Inaugural MedChem Australia Projects Announced
TIA congratulates the six recipients of the first round of the MedChem Australia application. Established in 2023, MedChem Australia is committed to helping translate innovative biomedical research into new medicines and commercial opportunities by connecting outstanding Australian science with medicinal chemistry and drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK) expertise. Headquartered at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences in […]
Supercharging Queensland’s drug discovery pipeline
A $2 million grant awarded to establish the Queensland Drug Discovery Alliance (QDDA) will align and grow Queensland’s small molecule therapeutic discovery capability under the leadership of Therapeutic Innovation Australia (TIA). The funding from the Queensland Government’s Department of Environment, Science and Innovation (DESI) will unite and strengthen three flagship Queensland facilities: Compounds Australia (Institute […]
NSW Showcase: TIA and MTPConnect | Recent Visits to Leading Australian Research Facilities
On May 30th, the NSW Showcase event was hosted by TIA and MTPConnect. This event was dedicated to showcase Australia’s national research infrastructure for advancing therapeutic product developments. This showcase also provided detailed insights into available funding to support NCRIS access. Special guest Terry O’Riordan from AusIndustry gave an update on opportunities for matched grant […]
NCRIS Health welcomes the Australia RNA Blueprint
The NCRIS Health Group warmly welcomes the release of Australia’s RNA Blueprint by the Australian Department of Industry, Science and Resources. The NCRIS Health Group includes Bioplatforms Australia, EMBL Australia, National Imaging Facility, Phenomics Australia, Population Health Research Network and Therapeutic Innovation Australia. We are delighted that our advanced translational research infrastructure has been recognised […]
Therapeutic Innovation Australia and Phenomics Australia partnership reinforces commitment to address the medical products challenge
In partnership with Phenomics Australia (PA), Therapeutic Innovation Australia (TIA) is pleased to announce the successful recipients of the Pipeline Accelerator 2023-24 (Round 2). Through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) program, TIA and PA support a network of national research infrastructure to address the medical products challenge in the 2021 National Research Infrastructure […]
TIA launches new RNA Products Capability
On May 24, 2024, TIA launched of its groundbreaking RNA Products Capability at UNSW, with the assistance of NSW Senator Tim Ayres, Chief Scientist Cathy Foley and UNSW Vice Chancellor Atilla Brungs. This new capability is supported by funding from the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) of the Australian Department of Education. It aims […]
Funding boost from two state governments to enhance translational research infrastructure
Funding boost from two state governments to enhance translational research infrastructure TIA is thrilled to announce that we have secured over $5.5M in funding from the New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland Governments through the NCRIS Support Program and Research Infrastructure Co-Investment Fund (RICF), respectively. Under the NSW NCRIS Support Program, researchers and industries […]
TIA is seeking an Impacts and Communications Manager
TIA is hiring! We are looking for a multi-skilled Impacts and Communications Manager to join our small team to help us identify and promote “good news stories” from our national network of translational research infrastructure facilities. If you have a science background and an interest in articulating the value of supporting Australia’s outstanding medical researchers, […]
New melanoma trial in Perth supported by TIA facility
New melanoma trial in Perth could be life-saver for patients resistant to other treatments Dr Peter Lau, Associate Professor Zlatibor Velickovic and Professor Jonas Nilsson are delivering an Australian-first trial for metastatic melanoma sufferers. Credit: Andrew Ritchie/The West Australian A melanoma treatment described as a “holy grail” for patients resistant to other types of immunotherapy […]
New company established to operate NSW’s world-leading viral vector facility
New company established to operate NSW’s world-leading viral vector facility The NSW Government has announced the establishment of a new company to operate the world-leading viral vector manufacturing facility based at the Westmead precinct, which will produce groundbreaking and life-saving therapies. Viral vectors are a key component of many cell and gene therapies, and vaccines, […]
TIA and Phenomics Australia partnership reinforces commitment to bridge the translational gap
Therapeutic Innovation Australia (TIA) in partnership with Phenomics Australia is pleased to announce the successful recipients of the Pipeline Accelerator 2023-24 (Round 1) and Technical Feasibility Assessments (TFAs). A total of 35 projects to share $1,045,256 in voucher awards to access translational national research infrastructure (NRI) to accelerate the translation of therapeutics to improve human […]
Compounds Australia enters a new era of compound storage, access, and supply
It is the end of an era and the start of the next phase of growth at Compounds Australia. With recent infrastructure and library upgrades, the TIA facility and ACRF Centre for Compound Management and Logistics is looking to support more researchers and accelerate more drug discovery projects than ever. Established in 2008 with one robotic […]
