$10m in funding awarded to 11 projects to boost health innovation
17 April 2018
MTPConnect – the Australian Government’s Medical Technology, Biotechnology, and Pharmaceutical (MTP) Industry Growth Centre – and the Minister for Health, the Hon Greg Hunt MP, today announced the first 11 recipients of $10 million investment from the Australian Government’s $35 million BioMedTech Horizons program. The program aims to help Australia move more cutting-edge ideas and breakthrough discoveries towards proof-of-concept and commercialisation, and stimulate collaboration across disciplines and between the research, industry and technology sectors to maximise entrepreneurship and idea potential.
Investments from the program are focused on precision medicine and 3D anatomical printing. Successful projects in this first round include a fully synthetic 3D printed spinal cage, a genome profiling platform to enable precision cancer medicine, a wireless Brain-Machine Interface suitable for treating neurological disorders, and microwearables for precision medicine.
Sue MacLeman, Managing Director and CEO of MTPConnect, said that the delivery of the BioMedTech Horizons program is providing the necessary support to boost investment, commercialisation and success of health innovations in Australia.
“These first investments from the BioMedTech Horizons program are set to fuel ongoing innovation in Australia, in line with MTPConnect’s priorities for growth of the medical technology, biotechnology and pharmaceutical sector. These 11 outstanding projects address identified global megatrends including precision healthcare and the digital evolution, as well as forecasted areas of unmet clinical need, such as immunology, advanced prosthetics and infectious diseases including sepsis.
“Australia is an internationally recognised hub of health innovation, but it has been acknowledged that more work needs to be done in providing support at the pre-clinical and clinical stages of development, to assist in attracting private capital during early stages. MTPConnect is dedicated to working with the sector to ensure growth in collaboration between research and industry, to drive greater commercialisation. The BioMedTech Horizons program is set to address barriers of funding to support viable, new health biological and medical technologies to reach proof-of-concept, clinical trials and beyond, in line with our vision to advance the vibrant sector.”
Minister for Health, the Hon Greg Hunt MP, said, “The Turnbull Government is committed to improving the health services for all Australians and will continue to invest in better treatment, care and medical research.Our researchers are innovators and this investment will speed up the journey from idea to reality. These technologies have the potential to create better health outcomes for Australians, while driving investment and strengthening our economy. All Australians benefit from investment in health and medical research.”
The BioMedTech Horizons program is being delivered as a part of the Australian Government’s $20 billion Medical Research Future Fund, which aims to transform health and medical research to improve lives, build the economy and contribute to health system sustainability through targeted strategic investment.
The BioMedTech Horizons program attracted an extremely strong response from the sector with 219 expressions of interest submitted. The applications were reviewed by an experienced selection panel comprising of scientific, clinical and commercial experts, and 30 projects were shortlisted.
Due to the overwhelming number of high quality submissions, and consistent with the Australian Government’s agreement with the Medical Technology Association of Australia which includes a $30 million boost to support development of new and innovative device technologies, the Australian Government has committed an additional $5 million to support 11 of the 30 shortlisted projects.
Ian Burgess, CEO of the Medical Technology Association of Australia (MTAA), said, “We’re pleased our agreement with the Government has provided an additional $30 million towards the BioMedTech Horizons program. Australian MedTech has been responsible for some of the most significant medical developments of the past 100 years. With an aging population comes major challenges for our health sector. MedTech will play a vital role in tackling these challenges and these 11 recipients, with a focus on precision medicine and 3D anatomical printing, will contribute towards improved health outcomes.”
Established as part of the Australian Government’s Industry Growth Centres Initiative, MTPConnect aims to accelerate the growth of the MTP ecosystem in Australia by working with the sector to increase its competitiveness, productivity and innovative capacity. MTPConnect was chosen to administer and facilitate the delivery of funding due to its proven fund management experience through the MTPConnect Project Fund Program, and established cross-sectoral networks and connections, providing the ability to rapidly identify and invest in new technologies. MTPConnect will continue its work with the sector to support initiatives addressing identified barriers to growth in the sector, increasing the number of innovations to reach proof of concept and clinical trials in key knowledge priority areas.
The 11 projects selected for the initial $10 million BioMedTech Horizons program investment are listed below:
Development of a 3D printed graft for surgical repair of the
Scapholunate Interosseous wrist ligament (SLIL)
Griffith University, Orthocell, University of Western Australia,
Queensland University of Technology
A novel strategy with a
personalised bone-ligament-bone graft using 3D printed biocompatible scaffolds
is set to create positive results for sufferers of Scapholunate Interosseous
Ligament (SLIL) injury, the most common of wrist ligament injuries. SLIL
injuries cause dislocation of scaphoid and lunate bones and can be
career-ending for an athlete and result in long-term disability for others.
Typically, SLIL injuries are surgically treated, but have poor prognosis, with
patients developing functional limitations and severe hand/wrist
osteoarthritis, which impairs long-term health and imposes substantial economic
burden. This project will support pre-clinical research and development to enable
Orthocell to start human clinical trials, seek regulatory approval and
commercialise.
