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Australasian Biotechnology, Vol. 11 No. 3, 2001, pp. 6-10 NEWS Code Number: au01033
AUSTRALIAN BIOTECHNOLOGY REPORTErnst & Young and Freehills will join forces with the Commonwealth Government to produce the Second Australian Biotechnology Report. The report, first published in 1999 by Ernst & Young and the Department of Industry, Science and Resources, set a benchmark in terms of identifying Australia's performance in the biotechnology industry. The second report will table the first analysis of Australia's progress and direction since the landmark 1999 publication. According to James Cherry, partner with the biotechnology group at Freehills, the new report will have a broader focus and include companies and organisations associated with the biotechnology industry, such as medical device companies. The report will be launched in June. For more information, contact James Cherry, Partner, Freehills, Tel: (03) 9288 1596 or 0419 877 893 IAN GUST JOINS GENETIC TECHNOLOGIESGenetic Technologies Limited has announced the appointment of one of Australia's most eminent scientists, Professor Ian Gust AO, to the Board of Directors. Professor Gust is internationally known for his work on the hepatitis viruses and blood-borne infections, and has played a major role in Australia's rapid and effective response to the threat of AIDS. Professor Gust is currently based at the University of Melbourne, Department of Microbiology and Immunology. He also serves as a scientific adviser to the Bill and Melinda Gates Children's Vaccine Program, the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative and the World Health Organisation. CLUNIES ROSS NATIONAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY AWARDNominations are now open for the Clunies Ross National Science & Technology Award 2002. The closing date for nominations is 20 July 2001. Now in their tenth year, these Awards recognise and honour people who have made important contributions to science and its application for the economic, social or environmental benefit of Australia. The Award aims to increase our community's knowledge and awareness of the achievements of Award recipients and their contribution to Australia http://www.cluniesross.org.au DRAFT GUIDELINES FOR BIOTECHNOLOGY INNOVATION FUNDThe Biotechnology Innovation Fund (BIF) is a new Federal Government program which aims to increase the rate of commercialisation of Australian biotechnology ventures by reducing the cost of demonstrating "proof of concept" for new biotech initiatives. The program aims to address the critical gap between the research and commercial stages of development, where it can be difficult for companies to source funds to prove the viability of a new concept. By part funding technical testing and product analysis at this pre-seed stage, the program aims to increase the flow of Australian biotechnology projects proceeding to commercialisation . Where applications meet the programs eligibility criteria, the program will fund up to 50% of the costs of establishing efficacy or proof of principle, to a maximum individual grant of $250,000. Draft guidelines are now available on the Biotechnology Australia web site: http://www.biotechnology.gov.au/Industry_Research/BIF/BIF Due to configuration problems with the server software, the direct link to the guidelines does not work. However, going to the BIF page (see below) and following the link to the guidelines does work. http://www.biotechnology.gov.au/industry_research/bif/
NATIONAL QUARANTINE AWARDS CATEGORY: SCIENCE AND RESEARCHThe Biosecurity Team at the Victorian Department of Natural Resources & Environment has won the Science and Research category of the 2001 National Quarantine Awards. The Biosecurity Team was rewarded for its lead role in the development of diagnostic protocols and contingency plans to prevent and control plant diseases. The National Quarantine Awards are designed to focus public attention on the importance of quarantine to our unique environment and Australian way of life. The awards recognise that quarantine is a shared responsibility and reward outstanding efforts in quarantine from a range of organisations and individuals. This award recognised the work the Biosecurity Team has undertaken over the last five years to produce contingency plans to assist in the prevention and control of fire blight (Erwinia amylovora), Sharka disease (plum pox virus), Pierce's disease (Xylella fastidiosa) and potato spindle tuber viroid. Each of these has the potential to cause considerable crop losses and affect the livelihoods of communities. NEW ALLIANCE ESTABLISHES APAF AS LEADING PROTEOMIC ENTERPRISE IN AUSTRALIAThe Australian Proteome Analysis Facility (APAF), housed at Macquarie University, has joined a major international proteomic alliance that will cement its lead in the commercialisation of