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Australasian Biotechnology, Vol. 10 No. 6, 2000, pp. 4-8 NEWS Code Number: au00061
The recent meeting of the Prime Minister’s Science, Engineering and Innovation Council (PMSEIC) heard a presentation entitled Molecular Medicine which made a strong argument for a concerted national effort to boost investment in Australia’s medical biotechnology sector. The paper, prepared by an independent working group chaired by PMSEIC member, Professor Nicholas Saunders, outlined the current state of science on the human genome, stem cell research and therapeutic cloning and the effects these new areas of knowledge will have on clinical medicine. These were discussed in three broad areas - genetic testing, new drugs and gene therapy. The paper predicted that new technology arising from genetic knowledge will reap benefits such as personalised treatment where drug dosages are based on the patient’s genetic makeup rather than population statistics, reduced hospitalisation and more focused public health care expenditure. Genetic testing for marker genes that can indicate genetic predisposition to disease will be enhanced by new micro-array technologies. Genetic analysis of human pathogens will lead to powerful new antibiotics and vaccines, while analysis of the human genome will lead to novel approaches to therapy of common human diseases. Gene therapy applications, currently in their trial stages, are expected to become widely available for the treatment of a wide range of conditions including HIV, cancer and genetic disorders. The paper predicted that genetic analysis would extend to genetic understanding of complex human traits such as personality and behaviour, while comparing the genomes of mammals would provide insight into the basis of other complex traits, such as intelligence, development and ageing. Tissue engineering could lead to the replacement of diseased organs such as a cancerous liver with a new bioengineered liver. The paper warned that while Australia is currently amongst the ten leading countries in biomedical research, its scientific base is declining, and there is urgent need for public and private investment in molecular medicine. “Australia is the only leading country in medical research not investing heavily in genomics, bioinformatics and cell technologies. Australia has just over $4 million allocated for genomics projects in the year 2000. Canada has a $160 million investment in large-scale genomics projects, and Singapore is investing $1 billion of government funds for genomic and life sciences.” “We cannot continue to allow our best scientists to be headhunted for two to four times Australian research salaries by Singapore, Europe, and the USA.” The paper made a number of recommendations of particular importance to molecular medicine research and innovation:
In a second presentation on biotechnology issues, winners of the inaugural Prime Minister’s Prize for Science, Dr Jim Peacock and Dr Liz Dennis of CSIRO Plant Industry, outlined the role of biotechnology in agricultural science, and in particular in plant science. The paper cited as an example of this the award-winning work of the authors on the Flowering Switch Gene and its potential applications in increasing crop yield and, in particular, in improving the lives of subsistence farmers in developing countries. GENE TECHNOLOGY BILL PASSEDThe Gene Technology Bill was passed in the final hours before Parliament rose for summer, introducing a regulatory regime for the use of genetically modified crops and penalties of up to $220,000. A number of significant amendments proposed by the the Senate Community Affairs Committee and put forward by the Democrats, such as the creation of the Regulator as a statutory authority consisting of a board of three people, were defeated. However, Democrat amendments including the elevation of the consultative group to a consultative committee and the ability to form subcommittees were passed. Successful Labor amendments included the adoption of the precautionary principle in the Objects of the Bill, the provision for public disclosure of field trial sites, and the ability for States to declare GM free zones for marketing purposes and to make a case to the Regulator for rejecting individual applications on State-specific environmental grounds. Under the public disclosure amendment, information relating to the size and location of GMO field releases will be made public or, if the Regulator does not allow for disclosure of this information, he or she will have to publicly release the reasons why and these would be subject to review. Criminal penalties have been introduced to the legislation to apply to people or organisations that abuse this information and intentionally damage GMO field sites. GOVERNMENT TO ACT ON ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCEThe Federal Government has announced that it will establish an Expert Advisory Group on Antibiotics (EAGA) to provide advice on antibiotic resistance. The decision was made in response to the recommendations of the Joint Expert Technical Advisory Committee on Antibiotic Resistance (JETACAR), whose report was handed to the Government in October last year. The Government also announced that it will form an inter-departmental JETACAR Implementation Group to oversee and coordinate the continuing Government response to the JETACAR, to respond to the policy advice received from the EAGA and to seek funding for implementation purposes. EAGA will comprise 12 - 14 members and will meet up to four times a year. Secretariat support will be provided by the Office of NHMRC, and the Government will allocate an operating budget to EAGA. Under draft