AusBiotech 2013 national conference opens in Brisbane with industry awards

Brisbane yesterday welcomed the official launch of the AusBiotech 2013 national conference - a premier event on the Australia and Asia-Pacific calendar - recognising world-class leaders in the biotechnology industry with the Janssen Industry Excellence Awards.

The prestigious industry awards were announced as part of the official opening reception for the conference at Brisbane City Hall last night; among them, internationally acclaimed, Brisbane-based researcher Professor Ian Frazer.

The cervical cancer vaccine pioneer and CEO and director of Brisbane’s new Translational Research Institute (TRI) was awarded the 2013 Industry Leadership Award, which recognises an ongoing and very significant contribution to the life sciences industry.

“Professor Frazer’s leadership has demonstrated exceptional success in navigating the research, clinical trial and commercialisation pathways that are essential for success in this industry,” said AusBiotech Chief Executive Officer Dr Anna Lavelle.

Frazer’s early work in Australia was fostered by the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute and University of Queensland (UQ), and he is now a director of biotechnology start-up company Coridon, which is developing DNA vaccines. His work has attracted significant research funding from several Australian and US funding bodies.

“Professor Frazer is an excellent ambassador for Australia’s biotechnology sector and is actively supporting the growth of Australia’s bio-economy, which is a central focus for this year’s conference,” said Dr Lavelle.

Allied Healthcare Group, which is one of the key financial backers for Coridon, was awarded Janssen’s Emerging Company of the Year in recognition of the company’s accomplishments. Allied is in the process of commercialising its innovative tissue engineering technology ADAPT for regenerative medicine and its share price has more than doubled in the past 12 months.

Sydney-based Nanosonics took out the top gong for Company of the Year. Its lead product, the trophon EPR, is an automatic device using hydrogen peroxide to decontaminate ultrasound probes. In a watershed year for the company, Nanosonics broke ground in international markets, recorded outstanding sales and piqued the interest of the investors on a regular basis.

The event has returned to Queensland for the first time since 2007 and is underway until 1 November 2013 at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.

This year’s conference features a stellar line-up of speakers from the biotechnology, biopharmaceutical, life science, business, investment, research and health industries, who will be exploring the conference’s central theme ‘bio-economy in transition’.

Dr Lavelle said Queensland is an Australian leader in supporting the development of robust biotechnological inventions through to commercialisation and the conference is an excellent opportunity to celebrate these achievements and identify new opportunities for growth on home soil.

“We are delighted to bring this year’s conference to Brisbane, which is one of Australia’s most active hubs for research and development, innovation and commercial development in the biotechnology sector,” said Dr Lavelle.

Queensland’s life sciences industry includes 252 companies, 86 core biotechnology companies and 47 biotechnology-related research institutes. The 2012 Life Sciences Industry Report estimated the local industry in Queensland generated an income of about $4.36 billion in 2011.

As part of the conference launch, dignitaries and delegates toured the DSM Biologics Facility at Woolloongabba, which is the result of a major collaboration between global life sciences company DSM Biologics and BioPharmaceuticals Australia, and was funded by the Queensland Government and the Commonwealth Government of Australia. This facility will be manufacturing biologics for various clinical and commercial treatments.