Early Career Spotlight: Kaylee Molin
Western Australian early career researcher Kaylee Molin recently attended the prestigious European Association of Nuclear Medicine (EANM) Conference in Hamburg, Germany where she had the opportunity to connect with international experts and share insights from her innovative cancer research.
Her participation was made possible through support from The Charlies Foundation for Research, highlighting the importance of investing in local medical research talent.
Advancing Patient-Centred Research Globally
Building on the foundations of her master’s research, Kaylee is preparing to embark on a PhD, where she will continue exploring cutting-edge solutions in the field. The aim of her research is to improve outcomes for patients diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. Unfortunately, in its advanced stages, prostate cancer has a low survival rate. Kaylee’s research focuses on finding ways to change this trajectory.
By analysing PET scans and extracting advanced imaging features, Kaylee is investigating correlations between these features and survival outcomes. Her findings indicate that certain imaging features, such as the uptake of the tracer administered to the patient and the randomness of pixel patterns in the tumour, are highly correlated with survival time.
In the future, clinicians may be able to use these imaging features to guide treatment decisions and predict patient outcomes, with the overarching goal of improving care and enabling personalised medicine for patients with advanced prostate cancer.
Kaylee is currently working as a Junior Radiation Oncology Medical Physicist at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital. In her role, she is responsible for checking radiation plans for cancer patients undergoing treatment. Additionally, she is part of a team focused on improving internal hospital systems to enhance patient specific quality assurance.
Next year, Kaylee will begin her PhD, continuing her research into improving outcomes for patients with advanced prostate cancer. Her work will combine artificial intelligence techniques with medical imaging to better assess patient responses in advanced prostate cancer cases. This research aims to pave the way for more personalised and effective treatments for West Australians.
Making Global Connections
With over 8,000 attendees at the conference, I had the chance to connect with emerging researchers, like myself, and leading experts in the field. It was especially inspiring to meet other young female researchers in nuclear medicine, a field where women are often underrepresented." Kaylee shares.
After returning from Germany, Kaylee continued to showcase her work at the Engineering and Physical Sciences in Medicine Conference in Melbourne. There, she joined fellow early career researchers from Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital to highlight Western Australian innovation on both national and international stages.
Supporting Local Talent
At the Charlies Foundation for Research, we are dedicated to advancing patient-centred research and nurturing talent that drives vital WA research. From early career researchers like Kaylee, to groundbreaking projects, our work is transforming patient health outcomes. To read more about the impact, explore our latest publication.