TIA funding allows QEDDI to open to external drug discoveries
TIA is set to boost our capabilities and resources following the announcement of NCRIS 2023 funding by The Hon Jason Clare MP, Minister for Education, and The Hon Ed Husic MP, Minister for Industry and Science. The NCRIS scheme is a long-term research infrastructure support scheme supported by the Australian Government’s Department of Education. NCRIS investments supporting […]
TIA-supported facility helps kick-start an Australian-developed cancer drug that has now been approved by the US FDA
Momelotinib, a drug discovered by Australian researchers over several decades, has recently been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of myelofibrosis – a rare and devastating type of cancer that leads to scar tissue in the bone marrow and severe anaemia. Momelotinib is the first and only FDA-approved medicine […]
TIA support bringing a koala vaccine a step closer
Chlamydia is infecting up to half of the koalas living in Queensland and New South Wales, causing blindness and infertility. Antibiotics exist, but they can cause a life-threatening imbalance in a koala’s gut health. TIA has supported research that aims to vaccinate up to 500 koalas as part of a proof-of-concept trial. Professor Peter Timms […]
New partnership supports advances in therapeutic development research
Research in eye, gum, heart and kidney disease, reproductive and developmental biology, cancer, infections, high blood pressure, therapeutic development, microbiome, immunity, endometriosis and osteoarthritis will advance with a combined $642,159 in support from TIA and Phenomics Australia. The Pipeline Accelerator scheme enables researchers to develop disease model systems to study, screen, optimise and validate drug […]
MRFF backs new national venture to strengthen homegrown medicine outcomes
The Commonwealth Government’s Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) National Critical Research Infrastructure Grant has invested $9.75 million into establishing MedChem Australia, a new national medicinal chemistry initiative. MedChem Australia will be headquartered at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS) and will bring together three leading medical chemistry groups in Australia from MIPS, WEHI and […]
How TIA is helping infectious disease researchers build translational skills
Associate Professor Anthony Kicic leads a team at the Telethon Kids Institute towards a new way of fighting antimicrobial resistance (AMR). While he employs his expertise in molecular and cell biology, tissue engineering and stem cell research in the laboratory, Dr Kicic is also gaining insights into the important needs of industry and government. TIA […]
New biotech company receives funding to halt the progression of kidney disease
TIA has supported kidney disease research that is now underpinning the establishment of new Monash biotech company xCystence Bio. xCystence Bio has received funding to advance research to develop new therapeutics for Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD), a family of genetic diseases in which multiple large cysts form in the kidneys. The spin-out company is being […]
Technical feasibility advice part of expanded TIA support schemes
Early-stage research projects in areas such as autoimmune disease, antimicrobial-resistant infections and eye disorders are benefiting from expert advice from TIA facilities to maximise their translational potential. The new Technical Feasibility Assessments (TFA) are part of TIA’s voucher-style research schemes that are jointly supporting a combined 24 projects with advice and subsidised access worth $850,000. […]
Demand booms for experimental mRNA from UQ BASE
TIA has supported a team from The University of Queensland that is now the biggest supplier of experimental mRNA vaccines and therapies in Australia, with burgeoning demand from research and industry. The BASE facility is producing mRNA at UQ’s Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology for pre-clinical research on vaccines, cancers and autoimmune diseases. Director […]
Clamp2 provides vaccine hope for future pandemics
A TIA facility will play an important role in The University of Queensland’s research to take a second-generation molecular clamp vaccine to a proof-of-concept human trial. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovation (CEPI) will provide up to $8.5 million to support further development of the re-engineered technology for use in a global response to future […]
Medical chemist brings commercialisation experience to ATMCF role
Professor Paul Stupple has been appointed the Director of TIA’s Australian Translational Medicinal Chemistry Facility (ATMCF), bringing more than 20 years of experience in the global pharmaceutical industry and academia. He will lead Monash-based ATMCF in optimising small molecules as therapeutic candidates, filling the gap between early-stage research in disease biology and translating discoveries into […]
When food kills
Infrastructure and expertise supported by Phenomics Australia and Therapeutic Innovation Australia (TIA) are used in fighting food poisoning toxins. The challenge: Food poisoning is estimated to affect more than 4 million Australians every year – costing the economy $1.25 billion, and in some cases causing death. There are an estimated 4.1 million cases of food […]
Research Infrastructure Specialist Position Paper
The National Research Infrastructure system, embodied as a broad set of Commonwealth investments through NCRIS, is a systemic enabler of the nation’s innovation system and should be considered a national asset. The NCRIS collectively represents a cutting edge and high-capacity technology base for the nation, however the strategic value of the research infrastructure system is […]
