medical research companies in melbourne

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“There are millions of people living healthier lives today because of WEHI’s discoveries and every day we’re working on the next vital breakthrough.”

We’re shining a light on some of our most complex health issues. With the brightest scientists and advanced technologies, we’re making new discoveries to transform lives.

We’ve been making critical discoveries for more than 100 years in the fields of cancer, immune health and infection, developmental disorders and healthy ageing. Our world-class tools and technologies help turn our research into new treatments and ways to diagnose disease.

Meet the researchers uncovering new clues in the curious case of our ageing immune system.

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We’re taking healthy further

From day one, HMRI has always been about our community. We exist to transform the health and wellbeing of our communities, and our goal is to create the healthiest million people for the planet right here in the Hunter New England region.

Our vision is not just a local or a regional one. We aim to discover local and cure global , making health discoveries in our region that are scalable and can be applied to transform health outcomes right around the world.

With a founding partnership between the University of Newcastle, Hunter New England Local Health District and the community, our Institute is a shining example of what can be achieved when we come together under a shared purpose.

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We empower excellence across a wide number of fields in medical research. 

HMRI now represents more than 1,700 researchers, staff and students working across all stages of the research translation journey, from testing new ideas in the lab, to trialling breakthrough medicines in patients who need it most, to delivering innovative programs in our communities, and important new treatments in our hospitals.

Our researchers cover an extensive range of research areas including asthma, cancer, stroke, mental health and many more. We also have extensive expertise in a range of approaches to medical research including drug repurposing and brain neuromodulation.

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We live in a very special place and our secret to success is the way we come together to tackle the biggest issues of our time. 

Almost 30% of Australia’s population live outside of major cities, in areas that have a higher proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, elderly people and other priority populations. The Hunter New England region is reflective of this, home to a diverse population of almost one million people spread across urban, regional, and rural locations.  

Importantly, as our researchers discover what works locally, these insights can be applied to other places in NSW, Australia and worldwide. 

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At HMRI, we push our research further to make it relevant to everyday life. 

Our world leading experts collaborate across multidisciplinary teams with one goal, to help our community be healthier. We want to supercharge this, by being radically collaborative with the one million people in our Hunter New England region. 

When we partner with the community, health and medical research becomes more relevant to our community’s needs.  

We’re getting out of the lab and into your world. We’re listening and doing. We’re thinking long term. We are open to all and connected to many.  

We house a comprehensive suite of services designed to accelerate research translation.

We provide world-class facilities and access to a suite of research accelerator services within our HMRI ecosystem.  

HMRI has expertise in clinical trials, data sciences, health economics, research impact, histology, and imaging. 

Our research accelerator services unite multidisciplinary expertise under one roof to support the entire health and medical research pipeline.

Our teams are leaders in their fields and help ensure our research is embedded into our communities efficiently, supporting our region to have world-leading health services that have real life impact.  

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Six biotech companies in Melbourne that have been making the news

Located on the southeastern coast of Australia, Melbourne is one of the leading life science hubs in the Asia Pacific region, according to a CBRE report published in 2021. With more and more investors taking an interest in the Melbourne region, this contributes to the country’s market value of $170 billion in the sector, with numerous innovative biotech companies making their mark.

The city’s expanding life science cluster saw growth by nearly 20% in 2020, at a time when the overall Asia Pacific market had dipped by 25%. The city is home to multinational companies like medtech company PolyNovo which develops polymers that treat wounds, and biopharma company Clinuvel, which specializes in metabolic and acute disorders. Other global companies like Thermo Fisher, Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer operate in Melbourne too.

In this article, let us take a look at six biotech companies that have received funding over the past two years, to help strengthen their pipelines, commercialize their drugs and advance their technologies.

Table of contents

Nutromics is one among Melbourne’s biotech companies that secured funding this year. Having bagged A$11 million ($7 million) in pre-series funding, it looks to commercialize its continuous diagnostic monitoring technology, which is the world’s first precision diagnostic platform, in the next few years. 

With an aim to accelerate diagnostics in the clinic by integrating biotech and software technology, it has developed a skin patch device that contains DNA-based sensors that are coated onto the surface of minimally invasive microneedles. One patch can have dozens of sensors since each microneedle is a separate sensor. This lab-on-a-patch can help track various targets like biomarkers in the body continuously and in real time. The synthetic DNA strand remains unfolded until it spots its target, after which it changes shape, which the software decodes to identify the presence and the amount of the target. The patch is being designed to integrate with the clinical system, to be able to project the result on screens.

As lab diagnostics can only provide a single data point from a blood test that was taken many hours prior, which accounts for 70% of clinical decisions. According to a study published in the National Library of Medicine, it may lead to poor patient outcomes. Nutromics aims to tackle this issue with the help of its technology.

The biotech, which was established in 2017, had raked in funds worth $14 million, in another fundraising in September last year. The company’s technology is currently being tested in clinical trials at Monash University in Melbourne.

Ena Respiratory

Melbourne-based biotech company Ena Respiratory was awarded $4.38 million from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to speed up the development of its lead drug candidate INNA-051, earlier this year.

Specializing in the field of innate immune modulators, the company’s candidate is a nasal spray that is being designed to target respiratory viral infections in people who do not respond well to vaccinations due to immunosuppression, and those who have a higher risk of being exposed to viral diseases. These include patients with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, congestive heart failure, chronic kidney disease and patients with comorbidities.

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INNA-05, a synthetic pegylated TLR2/6 agonist, aims to boost the body’s immune system. While the body’s natural defense system fights viruses and other pathogens, this mechanism is subdued in people with chronic respiratory diseases. So, the drug candidate works by activating TLR2 receptors in lung cells, which enables the immune system, particularly macrophages, to combat the virus. 

