The University of Queensland stands to be at the forefront of drug development with the announcement of funding for Australia’s first integrated preclinical testing facility.
As part of the Queensland Government’s Smart State Research Facilities Funding announced by Premier Peter Beattie at BIO2004 in San Francisco, $8.1 million will go towards the Queensland Preclinical Drug Development Facility with a further significant contribution from UQ.
The Facility will be developed in partnership with Queensland Institute of Medical Research, clinical trials company Q-Pharm and UQ researchers Professor Istvan Toth, Professor Ron Dickinson, Professor Rod Minchin and Professor Maree Smith.
It is the first facility in the country to focus on the four core areas of preclinical drug development in an integrated way where it will take new drugs from the discovery stage and progress them to readiness for human clinical trials.
Professor Smith, director-designate of the Facility, said at the moment the bulk of preclinical development work went overseas but the new facility would mean the cost and delay of assessing new drugs would be reduced.
“This will bring a very high value-add industry to Queensland with many spin-offs for employment and the economy in this State,” Professor Smith said.
“Sending the drugs off-shore for preclinical testing adds two to three times more cost to this stage of development as well as making it harder to retain contact with the drug’s progress.
“By having this Facility we will be able to provide rapid feedback to people in the drug discovery industry and help them produce better products.”
Professor Smith said the Facility would also be unique as it will be the first time Australia will have a “one-stop shop” for pre-clinical assessment of new drugs and comes at a time of a boom in the drug discovery industry in Australia.
“The timing is perfect as there is a very large drug discovery industry in Australia that is discovering so many new molecules requiring preclinical testing.
“This will be a wonderful opportunity to bridge the gap between the outputs of the large investment in drug discovery research and the undertaking of human clinical trials.”
The facility will take a four pronged approach to looking at new drugs by assessing efficacy (if it works); toxicology (whether it might be harmful); developability (how to improve the physical and chemical characteristics so it is absorbed by the body); and ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism and elimination by the body).
UQ Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor David Siddle said UQ’s new Facility had the potential to speed up the development of new drugs and add considerably to Queensland’s economy.
“This initiative goes hand in hand with the significant investment UQ has made in drug discovery and it will extend the amount of development work that can be done here in Queensland,” Professor Siddle said.
“And by keeping the process here it will also add tremendously to the value of intellectual property generated by drug discovery groups.”
Premier Beattie also announced Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) biochemist Dr Horst Schirra has been awarded one of only three Smart State Fellowships.
Dr Schirra is examining new methods of pest control by blocking the digestive enzymes of insects and will receive $100,000 a year for the next three years to further his research.
The University of Queensland`s IMB is recognised nationally and internationally as one of Australia`s leading research institutes and a major centre for molecular bioscience research.
Media: For more information contact Professor Maree Smith (telephone 07 3365 2554) or Andrew Dunne at UQ Communications (telephone 07 3365 2802).
