Dr Leslie Calapre, PhD, is an early-career Postdoctoral Research Fellow specialising in molecular biology, liquid biopsy, and translational cancer research. She has developed a strong research profile centred on advanced molecular approaches, underpinned by both academic and industry experience.

Dr Calapre has authored 34 peer-reviewed publications, has been collectively cited more than 978 times, and has delivered over 30 presentations at national and international conferences, including multiple invited talks. She has demonstrated strong success in competitive research funding, securing more than $1.5 million as a Chief Investigator, including a Cancer Council WA Project Grant and an Early Career Investigator Grant. In addition, she has contributed as an Associate Investigator on projects collectively exceeding $6 million in funding. Her contributions have been recognised through multiple awards, including honours from the National Melanoma Conference (2014), the Australian Society for Medical Research National Conference (2019), and the ECU Early and Mid-Career Research Network (2020).

Prior to returning to academia, Dr Calapre spent nearly two years at PathWest, where she played a key role in establishing comprehensive genomic testing pipelines. This experience strengthened her commitment to bridging laboratory discovery with clinical implementation and continues to inform her work in precision oncology and biomarker development.

Dr Calapre’s current research focuses on applying single-cell and spatially resolved technologies to dissect the tumour microenvironment and its influence on response to immunotherapy. She is particularly interested in understanding the spatial and cellular dynamics of tertiary lymphoid structures and their role in therapeutic response and resistance. To achieve this, she employs a suite of cutting-edge genomic and imaging approaches, including:

• Single-cell and spatial profiling: applying single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics to characterise tumour heterogeneity, cellular ecosystems, and tissue architecture
• Tumour–immune interactions: interrogating immune cell states and cell–cell communication networks to uncover mechanisms of therapeutic response
• Translational omics: integrating spatially resolved transcriptomic and proteomic data with liquid biopsy analyses to validate and refine circulating biomarkers for precision immuno-oncology applications

Her research aims to translate high-resolution molecular insights into clinically actionable strategies, ultimately improving patient outcomes in cancer.