INNA-051 was found to have improved respiratory virus clearance as well as reduced the duration of infection in a phase 2a clinical study . Ena Respiratory plans to conduct a phase 2b study soon.

Committed to bringing cellular medicines to the forefront of treating ​​inflammatory conditions, Melbourne-based Mesoblast’s drug candidate, remestemcel-L, is currently in phase 3 trials for the treatment of steroid-refractory acute graft versus host disease (SR-aGVHD) as well as moderate to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). It is also developing Rexlemesocel-L, which is being investigated as a treatment for heart failure and chronic lower back pain.

Mesoblast’s cell therapies include mesenchymal lineage cells that have been taken from healthy donors, and expanded to a reproducible cell population for scale-up purposes. One of the advantages of these cells is that they can be given to patients without them undergoing donor-recipient matching.

Also in its pipeline is MPC-300-IV, a potential treatment for diabetic nephropathy and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which is in phase 2 trials at the moment. MPC-300-IV is made up of 300 million mesenchymal precursor cells (MPCs) that are delivered to patients intravenously. It works by inhibiting proinflammatory pathways – like TNF-alpha, IL-6 and IL-17 – in both cases. 

The Melbourne-based biotech company’s remestemcel-L for treating children under the age of 12 who have been diagnosed with SR-aGVHD was rejected by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which demanded additional data, earlier this year. However, it aims to pour the U.S. $40 million that it received in a private placement in April, into launching remestemcel-L, as well as proceeding with a confirmatory phase 3 clinical trial of rexlemestrocel-L in patients with chronic lower back pain.

Telix Pharmaceuticals

The radiopharmaceuticals market was valued at 5.2 billion in 2022, which is forecasted to double by 2030, according to Vantage Market Research. Telix Pharmaceuticals is among the many that contribute to this market.

With a mission to advance precision care, the company has a pipeline that is based on molecularly targeted radiation, which aims to surpass the effectiveness of radiotherapies as they have a more reputable safety profile. Its Gallium 68 radioisotope small molecule for the treatment of prostate cancer, is a diagnostic imaging tool that is currently on the market. Its Lutetium 177 prostate cancer therapeutic agent is in phase 2 trials at the moment. Moreover, its theranostic candidates that target the brain and kidney are in phase 3 and phase 2 trials as well.

Additionally, according to interim data that was published earlier this month, its radio-antibody drug conjugate (rADC) investigational therapy, TLX591, was found to be safe and tolerable, after patients with prostate cancer were administered two doses that were two weeks apart, along with standard of care.

The Melbourne-based biotech company’s imaging kit for prostate cancer, Illuccix, was approved by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Health Canada, which has led to its commercialization in the U.S., Australia and New Zealand. 

Telix had raised $175 million to advance its pipeline towards commercialization, last year.

Founded in 2015 in Melbourne, clinical-stage biotech company Aravax is dedicated to developing a disease-modifying treatment for peanut allergy. 

Its drug candidate PVX108, is an immunotherapy that aims to reset immune balance among Treg cells and Th2 cells, regulatory and proinflammatory T cells that tend to be present in varied, unbalanced amounts in the case of allergies. Excess Th2 accumulates in the body and triggers other cells in a cascade of reactions, inducing allergic symptoms that include inflammation, bronchoconstriction – the tightening of muscles in the lungs making it hard to breathe – vomiting and hives.  

PVX108, which consists of peptides, is designed to target these T cells. These peptides, which are not big enough to cause an allergic reaction, are presented to T cells. They help turn off Th2 cells and activate Treg cells. This helps dampen the allergic reaction in the body.

For PVX108’s further progress in clinical trials, the company raised $20 million in a series B round last year in December. The drug candidate is being studied in a double-blind, randomized phase 2 trial in adolescents and children with peanut allergies. It received the FDA nod for its investigational new drug (IND) application last year.

Propanc Biopharma

Epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a process that causes epithelial cancer cells to spread and metastasize. Cancer therapy company Propanc Biopharma is developing a technology that is based on pancreatic proenzyme therapy that targets the EMT mechanism to kill cancer cells.

Pancreatic enzymes, which help digest proteins and fats, are known to be a primary defense against pancreatic cancer. As proenzymes suppress pathways that lead to EMT, Propanc’s proenzyme therapy aims to weaken the structure of cancer cells by converting the protein actin from its globular to its filamentous form. This leads to the collapse of the structure, thereby triggering cell death. 

Based on this technology, the company has two drug candidates in its pipeline. PRP and POP1 are presently in preclinical and research stages. PRP is derived from two proenzymes trypsinogen and chymotrypsinogen – precursors to enzymes that help break proteins down – which aids in the suppression of metastasis and tumor relapse, while having minimal toxic effects on the body. With the goal to bring PRP to the market, Propanc believes that it could be used in hospitals as preventative care for at-risk patients, as well as to manage early-stage tumors. PRP will soon be taken to the clinic for first-in-human trials in patients with advanced solid tumors, which will be held at Peter Mac Cancer Center in Melbourne.

The Melbourne-based biotech company has raised a total of $150,000 since its launch in 2007, out of which it recently obtained $120,000 in a debt financing round. 

Fostering Melbourne’s biotech companies: the impact of the bioincubator

With a growing biotech industry looking to increase research and development, Melbourne now accommodates a bioincubator that aims to boost R&D in early-stage biotech companies. It is set to open its doors to these budding companies next year. The incubator is a collaboration between biotech giant CSL, the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research and the University of Melbourne, to help provide technical support to startups, in an effort to cut costs for these young companies. Initiatives like this can further grow Melbourne’s biotech industry, enabling it to become a stronger contender in the field, not only in Australia and the Asia Pacific region, but also on a global scale.

