A series on the ongoing research partnership between the Group of Eight and the United States of America
Joint defence centre
Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest weapons manufacturer, established its first research centre outside of the US at the Go8’s University of Melbourne. The joint research centre focusses on basic research in fields such as hypersonics, robotics, AI, sensors and communications. The centre adds to the University of Melbourne’s range of ongoing research partnerships already in place with Lockheed Martin.
World first for Australian uni
The Go8’s Monash University is the world’s first academic institution outside of the US to join Pfizer’s network of research partners under the Pfizer Centres for Therapeutic Innovation (CTI). Pfizer is the world’s largest pharmaceutical company. CTI aims to translate promising science into clinical applications.
Quantum partnership
The Go8’s University of Sydney has a multi-year global partnership with Microsoft. This partnership, which strengthens research, reinforces the University of Sydney’s significance in quantum computing.
Life saving glue
Me Tro is a highly elastic and adhesive surgical glue – a “superglue” that can be squeezed into deep cuts and gunshot wounds and seals them shut – all in 60 seconds. Its ability to stem blood flow is especially relevant for emergencies where many people require fast medical support – such as major accidents, war zones or terrorist attacks.
It was developed at the Go8’s University of Sydney by Professor Anthony Weiss and his team. Professor Weiss has joint US publications on Me Tro with Harvard and Northeastern University (Science translational Medicine 2017).
Treatment for rare disease
Eteplirsen is the world’s first treatment to address the cause of the rare and fatal muscle-wasting disease, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). It is now on the US market, licenced to Sarepta Therapeutics. It was developed by Go8 member University of Western Australia and received accelerated US FDA approval in 2016.
The disease affects one in 3500 boys worldwide with children becoming wheelchair bound by 12 and then dying by age 30. Eteplirsen aims to slow the disease’ progression and keep patients mobile for longer with improved quality of life.
Grant to address brain aging
The US National Institutes of Health provided a $3.2million grant to enable Go8 member UNSW Sydney to broaden its research into brain aging within the university’s Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA). The grant is specifically to determine what factors are common for cognitive decline and dementia in all human populations irrespective of race, ethnicity, and socio-economic development. For this, the university will be part of COSMIC which uses 30 studies from five continents and potentially data from more than 90,000 participants.
Solving waste issues
SeweX has been the world’s largest ever sewer-related research project. It cost $24 million over five years. Go8 member the University of Queensland has now delivered the world’s municipalities the tools necessary to manage their sewer networks. These tools can save them multiple millions of dollars in sewage system replacement and maintenance. The project’s results are also improving sewer design. In the US where the sewer network had an asset value of more than one million trillion dollars in 2000, the ability to reduce costs has been embraced. Atlanta-based USP Technologies has an exclusive licencing agreement.
Head lice weapon
Hatchtech is worth more than $100 million annually in the US. Its head lice “weapon” developed by Go8 member the University of Melbourne is a novel next generation single-application prescription product. Known as Xeglyse Lotion, and with active ingredient abametapir, it overcomes costly and inconvenient cycles of retreatment. It was the culmination of 15 years of work for Dr Vern Bowles. Dr Reddy’s Laboratories commercialised and sells the product globally.
Leap in plant breeding
NexGen Plants Pty Ltd has discovered technology that enables development of disease-resistant plants by manipulating a plant’s genomes instead of using genetic modification (GM). It has been developed by Go8 member the University of Queensland. This offers farmers around the world the potential of improved yields, and plant breeding companies a unique competitive advantage. The technology can also be used to create salt and heat-tolerant crops as well as enhance nutritional and favourable consumer traits such as fruit shape, size and fragrance, and even increased shelf life. The US Department of Agriculture has given NexGen (in collaboration with Texas A&M) non-GM approval for salt-resistant rice.
Transforming energy
The Go8 university UNSW Sydney is home to world-leading solar PV researcher Professor Martin Green known as the father of PV. Among his many breakthroughs Professor Green invented the PERC solar cell. In doing so his research has transformed the global energy sector, creating the highest efficiency solar cells. Sales of this system well exceeded $US14 billion in 2018 and are predicted to exceed US$1 trillion by 2040. His global sales include being a US market leader.
Help for side effects
Working with the US-based Emory University, UniQuest, the commercialisation company of Go8 member the University of Queensland, is working to address unmet medical needs and side effects of cancer treatment. The joint biotechnology company’s leading drug is Q-122. Q-122 is an oral non-hormonal drug to treat hot flushes in breast cancer survivors undergoing treatment. This can occur in 70 per cent of breast cancer patients where tumors have been influenced by oestrogen and progesterone. Treatment of this type of cancer must suppress these hormones leading to induced menopause with debilitating night sweat and hot flush symptoms. But such patients cannot use hormone replacement therapy because of risk the cancer could recur or progress. This makes non-hormone Q-122 a very exciting potential new drug.