B3D Cervical Interbody Fusion Device
Allegra Orthopaedics, University of Sydney, University of Wollongong,
Boron Molecular, Sabre Medical
The Allegra Orthopaedics fully
synthetic spinal cage works to regenerate bone under spinal load conditions and
be completely resorbed by the body, leaving it and the intervertebral space
free of foreign materials – making it a one-of-a-kind innovation. The device is
3D-printed from a synthetic bone bioceramic (Sr-HT-Gahnite) invented at The
University of Sydney. The synthetic bone possesses the mechanical strength
required for load-bearing conditions, bioactivity needed for outstanding bone
regeneration, and resorbability that reduces the risk of rejection and
infection – all in a customisable structure. No bone graft is required as the
device material induces bone graft. This project will provide the necessary
funding for device production for preclinical testing.
BioPen
The University of Melbourne, St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne,
University of Wollongong, Swinburne University of Technology
The BioPen is set to provide the
first in-situ bioprinting treatment for cartilage injuries, developed at the St
Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne biofabrication facility, BioFab3D@ACMD. Cartilage
injuries occur in two thirds of all joint trauma, with many leading to
osteoarthritis that cannot be adequately prevented or treated using current
complex surgery interventions. The BioPen project is working to accurately
repair the joint injury, by rapidly isolating stem cells from a patient,
loading these into a gel scaffold then printing new cartilage using a hand-held
device directly into the defect. The combination of stem cell technology,
engineering and surgical innovation promises to simplify surgery through a
one-off surgical procedure with the capacity to bank cells for future use if
repeat surgery is required. The BioMedTech Horizons funding will enable this
project to advance a prototype device, methodologies and bio-ink formulations
towards a commercialisable therapy.
CAR-T immunotherapies for solid cancers
Carina Biotech, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, The University
of Adelaide, Women’s and Children’s Hospital Adelaide, CTM@CRC
Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell
(CAR-T) therapy is an individually customised approach to cancer treatment that
genetically engineers a patient’s own immune cells to react to a specific
molecular marker on their cancer. CAR-T therapy has shown extraordinary efficacy
against blood cancers, however solid cancers have been less responsive to CAR-T
therapy to date. Carina Biotech has produced CAR-T cells targeted to a solid
cancer molecular marker, which has been published as present in many solid
cancers, while having no expression on healthy cells. BioMedTech Horizons
investment will allow Carina to work to achieve in-vivo proof of concept for
its CAR-T cells across multiple animal models of human solid cancer.
A clinically-accredited and commercial-ready genome profiling platform
to enable precision cancer medicine
Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Genome.One, Illumina
Precision cancer medicine is set
to transform the clinical trial industry, with international trials attracting
heavy investment. This next generation of clinical trials requires fast,
comprehensive and cost-effective genomic profiling of patient tumours. The FDA
recently approved two US cancer genomic tests, however, their cost (AU$5,500)
is prohibitive for routine use in Australia and their matching to US-approved
drugs and trials are of limited utility to Australians. Offshore testing also
fails to develop necessary domestic infrastructure for precision cancer
clinical trials.The genome-profiling
platform for precision cancer medicine is set to include a
clinically-accredited tumour profiling test and a cancer genomics data platform
that incorporates a national patient matching system for precision cancer
clinical trial access. It aims to provide competitively priced and rapid local testing.
These solutions work to ensure that, in the face of increasing global
capabilities and investment in precision cancer clinical trials, Australia will
remain an attractive trial site and leader in precision medicine.
EarGenie: Personalised management of hearing impairment for infants
Bionics Institute, Hydrix, Taralye Early intervention Centre, Plunkett
Consulting Group, Australian Hearing
EarGenie is an innovative system
for personalised management of hearing impairment, aiming to enable life-long
benefits using a novel combination of electrophysiology and functional
near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to perform a diagnostic hearing evaluation.
Deaf infants face delayed and inadequate language development, affecting education,
social participation, and even employment later in life. Major contributing
factors are the delay between diagnosis and the selection and accurate
adjustment of hearing devices, delayed individualised optimisation of device
features, and difficulty choosing a specific therapy to optimise language
development. EarGenie is set to transform the precision of diagnosis and
optimisation of hearing instrument function, to deliver major benefit to
language development in deaf children. This project will allow for the
development of a clinical prototype as well as plans for regulatory approval
and clinical trials.