proteomics in Australia. APAF announced its partnership in the global Proteome Works System alliance between Bio-Rad Laboratories and Micromass, at the recent Human Proteome Project conference in Virginia, USA. The ProteomeWorks system integrates a range of technologies to produce instruments that enable simple and quick protein discovery. The alliance between Bio-Rad and Micromass combines the strengths of the world industry leaders in protein separations, biopolymer mass spectrometry and bioinformatics. APAF will add its expertise as a hands-on, high-throughput proteomics lab to the alliance. Facility Manager at APAF, Dr Brad Walsh, says "APAF has been working with ProteomeWorks for some time, contributing to the design and testing of some of the instrumentation for the ProteomeWorks system. We are very excited to strengthen what has been a longstanding successful working relationship with Bio-Rad and Micromass." Proteomics is a term originally coined by Macquarie scientists to describe the study of proteins of humans, plants, animals and bacteria. Proteins provide the critical link between genes and disease - it is the proteins produced by genes that are responsible for all processes that occur within a cell. For further information, contact Dr Brad Walsh on (02) 9850 6201. ACADEMY STATEMENT ON STEM CELL RESEARCHThe Australian Academy of Science has released a position paper on human stem cell research, confirming its opposition to the use of reproducting cloning techniques to produce a human foetus, but recognising the potential value of stem cell therapies in treating major degenerative diseases. The Academy's paper pointed out that under the current state of knowledge, it was still necessary to use embryonic stem cells. "Adult stem cells cannot adequately substitute for ES cells in basic research concerned with developmental biology because important biological differences exist between embryonic and adult stem cells. However, research into adult stem cells should be encouraged, especially to permit rapid application of insights gained from study of ES cells, and because progress made in this area of research may inform the other." The paper concluded that while it was appropriate to legislate to set limits on research practices, such as the cloning of human foetuses, the details of research practice should not be regulated. It proposed that a national panel should be appointed to advise on appropriate regulation, and that State laws should be reviewed to apply a more consistent application of national standards. http://www.science.org.au ANITBIOTIC RESISTANCE STRATEGY TAKES SHAPEThe National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has established an Expert Advisory Group on Antibiotics (EAGA) to provide advice to government and regulatory agencies on antibiotic resistance following the release of the Federal Government's response last August to the Joint Expert Technical Advisory Committee on Antibiotic Resistance (JETACAR) Report. JETACAR was set up in December 1997 to assess the scientific evidence linking the use of antibiotics in food producing animals and the emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria. It reported in August 1999 that development and transmission of antibiotic resistance is a threat to human health, and established that transfer of antibiotic resistance from food producing animals to humans does occur. In response to JETACAR, the Commonwealth has established the Commonwealth Interdepartmental JETACAR Implementation Group (CIJIG), chaired jointly by Professor John Mathews (Health and Aged Care) and Dr Angelo Valois (AFFA), and with membership drawn from the Commonwealth Departments of Health and Aged Care and Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and Commonwealth regulatory agencies. The role of this Commonwealth Group is to manage the government's implementation plans for the twenty-two recommendations of the June 1999 JETACAR report. These recommendations cover regulatory control, monitoring and surveillance, prevention of infection, education and communication, and the coordination of a national antibiotic resistance management program. Some of the activities being undertaken by CIJIG member agencies, or planned for 2001, include: a summit to engage stakeholders in the implementation process; a scoping study on hospital-acquired infections in Australia; two workshops and a contract to investigate options for antibiotic resistance surveillance in Australia; development of a work plan with the EAGA; development of a national antibiotic resistance communication/education strategy; and meetings with industry groups to develop a cost-effective system of monitoring and auditing for antibiotic distribution and end use. The role of the Expert Advisory Group on antibiotic resistance is to provide expert advice to the Commonwealth through CIJIG, state and territory governments, and