terms of reference, EAGA will advise on measures to reduce the risks of antibiotic resistance; assessment of the risk of developing resistance to new and marketed antibiotics; public health implications of antibiotic resistance; monitoring of antibiotic use; surveillance and monitoring of antibiotic resistance; antibiotic use in medical and veterinary practice and food production; research and evaluation needs; and educational strategies. The Government accepted the advice from the JETACAR that there was evidence for: the emergence of resistant bacteria in humans and animals following antibiotic use; the spread of resistant animal bacteria to humans; the transfer of antibiotic- resistance genes from animal bacteria to human pathogens; and resistant strains of animal bacteria causing human disease. It supported most recommendations of the five key elements of an antibiotic resistance management program proposed by the JETACAR, which covered regulatory controls, monitoring and surveillance, infection prevention strategies, education and research. Amongst the actions agreed to by the Government are that the Working Party on Antibiotics (to be replaced by EAGA), the National Registration Authority and the Therapeutic Goods Administration develop proposals for a scheme for the reporting and audit of the end use of antibiotics in humans and in animals. The Working Party on Antibiotics will also review the results of surveillance of antibiotic resistance associated with antibiotic use in animals and identify cases where increases in resistance may indicate increased risk of transfer of resistance to humans. FEAST FORUMA major European Union initiative aimed at enhancing research collaboration with Australia was launched in Canberra on 9 November by French Ambassador, Mr Pierre Viaux, representing the Presidency of the European Union. FEAST, or the Forum for European-Australian Science and Technology cooperation, aims to highlight existing multilateral and bilateral science and technology cooperation between Europe and Australia. The forum also aims to improve this cooperation, particularly multilateral cooperation, by identifying priorities and enhancing the quality, quantity and viability of future action. FEAST is a practical initiative with an ongoing electronic forum. Regular working meetings will be held, with the first, titled ‘Enhancing Research through Collaboration and Linkages,’ scheduled for May 2001. “What makes FEAST an exciting and innovative project is that all the EU member states and the European Commission are working together as one, in concert with the major Australian research organisations,” Ambassador Viaux said. The new FEAST website can be viewed at: www.france.net.au/feast NEW CHIEF EXECUTIVE FOR CSIRODr Geoff Garrett has been appointed as Chief Executive of the CSIRO. Dr Garrett has been the President and Chief Executive Officer of CSIRO’s sister scientific organisation in South Africa, CSIR. Born in Britain, Dr Garrett, 52, trained as a research scientist at Cambridge University, UK, before moving to South Africa, where he lectured at Cape Town University. He was then appointed Professor and subsequently, Head of Department, at the University of the Witwaterstrand, in Johannesburg. In 1986 he joined the CSIR, then known as the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, as a director of materials research. CSIR is South Africa’s largest national science and technology organisation working in a wide array of fields from industrial, defence and mining research to IT, food and environmental science. He was appointed as President and Chief Executive Officer in 1995. Announcing the appointment, Senator Nick Minchin paid tribute to the contribution of the late Sir Malcolm McIntosh as CSIRO Chief Executive from 1996 to February 2000 and to Dr Colin Adam, who has served as Acting Chief Executive since then. OF MICE AND MEN: REPAIRING DAMAGED NERVESIn 1987 the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research discovered a protein which it called the leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF). LIF was soon commercialised as a laboratory reagent for the production of genetically manipulated mice. It was then discovered, however, that the technology could also be of great benefit to human health. The CRC for Cellular Growth Factors is a cooperative venture between five major institutions in the field of medical research and molecular science, and its researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute - working with colleagues in the CRC and other Melbourne research groups - found that LIF could play a biologically important role in the repair of nerves and muscles after injury. This discovery was swiftly tested in clinical trials by AMRAD, the CRC’s commercial partner, and the next stage of trials will test the efficacy of LIF in preventing the neuronal damage that can arise from chemotherapy for cancer. But this will not mark the end of the story, for the CRC is discovering other applications and subsequent topics for research. In particular, the knowledge and skills generated by work on LIF enabled the CRC to develop a pilot screen for novel drug candidates. AMRAD Operations Pty Ltd then took up the challenge and developed and modified the technology to the point where it can be readily used in a high-throughput natural-product screening program. The exciting possibility of the efficacious use of LIF in the treatment of peripheral neuropathy holds the promise of reaching a worldwide market valued at $1 billion. Where the research will go next only the future can tell, but it is certain that the cooperative approach will continue to produce remarkable results. PLATELET RESEARCH TO SAVE UNBORN