Team Members from Monash University and BioCurate
From left to right: Ms. Taru Panjikar, Mr. Johnny Nguyen, Mr. Rex Anane, Mr. Gordon Lloyd, Associate Professor Ruby Law, Professor James Whisstock, Mr. Michael Vovos; from BioCurate: Dr. Heique Bogdawa, Dr. Tifelle Reisinger.

 

In Australia, approximately 2% of the population suffers from chronic wounds, resulting in an estimated healthcare cost of $3 billion annually. Affected patients include those with diabetes, who face complications such as foot ulcers—conditions that tragically lead to over 4,400 amputations each year. Another significant concern is pressure injuries (bedsores), which disproportionately affect aging patients in hospitals, with incidence rates exceeding 20% in some settings.

Plasminogen, a critical enzyme essential for effective wound healing, has shown high efficacy in plasminogen replacement studies. However, its clinical utility has been severely limited by its reliance on plasma fractionation for production restricting its global availability and accessibility, and its poor pharmacokinetic profile, limiting its utility.

Recognizing this urgent need, Associate Professor Ruby Law and Professor James Whisstock at Monash University, in collaboration with leading clinical experts, have embarked on a mission to address these barriers. Their innovative research seeks to:

• Unravel the mechanisms underlying plasminogen’s role in wound healing.
• Engineer improved plasminogen biologics with enhanced pharmacokinetics.
• Develop cost-effective production methods to ensure broader accessibility for patients worldwide.

Image above: Mechanism of synthetic plasminogen function
Uptake of Plasminogen (displayed in magenta) by macrophages, visualized with green cell outlines and blue nuclei, play a key role in promoting wound healing.

 

The BioCurate Proof-of-Concept Fund has been instrumental in advancing this initiative, providing the critical resources needed to accelerate research and development. This funding has enabled:

• Recruitment of key expertise and collaboration with industrial partners.
• Transition from laboratory innovation to scalable production processes.
• Production of high-grade plasminogen for preclinical studies, paving the way to validate its therapeutic potential in wound healing.

“This partnership is fundamentally critical to making this valuable biologic accessible to patients who depend on plasminogen for survival due to genetic deficiencies or as a clinical adjunct for wound healing.” said Associate Professor Ruby Law.

“BioCurate’s support is absolutely essential to making plasminogen available in Australia and globally, restoring hope for patients who have been deprived of a normal life.” Professor James Whisstock added.

With promising preclinical data already in hand, the team is advancing toward production optimisation and pre-clinical proof of concept. This effort holds the potential to develop a novel, affordable therapeutic for wound healing that could dramatically improve the lives of patients with chronic wounds and other debilitating conditions.

Together, these advancements mark a transformative step in reducing the immense burden of chronic wounds and offering hope to millions of patients worldwide.

The support from BioCurate enabled this project to secure additional funding through the Australia’s Economic Accelerator Seed Grant, facilitating further studies to refine the design and explore its therapeutic potential in disease models beyond diabetic wounds. Together, these investments provide crucial support, accelerating project progress and strengthening opportunities to secure further funding for clinical translation.

Find out more about the AEA case study here.

About BioCurate

Jointly formed by the University of Melbourne and Monash University, with support from the Victorian State Government, BioCurate identifies promising biomedical research discoveries and manages their translation into high-quality pre-clinical candidates for novel human therapeutics. We operate in the under-resourced yet critical early phases of therapeutic development to drive early decisions and overcome common barriers to success.

BioCurate is operationally independent, with a team of experts who bring decades of scientific and commercial expertise. This expertise enables us to recognise and realise real-world potential and provides a critical bridge between academia and industry. With an extensive global network within the biotechnology sector, we are well-positioned to drive the most feasible commercial path forward for Australian innovations.

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Victorian therapeutics incubator BioCurate is partnering with UniQuest’s small molecule drug discovery and development engine QEDDI to develop a new effective treatment for neuropathic pain with potential to become a safe alternative to opioids.

This partnership is enabled by the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS), administered by Therapeutic Innovation Australia (TIA).

