UniQuest to show off new projects at AusBiotech

UniQuest, the commercialisation arm of the University of Queensland, will be showing off a host of new innovations and projects, including a cell-based therapy to combat infections in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Neutropenia is a high-risk blood disorder that occurs when chemotherapy destroys the white blood cells needed to defend the body from bacterial and fungal infections.

University of Queensland researchers at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) have developed TheraPhil to combat neutropenia, with the technology ready to begin phase I clinical trials, which is where a commercial partner is needed.

“We have been working closely with the TheraPhil research team to create a commercially viable prospect for potential investors with the financial resources to take this product further,” said UniQuest Managing Director, David Henderson in a statement.

“TheraPhil is based on valuable intellectual property which could offer a range of financial, clinical and economic returns to the University, Australia’s biotech industry and the health services sector. We are confident there’s an investment or licensing partner on the horizon who wants to help get this product into hospitals for the benefit of patients in critical need, and we’ll be letting the industry know more about it at Ausbiotech,” Mr Henderson said.

Other projects on show include a technology that can make vaccines more effective, a discovery that could lead to prevention and treatment of Type 1 diabetes and a potential prostate cancer vaccine.

Like many other commercialisation outfits at AusBiotech, UniQuest also has a range of market-ready projects that are looking for a commercial partner.

AusBiotech, Australia’s biggest biotechnology conference, begins tomorrow, and will see 1500 delegates from 20 countries attend.