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- CSL, WEHI and The University of Melbourne have secured funding to join forces and create an incubator and commercial wet lab space for biotech start-up companies  - The project partners are planning to provide funding and in-kind support and the Victorian Government’s new landmark Breakthrough Victoria Fund will provide funding to support the $95 million project. - It will be Australia’s first and only incubator that is co-located with a leading biopharmaceutical company, providing all of the wrap around support start-ups need to translate Australian medical research into new treatments and therapies.   - With a planned opening for 2023, the incubator will be located in CSL’s new Global Headquarters currently under construction in Elizabeth St, Melbourne. 

MELBOURNE, AU; 23rd November, 2021 :  CSL, the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI), and the University of Melbourne today announced that they have secured funding to create a start-up incubator to support and grow early-stage Australian biotech companies.

The incubator, to be located at CSL’s new global corporate headquarters under construction in the world-leading Melbourne Biomedical Precinct, will support start-up companies to translate promising medical research into commercial outcomes. 

Made possible with financial and in-kind support from CSL, the world’s third largest biotech company, University of Melbourne and WEHI plus a contribution from Breakthrough Victoria, an independent investment management company administering the Victorian Government’s landmark $2 billion Breakthrough Victoria Fund. The incubator is scheduled to open to start-ups in 2023 and will be able to accommodate up to 40 early-stage companies from around Australia.

Driving translation

The incubator will be open to applications from small biotech companies who have engaged in early research and are seeking to take their discoveries to the next stage of development.  In addition to affordable, state-of-the-art wet-lab facilities, equipment and office space, the incubator will provide a range of services, including commercialisation education programs, facilitated access to investors, industry mentoring and access to service providers.

Incubators reduce barriers to entry for start-ups through an affordable ‘one-stop shop’ that provides access to expert technical support and sophisticated technology platforms which can be expensive and cost-prohibitive to small companies. Start-ups that are incubated have a much higher five-year survival rate and accelerated growth trajectory compared with standalone entities.1

WEHI director Professor Doug Hilton AO said the challenges that research scientists face when they spin-out a company or biomedical start-up include skill-gaps in translating their research into commercial products.

“The Melbourne Biomedical Precinct is known for its internationally competitive, high-quality scientific outputs, but lags its global precinct peers when it comes to translating biotech inventions into spin-outs and commercial outcomes,” Professor Hilton said.

“This collaboration will help to build a generation of corporate and management-skilled scientists who have the knowledge and confidence to run a successful biomed or biotech company and raise the calibre and quantity of translational outputs from the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct.”

A vibrant ecosystem

The incubator will advance the Victorian biomedical ecosystem and boost Australia’s commercialisation outputs. Best-in-class incubators integrate into an effective external ecosystem, like the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct, which is as critical to success as the infrastructure and services it will provide.

University of Melbourne Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Jim McCluskey said the incubator would provide a strong innovative environment that will nurture biotech start-ups, attracting more local and international investors, talent and companies into research collaborations.

“Universities are critical to meeting the major social, economic, environmental and medical challenges impacting on our communities. The creation of this biotech incubator builds on more than a century of collaboration between CSL, WEHI and The University of Melbourne, strategically supported by State government investment in translation of medical research, driving economic prosperity and impact for Victoria”.

“Bringing together talent, investment and research expertise in this way cements Australia’s reputation as leaders in biomedical education and research, working to improve the lives of many people around the world.”

Enhancing connectivity

The incubator will be the first and only incubator in Australia co-located with a leading biotechnology company.

CSL’s CEO, Paul Perreault, said Incubator residents would benefit from CSL’s onshore translational R&D expertise and capacity as they co-mingle with employees at its state-of-the-art R&D hub, providing opportunities for cross pollination, learning and the sharing of ideas.

“As one of the world’s leading biotechnology companies, CSL is driven by our promise as a patient-focused organisation, so this partnership clearly aligns with our Values and Purpose. We are well positioned to support incubator residents, whose experience often lies purely within the lab, better understand commercial aspects of medicines development that may be foreign or new to them,’ Perreault said.

Dr Andrew Nash, CSL’s Chief Scientific Officer said a thriving biomedical precinct would benefit us all.

“Formalising a place to nurture promising start-ups is a natural extension of our long-term support of and collaboration with many like-minded partners. We hope to see significant long-term health, social and R&D benefits from this initiative, including greater retention and upskilling of domestic research and development capabilities and an increase in commercial acumen of Precinct researchers.”

The incubator will be open to all high-quality early-stage spinouts from the precinct, across Victoria and around Australia.

Breakthrough Victoria CEO, Grant Dooley said, “This is Breakthrough Victoria’s inaugural investment. This project aims to provide a sustainable asset for decades by providing a catalyst to progress ideas to commercial outcomes.”

Located over two floors of CSL’s new corporate headquarters being built in the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct, the incubator will have one floor of purpose-built wet lab space and another for meetings and office space. There, the incubator will be embedded alongside seven floors of leading-edge laboratory and clinical manufacturing space supporting CSL’s own R&D program, in which the company invested more than US$1 billion globally the past fiscal year.

The incubator is expected to open in 2023 and welcomes residency applications from start-ups across Australia as well as internationally.

Start-ups interested in applying for residence in the incubator are encouraged to email   [email protected] .

References: 1. SPP Approach, Cicada Innovations & AlphaBeta Report, 2020

### - ENDS - ###

CSL (ASX:CSL) is a leading global biotechnology company with a dynamic portfolio of life-saving medicines, including those that treat hemophilia and immune deficiencies, as well as vaccines to prevent influenza. Since our start in 1916, we have been driven by our promise to save lives using the latest technologies. Today, CSL — including our two businesses, CSL Behring and Seqirus - provides life-saving products to more than 100 countries and employs more than 25,000 people. Our unique combination of commercial strength, R&D focus and operational excellence enables us to identify, develop and deliver innovations so our patients can live life to the fullest.