An estimated 5 per cent of the global population suffers from neuropathic pain. While opioids are one of the most effective pain treatments they come with the significant risks of opioid addiction and treatment resistance, and non-opioid treatments are urgently needed.

To address this, BioCurate and QEDDI are collaborating to develop a new class of inhibitor targeting two ion channels that are found at the site of generation of pain signals. This collaboration aims to deliver novel inhibitors that have maximal  pain reduction properties with a high safety margin.

BioCurate Associate Director of Small Molecule Therapeutics, Dr Belinda Huff, said “Collaboration with groups of QEDDI’s calibre is a strategic priority for BioCurate, ensuring that our projects can be developed towards the best possible outcomes, providing synergistic expertise and resources to increase our chances of success in translating biomedical discoveries into quality therapeutic candidates. We are excited about the prospect of developing an effective and safe treatment for neuropathic pain, alongside the QEDDI team.”

UniQuest CEO Dr Dean Moss said that this collaboration aligns with our shared goal of translating biomedical discoveries into quality therapeutic candidates.

“We are thrilled to partner with BioCurate on its mission to bring about a much-needed new treatment,” he said.

UniQuest’s Head of Strategic Partnerships Dr Andrew Harvey said partnerships are key in drug discovery.

“Working with BioCurate’s experienced team will extend what we are capable of doing nationally and leverage QEDDI’s world-class drug discovery and computational chemistry expertise. We are grateful for the enabling support of Therapeutic Innovation Australia.”

BioCurate CEO Dr Kathy Nielsen said it was exciting to join forces with QEDDI to advance world-class research towards helping people experiencing neuropathic pain. “There is so much need for new treatments and pooling resources and expertise through early-stage partnerships such as this one between BioCurate and QEDDI is vital to success.”

BioCurate will apply its industry-driven preclinical drug development expertise to co-develop the intellectual property with QEDDI.

QEDDI will use its state-of-the art drug discovery capabilities to co-develop the potential new treatment with BioCurate.

NCRIS is a research infrastructure support scheme supported by the Australian Government’s Department of Education.

L-R: Dr Belinda Huff, Dr Andrew Harvey, Dr Matthew McLachlan, Dr Malika Kumarasiri, Dr Eric Hayes, Dr Nick Matovic, Dr Brian Dymock, Dr Julia Beveridge

Media contacts:

UniQuest, Brooke Baskin; b.baskin@uniquest.com.au; +61 438 454 029.

BioCurate, Metani Rooms; m.rooms@biocurate.com; + 61 429 463 872

About BioCurate

Jointly formed by the University of Melbourne and Monash University, with support from the Victorian State Government, BioCurate identifies promising biomedical research discoveries and manages their translation into high-quality pre-clinical candidates for novel human therapeutics. We operate in the under-resourced yet critical early phases of therapeutic development to drive early decisions and overcome common barriers to success.

BioCurate is operationally independent, with a team of experts who bring decades of scientific and commercial expertise. This expertise enables us to recognise and realise real-world potential and provides a critical bridge between academia and industry. With an extensive global network within the biotechnology sector, we are well-positioned to drive the most feasible commercial path forward for Australian innovations.

About QEDDI

QEDDI is a division of UniQuest, is a small molecule drug discovery and development group dedicated to translating academic biomedical research into new medicines.  QEDDI is a world class facility and the only example of its kind in an Australian university, with an industry-experienced team dedicated to advancing biomedical research into new candidate therapies to enable commercial partnerships and accelerate new drug development.  QEDDI’s pipeline is targeting new treatments for some of the world’s most challenging diseases, including cancer, inflammatory diseases and neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

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A novel treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is being developed by a multidisciplinary team at Monash University, with critical funding and support from BioCurate’s Proof of Concept (POC) Fund. BioCurate’s involvement has been pivotal in advancing this project, providing both financial backing and industry insights to push the research forward.

