Project: High-Throughput Fermentation, Analytical Screening and Startup Incubation at the Australian Genome Foundry
Consortium: Macquarie University (lead), Bioplatforms Australia, Vow, the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Nourish Ingredients
Funding: $3.5 million
This project will provide support to both synthetic biology and biomanufacturing by increasing the capacity of start-up companies to prototype, test and scale-up their products and processes within the Australian Genome Foundry and MQ IMPACT labs. The project will:
- deliver industrial-level synthetic biology manufacturing breakthroughs
- increase workforce capacity and capabilities
- support significant startup incubation to consolidate a NSW-led synthetic biology ecosystem/economy.
It currently costs a startup millions of dollars to set up and equip laboratories that comply with relevant regulatory requirements. These facilities will give startups access to this infrastructure, helping them to attract further investment without compromising IP ownership.
Project: NSW Organoid Innovation Centre (NSWOIC)
Consortium: The University of Sydney (lead), UNSW Sydney and the Children’s Medical Research Institute
Funding: $2.5 million
The NSWOIC will provide an unprecedented range of organoid models for the academic and commercial sectors. Organoids are self-organising clusters of multiple cell types, derived from stem cells, that exhibit many of the cell-cell interactions and functions observed in tissues and organs.
Organoids have created a paradigm shift for disease modelling, drug screening and precision medicine as they allow researchers to gain insights into disease mechanisms and elucidation of disease-relevant pathways for personalised medicine.
To allow clinical translation of this technology, there is an urgent need for establishment of facilities with capacity for large-scale, high throughput and reproducible production of validated organoids to be embedded in drug screening platforms.
The ability to screen existing drug libraries against these highly clinically relevant organoids allows the selection of candidates with established drug-like properties and safety information for timely and streamlined translation to the clinic and market.