For more information visit   www.csl.com .                                   

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CSIRO’s biologics facilities play a vital role in the biomedical research industry. Our esteemed scientists and world-class facilities provide companies and other research organisations the opportunity to produce biologics at the scale and quality required for pre-clinical and clinical applications.

Biologics capabilities

Our researchers and unique facilities play a vital role in the biomedical ecosystem. We partner with businesses and produce biologics at the scale and quality required for pre-clinical and clinical applications.

Manufacturing a COVID-19 vaccine

How do we produce a COVID-19 vaccine that is safe, effective and can be mass-produced? We take you into our labs to find out!

Our drug discovery capabilities

Our highly skilled biomedical researchers work with industry to develop, validate and optimise drug discovery. Read more about our capabilities in the infographic below.

Melbourne biotech start-up MecRx is working with CSIRO researcher Dr Rohan Volpe to fast track drug discovery.

Developing medicinal cannabis products

Our new licence to manufacture medicinal cannabis products will help drive the development of novel cannabis-based therapeutics in Australia.

CSIRO starts work on medicinal psychedelics

CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, is aiming to develop new psychedelics to help people with a variety of mental health issues including depression, addiction, end of life anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.

This form of B3 can make blood cells more youthful

Our scientists helped find that blood cells can become “more youthful” through exposure to nicotinamide riboside – a form of vitamin B3.

Hitting a nerve: how antidepressants treat nerve pain

Researchers at Australia’s national science agency CSIRO, have shown for the first time how tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) work against nerve pain, paving the way for further research and new therapies to treat the debilitating condition.

Biomedical Materials Translation Facility

CSIRO's Biomedical Materials Translational Facility (BMTF) helps Medtech companies turn new discoveries into market ready products. It has the capability and equipment needed to develop a biomedical product though prototyping, scale-up, pre-clinical testing and industry evaluation and offers access to ISO 9001, ISO 17025 and GLP.

Medtech to market

CSIRO's Biomedical Materials Translational Facility (BMTF) helps medtech companies turn new discoveries into market ready products.

Sidelining delays in diagnosing concussion

We're working on a game-changing new device that could assist first responders to diagnose traumatic brain injuries on the spot.

How we're using gold nano-particles to help treat age-related macular degeneration.

3D printed biomedical implants at Lab22

We innovate additive manufacturing (3D printing). Our research and development underpins a growing Australian metallic additive manufacturing industry.

How do you mend a broken heart

Our latest polymer, LifePolymer™, was recently transplanted into a man in the US in the form of a novel heart valve, to save his life. Talk about Australian technology making a difference to global heart health!

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• Current page: A collaboration to boost medical research innovation in Victoria

A collaboration to boost medical research innovation in Victoria

A partnership between a leading global biotech company and Australia’s most prominent university will put Victoria at the forefront of medical research innovation, create hundreds of jobs, and generate opportunities for local businesses and clinical trials.

Illumina and the University of Melbourne have partnered to establish the Illumina–University of Melbourne Genomics Hub – the first in the Asia Pacific – which will bring together the best of genomic expertise and technology in Australia.

This will drive better public health outcomes in research and diagnostics, in areas including infectious diseases such as the coronavirus and precision oncology.

The Genomics Hub will give local researchers access to world-class genomics, bioinformatics and health economics capabilities and help support the analysis of vast amounts of data to better understand the human genome and translate this into new commercial applications.

It is set to create opportunities for hundreds of medical research staff and interns, retain talent in Victoria and boost links between partners in industry, research and education.

To be located in the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct, the Genomics Hub benefits from being in the presence of over 40 world-class biomedical organisations, leading hospitals and clinical research leaders.

Commenting on the investment, Illumina Chief Executive Officer Francis de Souza said that “Victoria continues to lead global examples recognising the unique value of genomics across many areas of application, including infectious disease surveillance and in driving better public health outcomes”.

“We are very pleased to be partnering with the University of Melbourne. Together, I have no doubt that we will bring together the best genomic expertise and technology and continue to expand academic research in the Asia Pacific region”, Mr de Souza said.

The University of Melbourne Vice-Chancellor Professor Duncan Maskell said that “our partnership with Illumina is bridging the gap between the genomics industry and research, placing Victoria at the forefront of the global genomics revolution to drive workforce development, research translation and the implementation of genomics into routine clinical care”.

Founded in 1998, Illumina is a global leader in DNA sequencing and microarray-based solutions.

The US-based company develops, manufactures, and markets life science tools and integrated digital platforms for the analysis of genetic variations and biological functions. Locally, the company is headquartered in Melbourne, Victoria.

To explore opportunities for investing in our world class medical research sector, contact us .

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CSL plans Melbourne incubator to boost biotech start-ups

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CSL plans to devote several floors of its new 18-storey head office and research centre in Melbourne’s Parkville to a collaborative space for small biotech companies and researchers that need help to turn their ideas into businesses, chief scientific officer Andrew Nash said.

The $340 million building is part of a wave of major expansion projects the global blood products and vaccines giant is undertaking in Australia. Others include a $900 million new fractionation facility at the existing Broadmeadows plant to create one of the world’s largest plasma processing plants, and an $800 million plant for producing vaccines at Tullamarine.

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About Southern Star Research

Your trusted australian contract research organization., our journey.

Southern Star Research is a full-service contract research organization (CRO) dedicated to guiding sponsors through the complexities of bringing new medical products to market. Our journey began with a small team of three in Sydney, conducting our first clinical trial in the cardiovascular sector.

Since our inception 14 years ago, we have grown into an international team of specialists, managing studies worldwide. 