PAH predominantly affects women, causing pulmonary vessel remodelling and hypertension, and eventual right-sided heart failure. It is progressive and incurable, with current treatments only providing symptomatic relief. This critical gap has led translational pharmacologist Dr Helena Qin and her team to explore small molecule drug candidates that target a G-protein coupled receptor involved in lung vessel inflammation and remodelling. They hope to develop a novel disease-modifying therapy that can halt the progression of PAH, preventing right heart failure and ultimately reducing mortality.

The support from BioCurate’s POC Fund has come at a crucial time, bridging a funding gap and helping the team to identify early leads obtained from high-throughput screening performed with the National Drug Discovery Centre that show promise for development into a lead series.

“We’ve found that there are quite limited resources in Australia for translational projects,” Dr Qin explained. “The POC fund targets early-stage therapeutic projects, which aligned perfectly with the stage of our project.”

BioCurate’s contribution has gone beyond financial support, offering valuable expertise and fresh perspectives on the scientific and commercial processes.

“We were very impressed with their thinking about both the scientific and commercial aspects of the project,” Dr Qin said. “Some of those discussions were challenging – they really encouraged us to push our boundaries and think about whether we were taking the right approach.”

These discussions have led Dr Qin’s team to carefully consider the unmet need their project addresses, and think ahead to developing commercialisation and marketing strategies to ensure their project will be commercially feasible in the long term. This preparation has impacted the project on all levels, streamlining workflows and enhancing the translatability of the research.

The team led by Dr Qin is highly multidisciplinary, including chief investigators Professor Rebecca Ritchie, Head of the Heart Failure Pharmacology laboratory, Professor Paul Stupple, Director of the Australian Translational Medicinal Chemistry Facility, Dr Lauren May, Head of the GPCR Cardiac Biology laboratory, Dr Kieran Stockton, post-doctoral research fellow, and Dr Katie Leach, and Julian Vultaggio from the Business Development team at Monash University.

Collaboration with clinicians from Alfred Hospital and Monash Health has ensured that the research remains aligned with real-world patient needs and current clinical management guidelines. The diversity of experience within this team is complemented by BioCurate’s industry expertise.

As the teams work together towards their goal of developing a novel therapeutic for PAH, they remain driven by the potential impact on patients’ lives. “This process has brought us closer to our consumers and end-users, which feels really special,” Dr Qin said. “We all have the same alignment of goals and mission – delivering a disease-modifying therapeutic for this devastating disease.”

From left to right: Dr Katie Leach, Dr Helena Qin, Prof. Paul Stupple, Dr Kieran Stockton, Julian Vultaggio, Dr Lauren May, Prof. Rebecca Ritchie.

About BioCurate

Jointly formed by the University of Melbourne and Monash University, with support from the Victorian State Government, BioCurate identifies promising biomedical research discoveries and manages their translation into high-quality pre-clinical candidates for novel human therapeutics. We operate in the under-resourced yet critical early phases of therapeutic development to drive early decisions and overcome common barriers to success.

BioCurate is operationally independent, with a team of experts who bring decades of scientific and commercial expertise. This expertise enables us to recognise and realise real-world potential and provides a critical bridge between academia and industry. With an extensive global network within the biotechnology sector, we are well-positioned to drive the most feasible commercial path forward for Australian innovations.

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In the fast-paced world of medical research and drug development, innovative ideas often struggle to gain traction due to funding constraints. BioCurate’s Proof of Concept Fund is working to change this trend by providing crucial support to address critical gaps in promising projects, as exemplified by the groundbreaking work on Interleukin-38 (IL-38) led by Professor Claudia Nold from The Hudson Institute of Medical Research and Associate Professor Andrew Ellisdon from the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute.

IL-38, once an unsung hero in the cytokine world, has emerged as a potential game-changer in treating inflammatory diseases. Unlike its inflammatory counterparts in the interleukin family, IL-38 exhibits unique anti-inflammatory properties. However, researching this molecule posed challenges due to limited tools and its complex nature.

