HEALTH - Gold Coast Health & Knowledge Precinct

Filed Under: BUSINESS, HEALTH, INVEST, TECHNOLOGY

From Research to Reality: GCHKP Talent Leads the LuminaX 2025 Cohort

The Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct (GCHKP) continues to shine as a national hub for health innovation, with local talent strongly represented in the newly announced 2025 LuminaX HealthTech Accelerator cohort.

Out of the 11 startups selected this year, four ventures have direct ties to the Precinct—highlighting the strength of the translational research, clinical innovation, and entrepreneurial spirit emerging from Griffith University and Gold Coast Health.

Three Griffith research ventures are among the standout participants:

BioProSep – led by Dr Stefanie Buchholz, develops and manufactures bioseparation materials that enable the efficient recovery of biologics during industrial manufacture.
SAL-Check – founded by Professor Chamindie Punyadeera, is a saliva-based diagnostic test for early detection and monitoring of liver disease, offering accessible and patient-friendly screening.
SpeakClear – created by Dr Ashley Llambias, is an offline, AI-powered real-time captioning device that makes conversations accessible to everyone.

Also joining the cohort is Zendu, a new healthtech startup founded by Dr Jeremy Fernando, a junior doctor at Gold Coast Health. Zendu was born from Jeremy’s participation in the Precinct’s Clinician Entrepreneurship Change Agents Program (CECAP) and has since evolved into a scalable digital solution offering clinician-quality rehabilitation without the need for referrals or in-person consults.

Now in its fifth year, the LuminaX Accelerator is delivered by Cohort Innovation Space and supported by Major Partners Economic Development Queensland, the City of Gold Coast, and QIC, alongside Industry Partners Griffith University, Gold Coast Health, IntelliHQ, and the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct.

The diversity of this year’s cohort reflects the evolving healthtech landscape, spanning AI, medical devices, biotech and digital health solutions. As Australia’s health innovation sector grows, the GCHKP continues to play a central role in accelerating ideas from research to reality—right here on the Gold Coast.

Discover how LuminaX is powering health innovation.

Filed Under: BUSINESS, HEALTH, TECHNOLOGY Tagged With: CECAP, Clinician entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship

Clinician Entrepreneurship Program wraps as a big success

The Clinician Entrepreneurship Change Agents Program (CECAP) has wrapped with a strong story of success!

From high demand leading to extra cohorts for the clinician workshop series, to novel ideas implemented and expanded across Queensland Health, CECAP has demonstrated the appetite for innovation amongst diverse clinical professionals and the power of entrepreneurial education to inspire them with confidence to be change agents in our healthcare system and aspiring healthtech entrepreneurs.

Developed within the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct, and led by Griffith University in partnership with Gold Coast Health, CECAP was supported by the Queensland Government through an Advance Queensland Regional Futures Grant. Initially planned to offer three workshop programs, demand saw five programs delivered, including the final one which was taken to Townsville.

Outcomes included Senior Occupational Therapist Hannah Kennedy from Gold Coast Health securing a $330,000 grant from the Queensland Technology Futures Fund to take her Virtual Reality (VR) for Pain Management program across six health and hospital services throughout Queensland. Hannah has recently been announced as Gold Coast Health’s Emerging Researcher of the year.

Dr Jeremy Fernando, a junior doctor at Gold Coast Health, pivoted from his original CECAP idea to establish a new health tech startup, Zendu, which provides purely digital, clinician-quality physical rehabilitation at a fraction of the current cost, without requiring referrals or clinician availability. He’s now been accepted into the Precinct’s signature LuminaX Healthtech Accelerator for 2025.

BIG thanks goes to Professor Naomi Birdthistle of Griffith University for her leadership of such a successful initiative.

Check out our wrap video and gallery below.

Filed Under: HEALTH, Research Tagged With: biomedical research, Griffith University, research and development

Associate Prof Lara Herrero leading the fight against mosquito-borne diseases and advancing medical research

Dr Lara Herrero is a medical doctor, Associate Professor, and Research Leader at Griffith University’s Institute for Biomedicine and Glycomics, dedicated to developing treatments for mosquito-borne viruses that impact thousands of Australians each year. She is at the forefront of research into Ross River virus (RRV) and chikungunya virus, which cause long-term joint pain and suffering.

Her passion for this field is deeply personal. Having experienced Ross River virus herself, Dr Herrero understands first-hand the need for better treatments. Her research has already translated from the lab to real-world impact, leading to a patented treatment strategy for viral arthritis, which has successfully completed phase II clinical trials.

In recognition of her ground breaking contributions, Dr Herrero was awarded the Prize for New Innovators in the 2023 Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science, acknowledging her pioneering work in viral disease research and commitment to improving global health outcomes.

Beyond her research, Dr Herrero is passionate about mentoring the next generation of scientists, working with medical students, PhD researchers, and postdoctoral scientists to foster innovation and encourage more women to pursue careers in STEM. When asked what message she has for women pursuing careers in STEM, Dr Herrero shared:

“STEM provides more than a career of endless opportunity—it empowers us to break barriers, build bridges, innovate boldly, and question fearlessly. STEM allows us to shape the future and drive real change in the world.”

She is also one of Griffith University’s leading contributors to The Conversation, with 23 articles and over 5.4 million reads, making complex medical research accessible to the public.

Her work not only strengthens Griffith University’s reputation in medical research but also contributes to the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct’s role as a hub for world-class research, industry collaboration and healthcare innovation.

Dr Herrero’s journey is a testament to the power of research in improving lives, driving medical breakthroughs and creating real change in global health.

Learn more about Dr Lara Herrero