Associate Professor Mohammad Haskali is Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre's inaugural Chief Radiopharmaceutical Scientist and a leading expert in the development and clinical application of radiopharmaceuticals for cancer diagnosis and treatment. He earned his PhD in Radiopharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Melbourne and holds certification as a Clinical Radiopharmaceutical Scientist (CRPSS) from the Australasian College of Physical Scientists and Engineers in Medicine (ACPSEM).

Career and Expertise

Associate Professor Haskali's career spans industry and academia, beginning at Cyclotek where he specialized in radiopharmaceutical production for diagnostic imaging. He advanced his expertise in PET radiopharmaceutical development at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institutes of Health in the USA, before joining Peter Mac in 2016.

As Chief Radiopharmaceutical Scientist, Associate Professor Haskali oversees the clinical provision of radiopharmaceuticals - specialized radioactive drugs that detect cancer and deliver targeted radiation therapy directly to tumours. Under his leadership, Peter Mac operates one of the world's largest hospital-based theranostic production programs, providing extensive patient treatments and supporting numerous clinical trials including first-in-human studies.

Research Leadership and Impact

Associate Professor Haskali leads the integrated Radiopharmaceutical Sciences (iRPS) program, a comprehensive research platform unifying discovery, peptide optimization, radiochemistry, pre-clinical evaluation, and clinical implementation. His research focuses on innovative constrained peptide designs, novel radiolabelling methodologies, and transformative mRNA display technology for next-generation theranostic agents. His work also includes the development of small molecules and large biologics as radiopharmaceutical candidates for imaging and therapy.

Through competitive research funding from the NHMRC, Prostate Cancer Foundation, and National Breast Cancer Foundation, his work bridges laboratory discovery with clinical application, resulting in multiple patents and high-impact publications. He actively trains the next generation of radiopharmaceutical scientists, supervising postgraduate students and registrars across the complete development pipeline from radiotracer design to clinical translation.

Professional Recognition

Associate Professor Haskali serves on the Board of Directors of ACPSEM and previously represented radiopharmaceutical sciences on the organization's Professional Standards Board. He is a Review Editor for Frontiers in Nuclear Medicine and has contributed to organizing major international conferences in radiopharmaceutical sciences.

Associate Professor Haskali's vision encompasses establishing Australia as a global hub for radiopharmaceutical innovation, combining cutting-edge research with clinical excellence to deliver personalized cancer treatments that improve patient outcomes while advancing precision oncology.