Professor Nold and Associate Professor Ellisdon, joined by experts from Monash University, including Professor Marcel Nold, Professor Eric Morand and Professor James Whisstock, embarked on a mission to uncover the mechanism of action (MOA) of their IL-38 mimicking molecule. This step is crucial in therapeutic development, as it ensures the highest standards of both safety and effectiveness.

BioCurate’s support came at a critical juncture, providing the resources needed to maintain momentum and recruit essential expertise within the team. This support ensures continuity in this vital research, offering reassurance that the successful development of their IL-38 candidate is within reach.

Beyond financial support, BioCurate’s involvement catalysed the project’s progress by connecting the team with contract research organisations. These collaborations facilitated validation and complementary experiments, contributing significantly to understanding the MOA.

“Seeing academic research translated into patient treatments is the ultimate goal, but it needs strong partnerships and support of the kind we receive from Biocurate.” said Professor Claudia Nold.

“In an increasingly competitive research landscape, BioCurate’s assistance has been instrumental in accelerating all aspects of the project,” said Associate Professor Andrew Ellisdon.

As the team moves forward with toxicology and efficacy studies, the potential for developing a new class of anti-inflammatory therapeutics looks promising.

About BioCurate

Jointly formed by the University of Melbourne and Monash University, with support from the Victorian State Government, BioCurate identifies promising biomedical research discoveries and manages their translation into high-quality pre-clinical candidates for novel human therapeutics. We operate in the under-resourced yet critical early phases of therapeutic development to drive early decisions and overcome common barriers to success.

BioCurate is operationally independent, with a team of experts who bring decades of scientific and commercial expertise. This expertise enables us to recognise and realise real-world potential and provides a critical bridge between academia and industry. With an extensive global network within the biotechnology sector, we are well-positioned to drive the most feasible commercial path forward for Australian innovations.

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BioCurate is delighted to announce the opening of the POC Fund for 2024. This commercial funding scheme is designed to support early stage therapeutic projects that need further experimental validation to address key scientific gaps, generate additional compelling data to support the opportunity, de-risk projects and propel them to the next value inflection point.

The POC fund is expanded for this year to welcome applications from eligible companies alongside academic researchers. Successful applicants can receive up to $500K in funding over a period of 12-24 months to expedite therapeutic discoveries. In addition to financial support, recipients will benefit from BioCurate’s industry expertise and mentoring, which includes assistance in developing commercialisation and IP strategies, as well as crafting experimental plans to advance the opportunity and mitigate project risks. BioCurate staff will provide support throughout the project to maximise the chances of a successful outcome.

Dr. Kathy Nielsen, CEO of BioCurate Pty Ltd, states, “BioCurate is pleased to announce our new, flexible model for POC project funding. By expanding the scheme to include spin-outs from our shareholder universities and eligible medical research institutes (MRIs), we are adapting to include a greater range of commercialization pathways. We look forward to continuing to fund early-stage therapeutic projects with promising commercial potential, from academic and now, eligible spin-out companies. This provides further support for researchers and founders, leveraging third-party funding, and helping to maximise the chance of a tangible commercial outcome.”

Eligibility for this funding scheme includes researchers from the University of Melbourne, Monash University, or their affiliated Medical Research Institutes as well as companies which are either spin-outs from these research organisations, or where the IP underpinning the project originated from them.

Unlike traditional granting schemes, the POC scheme is a source of both funding and drug development support in a flexible arrangement that can lead to a number of commercialisation pathways. Following successful completion of a POC, the project may receive further BioCurate support, through in-licensing or extended POC funding, or alternatively through investment into a spin out.

The application consists of an online component with links to a downloadable Expression of Interest form (separate templates for academic and company applicants).

Submissions are due by 5:00 pm on Friday, 6th September 2024.

Click here to view the online application form and access the EOI templates.

Click here to download the slide deck from 2024 POC info sessions and here for a list of FAQs.

We encourage all qualified researchers and eligible companies to apply and seize this unique opportunity to advance their therapeutic discoveries with BioCurate’s support and funding. For more information, please contact the BioCurate POC team at poc@biocurate.com.