How TIA is helping to accelerate the development of Australian COVID-19 treatments
TIA facilities are contributing to research programs at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) to develop a combination medicine that can target two proteins involved in COVID-19 infection and spread. The research aims to halt the emergence of antiviral resistance, occurring when a virus changes and stops responding to medication – […]
TIA supports bid to overcome leading cause of hospital ICU deaths
TIA facilities are core to research into a targeted therapeutic to overcome sepsis, a leading cause of death in hospital intensive care units. TIA’s Australian Translational Medicinal Chemistry Facility (ATMCF) at Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences has been used to study and refine compounds that show promise as a drug candidate for inflammation, primarily for […]
Developing a pain medication that doesn’t cause addiction
People with pain rely heavily on opioid medications, causing side effects and leading to addiction in as many as 18 million people around the world each year. Queensland drug discovery company Vast Bioscience is gaining a greater understanding of genetic, nerve and cell mechanisms involved in pain while developing a non-opioid therapeutic that will not […]
Virus and superbug vaccines at the core of TIA-supported research
Researchers are building on the University of Queensland’s expertise in vaccine technology and accessing TIA capabilities to develop vaccines suitable for both pandemic viruses and antibiotic-resistant superbugs. Using the TIA-supported BASE mRNA Facility and collaborating with biotechnology company Moderna and UQ spin-out Vaxxas, the researchers aim to bring mRNA vaccine candidates into clinical trials within […]
Prescient Therapeutics Limited building LEGO-like solutions to address rapidly mutating cancers
Melbourne-based oncology company Prescient Therapeutics Limited (ASX: PTX) is using TIA facilities to develop a modular cell-based therapy, like LEGO, to treat cancers which can evade traditional immunotherapies through rapid mutations. Using their unique covalent modular system named OmniCAR, they aim to build a cell therapy that can be directed toward different tumour antigens by […]
Cancer medicine research advances with TIA expertise
Researchers will use TIA facilities and expertise to advance their work to discover a targeted medicine that boosts the immune system to fight cancer. They will use TIA’s Centre for Drug Candidate Optimisation (CDCO) to identify a therapeutic that improves success rates of cancer immunotherapy, with fewer side effects than traditional chemotherapy and, in many […]
National research infrastructure working together to improve the health of Australians
Innovation in Australia’s health and medical research translation has been boosted with National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS)- enabled health and medical research partners signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU). Bioplatforms Australia (BPA), National Imaging Facility (NIF), Phenomics Australia, Population Health Research Network (PHRN) and Therapeutic Innovation Australia (TIA) will enhance collaborative opportunities between infrastructure […]
TIA partners with AAMRNet to accelerate therapeutic development research
Research in areas such as cancer, autoimmune disease, endometriosis, mental health, kidney disease and bacterial infection will advance with almost $500,000 in support from Therapeutic Innovation Australia (TIA). TIA is using its Pipeline Accelerator scheme to enable 15 researcher and industry projects to access a range of specialist Australian translational medical research infrastructure. The scheme […]
NCRIS: The power behind Australia’s science
Australian science continues to make national and international headlines, most recently focusing on the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2019 – 2020 Australian bushfires. Behind these headlines, you will find a community of impassioned researchers. And behind them, you will find a network of research enablers from NCRIS, the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy. Since 2004, […]
🏏 TIA reaches a century of voucher awards! 🏏
We are delighted to announce the outcomes of the first round of Pipeline Accelerator 2021-22 scheme. A total of $560,000 will be invested to support 17 therapeutic development projects, ranging from diagnostics to treatments, to address unmet medical needs across multiple disease areas. This has led to TIA achieving a significant milestone. Since the launch […]
New role looks at worm saliva to eradicate diabetes
AIBN Professor Trent Munro is part of a new biotechnology company aiming to treat Type 2 diabetes using saliva from parasitic worms. Professor Munro has been appointed an Advisory Board member of Macrobiome Therapeutics, spun out of James Cook University (JCU) research and a recipient of $2.2 million in new federal government funding. His AIBN […]
New Zealand accessing Australian expertise to build mRNA COVID-19 vaccines
AUCKLAND: COVID-19 Vaccination Corporation (CVC), New Zealand’s most experienced group of vaccine researchers have joined forces with Australia’s BASE Nucleic Acids Biomanufacturing Facility to produce an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. As mRNA vaccines have demonstrated their abilities to be quickly developed, CVC’s collaboration with BASE Nucleic Acids Biomanufacturing facility, part of the Protein Expression Facility at […]