Today, Southern Star Research continues to lead with innovation and expertise, offering comprehensive solutions for clinical trials across the globe.

Our Management Team

30 years experience in the medical devices, biotechnology, health services, and technology sectors both nationally, and internationally. 20 years of experience in leadership and founding roles in Healthcare innovation Degree in biomechanical engineering Extensive experience and contribution to the evolution and growth of arthroscopy and orthopaedic devices across Asia Pacific

Lloyd prescott.

30 years of research experience in academia, pharma & CROs Advisor to the Australian Government on Clinical Research reforms Prominent industry positions including Co-Chair of the R&D Taskforce Appointed to NSW Dept of Health Early Phase Expert Oversight Committee Previous member of several NHMRC committees overseeing clinical research  

Dr david lloyd.

Managing Director

20+ years as an experienced CFO across a range of industries including 10+ years in healthcare 15+ years as a board member for listed, private and not-for-profit organisations serving as Chairman, Director, and Company Secretary Fellow of Institute of Chartered Accountants Bachelor’s degree in science from the University of Oxford and Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors

Rick taylor.

25+ years of global clinical research experience in pharma and CROs 19+ years in Leadership roles Extensive experience in operational efficiencies, change management, and line management

Belinda fricke.

Head of Clinical Operations

28 years’ experience across all biometric functions Leadership of DM and Statistics departments in large global CROs in Australia and the UK Established DM and Statistics departments CROs. Very broad range of experience across a number of eCRF platforms and in SAS programming.

Peter fursdon.

Head of Biometrics

25+ years of global clinical research experience based in AU & EU PhD in viral immunology Experience in biotechnology, medical device, pharmaceutical, consultancy and CROs Significant skills in operational and project management

Dr tracey frear.

Head of Projects

Pharmacology (pharmacokinetics) qualification 27+ years clinical research experience in CROs and pharma Clinical operations development pathway from CRA through SPM across Asia Pacific and extensive line management experience

Amanda jubb.

Head of Asia

20+ years working in the pharmaceutical development industry Experience managing clinical quality assurance professionals and ensuring staff, client, and vendor compliance Experience in drug development across biotech start-ups, large pharma, testing laboratories, drug manufacturing, pre-clinical studies, and laboratory accreditation

Kellie lantry.

Head of Quality Assurance

Business Development

Located in Sydney, Australia BA (Hons) Business Management 10+ years in Commercial Global Life Sciences and Biotech sectors Extensive experience in partnering with global biotech, pharma, and medical device companies

Daniel evans.

Located in Melbourne, Australia BASc Bachelor of Nursing & Mini-MBA 15+ Years in Healthcare related positions Significant clinical research and business development experience with diverse therapeutic area experience

Teresa ringeri.

Located in Seoul, South Korea Experience in business development, sales, and client relationship management Proficient at project management, partnership building, and coordination between stakeholders in multiple countries and departments

South Korea

Located in West Coast, USA Nurse and healthcare professional Decades of CRO business development experience Deep experience in partnering with medical device, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology companies in USA & Europe

Robert kent.

Located in East Coast, USA 10+ years of supporting clinical trial development Experienced across all study phases Strong focus on oncology and CNS trials

Zachary giebel.

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Specialist experience

Each member of our Leadership Team boasts an average of 30 years experience. Our clients have access to an extraordinary group of Clinical Research professionals, whose experience covers Multinational Pharmaceutical companies, Biotechnology, Medical Device, CRO’s, research institutes, Universities, Industry Associations & Government Bodies. Together, we ensure that every aspect of your unique and novel drug study  clinical trial is handled with scientific precision, care, and foresight.

Our team has all of the tools, knowledge and experience to solve almost any issue that may arise during the complex clinical trial process.

We recognize that each study is unique and different and there are nuances that need to be resolved proactively.

Our advisory board of top-tier specialists in multiple therapeutic areas engage in the early stages from protocol design in constructive discussions to anticipate challenges and enhance study efficiency throughout the study.

BioNTech Coup: More mRNA Manufacturing, Research In Melbourne

Victoria is continuing to lead the way in mRNA manufacturing with the Andrews Labor Government agreeing to an in-principle partnership with ground-breaking German biotechnology company BioNTech.

The developers of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 mRNA vaccine have chosen Victoria to establish their Asia-Pacific mRNA clinical research and development centre which will form part of BioNTech’s global network. The new facility will support researchers to translate their work into medical breakthroughs.

Treasurer Tim Pallas and Minister for Innovation, Medical Research and the Digital Economy Jaala Pulford today announced an in-principle partnership with BioNTech to establish a clinical scale mRNA manufacturing facility in Melbourne, with Victoria and BioNTech entering formal discussions to bring this world leading company into the State.

The arrangement would see BioNTech deliver next-generation mRNA therapeutics and vaccines for research and clinical trials, including infectious diseases, cancer medicines and personalised cancer treatments.

It also includes BioNTech establishing its Artificial Intelligence-driven early warning and identification technology, which can be used to detect future disease threats and rapidly develop new treatments and vaccines, at the Victorian site.

Founded in 2008 in Germany, BioNTech has become a world leader in mRNA research and in 2020 successfully developed the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for COVID-19.

The in-principle partnership follows the Australian Government, Moderna and Victorian Government partnership to set up an mRNA vaccine manufacturing facility at Monash University – helping protect Australians against future pandemics, supporting local industry and creating highly skilled jobs.

Victoria is Australia’s leader in pharmaceutical and biological manufacturing, responsible for nearly 60 per cent of Australia’s pharmaceutical exports – making it our highest value advanced manufactured export.

The Labor Government has invested $1.3 billion in medical research since 2014 and has helped create more than 100,000 direct and indirect full-time jobs in the state’s biotech sector.