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The 2023 Annual Report highlights BioCurate’s excellent progress, with milestone success and pipeline growth helping us build a robust portfolio of drug development assets. In particular, the significant growth in our pipeline of early-stage projects was enabled through the expansion of the popular Proof of Concept Scheme with two successful BioCurate Opportunity Application rounds completed, bringing in numerous high-quality opportunities. Pleasingly, all existing Portfolio Projects met key milestones, enabling them to advance to the next stage of development.

BioCurate 2023 Annual Report

 

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BioCurate, the independently operated joint venture between the University of Melbourne and Monash University, announced today it has appointed Dr. Kathy Nielsen to the role of Chief Executive Officer. Dr. Nielsen brings over 25 years of experience in senior leadership and advisory roles primarily in the life science sector, with deep experience in technology transfer, venture capital, creating and advancing spin out companies, and operating in the nexus between research and the pharmaceutical industry.

BioCurate Chair, The Hon John Brumby AO, said; “The Board and I are delighted to welcome Kathy to the role. Aside from her stellar track record as a team leader, she has a rare combination of governance, technical, IP and commercialisation capabilities, along with industry connections that will be incredibly valuable to our mission.”

Dr. Nielsen said; “I’ve been a long-time supporter of BioCurate from its genesis and an advocate for its work in my role at Monash Innovation. I’m privileged to have the opportunity to join such an exceptional team and channel my skills and expertise into supporting its mission to translate promising medical research into quality preclinical candidates for the bio-pharmaceutical industry.”

Dr. Nielsen joins BioCurate from Monash Innovation (Senior Director Commercialisation), having led the growing Commercialisation team, and managed a large and dynamic portfolio of early stage assets. She has had a strong transaction focus, brokering numerous deals with major pharmaceutical companies, as well creating more than 25 Monash spin offs for the development of new therapeutics, many of which have secured multi-million dollar investments. Dr Nielsen has strong corporate governance experience, having held 17 Directorships and 5 Observer positions.

Previously, Dr Nielsen was Senior Investment Manager at Queensland Investment Corporation, which managed several funds both in Australia and USA, investing in more than 20 biotech/life science companies and generating significant returns for Australian investors. Dr. Nielsen has also held senior roles in technology transfer at the University of Queensland and its spin outs including ElaCor Pty Ltd, Nanomics Biosystems Pty Ltd and Xenome Ltd.

Dr. Nielsen has also made substantial non-commercial impacts during her career, including through her role as Director, Research & Advocacy at Ovarian Cancer Australia. She was crucial in developing a National Action Plan for high impact research and to inform, engage and amplify the voices of women with ovarian cancer, through consumer-driven research.

The Hon. John Brumby AO, Chair of the BioCurate Board, said:
“The Board and I would like to thank Henry Jones for his interim leadership during the search, as well as the entire BioCurate team for the substantial progress they have achieved, including the achievement of all key project milestones, the expansion of our early opportunity pipeline through our Proof of Concept Scheme, and for securing extensions to, and new strategic partnerships with major biotech companies.”

Prof. Mark Hargreaves, Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research), The University of Melbourne, said:
“Kathy is an outstanding addition to the BioCurate leadership team. She is a well-known and highly regarded leader who is well-placed to further the translation and impact of the world-class biomedical research in our city.”

About BioCurate

BioCurate is a bold, collaborative venture, dedicated to delivering benefits to the community by helping to advance Australian research and innovation globally. Jointly formed by the University of Melbourne and Monash University, with support from the Victorian State Government, BioCurate identifies promising biomedical research discoveries and manages their translation into high quality pre-clinical candidates with the aim to develop potential novel human therapeutics.

We operate in the under-resourced, yet critical, early phases of therapeutic development to overcome common barriers to success and drive early decisions. BioCurate is operationally independent, with a team of experts that brings decades of scientific and commercial expertise, enabling us to recognise and realise real-world potential and providing a critical bridge between academia and industry.  Governance is provided by an experienced Board with an independent Board Chair, the Hon John Brumby AO, supported by Directors with specialist backgrounds in biotechnology, investment and corporate governance.

