NOVEL THERAPY FOR PANCREATIC CANCERS, TARGETING MOLECULAR FOUNDATION
Dr Michael KC Lee,
Medical Oncologist,
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre,
Melbourne, Australia
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Melbourne, Australia | February 2026
Dr Michael Lee is an experienced medical oncologist, sub-specialising in gastrointestinal cancers and neuroendocrine tumours at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.
He plays a key role in molecular tumour boards at VCCC Alliance (Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre) and MPCCC (Monash Partners Comprehensive Cancer Consortium), ensuring the accurate and effective use of precision medicine in cancer care across the state.
His care philosophy, embodied in his practice name, “Can-Therapy,” promotes a CAN-do approach to CANcer care: empowering patients to thrive beyond cancer through cutting-edge research and personalised, values-driven care. Beyond the clinic, he leads research as a clinician scientist, developing therapeutic strategies that target RNA processing – the molecular blueprint cancer hijacks to fuel its growth and resistance – by altering its sequence is like changing words in a sentence to redefine cancer’s trajectory.
Supported by Pancare Foundation, the Paul Dear Post Doctoral Fellowship and his industry collaboration, his work aims to revolutionise outcomes for patients with this aggressive cancer by targeting its molecular foundation.
He is a recognised expert in pancreatic cancer care, combining research insights with exceptional patient care, while also providing comprehensive treatment for all cancer types.
Source: Supplied
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8075-3608
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Pancreatic and lung cancers driven by mutations in the cancer gene KRAS
Dr Mara Zeissig is a recently appointed Lab Head within the Tumour Inflammation and Immunotherapy Program at the South Australian immunoGENomics Cancer Institute (SAiGENCI).
Her research focuses on studying immune evasion mechanisms in lung and pancreatic cancers to identify novel ways to increase response to immunotherapy. Her expertise is in genetically engineered mouse models of lung cancer, CRISPR-Cas9 screening technologies and T cell based immunotherapies (e.g Checkpoint inhibitors). -
Development of novel analytical and diagnostic tools using nanotechnology and microfluidics
Dr Alain Wuethrich is an NHMRC Emerging Leader fellow and ARC DECRA awardee at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology.
Hailing from Switzerland, research focuses on the development of novel analytical and diagnostic tools that harness nanotechnology and microfluidics; two rapidly growing fields with high potential to provide diagnostic solutions needed for precision medicine.
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Supportive care for people living with or beyond cancer treatment
Dr Hannah Wardill is a Hospital Research Foundation Fellow and lead of the Supportive Oncology Research Group (SORG), in the School of Biomedicine, University of Adelaide and Precision Cancer Medicine Theme, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI). She is an Executive Board Member of the Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer / International Society for Oral Oncology (MASCC/ISOO) and Chair of both MASCC/ISOO Patient Partnership Committee & the Palliative Care Clinical Studies Collaborative (PaCCSC) Cancer Symptom Trials (Gut Dysfunction Node; supported by Cancer Australia).