Power of thought
Medical science and engineering have come together to develop a tiny device that could one day enable those who have lost use of limbs through disease or injury to move them again using the power of thought. The implanted device to make this occur is smaller than a paperclip and is implanted in a blood vessel next to the brain’s motor cortex. This research at Go8 member University of Melbourne, has been funded by the US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Australia’s NHMRC, the US Department of Defence, the US Office of Naval Research Global, the Australian Defence Health Foundation and the Brain Foundation. It is being commercialised out of Palo Alto California, is currently under FDA review and it is hoped it could be available in five years.
Wonder vaccine for cervical cancer
Gardasil, the global wonder vaccine for cervical cancer and a range of other cancers associated with human papillomavirus (HPV which causes 70 per cent of cervical cancers) is offered to girls around the world via Government programs; and since 2011, also to young males. It is on the way to increasing the protection rate for cervical cancer to around 90 per cent. Cervical cancer has been the second most common cancer in women. Gardasil was discovered by Go8 member the University of Queensland’s Professor Ian Frazer an immunologist, and the late Chinese virologist Dr Jian Zhou. In 1996 it was licensed to US-based Merck & Co Inc one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies. It is now Merck’s top vaccine by sales. Its economic benefits are large with a significant reduction in health system costs. Gardasil should lead to the global elimination of new cervical and HPV-associated cancers by 2050.
Irrigation efficiency
Irrigation equals more than 70 per cent of global fresh water demand, yet its efficiency is less than 20 per cent. Go8 member University of Melbourne, partnering with Rubicon Water, has led to technology that increases water efficiency by fully automating irrigation. Rubicon’s products use internet technology, wireless telemetry, solar power and soil moisture sensors, along with automatic gates, valves and meters, to measure and control water flow in real time. Farmers can monitor and manage crops remotely, delivering precise amounts of water in response to changing conditions.
In California, the Oakdale Irrigation District (OID) uses a century-old gravity distribution system to divert 370 gigalitres of water annually to around 3500 farmers and homes across a 29,000 hectare area in the San Joaquin Valley. After installing Rubicon software and hardware the OID completely eliminated unintentional water loss, saving up to 16 megalitres of water per day across just one of the upgraded channels. Across the whole system, the water savings are estimated to be up to 40 gigalitres per year – enough for a US city of 500,000 people.
Through its partnership with Rubicon, the University of Melbourne has helped to make irrigated agriculture more productive and sustainable. The benefits are not only economic and environmental: farmers who use the technology have reported that their productivity and general wellbeing have increased, while their working hours have decreased.
Improving the community’s dental health
It is estimated that 91 per cent of US adults aged 20–64 have tooth decay. Research at Go8 member the University of Melbourne has developed a tooth enamel repair using a milk-derived protein. It strengthens teeth by releasing bio-available calcium and phosphate to tooth surfaces, which remineralise the areas affected by plaque bacteria. Sold as Recaldent™ in the US, and in more than 50 other countries, the protein is used by oral care, and food and beverage companies worldwide in products such as chewing gum, tooth mousse and orthodontic cement. Now used by many millions, as well as improving quality of life, Recaldent™ has had a significant impact in lowering the economic burden of tooth decay.
Professor Michelle Simmons
Australia’s 2018 Australian of the year, Professor Michelle Simmons, has a strong following in the US. She is one of the world’s leading quantum computing researchers and is based with her team at Go8 member UNSW Sydney. Professor Simmons has significant work and collaborations with US-based research teams and pioneered unique technologies internationally to build electronic devices at the atomic scale. Professor Simmons was Australia’s representative at the 2018 White House Summit for Advancing American Leadership in Quantum Information Science.
Symbol of good health
The low GI diet is a household word and an eating pattern around the world – and is the result of research at Go8 member the University of Sydney. The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates more than 30.3 million Americans have diabetes and a low GI symbol has been developed to assist Americans make nutritionally healthy food purchases; with a low GI diet proven to lower blood pressure in diabetes sufferers. A low GI diet was initially developed for such people before its wider role in healthy eating and weight loss was established.
Microscopic scanner
Using technology similar to a barcode scanner, a sophisticated microscope will enable scientists to better analyse complex medical problems. With a US-based industry optics partner, Go8 member ANU is working to further expand the invention’s capacity. The microscope can speed up or slow down to capture the slow-moving cells in a blood stream or the live neutrons firing rapidly in a brain.