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BioCurate, the independently-operated joint venture between The University of Melbourne and Monash University, today announced the renewal of its partnership with Takeda to identify and collaborate on projects to advance promising early stage therapeutic research.

The alliance increases each partner’s access to scientific and commercialisation expertise, as well as exposure to candidate projects in key therapeutic areas for collaboration, including potential for co-investment.

On selected projects, the two partners will work together to overcome the barriers to their translation and commercialisation, providing critical advice and expertise to streamline the therapeutic development process.

Dr. Eric Hayes, Director of Partnerships at BioCurate, said:

“We’re thrilled to renew our strategic alliance with Takeda, whose world-class team has a proven track record of successful collaborations to bring new, commercially viable medicines to market. We have some of the world’s best medical research teams operating out of Victoria’s laboratories; Takeda’s expertise will help ensure this research has the best possible chance of becoming therapies that improve people’s lives.”

Dr. Michael Martin, Head of Takeda’s Center for External Innovation said:

“Continuing our collaboration with BioCurate renews our bond with their internationally renowned team, and our connection with the thriving ‘Parkville Precinct’ medical research community. We look forward to identifying promising projects for collaboration, and jointly pursuing the potential to create transformational new therapies for patients.”

About BioCurate

BioCurate is a bold, collaborative venture, dedicated to delivering benefits to the community by helping to advance Australian research and innovation globally. Jointly formed by the University of Melbourne and Monash University, with support from the Victorian State Government, BioCurate identifies promising biomedical research discoveries and manages their translation into high quality pre-clinical candidates with the aim to develop potential novel human therapeutics.

We operate in the under-resourced, yet critical, early phases of therapeutic development to overcome common barriers to success and drive early decisions. BioCurate is operationally independent, with a team of experts that brings decades of scientific and commercial expertise, enabling us to recognise and realise real-world potential and providing a critical bridge between academia and industry.  Governance is provided by an experienced Board with an independent Board Chair, the Hon John Brumby AO, supported by Directors with specialist backgrounds in biotechnology, investment and corporate governance.

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With renewed funding from its Shareholders universities, BioCurate continues its mission to translate discoveries from Victoria’s world-class bioscience laboratories into high quality therapies that can save and improve people’s lives. BioCurate is pleased to announce a significant project funding increase to its successful Proof-of-Concept (POC) Fund. Projects awarded POC funding from the next round of project applications will now be able to access up to $500K of funding over a period of 12-18 months, to accelerate therapeutic discoveries.

“BioCurate is pleased to be able to announce an increase in POC project funding of up to $500K. We are building on the success and excellent momentum we have been able to generate since the POC fund’s inception. With the increase in funding, we look forward to continuing to fund those early stage projects with the greatest commercial potential, provide further support for researchers, and ensure the greatest chance of a tangible commercial outcome.” – Dr Christopher Chan, BioCurate Executive Director, Research and Development

The POC Fund is designed to support both early-stage and more mature projects that require additional experimental validation to address key scientific gaps, and to generate additional compelling data to de-risk projects to reach the next value inflection point. In addition to funding, Researchers will benefit from BioCurate’s industry expertise and mentoring in crafting commercialisation and IP strategies, as well as designing experimental plans to address key project risks. During the project, BioCurate staff are on hand to provide support to the investigators to maximise the chances of reaching a successful outcome. For POC projects successfully completing milestones, BioCurate offers a path to commercialisation with licensing opportunities and further investment.

This funding scheme is open to both University of Melbourne and Monash University research projects, as well as from affiliated Victorian Medical Research Institutes.

Investigators retain ownership of the IP rights in the Technology and will own any improvements to its Background IP and IP arising from the performance of the POC Project.

Application forms are succinct and easy to complete, and researchers are encouraged to submit an application to accelerate the translation of their therapeutic discovery.

Call for BioCurate Opportunity Assessment (BOA) applications open 7 August 2023 and close 15 September 2023.