Quote attributable to Treasurer Tim Pallas

“This is a major coup for Victoria – it will see incredible collaboration opportunities for our researchers and international biotech companies.”

Quote attributable to Minister for Innovation, Medical Research and the Digital Economy Jaala Pulford

“ BioNTech and Moderna are the only companies in the world to deliver mRNA products to market and soon they will both call Victoria home.”

Quotes attributable to CEO and Co-Founder of BioNTech Professor Uğur Şahin

“ This partnership is a major step forward to enable access to mRNA technology and promote collaboration.”

“Australia provides excellent academic research, and we are looking forward to collaborating with world-class scientists and researchers to strengthen Australia’s mRNA ecosystem and jointly develop novel treatments and vaccines for people worldwide.”

Quote attributable to Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre CEO Professor Shelley Dolan

“Peter Mac’s research extends from fundamental discovery that translates into cancer treatments, providing the perfect opportunity to collaborate with a world leading company such as BioNTech.”

Medical devices and implantables

The melbourne biomedical precinct is ready to capitalise on the spectacular growth in medical devices and implantables that are changing the lives of patients who have limited treatment options. this offers potential to spark a new advanced manufacturing industry in victoria..

Medical device technology has advanced rapidly in recent years, thanks to significant improvements in advanced manufacturing, computing power, machine learning and battery technology, along with significant reductions in cost. This means that equipment that once required an entire laboratory to house and operate can now be inexpensive and compact enough to wear – or even implanted into the body.

An example of the capability of modern medical devices is the Cochlear bionic ear, which was developed in Melbourne by Professor Graeme Clark. The Cochlear ear has restored hearing to over 100,000 people worldwide and spawned a local company with a value of more than $9 billion. The next 20 years will likely see the emergence of many new high-tech medical device start-ups and it is possible the next billion dollar ‘Cochlear’ could be based in Melbourne.

A wide range of new medical devices and implantables are currently being developed in the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct to treat diseases and conditions that have limited treatment options. These include spinal cord injury, epilepsy, stroke, blindness and neurological degenerative conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and even mental illness. Researchers in the United States are currently testing brain implants that deliver electrical impulses to treat mental illness. In November 2017 the Food and Drug Administration approved the first ‘digital’ pill that can send messages to smart phones about a patient’s compliance.

One flagship project within the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct is the development of the bionic eye. This device will help restore sight and allow the blind to recognise faces and even read. The first prototype was implanted in a patient in 2012 and the latest version is now being developed in the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct.

Another project is developing the Stentrode, a device the size of a matchstick, which is implanted in a blood vessel next to the brain’s control centre for movement. It will one day enable people to control robotic limbs and powered exoskeletons simply by thought. The Stentrode has the potential to transform the lives of amputees, as well as people with spinal injuries, motor neurone disease and other conditions. Human trials will begin in 2018. Sixteen different departments at The University of Melbourne participated in the development of the Stentrode.

World-first clinical trials are also set to begin in Melbourne on a device that will deliver medication directly to the brain to control epilepsy, which is the world’s most common serious brain  disorder, affecting around 250,000 Australians. The device uses an implantable pump in the stomach, connected to the brain via a tiny tube, and promises to provide a more potent response with fewer side effects than current epilepsy drugs. Another device targeted at epilepsy patients is implanted under the scalp and can continuously monitor brain activity to detect or predict a seizure. This will significantly improve the quality of care for epilepsy patients.

One key advantage of medical devices is that they may be substantially cheaper and quicker to bring to market compared with conventional drugs and biological therapies. A typical drug takes well over a decade and about $2 billion to progress to market. A medical device generally takes half that time and costs a fraction as much to bring to market. This significantly lowers the cost of commercialising devices and means a more rapid return on investment.

Current strengths and opportunities

• Interdisciplinary expertise:  The Melbourne Biomedical Precinct is home to world-class researchers in fields contributing to the development of medical devices, including bioengineering, data analytics, artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing. This includes The University of Melbourne’s recently established Graeme Clark Institute for Biomedical Engineering.
• Collaboration:  Strong collaborative ties are building among the research organisations and medical technology companies within the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct and beyond,  including with the manufacturing capability across wider Melbourne. Medical devices are already a multi-billion dollar industry worldwide, worth over $200 billion in the US. Developing medical devices and implantables requires expertise from a wide range of fields, making strong interdisciplinary collaboration across the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct essential.
• Supporting business growth:  Brand-new facilities for the Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery in the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct are in planning for 2021. Aikenhead is the first hospital-based interdisciplinary biomedical engineering research and education centre in Australia. It could also serve an incubator function by attracting start-up medical technology companies and facilitating better collaboration, commercialisation and investment within Victoria.

Future opportunities

• Growth of new disciplines:  There is a need to educate and train a new type of researcher, the ‘clinician-engineer’, who can drive the development of advanced medical devices. This will be further supported by the increased focus on the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct as an innovation precinct which encourages networking and serendipitous meetings from researchers and clinicians across multiple fields.
• Addressing unmet medical needs and translating ideas to the clinic:  Development of successful medical devices will hinge on the ability to identify a real need and a suitable target population. Growing demand in Asia for the latest medical technology represents a tremendous opportunity for Australian businesses and advanced manufacturers.
• Manufacturing growth:  There is opportunity to increase the advanced manufacturing capacity within Victoria to support the production of prototypes that are needed to prove the viability of new medical devices and gain regulatory approval.

Defining medical devices and implantables

A medical device is any instrument, apparatus or appliance used to diagnose, prevent or treat injury or disease. medical devices range in complexity from an app on your smartphone through to computerised diagnostic machines. implantable devices include an artificial hip, pacemaker or cochlear bionic ear. medical and implantable devices can be used for a wide range of applications, such as diagnostics (for example, a blood pressure monitor) or to replace injured parts of the body (for example, a 3d-printed shinbone). some can restore or improve function, such as a robotic prosthetic arm..

