The Centre will develop diagnostic and therapeutic agents for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.
A grant of $30.6 million over seven years was provided to establish the CRC for Biomarker Translation which will be headquartered at the La Trobe University Research and Development Park on the main Melbourne campus at Bundoora.
The therapies and tests developed by the CRC are expected to transform the management of autoimmune diseases and cancer and make Australia a competitive force in the rapidly growing, multi-billion dollar antibody therapeutic market.
CRC partners include the Mater Medical Research Institute and Clinical Services in Brisbane, the Child Health Research Institute and Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science in Adelaide, and the Burnet Institute in Prahran.
Two large American biotechnology companies, BD Biosciences and Amgen, are commercial partners. Amgen's major interest is in cancer, and the discovery of new biomarkers that might be used to target cancer cells will be a major emphasis in the new CRC. BD Biosciences has a major interest in diagnostic application and this will be the second key emphasis of the CRC.
La Trobe Acting Vice-Chancellor, Professor Roger Parish, welcomed the Government’s decision to establish the new CRC. He said it reflected the University’s strong capabilities in this area and recognised the role of Professor Nick Hoogenraad, Head of Biochemistry and Molecular Sciences, who directed the application for the new CRC.
Professor Parish also paid tribute to Pro Vice-Chancellor Research, Professor Erich Weigold, recently retired Vice-Chancellor, Professor Brian Stoddart, and the Dean of the Faculty of Science, Technology and Engineering, Professor David Finlay, for their role in refocusing the University’s research directions and supporting significant investment bearing on the new CRC.
He also acknowledged support from the Victorian State Government, through the Department of Innovation Industry and Regional Development, in preparing the CRC-Biomarker Translation application.
‘Magic bullets’
Professor Hoogenraad said that the production of new antibody-based therapeutics and diagnostic tests, which targeted cell surface molecules (biomarkers) expressed by white blood cells and cancer cells, would be the focus of the new CRC.
These antibodies – or ‘magic bullets’ – will be aimed at cells involved in major diseases, including autoimmune disease and cancers. This technology was first introduced into Australia by the CRC’s partners. The Burnet Institute and Mater Medical Research Institute also have experience in testing ‘magic bullets’ in patients.
La Trobe will lead two of the five programs in the CRC. The discovery of biomarkers using high-sensitivity mass spectrometry will be headed by Professor Hoogenraad and the production of monoclonal antibodies against these biomarkers by Dr Michael Foley.
The education program will be led by another La Trobe biochemist, Dr Andrew Coley. As the only university participant in the CRC, La Trobe will also have a leading role in postgraduate training and undergraduate feeder programs.
The University is a participant in seven CRCs covering a range of disciplines and has invested significantly in supporting their activities.
The new CRC for Biomarker Translation came out of an existing CRC, the CRC for Diagnostics based at Queensland University of Technology, of which La Trobe is a leading partner.
In this, Professor Hoogenraad, jointly with Professor Heddy Zola, Director of the Child Health Research Institute in Adelaide, headed a program on discovery of biomarkers on T-cells and production of monoclonal antibodies against these biomarkers.
Building on this, he and Professor Zola assembled a team to expand this work beyond diagnostics and autoimmunity, to therapeutics and cancer – resulting in the new CRC.