscitation, BCG for allergy and infection, convulsive status epilepticus and her work has been published in the top journals such as The New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, and The Lancet. Most recently she was awarded the 2025 Excellence in Trial Statistics Award for her work on the PLUSS trial.
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Integrated Oral Health Care
Dr Ajesh George is a Professor of Interprofessional Oral Health in the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University (WSU) and Honorary Professor in the School of Dentistry at The University of Sydney. He is a dentist with extensive experience in integrated oral health care and is a renowned expert globally in providing oral health training to non-dental professionals and translating oral health guidelines into their practice. Dr George is also the Director and Co-founder of the “Australian Centre for Integration of Oral Health” (ACIOH) which is a leading national research centre led by WSU in collaboration with various partners including universities, health services and professional organisations.