Commonwealth statutory authorities, on measures to reduce the risks of antibiotic resistance. Chaired by Associate Professor John Turnidge, the former chair of JETACAR, the 13-member group met for the first time on April 30 to discuss its work program. In August last year, the Australian Health Ministers Council (AHMC) appointed the AHMC JETACAR Taskforce to monitor and report to the Minister for Health and Aged Care on the implementation of the Government's response to JETACAR. This group is scheduled to report to the Minister in July 2001. The Agriculture and Resource Management Council of Australia and New Zealand (ARMCANZ) has appointed a similar Taskforce to monitor the JETACAR implementation from the animal industry perspective. Amongst recent developments in implementing JETACAR, a surveillance workshop was held on May 4 to discuss the development of a draft national antibiotic resistance surveillance strategy. A second workshop on surveillance is to be held in August before the draft surveillance strategy is released for public consultation in October. A National Summit on Antibiotic Resistance was held in Sydney on May 30 - 31 which addressed the five key elements for the proposed national antibiotic resistance management program: regulatory controls; monitoring and surveillance; infection prevention strategies; education; and research. It was be attended by stakeholders in health care, pharmaceutical and agricultural industries, educators and other interested parties. CIJIG has asked EAGA to identify the top five R&D priorities for antibiotic resistance research for the next 3 years and these will be raised with the NHMRC Strategic Research Development Committee (SRDC). More detail on progress with implementation of the JETACAR report is available on the internet at http://www.health.gov.au/pubhlth/strateg/jetacar/index.html. BRESAGEN CLONES PIGSA-based biotechnology company, BresaGen Limited, has announced that it has successfully cloned a pig, in association with the Immunology Research Centre at St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne. The pig is now five weeks old, has been weaned and is healthy and growing normally. The program leader, Dr Mark Nottle, said the purpose of the cloning was first, to provide a means of improving the breeding of livestock with superior qualities and disease resistance, and second the potential supply of animal organs for transplantation into humans. This would require the breeding of pigs without a gene called the Gal gene which is present in pigs but absent in humans and is thought to be important in the rejection of pig organs in human transplantation. A different technology was required to that used for Dolly the sheep, and used cells which had been frozen in liquid nitrogen for more than two years. The St. Vincent's Hospital/ Bresagen research program in xenotransplant- ation has been funded by an R&D Syndicate and by Nextran Inc, a subsidiary of Baxter Healthcare. Commercialisation of this technology is expected to lead to significant royalty streams flowing to BresaGen. VICTORIA SNARES SYNCHROTRONThe Victorian Government has pre-empted proposals under the the Commonwealth Government's Major National Research Facility program by announcing it will provide up to $100 million towards a $157 million synchrotron facility to be located on a site near the International Centre for Science, Technology and Emerging Industries announced recently by Monash University. The synchrotron will provide a key facility for the determination of the molecular structure of potential new drugs, providing an option for scientists who currently have to access synchrotrons in Japan or the US through the Australian Synchrotron Research Program. Three other proposals for synchrotron facilities have been under development by consortia led by the NSW and Queensland Governments and by the Australian Synchrotron Research Program led by ANSTO which currently provides access to overseas synchrotron facilities. Organisations supporting the Victorian project include CSIRO, Western Mining, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Rio Tinto, Ericsson Australia, Telstra, the Committee for Melbourne, the Victorian Employer's Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce and the Victorian Chamber of Mines. Announcing the decision, the Victorian Treasurer and Minister for State Development, John Brumby, said that the Government had initially considered contributing $47 million to the consortium to compete for funding under the MNRF program, but on the basis of the level of support and the potential return had decided to proceed without Commonwealth funding. Tenders will be called for construction of the synchrotron within the next few month and work will begin in 2001-02 with a completion date of 2005.
Copyright 2001 - AusBiotech |
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