The AUScelerate Podcast

MTPConnect’s REDI Fellowships are improving engagement between researchers and industry and providing fellows with real-world innovation experiences within commercial industry settings.  The idea of connecting researchers with industry is critical for the growth of Australia’s medical products sector and so far, 49 Fellows have been selected for industry placements, some with multinational compani...

After the international BIO 2023 convention wrapped up with Team Australia, MTPConnect took a tour of global biopharmaceutical company Sanofi’s mRNA Centre of Excellence located in Greater Boston and learnt more about the company’s plans for the Translational Science Hub being set up in Queensland in partnership with the Queensland Government, Griffith University, the University of Queensland.  We...

We take you to MTPConnect’s inaugural seminar on 'Australian Women in Life Sciences Leadership - a Global Perspective' held during BIO 2023 in Boston.  Founders, CEOs, board executives and managers gathered to discuss the opportunities and challenges faced by women in the biotech industry in a changing global market. The seminar, supported by Sanofi, showcased inspiring stories, insights...

Back in June, MTPConnect joined the Australian delegation at BIO in Boston and organised several activities to showcase Australia’s fast-growing life sciences sector to the international biotech industry. With a powerful #TeamAustralia focus and a 430-strong delegation from Australia, BIO2023 was literally the biggest and best to date with over 20,000 attendees from 73 countries. In part one of th...

Vexev founders, Dr John Carroll and Dr Eamonn Colley met in Sydney as PhD students interested in fluid dynamics. They have turned their talents to investigate blood flows to try and predict vascular disease. They have created an ultrasound-powered imaging robot and software platform — to automatically take fast and consistent 3D scans, to supercharge the diagnostic power of vascular clinicians, wi...

ARIA Research is a Sydney-based start-up developing technologies delivering a sense of vision via sound (echolocation) to people who are blind or have low vision. The company’s defining advantage has been its diverse and inclusive team, which incorporates employees and end users living with blindness into every aspect of the project and organisation.  Their breakthrough bionic vision system was fu...

Tens of thousands of central venous catheters designed for adult bodies are inserted into the delicate veins of newborns in Australian intensive care settings every year for life-saving care.  But positioning the catheter tip can be challenging and if not done correctly, can lead to dangerous complications for children who are already critically ill.   Navi Medical Technologies is developing the N...

ANDHealth specialises in the acceleration of commercialisation of evidence-based digital health technologies through targeted programs and expert support. Their ANDHealth + Program funded by the Australian Government’s Medical Research Future Fund has opened for applications. ANDHealth Co-founder and Chief Product Officer Grace Lethlean explains how thisunique accelerator can be a gamechanger for...

In July 2022, Defence launched the 'Safeguarding Australia through Biotechnology Response and Engagement' (SABRE) Alliance, to bring together biotech capabilities from Australia’s universities, research institutes, SMEs and manufacturers to connect them with the needs of the Defence and national security sectors.  MTPConnect has played a role in establishing the SABRE Alliance and in Mar...

BellaSeno is a clinical-stage medical device company born in Queensland in 2015 and now expanded to Liepzig in Germany. They are developing a next generation fully resorbable breast implant for soft tissue reconstruction, which recently started clinical trials in Australia.  We connect with BellaSeno’s Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer Dr Mohit Chhaya and Chief Medical Officer Dr Tobias Gro...

To mark our 150th episode, we are delighted to introduce MTPConnect’s newly appointed Chair, the Honorable Jaala Pulford. A passionate advocate for the medical technology, biotech and pharmaceutical sector, Jaala has a long and distinguished career in government including Minister for Innovation, Medical Research and the Digital Economy.  Jaala chats with host Caroline Duell about her ministerial...

The Targeted Translation Research Accelerator (TTRA) program, a Medical Research Future Fund initiative delivered by MTPConnect, launched Round 3 of its Research Projects funding opportunity on 30 January 2023 to support diabetes and cardiovascular disease projects that address the unmet health and medical needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in rural, remote, regional, and urban...

