During 2007, there was significant progress in the Institute’s commercialisation endeavours with the lodgement of three new provisional patent applications. The new applications covered the fields of cancer and asthma and take the Institute’s patent portfolio from 34 to 37.
In addition, of the patent applications lodged in previous years, four entered national phase and we lodged PCT (Patent Cooperation Treaty) applications for two others.
Steady progress was made with some of the existing commercial opportunities in terms of identifying and engaging with potential commercialisation partners. 2008 may well see some of those interactions convert into promising commercialisation agreements.
One of the key challenges in the commercialisation process is overcoming the “commercialisation gap”. This refers to the financing gap that exists when a technology has progressed beyond the funding criteria of the Government’s main medical research funding body, the National Health and Medical Research Council, but is too early in its development to attract typical venture capital funding. With the aim of targeting that gap, a new initiative called the Medical Research Commercialisation Fund (MRCF), was established during the year.
The MRCF is a nationally-focused investment fund formed with financing from two major superannuation funds and independently managed by experienced early-stage biotechnology investment managers. It was formed with investment opportunities from medical research institutes in mind and works on a membership basis to determine eligibility for putting investment applications forward. Institute membership also requires the financial support of the relevant State Government.
From Western Australia, this Institute along with the WA Institute for Medical Research joined the MRCF and we are very grateful to the State Government, via the Department of Industry and Resources, for being supportive of this national initiative. Apart from the possibility of attracting investment funds for commercial initiatives, membership of this fund provides another avenue of interaction between medical research institutes across the country and from a Western Australian perspective helps to keep us involved in the national scene. Our involvement with the MRCF will evolve through 2008.
A summary of the commercial opportunities and activities at the Institute is as follows:
Our division of Children’s Leukaemia and Cancer Research (CLCR) headed by Ursula Kees, has identified a set of genes that discriminates pre-B ALL patients with a poor prognosis. The gene classifier predicts patient prognosis better than the current risk assessment factors of age and white blood cell count.
The division of CLCR have also developed a high-throughput real-time quantitative PCR method to detect very accurately a specific type of gene deletion which has traditionally been very hard to establish unambiguously. Gene deletion can indicate a predisposition to developing disease or be an independent indicator of prognosis.
Researchers headed by Pat Holt in the Division of Cell Biology, have identified a suite of genes that could provide a method of diagnosing, predicting the development and monitoring the treatment of an allergic disorder. Additionally, these genes could provide a means to screen for potential agents to treat or prevent an allergic disorder or may be targets for the development of such agents.
Airway function is the focus of an invention being developed in the Clinical Sciences Division by division head Peter Sly and others. The invention is a device to measure airway activity and its purpose will be to detect the early development, diagnose and monitor the treatment of respiratory disease. As an added feature, it is expected that the device will have application to infants, enabling measurement of respiratory activity without sedation.
A large number of RNA viruses (including Hepatitis C) ‘hi-jack’ cellular translation machinery to prevent cellular protein synthesis and enhance translation of viral proteins. Existing drugs and vaccines are of limited use against RNA based viruses since the high rate of mutation can circumvent very site-specific treatment methods.
Researchers at the Institute have developed a method of screening for peptide inhibitors of viral translation that will interact over a large interface of the viral RNA, therefore reducing the chance of mutation based resistance.
The largest component of our commercialisation activities would be classified as contract research. Of particular note are the activities of the Vaccine Trials Group, which has grown in significance over recent years.
The Vaccine Trials Group (VTG) was established in 1999 as a collaborative venture involving the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children and the University of Western Australia School of Paediatrics and Child Health.
The VTG’s role is to provide a coordinated approach to the development, delivery, assessment and promotion of vaccines and allergy treatments in the community. It is involved in epidemiological studies, clinical trials of new and existing vaccines and in basic laboratory research necessary to design new vaccines.
The pharmaceutical companies involved with the VTG include Glaxo, Aventis, CSL, PPD and Wyeth.
Institute spin-out company Phylogica , formed in 2001 and listed on the Australian Stock Exchange in March 2005, is focused on the development of drug candidates for the treatment of inflammatory conditions. The underlying technology aims at blocking the interaction of proteins at the cellular level that are involved in inflammatory conditions. The blocking of such interactions can be achieved without disrupting the healthy interaction of other proteins.
The Institute’s current shareholding is approximately 16 per cent.
Our second spin-off company is Advanced Diagnostic Systems Pty Ltd (ADS). Formed in 2003, ADS is focused on the development of an asthma and allergy prognostic and diagnostic system. To achieve this aim, funding was secured from a UK-based investor and the Institute assigned the relevant patented technology into the company.
The research work has concluded and the results have been very positive. The next major challenge is to translate those results into a commercially viable product and to that end we are collaborating with a major international diagnostics company. The current Institute shareholding is 45 per cent.
Last updated 16 June 2008
