Directory puts Queensland biotech industry on the World Wide Web
Published Monday, 18 June, 2007 at 08:26 AM
Minister for State Development, Employment and Industrial Relations
The Honourable John Mickel
The Queensland Government has established a new web-based directory to help promote Queensland’s growing biotechnology industry.
Queensland Minister for State Development John Mickel said the Queensland Biotechnology Directory would help Queensland, Australian and global companies access local biotechnology organisations.
Queensland’s biotechnology industry currently comprises around 90 companies and 68 biotechnology–related research institutes and centres.
Mr Mickel said the directory, available at www.biotech.qld.gov.au, provided a 24/7 opportunity to showcase Queensland’s world-class biotechnology capabilities.
“Although small in comparison with major international players such as the United States, Queensland’s research is second to none. But we do have to work twice as hard to attract overseas interest when world markets view Australia as too far away or too small,” Mr Mickel said.
“The strategic international alliances we already have in place with Washington State, South Carolina and New Zealand are also helping to build Queensland’s global biotechnology reputation.”
Queensland researchers have 25 collaborations in development with Washington State alone.
Mr Mickel said during his recent visit to BIO 2007 in Boston, he announced the Queensland Government had committed to providing significant funding to move one of these world-class projects forward.
The University of Queensland will receive over $1.2 million under the Smart State Innovation Projects Fund to develop a nanopatch in conjunction with the Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH) and the World Health Organisation.
“The University of Queensland’s cutting edge ‘nanopatch’ vaccine delivery technology could make painful jabs in the arm a thing of the past,” Mr Mickel said.
The aim of the Innovation Projects Funds is to foster collaborations for ‘near to market’ research projects.
“Another Queensland biotech company, Tissue Therapies Ltd also received $225,040 under the Innovation Projects Fund. Together with the Queensland University of Technology, it aims to use its synthetic wound healing technology in stem cell therapies – providing an alternative to animal and human materials,” Mr Mickel said.
Tissue Therapies has already signed collaborative and partnership agreements with international firms Novozymes, headquartered in Denmark, and the US based Invitrogen Corporation to develop its VitroGro® technology further.
“BioLayer Corporation also signed a collaborative agreement with Invitrogen in 2005,” Mr Mickel said.
“Since then, the Brisbane-based materials science company has engaged in several collaborations with global diagnostics firms, such as Beckman Coulter.
“BioLayer's role in these collaborations is to facilitate the development of diagnostic tests for critical medical conditions such as HIV and cancer.
“It is hoped the Queensland Biotechnology Directory will prove to be a useful tool to establish more collaborations like these,” Mr Mickel said
The Biotech directory is available at www.biotech.qld.gov.au
Media contact: Chris Brown 3224 7349 or Elouise Campion 3224 6784.
18 June 2007
Queensland Minister for State Development John Mickel said the Queensland Biotechnology Directory would help Queensland, Australian and global companies access local biotechnology organisations.
Queensland’s biotechnology industry currently comprises around 90 companies and 68 biotechnology–related research institutes and centres.
Mr Mickel said the directory, available at www.biotech.qld.gov.au, provided a 24/7 opportunity to showcase Queensland’s world-class biotechnology capabilities.
“Although small in comparison with major international players such as the United States, Queensland’s research is second to none. But we do have to work twice as hard to attract overseas interest when world markets view Australia as too far away or too small,” Mr Mickel said.
“The strategic international alliances we already have in place with Washington State, South Carolina and New Zealand are also helping to build Queensland’s global biotechnology reputation.”
Queensland researchers have 25 collaborations in development with Washington State alone.
Mr Mickel said during his recent visit to BIO 2007 in Boston, he announced the Queensland Government had committed to providing significant funding to move one of these world-class projects forward.
The University of Queensland will receive over $1.2 million under the Smart State Innovation Projects Fund to develop a nanopatch in conjunction with the Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH) and the World Health Organisation.
“The University of Queensland’s cutting edge ‘nanopatch’ vaccine delivery technology could make painful jabs in the arm a thing of the past,” Mr Mickel said.
The aim of the Innovation Projects Funds is to foster collaborations for ‘near to market’ research projects.
“Another Queensland biotech company, Tissue Therapies Ltd also received $225,040 under the Innovation Projects Fund. Together with the Queensland University of Technology, it aims to use its synthetic wound healing technology in stem cell therapies – providing an alternative to animal and human materials,” Mr Mickel said.
Tissue Therapies has already signed collaborative and partnership agreements with international firms Novozymes, headquartered in Denmark, and the US based Invitrogen Corporation to develop its VitroGro® technology further.
“BioLayer Corporation also signed a collaborative agreement with Invitrogen in 2005,” Mr Mickel said.
“Since then, the Brisbane-based materials science company has engaged in several collaborations with global diagnostics firms, such as Beckman Coulter.
“BioLayer's role in these collaborations is to facilitate the development of diagnostic tests for critical medical conditions such as HIV and cancer.
“It is hoped the Queensland Biotechnology Directory will prove to be a useful tool to establish more collaborations like these,” Mr Mickel said
The Biotech directory is available at www.biotech.qld.gov.au
Media contact: Chris Brown 3224 7349 or Elouise Campion 3224 6784.
18 June 2007