It’s three years ago this month that COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation. We’ve seen nearly 800 million confirmed cases around the world and nearly 7 million deaths… and there are signs that another wave is underway in Australia as we head into the colder months. But imagine those numbers if we didn’t have the vaccines – particularly the mRNA vaccines.   In this episo...

Our Targeted Translation Research Accelerator (TTRA) program , a Medical Research Future Fund initiative delivered by MTPConnect, launched Round 3 of its Research Projects funding opportunity in January 2023 to support diabetes and cardiovascular disease projects that address the unmet health and medical needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in rural, remote, regional, and urban c...

We talk to Sydney-based eye surgeon Dr Sarah Crowe, Founder and Director of 4eyesVision who has invented the 4eyesVision Kit to correct refractive error, the leading cause of blindness in the developing world and provide affordable glasses on the spot for people in remote and developing communities. Dr Crowe shares her clinician entrepreneur story that started in the Solomon Islands and progressed...

MTPConnect’s Targeted Translation Research Accelerator (TTRA) program has opened a new funding round to support diabetes and cardiovascular disease research projects that address the unmet health and medical needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in rural, remote, regional, and urban centres.  To develop this Indigenous-specific round, MTPConnect has partnered with the Lowitja Inst...

For this episode we tap into an international perspective on the digital health sector and the business of healthcare. Lisa Suennen is a US-based entrepreneur and industry advisor. After thirty years in healthcare and seeing little progress in efficiency and optimisation of care, she moved into the digital health space, working as a venture capital investor, speaker and writer.  Lisa visited Austr...

Australian company Minomic has developed the MiCheck Prostate blood test that uses an algorithm, together with other biomarkers, to estimate the risk of a patient having aggressive prostate cancer. The diagnostic overcomes the low accuracy of conventional screening tests to reduce unnecessary intervention such as painful biopsies and improve overall management of the patient.  The test was launche...

MTPConnect’s Targeted Translation Research Accelerator (TTRA) program will open Round 3 of its Research Projects funding opportunity in early 2023 to support diabetes and cardiovascular disease projects that address the unmet health and medical needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in rural, remote, regional, and urban centres.  In anticipation of the round, MTPConnect hosted a we...

It’s World Antimicrobial Awareness Week and this year’s theme is “Preventing Antimicrobial Resistance Together”. We chat to Bugworks , a clinical stage pharmaceutical company, headquartered in the US, with subsidiaries in India and Australia, currently developing novel antibacterials and immunotherapies. Bugworks’ Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Dr Anand Anandkumar, joins the podcast from...

MTPConnect hits The MedTech Conference in Boston, USA, leading a delegation of 18 Australian companies to showcase Australia’s outstanding innovative medical technologies and capabilities to the world’s largest medtech market.  With the creation of the unmissable Australian Pavilion exhibit and a top-level visit program of keynotes and networking events, the mission was supported by Austrade and s...

MTPConnect hits The MedTech Conference in Boston, USA, leading a delegation of 18 Australian companies to showcase Australia’s outstanding innovative medical technologies and capabilities to the world’s largest medtech market.  With the creation of the unmissable Australian Pavilion exhibit and a top-level visit program of keynotes and networking events, the mission was supported by Austrade and s...

CSIRO’s year-round Kick-Start program has helped over 200 early-stage start-ups and small businesses pursue R&D activities by providing access to CSIRO research and capability. This includes help with articulating a company’s research question, connecting businesses with relevant CSIRO researchers and fifty per cent matched funding support to improve affordability.  One of the company’s that r...

Inventia Skin is a Sydney-based start-up on a mission to revolutionise wound repair by developing Ligō, a skin printing robot. It  delivers rapid and precise regenerative cellular therapy products directly onto a wound and could help to treat difficult to heal skin burns.  A number of partners - high profile scientists and physicians - are lending their expertise to the project, including world re...

Back in May 2019, MTPConnect launched the Biomedical Translation Bridge (BTB) program, a $22.3 million initiative of the Medical Research Future Fund, supporting the translation of new therapies, technologies and medical devices through to the proof-of-concept stage. In a first for Australia, it did that by pairing funded projects with industry mentors and commercialisation experts. Three years on...