MMFS is very proud to announce that Dr Kim Rice has been awarded a prestigious fellowship that will support the development of more effective and less toxic treatments for children with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), a rare but aggressive blood cancer. 

Despite significant advances in cancer care, outcomes for children with AML remain unacceptably poor. Around one in three children diagnosed with the disease do not survive beyond five years, and many of those who do face lifelong health challenges caused by the toxic effects of current treatments. These realities underscore the urgent need for new therapeutic approaches that improve survival while minimising long term harm. 

Dr Rice, a molecular biologist and Lecturer in Medical Genetics in Murdoch University’s School of Medical, Molecular and Forensic Sciences, brings deep expertise in leukaemia biology, epigenetics and translational drug development to this challenge. Her fellowship supported research program will focus on developing precision therapies that more accurately target the biological drivers of AML, reducing collateral damage to healthy cells. 

The program will explore novel strategies targeting epigenetic regulators that control disease-specific pathways - as well as approaches that harness the immune system to better recognise and eliminate leukaemia cells. By targeting the underlying mechanisms that sustain the disease, the research has the potential to deliver treatments that are both more effective and less toxic than existing options. 

“This work is about improving not only survival, but also quality of life,” Dr Rice said. “Children who survive cancer should not have to live with severe, lifelong consequences of their treatment.” 

A key strength of the fellowship is the formation of a new, highly collaborative research team that brings together complementary expertise from across Western Australia. Partners include Murdoch University, The Kids Research Institute Australia, the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, Perth Children’s Hospital, Fiona Stanley Hospital, and consumers with lived experience of AML. This close integration of laboratory science, clinical insight and consumer perspectives ensures the research remains strongly focused on patient centred outcomes. 

Dr Rice’s career spans academia, biotechnology and intellectual property, positioning her to translate fundamental discoveries into real world impact. Through this fellowship and funding from The Hospital Research Foundation and CCWA, her team aims to accelerate the pathway from discovery to clinic, delivering tangible benefits for children with AML and their families in Western Australia and beyond. 

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