BioCurate invites Researchers and Commercialisation Managers to attend our information sessions to be held on Wednesday August 9 at Melbourne Connect and Thursday August 10 at Monash University Clayton to find out about BioCurate investment opportunities, eligibility and success criteria and the funding process.

Registrations are required for our Melbourne Connect information session. Click here for more information and to register via Eventbrite.

For further information, contact Dr Andy Allen (a.allen@biocurate.com) and info@biocurate.com.

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BioCurate, an independently operated joint venture between the University of Melbourne and Monash University, announced today it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Experimental Drug Development Centre (EDDC), Singapore’s national platform for drug discovery and development hosted by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR). The agreement will see both parties share complementary scientific and business development expertise between their teams, and explore opportunities for co-development on projects to bring new commercially viable therapies to market.

EDDC has well-established capabilities in-house for the discovery and development of small and large molecule therapeutic compounds. This includes expertise in assay development, medicinal chemistry, peptide chemistry, therapeutic protein and antibody discovery, in vivo pharmacology and biomarker development. In addition, EDDC has successfully progressed projects from discovery to development and has a track record of partnerships with companies. Such expertise and capabilities will strengthen collaborative projects between EDDC and BioCurate.

The partnership is expected to expand the number and types of projects both parties can support, by increasing the knowledge, expertise and resources that each organisation has access to.

The Hon. John Brumby AO, Chair of the BioCurate Board, said:

“Bringing new drugs to market is notoriously difficult and requires substantial scientific and commercial expertise and resources. Collaborations like this improve the prospects of success, and we are honoured to partner with EDDC toward this common goal.

“I am excited about the possibilities of this collaboration, particularly to advance some of the world-class research happening in Victoria’s foremost academic research laboratories, which is BioCurate’s core focus.”

Dr. Eric Hayes, Director of Partnerships at BioCurate, said:

“Collaboration with organisations of EDDC’s calibre is a strategic priority for BioCurate, leveraging complementary strengths and capabilities to ours, and our Shareholders. These partnerships extend what we’re capable of doing and increase our chances of success in translating biomedical discoveries into quality therapeutic candidates.

“The Partners are now able to undertake a mutual review of portfolio opportunities and we are looking forward to identifying projects for collaboration.”

Prof. Damian O’Connell, Chief Executive Officer of EDDC, said:

“EDDC is excited to embark on this strategic partnership with BioCurate, a like-minded partner working towards a common goal. Bringing together both organisations’ strong complementary capabilities, we will accelerate our efforts towards translating groundbreaking biomedical discoveries into therapeutics that address unmet medical needs. I am excited about the potential opportunities that this collaboration will bring to Singapore and the region.”

About BioCurate

BioCurate is a bold, collaborative venture, dedicated to delivering benefits to the community by helping to advance Australian research and innovation globally. Jointly formed by the University of Melbourne and Monash University, with support from the Victorian State Government, BioCurate identifies promising biomedical research discoveries and manages their translation into high quality pre-clinical candidates with the aim to develop potential novel human therapeutics.

We operate in the under-resourced, yet critical, early phases of therapeutic development to overcome common barriers to success and drive early decisions. BioCurate is operationally independent, with a team of experts that brings decades of scientific and commercial expertise, enabling us to recognise and realise real-world potential and providing a critical bridge between academia and industry.  Governance is provided by an experienced Board with an independent Board Chair, the Hon John Brumby AO, supported by Directors with specialist backgrounds in biotechnology, investment and corporate governance.

About EDDC

The Experimental Drug Development Centre (EDDC) is Singapore’s national platform for drug discovery and development, formed from the integration of the Experimental Therapeutics Centre (ETC), Drug, Discovery and Development (D3), and Experimental Biotherapeutics Centre (EBC) in 2019. EDDC aims to develop therapeutics and diagnostics that save and improve the lives of patients in Singapore, Asia and around the world. Hosted by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), EDDC works collaboratively with public sector and industry partners to translate the great science arising from Singapore’s biomedical and clinical sciences R&D into innovative healthcare solutions. For more information about EDDC, please visit http://www.eddc.sg/

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