NEW AUSTRALIAN VACCINE CENTRE OPENS IN BRISBANE
Published Wednesday, 30 May, 2007 at 09:30 AM
Minister for State Development, Employment and Industrial Relations
The Honourable John Mickel
A new medical research centre which will put Australia at the forefront of vaccine discovery for cancer, malaria and other diseases was officially launched in Brisbane today.
Opening the Australian Centre for Vaccine Development (ACVD) at the Queensland Institute for Medical Research (QIMR) in Herston, Minister for State Development John Mickel said the Centre was a major coup for Queensland’s already world-class biotechnology industry.
“Working with state-of-the-art resources, ACVD experts will develop new vaccine technologies, lead Australian research and testing of vaccines, and build partnerships in the global biotechnology sector,” Mr Mickel said.
“The Centre will also give young scientists the chance to train alongside some of Australia’s top science minds: AVCD has a team of internationally recognised experts on board with years of experience in infectious diseases, cancer therapies, organ transplantation and vaccine testing.
“These scientists and researchers will use their experience in inventing and patenting therapies and vaccines for Australian and overseas companies to further build the nation’s biotechnology strengths.”
Ground-breaking research by a team of scientists at the ACVD, led by Professors Denis Moss and Rajiv Khanna, has resulted in world-first clinical trials into a new immunotherapy treatment that targets cells in a particular type of cancer prevalent among people in Hong Kong’s Guangdong Province.
And a Memorandum of Understanding was recently signed between QIMR and the University of Hong Kong to undertake more research collaborations in the future.
Mr Mickel said ACVD’s vaccine research focus on infectious diseases such as malaria, scabies, and hookworm, as well as cancer.
“Malignancies such as melanoma, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, leukaemia and breast cancer will also be under the microscope,” Mr Mickel said.
“Vaccines discovered by ACVD scientists will be progressed through to drug tests at QIMR’s clinical trial arm Q-Pharm, and the manufacturing unit Q-Gen will develop their vaccine technologies.”
Mr Mickel said the establishment of the national centre in Queensland would mean more scientists would head to the Smart State to undertake their life-saving work.
“Queensland has a number of biotechnology advantages: for example our different time zone means our biotech collaborations can work 24 hours around the clock,” Mr Mickel said.
“Similarly, our climate enables clinical trials to be conducted all year round for diseases more prevalent in winter, and Queensland is the only first-world economy in a tropical location which gives us an advantage in tropical science and disease.
“I congratulate the scientists and staff at ACVD and QIMR, their work has the potential to save the lives of millions of people.”
With more than 700 scientists, QIMR is one of the largest medical research institutes in the southern hemisphere.
The Queensland Government provides around $5.5 million in operational funding to the QIMR each year, and has invested $200 million in health, medical and drug discovery infrastructure in the State in the past three years.
________________________________________________
Media contact: Chris Brown 3224 7349 or Elouise Campion 3224 6784
30 May, 2007
Opening the Australian Centre for Vaccine Development (ACVD) at the Queensland Institute for Medical Research (QIMR) in Herston, Minister for State Development John Mickel said the Centre was a major coup for Queensland’s already world-class biotechnology industry.
“Working with state-of-the-art resources, ACVD experts will develop new vaccine technologies, lead Australian research and testing of vaccines, and build partnerships in the global biotechnology sector,” Mr Mickel said.
“The Centre will also give young scientists the chance to train alongside some of Australia’s top science minds: AVCD has a team of internationally recognised experts on board with years of experience in infectious diseases, cancer therapies, organ transplantation and vaccine testing.
“These scientists and researchers will use their experience in inventing and patenting therapies and vaccines for Australian and overseas companies to further build the nation’s biotechnology strengths.”
Ground-breaking research by a team of scientists at the ACVD, led by Professors Denis Moss and Rajiv Khanna, has resulted in world-first clinical trials into a new immunotherapy treatment that targets cells in a particular type of cancer prevalent among people in Hong Kong’s Guangdong Province.
And a Memorandum of Understanding was recently signed between QIMR and the University of Hong Kong to undertake more research collaborations in the future.
Mr Mickel said ACVD’s vaccine research focus on infectious diseases such as malaria, scabies, and hookworm, as well as cancer.
“Malignancies such as melanoma, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, leukaemia and breast cancer will also be under the microscope,” Mr Mickel said.
“Vaccines discovered by ACVD scientists will be progressed through to drug tests at QIMR’s clinical trial arm Q-Pharm, and the manufacturing unit Q-Gen will develop their vaccine technologies.”
Mr Mickel said the establishment of the national centre in Queensland would mean more scientists would head to the Smart State to undertake their life-saving work.
“Queensland has a number of biotechnology advantages: for example our different time zone means our biotech collaborations can work 24 hours around the clock,” Mr Mickel said.
“Similarly, our climate enables clinical trials to be conducted all year round for diseases more prevalent in winter, and Queensland is the only first-world economy in a tropical location which gives us an advantage in tropical science and disease.
“I congratulate the scientists and staff at ACVD and QIMR, their work has the potential to save the lives of millions of people.”
With more than 700 scientists, QIMR is one of the largest medical research institutes in the southern hemisphere.
The Queensland Government provides around $5.5 million in operational funding to the QIMR each year, and has invested $200 million in health, medical and drug discovery infrastructure in the State in the past three years.
________________________________________________
Media contact: Chris Brown 3224 7349 or Elouise Campion 3224 6784
30 May, 2007