Gennaris Neural Systems (GNS)
Monash University, Alfred Health,
MiniFAB
Monash Vision Group (MVG) has developed a wireless Brain-Machine
Interface (BMI) offering the potential to bypass damage to nerves and neural
pathways, restoring function to affected areas of the brain. MVG’s
Brain-Machine Interface has been implemented in a cortical vision prosthesis
that is designed to bypass damage to the visual pathway and restore basic
vision. This funding will assist the transition between preclinical and
clinical programs, allowing the utility of the visual prosthesis to be
demonstrated. A company will be established to manufacture MVG’s Brain-Machine
Interface and commercialise the visual prosthesis. The aim of this company is
to bring the product to market by 2021 to address the unmet need of a treatment
for complete blindness. MVG’s cortical vision prosthesis has been designed to
treat a range of blindness causes, such as glaucoma and optic nerve damage,
which are not suitable for retinal implants. The successful commercialisation
of this technology will establish Australia as an exporter of implantable
medical devices, and global market leader in BMI manufacturing.
Microwearables: Leaping towards precision medicine
WearOptimo, The Australian National University, Queensland Government,
Johnson & Johnson Innovation, Australia National Fabrication Facility
Microwearables (simple, wearable
devices) have the opportunity to be a cornerstone of precision medicine by
offering personalised diagnostics across a range of diseases. These devices are
minimally-invasive, pain-free sensors applied to the skin to access key
biomarkers and biosignals – for both episodic and continuous monitoring. In
doing so, Microwearables aim to leapfrog traditional diagnostics: based on
lab-based assays of blood samples and histopathology – with the costs, risks
and time-delays. WearOptimo will be developed as a fit-for-purpose enterprise
to rapidly compete at scale, meeting the unique opportunity at the nexus of
three growing markets: IoT for medicine; personalised medicine; and wearable
devices for healthcare. Led by Professor Mark Kendall and in partnership with
the Australian National University (ANU), this project will take the next
critical step in working to advance Microwearables into an enterprise – that is
commercial, with technical proof-of-concept, and is investor ready.
3D Printing and the Manufacture of ‘PoreStar’ – a novel Porous
Polyethylene Implant Material
Anatomics
In 2014, Anatomics, in
conjunction with CSIRO and Australian universities, developed a breakthrough
porous high-density polyethylene implant material, PoreStar. PoreStar’s
material advantages include its superior tensile and flexural strength avoiding
cracks when bent, the ability to use fixation screws very close to the implant
margins without material breakage, and a unique scaffold architecture that
facilitates tissue ingrowth. This project aims to advance the state-of-the-art
in pHDPE craniomaxillofacial (CMF) implant manufacturing, leveraging 3D
printing to reduce process complexity, product turnaround time and cost of
goods. Moreover, the project seeks to improve surgical practice by extending
the use of temporary implants to patient-specific CMF surgeries, and develop
improved software solutions for surgical planning and preoperative estimation
of cosmesis, aiming to reduce complications and reoperation rates for CMF surgeries.
Rapid diagnostic for the pathogens that cause sepsis
Biotech Resources, Monash University Centre for Biospectroscopy,
The Alfred Hospital, Monash Health, Hydrix
Biotech Resources (BTR) is working to develop the world’s first rapid
diagnostic test ‘Aimalux’ for the direct detection of the bacteria and fungi
that cause sepsis from whole blood. The technology and platform has been
developed by the Monash University Centre for Biospectroscopy in Melbourne
Australia. Sepsis is a life-threatening disease that results in the deaths of
over 6 million people every year around the world, and more than 5,000
Australians. It is time critical medical emergency. Every hour without
treatment increases a patient's chance of dying by 7.6%. And yet there is no definitive
test for sepsis with more than 30% of cases going misdiagnosed. If the symptoms
of Sepsis are missed and treatment is not administered, then this can result in
patient death. This also means that many patients are treated unnecessarily as
a precaution, which has its own detrimental consequences as well as adding to
the rise of antibiotic resistance super bugs. Aimalux aims to provide a
diagnostic result within 35 minutes, to revolutionise the way sepsis is
currently diagnosed, reduce healthcare costs, and save lives.
Towards bedside gene therapies: Development of a microfluidic gene
delivery device for immune cell modification and optimisation for clinical use
Indee, University of South Australia Future Industries Institute, Main
Sequence Ventures, Defence Science Technologies Group, University of Sydney,
Becton Dickinson
Pioneering cures for terminally
ill patients, with conditions including many forms of cancer, are now available
thanks to a new generation of treatments called gene-modified cell therapies
(GMCTs). Indee Labs plans to make GMCTs accessible to the masses by solving
manufacturing issues responsible for their high price tags. It also aims to reduce
the lead times for a treatment from months to weeks, saving the lives of
patients with aggressive conditions. Gene delivery to cells is the most
critical and problematic step in manufacturing GMCTs. This project aims to develop
the only practical gene delivery technology, microfluidic vortex shedding
(µVS), into a product that will be trailed by pharmaceutical companies. µVS
will offer revolutionary improvements over existing gene delivery methods
including high yield, negligible immune cell perturbation along with rapid
processing of research, clinical- and commercial-scale samples with a simple
workflow and a small footprint.
For more information on the BioMedTech Horizons program and first round recipients, please visit www.mtpconnect.org.au/biomedtechhorizons.