BABIESUNSW scientists are working together with scientists from the Australian Red Cross Blood Service (ARCBS) to diagnose unborn babies at risk of brain damage or death due to a disorder that causes a mother’s immune system to attack her unborn baby’s blood platelets. The UNSW-ARCBS team, led by Dr Chris Marquis and Dr Stephen Mahler from UNSW and Helen Pearson, Andrew Geczy and Rona Pepper from the ARCBS, are researching foeto-maternal alloimmune thromboacytopoenia (FMAIT). This rare disorder causes the pregnant woman’s immune system to recognise the growing foetus’ platelets (essential in the prevention of bleeding) as foreign. In some cases the mother’s immune system reacts by producing antibodies that destroy the platelets of the foetus. “FMAIT affects between one in a thousand and one in five thousand pregnancies, leading in some cases to miscarriage, brain damage and even death of the baby,” says Dr Marquis. This low number of platelets in the baby’s blood that occurs during incidences of FMAIT means that any injury to the foetus may then lead to bleeding. This bleeding, particularly if it occurs inside the head, prior to or during birth may result in brain damage or death. “The cooperative research we are undertaking is aimed at more reliably addressing the issues of early diagnosis and effective treatment of FMAIT,” says Dr Mahler. EMINENT MARINE SCIENTIST TO BE NEW AIMS DIRECTORProfessor Stephen J Hall from Flinders University has been appointed as the new Director of the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS). Professor Hall took up his position on 14 November 2000. Professor Hall was Professor of Marine Biology at Flinders University of South Australia and Director of the Lincoln Marine Science Centre. Before his appointment at Flinders, Professor Hall was Head of Fish Biology at the Scottish Office, Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries Department Marine Laboratory in Aberdeen, Scotland. INQUIRY INTO DEVELOPMENT OF HIGH TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRIES IN REGIONAL AUSTRALIA BASED ON BIOPROCESSINGThe House of Representatives Standing Committee on Primary Industries and Regional Services will inquire into and report on the following areas, with particular emphasis on the opportunities in rural and regional Australia:
Submissions should be forwarded to the Committee Secretary, House of Representatives Standing Committee on Primary Industries and Regional Services, at the above address, by email or on disk, if possible, by Wednesday, 28 February 2001. Further information about the inquiry can be obtained from the committee secretariat and the committee’s internet home page: www.aph.gov.au/ house/committee/primind COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF BIOTECHNOLOGY FIRMSUniversities and other public sector research institutions play an important role in the development of biotechnology companies in Australia, more so than is the case in many European countries, Macquarie University research has found. On average, more than 40% of the new biotechnology companies formed in Australia since 1966 have had their origins in research institutions, including universities, the research shows. This is a higher rate than reported in many European and US studies of biotechnology, where companies tend to create more of the biotechnology “spinoffs”. The Australian rate is also growing strongly, as public sector researchers see the spinoff companies as a means of commercialising their research and development. This is just one of the many findings of the research, the most comprehensive of biotechnology in Australia, conducted by Macquarie University’s Lyndal Thorburn as part of her PhD studies. As part of the research, she developed a database of biotechnology firms, the most comprehensive in Australia, after interviewing 65 biotechnology companies nation-wide. The database now contains details of 185 such firms plus additional information on suppliers and other firms which are using biotechnology in a minor way. VICTORIAN KNOWLEDGE ECONOMYThe Bracks Government has announced a $54 million investment in science infrastructure projects that will consolidate Victoria’s strengths in science and innovation, and drive jobs and growth in the knowledge economy. Fourteen projects with a total value of over $225 million would be supported under the Bracks Government’s Science, Technology and Innovation Initiative (Round One) Competitive Grants for Infrastructure. The successful projects are:
The Department of State and Regional Development received 120 submissions totalling $374 million. An independent panel chaired by former Federal Minister for Science, Barry Jones, assessed the grant applications. The Victorian Government is providing $310 million over five years from 1999/2000 to help enhance Victoria’s standing as an internationally competitive location for R&D, innovation, and investment by high-technology companies. VICTORIA LEADS BIOTECH GROWTHA report by a Canberra-based biotechnology and bioscience business research organisation, BioAccent Pty Ltd, has found that Victoria is leading Australia in biotechnology business activities. The report, commissioned by the Victorian Government, found that:
The Queensland Government has contributed $200,000 to the new Bachelor of Biotechnology Innovation to be provided by the Queensland University of Technology. The course, which will have an initial intake of 30 students next year, will combine science with other business studies such as marketing, production commercialisation, communication, intellectual property and entrepreneurship. The Federal Government has already provided $1.4 million to support the course under the Science Lectureship Program. MELBOURNE WINS GENETICS CONGRESSMelbourne will host the 2003 International Congress of Genetics as a result of a successful national bid led by Dr Phil Batterham of the University of Melbourne. Melbourne’s bid was presented at the 1998 Congress in Beijing. The Congress is held every five years, and 2003 will be the first time it has been staged in the Southern Hemisphere. The theme of the Congress is ‘Genomes - the Linkage to Life’. Around 250 invited speakers - 200 of them from overseas, will address basic research and applied themes, ethical and legal issues, commercialisation, intellectual property and the availability of data in the public domain. BIOTECHNOLOGY AMBASSADORThe Victorian has announced the appointment of eminent scientist Professor Adrienne Clarke as the State’s first Ambassador for Biotechnology. Professor Clarke, a former Chairman of CSIRO and currently Victoria’s Lieutenant Governor, will take up the position early next year. Her term as Lieutenant Governor expires in December. The Premier, Steve Bracks, said the role of the Ambassador for Biotechnology included:
Pictured (from left to right) are Steve Skolsky, Managing Director, Glaxo Wellcome Australia; Dr Andreas Strasser, Principal Research Fellow, Molecular Genetics of Cancer Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research in Melbourne; The Hon. Steve Bracks, MLA, Premier of Victoria; and Dr David Vaux, also Principal Research Fellow, Molecular Genetics of Cancer Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research. For the first time since its inception in 1980, two winners share the Glaxo Wellcome Australia Medal honors. Drs David Vaux and Andreas Strasser, Principal Research Fellows at the Molecular Genetics of Cancer Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute for Medical Research in Melbourne, are being recognised for their pioneering work in the area of apoptosis, the process of programmed cell death, one of the hottest areas of modern biology. The work of Drs Vaux and Strasser, taken individually and together, have triggered this field’s explosive growth and they are now two of its recognised leaders. Their discoveries have shaped the understanding of cell death control and paved the way for a future where the severity of heart attack and stroke may be able to be reduced by stopping cells dying. It may also be possible, in the future, to treat people with cancer using curative doses of chemotherapy. The Hon. Steve Bracks, MLA, Premier of Victoria, presented the award to Drs Strasser and Vaux at a presentation dinner in Melbourne on Monday 20th November. “I am delighted to present this prestigious award to two exemplary Melbourne-based scientists whose work, undoubtedly, will have outstanding future application in the treatment of cancers and autoimmune diseases, both diseases which affect millions of Australians and people worldwide. May I offer my congratulations and extend my best wishes for the continuing success of this and further research in Victoria” said Mr Bracks at the presentation dinner. The contributions of David Vaux include the determination of a link between cell survival and neoplasia. His work identified a novel gene as a prototype of a new class of an independently controlled oncogene that regulates cell survival rather than proliferation. His paper on this discovery brought apoptosis to centre stage in biomedical research. Together, Drs Strasser and Vaux demonstrated that this gene prolongs immune responses and can precipitate autoimmune disease or leukaemia, supporting its role as a physiological regulator of homeostasis with pathological potential. Andreas Strasser discovered two distinct apoptosis signaling pathways in mammalian cells, one of which he determined to be activated by cytotoxic conditions. He and his colleagues identified novel cell-death regulators, which led to an understanding of cell death control and demonstrated the potential usefulness of compounds that act on apoptosis regulators in the treatment of patients with diseases affected by cytotoxicity. “The groundbreaking work of Drs Vaux and Strasser has contributed substantially to understanding the control of cell death - the first step in developing drugs to modulate the occurrence of cell death in disease. I congratulate them on winning this prestigious award”, said John Kerr, retired Professor of Pathology, University of Queensland, one of the founding researchers in this field, who coined the term ‘apoptosis’ in 1972. The Glaxo Wellcome Australia Medal has been awarded annually since 1980 in recognition of distinguished discoveries in scientific and medical research that lead to important demonstrated or potential benefit to human health. Today it is regarded as one of the most prestigious awards within the Australian research community. “Dr Vaux and Strasser’s research is vital to our understanding of the way in which cells die, presenting real potential for the development of new treatments for cancer, stroke and autoimmune diseases in the future,” said Mr Steven Skolsky, Managing Director, Glaxo Wellcome Australia. An honorarium of $30,000 is provided to acknowledge the work of Drs Vaux and Strasser’s achievements to date and to help progress their work. A requirement of the Medal is that the majority of the research is undertaken in Australia. “Glaxo Wellcome Australia is committed to investing in the Australian scientific and research community to develop and commercialise discoveries internationally for the benefit of all Australians, in the endeavour to bring discoveries from molecule to market,” said Mr Skolsky. Copyright 2000 - Australasian Biotechnology
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