Axelia Oncology Pty Ltd. was spun out of Ena Respiratory Pty. Ltd., which developed a series of synthetic Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2/6 agonists for nasal delivery to treat respiratory infections, including influenza and SARS-CoV-2. Although the pegylated TLR 2/6 agonist, INNA-051, was initially focused on antiviral activity, the company discovered that it also worked in oncology models, and Axelia was spun out to focus on oncology, CEO Phil Kearney told BioWorld.
Starpharma Holdings Ltd.’s DEP docetaxel phase II trial met its primary endpoints, demonstrating antitumor activity in multiple advanced, metastatic cancers, including pancreatic, gastro-esophageal, non-small-cell lung cancer and cholangiocarcinoma.
If the COVID-19 pandemic shocked countries to build self-reliance in biomedical ecosystems, the re-opening of borders in 2023 kickstarted international collaborations to grow major biohubs in Asia. Countries in the Asia Pacific region – including Singapore, China, Japan, Korea and Australia – increasingly drew overseas investors and collaborators, helping each country grow national biotech capabilities and expertise.
Neuren Pharmaceuticals Ltd. plans to progress NNZ-2591 to phase III trials following positive top-line phase II results in children with Phelan-McDermid syndrome, a genetic neurodevelopmental disorder for which there are no approved treatments.
Prescient Therapeutics Pty Ltd.’s PTX-100 met primary safety endpoints and showed preliminary efficacy in a phase Ib trial in patients with relapsed and refractory T-cell lymphomas that exceeded the standard of care, and the company hopes to advance to a phase II registrational study in 2024, Prescient CEO Steven Yatomi-Clarke told BioWorld.
Regenerative medicine company Mesoblast Ltd. plans to raise AU$97 million (US$64.5 million) to conduct additional phase III registration trials for its allogeneic stem cell treatment for steroid-refractory acute graft-vs.-host disease and for chronic back pain, as required by the U.S. FDA.
Patients with end-stage pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma achieved unprecedented survival rates after being treated with the Engeneic dream vector nanocells, with 88% of patients doubling the historical survival rates, Engeneic Ltd. co-CEO Jennifer MacDiarmid told BioWorld.
Ophthalmology company Polyactiva Pty Ltd.’s biodegradable ocular implant provides six months of sustained drug delivery for patients with glaucoma and is the first biodegradable ocular implant that has the potential to be used safely for repeat dosing, Polyactiva CEO Vanessa Waddell told BioWorld.
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.
Multinational pharma companies like Moderna Inc. and Sanofi SA are setting up mRNA R&D centers in Australia and are banking on the country’s decades of mRNA expertise to bring new therapeutics to the clinic and to serve as regional hubs in Asia Pacific, speakers said during the Ausbiotech 2023 conference held Nov 1-3 in Brisbane, Australia.
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