Pipeline Navigator 2021-22 (Round 1) is now open for applications
TIA supports and facilitates researcher and SME access to a diverse range of Australian translational medical research infrastructure (see Table 1) via a voucher-style scheme known as the Pipeline Accelerator. Refer to the guidelines for information on eligibility, funding levels, co-investment expectations, as well as the application and funding process (with slightly different guidelines for […]
Perkin Elmer and BIF collab to help train local businesses
The Biologics Innovation Facility (BIF) in collaboration with PerkinElmer have established a training facility to assist local biotech companies and academia to have access to the PerkinElmer’s LabChip® technology. The facility acts as a centre for demonstrations, method development, and training. In June, NeuClone, a Sydney based biotherapeutic company, received training on the LabChip GX […]
Pipeline Accelerator 2020-21 (Round 2) Outcomes
TIA is pleased to announce the outcomes of Pipeline Accelerator 2020-21 (Round 2). TIA is investing $620,000 in 18 ground-breaking therapeutic development projects listed below. Click here to find out more about our Pipeline Accelerator Scheme
2021 National Research Infrastructure Roadmap
Every five years, the Australian Government consolidates and renews its policy approach to national research infrastructure (NRI) investment by engaging the research community and its stakeholders in the development of a strategic roadmap. The Roadmaps undertaken in 2011 and 2016 have resulted in a richly resourced infrastructure network, underpinning the safety and prosperity of the […]
TIA’s investment in nucleic acid production
TIA is pleased to announce our latest investment in a pilot facility at BASE, UQ to produce high-quality nucleic-acid (mRNA, DNA) to support academic, translational and industrial research. BASE harnesses the collective UQ expertise of the leading RNA research by Associate Professor Timothy Mercer, the biomanufacturing powerhouse National Biologics Facility led by Professor Trent Munro, […]
Boosting skills for future biologics industry
With the New Year comes new opportunities to learn new skills and explore new horizons. These opportunities for professional development have been offered by the Biologics Innovation Facility (BIF) during their February short course session focusing on Downstream Bioprocessing training. With the easing of COVID-19 restrictions and State borders re-opening at the beginning of 2021, […]
TIA Introductory Webinar
TIA held a information webinar on 2nd December 2020 to profile the expert services and advice available from the TIA consortium. Speakers from each of TIA’s three capabilities broadly outlined the unique and expert services and how to access them at reduced cost. Program 1. Introduction to TIA and its capabilities – Dr Stuart Newman, […]
CSL signs agreement with Australian Government for UQ vaccine supply
Global biotech company CSL Limited will supply the Australian Government with 51 million doses of The University of Queensland’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate if it proves successful, under a heads of agreement announced today. CSL expects the first tranche of doses to be available by mid-2021, with additional doses following in late 2021 and early 2022, […]
Funding Boost for COVID-19 Research
Researchers at the National Biologics Facility (NBF) at The University of Queensland will benefit from a substantial funding boost for COVID-19 research. The NBF specialises in the production of high-quality proteins with potential therapeutic or commercial uses, and its state-of-the-art laboratories housed in UQ’s AIBN are playing a central role in the development of vaccines […]
Historic funding boost for Queensland’s fight against ovarian cancer
Developing early and improved diagnostic tests to lift ovarian cancer survival rates are the focus of two research projects commencing at The University of Queensland. UQ scientists Associate Professor Paul Thomas and Professors John Hooper and Trent Munro, will test a new agent measuring its suitability in fighting epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC), in the first […]
Positive outcome for Hendra antibody trial
A process developed by University of Queensland researchers to produce larger quantities of the Hendra virus therapeutic antibody could be expanded to manufacture treatments for other potentially deadly viruses around the world. Researchers at UQ’s Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) used this process to produce material for Queensland Health’s world-first human Hendra virus […]
New funding for biologics facility will keep research local
The recently opened Biologics Innovation Facility (BIF) at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) has been awarded a $100,000 grant through the NSW Government’s Research Attraction and Acceleration Program (RAAP), it was announced today. The funding is part of an $8 million funding boost to cutting-edge research and development facilities to benefit the state’s research […]
UQ antibody progresses to clinic with $20m investment
A potential therapy targeting difficult-to-treat immune system disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis will progress to clinical trials next year after securing $20 million in Series A funding. The KB312 antibody drug candidate was discovered by University of Queensland researchers in collaboration with the University of California San Francisco, Mater Research Institute-UQ and the Cooperative Research […]