A wide range of new medical devices and implantables are being developed in the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct to treat diseases and conditions that have limited treatment options

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Researchers awarded $36m funding from MRFF for projects across health and science

Researchers from the University of Melbourne have been awarded over $36 million in funding from the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) to advance a wide range of health projects across areas including oncology, youth mental health, multi-omics (the biological study of cells which includes genomics, proteomics, metabolomics), treatments for diabetes and obesity, determining cardiovascular disease risk among Indigenous Australians and potential treatments for long-COVID.

Reflecting on the high number of successful grant recipients, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences Professor Jane Gunn said:

“Congratulations to all the grant recipients. I deeply appreciate the effort involved, from codesigning innovative research programs that address the health needs of our community, to creating incredible learning opportunities for our students and early-career researchers. These projects will undoubtedly strengthen our world-leading health and biomedical ecosystem through collaboration with our partners and consumers. I look forward to seeing these projects develop and make an impact in the years to come.”

Projects funded:

• Professor Olivia Carter , Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, awarded $6,998,210 for OMIX3: High-capacity integrated multi-omics. This project will establish an integrated high-throughput, multi-omics facility, termed OMIX3, for processing clinical samples, from point of collection and biobanking, through to comprehensive, proteomic, metabolomic and lipidomic analysis on parallel mass spectrometry (MS) platforms, and data storage/sharing.
• Dr Lincon Stamp , NHMRC Research Officer, awarded $6,509,101 for Treating tiny tummies: Next generation cell therapies for paediatric gut disorders . This project aims to accelerate the development of a safe and effective stem cell-based therapy to restore gut function in these vulnerable patients.
• Dr Christopher Bye , Florey Department of Neuroscience and Mental Health, awarded $4,999,238 for Accelerated drug discovery using population wide screening of patient iPSC’s for MND . This research program aims to implement drug screening technology at an unprecedented scale seeking to rapidly and accurately discover new treatments for people with Motor Neuron Disease (MND).
• Professor Sarah-Jane Dawson , Sir Peter MacCallum Dept Oncology, awarded $2,998,333 for Harnessing the next generation of liquid biopsy assays for clinical translation in breast cancer . This research will focus on the development, validation and implementation of the “next generation” of liquid biopsy assays to improve clinical care for patients with breast cancer, including those living in remote and regional areas so that precision medicine guided care can be achieved on a national scale.
• Dr Dominic Dwyer , Centre for Youth Mental Health, awarded: $2,997,208 for Youth AI: infrastructure for the next generation of youth mental healthcare . The project will establish governance, services, networks, and systems to translate late-stage AI tools to national services, via clinical trials.
• Professor Andrew Thompson , Centre for Youth Mental Health, awarded $2,993,285 for Enabling early psychosis research via a national clinical quality registry . This project will address the area of unmet healthcare need of early psychosis. Psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia are a major cause of premature mortality and disability in Australia and globally as well as a significant financial societal burden.
• Professor Kelsey Hegarty , General Practice and Primary Care, awarded $2,638,297 for Promoting Safer Families: Strengthening primary care to sustainably address domestic and family violence . This project will involve generating new knowledge from a world-first trial of resourcing primary care to respond to this chronic social problem.
• Professor Bernhard Riedel , Sir Peter MacCallum Department Oncology, awarded $2,913,279 for Predicting and Reducing Complications After Surgery with AI: PRECAST4 . The platform developed in this project will provide clinicians with individualised, evidence-based best practice advisories and care plans to identify and support patients at high risk of complications.
• Professor Sandra Eades , Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, awarded $1,975,020 for Premature risk meets system failure: understanding, detecting and managing cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk among Indigenous Australian children, adolescents and young adults . This Aboriginal-led, community-driven project responds to community concerns regarding premature CVD risk, including as a driver of mid- and later-life CVD.
• Dr Barbara White , Baker Department of Cardiometabolic Health, awarded $1,000,000 for Unlocking the potential of novel therapies in treating diabetes and obesity . The project objective is to evaluate the viability of messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) therapies as a prospective strategy for managing diabetes and obesity.
• Professor Jon Emery , General Practice, awarded $249,757 for OUTcomes POST COVID - Australian Platform Trial (OUTPOST-APT) . This study will continually review emerging evidence on long COVID and, with clinicians and consumers (First Nations, ethnically diverse and rural communities, and those living with long COVID), prioritise treatments for further testing and co-design a feasible adaptive platform trial ready to rapidly test these treatments in the next stage.

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Victoria State Government Australia

From concept to commercialization: Why Melbourne is becoming the destination for biomedical & life sciences research and innovation

Friday August 13, 2021 , 7 min Read

In September 2020, even as Australia was fighting the global COVID-19 pandemic, researchers in Victoria used genome sequencing to identify genetic mutations in SARS-CoV-2 cases. They identified clusters and transmission networks which helped limit the spread of the virus in the Australian state. At the epicentre of this effort was the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity. “It was the first institution in the world outside China to sequence the COVID-19 genome, and then provide that to researchers around the world to fight the pandemic,” says Daniel Bisignano , Chief Investment Officer – MrNA Victoria.

This is just a small instance that brings to the fore the strength of Melbourne’s decades old biomedical and life sciences sector, which is today among one of the world’s largest biotechnology clusters. The 350 global and homegrown companies contribute more than US$12 billion in economic activity. CSL and Catalent Pharma Solutions are among several big companies which all have recently expanded their Victorian facilities. More than 40 percent of the Australian ASX-listed life science companies are based in Melbourne and partner closely with the multinational companies based in the home ground.

