What’s it going to take for Australia’s biotech industry to be more self-sufficient? Although Australia is far away from the rest of the world, no one is an island when it comes to biotechnology, Ausbiotech CEO Lorraine Chiroiu said during the Ausbiotech 2023 conference held in Brisbane Nov. 1-3. Investors gathered to riff about what they were looking for in Australian biotech investments and what needs to change for the sector to be sustainable. All agreed that the science in Australia is top-notch but that the ecosystem needs more investment to be competitive.
Australia has a lot to celebrate when it comes to vaccines. The University of Queensland is where Ian Frazer invented the human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil, and now Australia is projected to be the first in the word to eliminate cervical cancer, Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles said during the Ausbiotech 2023 conference held Nov. 1-3 in Brisbane, Australia.
Chimeric Therapeutics Ltd.‘s chlorotoxin (CLTX) CAR T therapy, CHM-1101, which is derived from scorpion toxin, saw a disease control rate of 55%, exceeding the historical disease control rates of 20% to 37% in heavily pre-treated patients with glioblastoma.
A six-week treatment regimen of Paradigm Biopharmaceuticals Ltd.’s Zilosul (injectable pentosan polysulfate/iPPS) resulted in improvement of both the symptoms of osteoarthritis and preserved or regenerated joint tissues in the knee, according to phase II trial results.
Immutep Ltd.’s lead candidate, eftilagimod (IMP-321, efti), a lymphocyte activation gene-3 (LAG-3) fusion protein and major histocompatibility complex class II agonist, delivered an overall survival benefit of 35.5 months in the TACTI-002 trial that combined efti with Merck & Co. Inc.’s Keytruda (pembrolizumab) as first-line treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) at two years follow-up.
Skyhawk Therapeutics Inc. has obtained Australian human research ethic committee (HREC) approval to conduct a phase I trial of SKY-0515 for Huntington’s disease.
Chimeric Therapeutics Ltd.‘s chlorotoxin (CLTX) CAR T therapy, CHM-1101, which is derived from scorpion toxin, saw a disease control rate of 55%, exceeding the historical disease control rates of 20% to 37% in heavily pre-treated patients with glioblastoma.
Medical Microinstruments Inc. (MMI) is expanding its Symani surgical system into the Asia Pacific – a region with “clear demand for the technology” – through two local partners, Device Technologies Australia Pty Ltd. and Seoul-based TRM Korea Corp.
Sab Biotherapeutics Inc. has obtained human research ethics committee (HREC) approval in Australia to commence a first-in-human phase I trial investigating SAB-142 for type 1 diabetes.
A six-week treatment regimen of Paradigm Biopharmaceuticals Ltd.’s Zilosul (injectable pentosan polysulfate/iPPS) resulted in improvement of both the symptoms of osteoarthritis and preserved or regenerated joint tissues in the knee, according to phase II trial results.
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