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Filed Under: BUSINESS, HEALTH Tagged With: China, drug discovery, Grand Pharma, Institute for Glycomics

Landmark drug development deal with China for block-buster drug

Institute for Glycomics Director Professor Mark von Itzstein AO signs the agreement watched by Griffith University Vice Chancellor and President Professor Carolyn Evans

Griffith University’s Institute for Glycomics has partnered with Hong Kong listed China Grand Pharma’s newly established Australian company Grand Medical Ltd to develop a new drug for Human Parainfluenza Virus.

Human parainfluenza virus (hPIV) commonly causes upper and lower respiratory illnesses in infants, young children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems, including transplant patients, however anyone can get infected. Respiratory tract infections remain the deadliest communicable diseases worldwide, causing more than 3.2 million deaths in 2015 alone.

Currently there is no therapeutic available to specifically treat hPIV infection, with the potential for the Institute’s new drug to be a global block-buster.

Biggest deal of its kind for an Australian University

“This multimillion-dollar agreement represents Australia’s largest preclinical stage university engagement with Pharma to discover a novel antiviral drug and reflects our strong scientific team and IP portfolio”.

Dr Chris Davis, General Manager, Institute for Glycomics

Professors Mark von Itzstein and Carolyn Evans with Dr Linda Shi (Grand Medical Ltd) and Dr Michael Wang (China Grand Pharma)

The deal comprises significant upfront Research & Development and licence fees plus development and sales milestone fees with a tiered royalty on product sales.

China Grand Pharma has made major investments in several international companies including an Australian company Sirtex Medical Pty Ltd, German company Cardionovum GmbH and Canadian company Conavi Medical Inc.

Filed Under: HEALTH, TECHNOLOGY

$2 million grant for revolutionary rehabilitation technology

Dr Dinesh Palipana (left) and Dr Claudio Pizzalato

BioSpine research towards a spinal injury cure

A world-leading program led by Griffith University researchers Dr Dinesh Palipana OAM, Queensland’s first quadraplegic medical doctor, and research fellow Dr Claudio Pizzolato has potential to completely transform the way spinal injury patients are rehabilitated, with application for other forms of rehab as well.

The promising research, which uses novel personalised medicine technology to bring together the most promising approaches to treating spinal cord injury in human history, has secured a $2 million funding injection from the Motor Accident Insurance Commmission (MAIC).

With very personal motivation to make a difference, Dr Palipana says he is grateful the stars are aligning on the Gold Coast to create a holistic treatment that will help patients all around the world.

“We are using thought control, electrical simulation, and drug therapy in an attempt to restore function in paralysis.”

Dr Claudio Pizzolato says the research was inspired by work underway in Europe and the USA and centred on their world-first personalised ‘digital twin’ that brings a brain-computer interface together with a human-machine interface to ‘close the loop’ broken by spinal cord injury.

“Our approach involves collaborating with spinal cord injury patients, clinicians, researchers, and engineers from the beginning in order to create a technology that works and is easy to use in clinics and hospitals,” he said.

“The MAIC funding is an incredible opportunity to create disruptive technologies that have the potential to change people’s lives.”

Griffith Vice Chancellor and President Professor Carolyn Evans welcomed the generous support from MAIC and says it would enable a transformative research opportunity.

“Rehabilitation for spinal cord injury has traditionally been quite slow and limited, and even with recent advances in robotic rehabilitation equipment has not been personalised to the patient or combined with thought control,” Professor Evans says.

“MAIC’s commitment to this world-leading research is in addition to previous financial support for promising research into a regenerative medicine treatment for the injured spinal cord through stem cell transplantation. Funding for both innovative initiatives will help cement the university’s reputation in spinal cord injury research.”

Dr Dinesh Palipana, Professor David Lloyd, Dr Claudio Pizzalatto and Perry Cross of the Perry Cross Spinal Injury Foundation

The Biospine project is a key Griffith University led initiative which is anticipated will help position the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct (GCHKP) as a global leader in spinal injury rehabilitation.

Research will be carried out at ADaPT 1.0 with ADaPT 2.0 to be built within the GCHKP by 2022.

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Filed Under: HEALTH, TECHNOLOGY Tagged With: 3d printing, ADaPT, Dr Hal Rice, Dr Sam Canning, Neuroendovascular, Neurovascular, Stryker

High-tech training centre opportunity in life-saving procedures

Dr Sam Canning (left) from Griffith University and Dr Hal Rice from GCUH

In the most delicate and exacting of procedures, world-leading Interventional Neuroradiologist Dr Hal Rice routinely saves lives at the Gold Coast University Hospital (GCUH) – and now with ground-breaking help from 3D printing experts in the Precinct is set to train specialists from around the world.

Dr Rice, together with colleague Dr Laeticia de Villiers, extracts blood clots from inside blocked blood vessels in stroke patients and repairs fragile brain aneurysms that have ruptured or are at high risk of rupturing with catastrophic brain haemorrhage.

The specialist in minimally-invasive endovascular neurosurgical procedures navigates a series of tiny plastic tubes from the femoral artery in the patient’s groin or radial artery in the wrist up into brain blood vessels measuring only two to three millimetres wide, to gently remove blood clots or reconstruct swollen and ruptured blood vessels using innovative devices such as ultra-fine platinum coils and vascular stents, without the need to cut through the skull.

Many of the devices are made by leading global medical company Stryker, with Dr Rice’s world-class standing attracting Stryker’s President of Neurovascular Mark Paul and company executives from the region to visit the Precinct, with a view to using it as their Asia-Pacific base for specialised training.

The visiting Stryker delegation hosted by Dr Hal Rice

3D printed models take planning and training to new levels of precision

Working with advanced imaging and the specialist digital design skills of Griffith University ADaPT (Advanced Design and Prototyping Technology) experts, they’re 3D printing exact replicas of an individual patient’s aneurysm in situ within the blood vessel so they can better plan life-saving surgeries and train other specialists in this precision specialised medicine.

Conventional training has relied on animal models – the high-tech approach blending virtual simulation with replica printed models will be world-first.

‘The 3D printed models help us to very realistically simulate these complex lifesaving procedures, bringing to life what we see on screen in the operating theatre during an actual treatment,’ says Dr Rice.

‘With a large inventory of precisely printed 3D models we can now rehearse treatment plans and also train specialists in the latest technologies, while using the models to rigorously evaluate new and future products before commencing clinical trials. The models can even be fitted with special pumps to realistically mimic normal pulsating blood flow.’

Dr Rice shows Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt large and life-size versions of the 3D printed models

For Dr Sam Canning, Convenor of Digital and 3D Design at Griffith University, the project tests the limits of design and prototyping technologies.

‘With a project of this complexity we are breaking new ground. We’ve conducted exhaustive tests of combinations of imaging technologies, 3D modelling/imaging software and extensive exploration of 3D printing technologies,”Dr Canning says.

I think it is safe to say that it is recent advances in imaging, software and hardware that have made this entire project possible. Most of this technology (in its current form) did not exist only eighteen months ago.”