“In the last 10 years alone, the Commonwealth and Victorian state government in Australia has invested $140 billion into health and biomedical systems,” says Daniel. This includes everything from landmark investments in major hospitals to $15 billion investments dedicated to medical research. He says these focused investments have created an “incredible opportunity” to develop IP, and take that IP out of the academic institutions, medical research institutions, and labs, and translate into real-world clinical products.

Industry-academia collaboration opportunities

Today, Melbourne compares only to Boston and London with respect to biomedical research and is one of only three cities in the world with two or more universities in the global top 30 biomedicine rankings. Five of Australia’s largest independent medical research institutes – Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Burnet Institute, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI), Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute – are located in Melbourne. “We have got over 10,000 medical researchers in just one square kilometre. So, you get this incredible agglomeration wherein you have major teaching hospitals, research institutes, researchers, all together,” shares Daniel.

Today, given the rise of medtech where innovations are driven by new-age startups, Melbourne’s universities offer a robust landing pad for these startups. Most of the universities closely collaborate with the industry and house a number of research and innovation initiatives on and off the campus. For instance, Melbourne Connect – an onsite incubation centre led by the University of Melbourne – enables startups and early stage companies to co-locate on the university campus and biomedical precinct.

“An incubation centre like Melbourne Connect only enables small companies to access research infrastructure and labs which otherwise can’t afford to invest and build on their own. In addition, by opening up opportunities for the university graduates and students and startups to work together, it enables early-stage academic research to interact with the startup community. And, we have seen a number of companies, big and small, benefit from this dynamic engagement that being co-located on a university campus opens up,” shares Daniel .

Initiatives like Melbourne Connect are the norm rather than the exception in Victoria’s life sciences and biomedical sector. The Bio Innovation Hub at Melbourne's public research university, La Trobe’s campus is yet another example. The hub provides wet lab space and equipment for biotechnology companies so they can commercialise their research discoveries. It has enabled businesses to develop a range of products from potential drugs such as those improving treatment of fibrotic diseases through cutting-edge diagnostics to medicinal agriculture products. In addition to the big incubators, Victoria also has a number of smaller incubators and accelerator programs focused on health, life sciences, and biotech funded by Launch Vic - Victoria government’s startup agency. “Medicine and health sciences are particular strengths of Melbourne's research and tertiary education sector which attracts the bulk of Australia's medical research funding totaling US$370 million per annum,” says Daniel.

A critical component that is pivotal to biomedical and life sciences research is to be able to translate the research into practical applications. To do so, clinical trials become the key. And, Melbourne has emerged as a city that has been much sought after as a viable location for fast, cost-effective and high-quality clinical trials . “The strong network of biomedical and life sciences research and academic institutes and talent in Melbourne is complemented with a streamlined multi-site clinical trial network and fast ethics approval. This helps to translate research into real products,” he says.

Daniel points out that the state of Victoria runs the most clinical trials in Australia, with at least 20 clinical trial providers and 200 hospital sites where they are conducted. Another fact that makes Victoria an optimum testbed for clinical trials is the multicultural makeup of the state. “For clinical trials, you need a broad cohort of people from different genetic backgrounds. And, people from over 190 nationalities are represented in Victoria,” he says.

Connecting the dots for global startups

While building the “right kind of infrastructure and the right kind of people together” has been a key pillar in driving innovation, the other has been to incentivise collaborative activities so as to further boost growth and fasten innovation. And, this strategy has been instrumental in bringing research out from the labs to production. A recent example showcasing the effort in this direction has been the breakthrough in Australia’s first locally-developed mRNA COVID-19 vaccine candidate, which was a collaboration between Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS) and the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity (Doherty Institute). To give impetus to the collaboration and the possible breakthrough that can be achieved, the Victorian Government will be investing $5 million to support MIPS to manufacture doses of the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine for trials, which enter Phase 1 clinical trials in October 2021.

“Melbourne is one of the few places in the world that has prioritised the development of the life sciences sector. Putting its full weight for the development of the sector, the state government has invested billions of dollars to create a strong and holistic research ecosystem,” shares Daniel . He adds that Victoria, particularly Melbourne has not only been able to create intellectual capital required for companies but also created an incredibly collaborative environment that enables global and local companies to come together and grow. “And, part of the strength of the collaborative environment is because of who we are - a multicultural inclusive society that is welcoming to ideas coming in,” he says.

Here he points out that one of the factors that has made collaboration challenging for startups and companies from other countries has been the gap in understanding where the pockets of capability lie, and how to access them. This is where the Victorian government has pitched in. The government works with companies around the world to connect the dots and help build the networks that are relevant to them. “We provide curated introductions that allow them to enter the ecosystem and with access to a pool of funds and initiatives, we enable industry and research collaboration that not only reduces financial burden of the young companies but also helps them to accelerate their growth paths and create impact on the ground faster,” says Daniel.

For instance  Homage , a global health technology startup has picked Melbourne for its Australian HQ, further strengthening the State’s thriving world-class medical technologies sector. Victorian Government’s Invest Victoria has been instrumental in connecting the startup to key partners such as career and nurse training institutions as well as State Government representatives of Victoria to explore ways to partner and expand the local pool of trained and qualified care providers to support care recipients and operational needs. The bodies provided advice on initial business setup, relevant recruitment platforms, initial team hiring and assistance to visa migrations. Homage’s example is just a testimony to the Victorian government’s openness and readiness to support global biomedical and life sciences startups.

For more information visit https://www.invest.vic.gov.au/ Alternatively you can also connect with Sri Kasthuri , Director – Investments, Victorian Government Trade and Investments - South Asia, at [email protected]

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Australia - Biotech Companies