Industry collaborations progress research in advanced imaging and vaccination
University of Sydney medical and science researchers will be involved in two successful听Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P)听grants designed to听support short term, industry-led collaborative research.
The projects, involving researchers from听the Faculty of Medicine and Health and Faculty of Science,听will support the development of a needle-free skin patch for COVID-19 vaccination and advance the commercial scale manufacturing of particular nanoparticles for image guided cancer surgery and therapy
A total of 19 industry-led collaborative research and development projects will share in $44 million in funding recently .
Advancing the use of SPIONs for image guided cancer surgery and therapy
Associate Professor Brian Hawkett from the Faculty of Science
Ferronova is an Australian biotech company developing super-paramagnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) for image-guided cancer surgery and therapy.
Nanotechnology has been widely researched in oncology, but clinical translation has been limited by complex manufacturing and limited effectiveness in vivo.
Building on nanoparticle research previously undertaken by听Associate Professor听Brian Hawkett听and chemists within the University of Sydney鈥檚听Key Centre for Polymers and Colloids,听this CRC-P aims to address these issues and develop commercial scale manufacturing of Ferronova鈥檚 FerroTrace SPION platform.
Associate Professor Hawkett will help steer the project alongside partners from Australian Bragg Centre for Proton Theraphy and Research Limited, Siemens Healthcare Pty Ltd, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute Limited and the University of South Australia.
Developing a needle-free skin patch COVID-19 vaccine
Professor Rachel Skinner from the Faculty of Medicine and Health
Vaxxas is听a Brisbane based biotechnology company advancing the development and clinical testing of the first听COVID-19 vaccine听candidate delivered using听its needle-free skin patch.
The vaccine patch听has the potential to be stored听at elevated temperatures听and听be administered by lower skilled users, and potentially self-administered.听
University of Sydney clinician researcher Professor听Rachel Skinner听has played a key role in听researching the听safety, feasibility, acceptability and usability听of the Vaxxas technology.
In collaboration with the University of Queensland, this CRC-P听grant听will support听further development of the technology including Phase II clinical studies,听paveing听the way for licensing and sovereign manufacture.
Streamlining听storage and distribution, and simplifying听administration could improve听the听access听and听acceptability of COVID-19 booster vaccinations听as well as听reduce the cost, ultimately reducing the public health and economic consequences of COVID-19 vaccinations听moving forward.