Podcast
The AUScelerate Podcast
Hosted by AUScelerate · EN
The AUScelerate Podcast Series connects with the people and the issues behind Australia’s growing medical technologies, biotechnologies and pharmaceuticals sector. Formerly known as the MTPConnect Podcast.
15episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Introducing Western Australia’s New Chief Scientist Professor Sriram
Sep 1900:38:15Tap to summarizeProfessor Sharath Sriram was recently appointed as the new Chief Scientist of WA, providing independent, expert advice to the WA Government on topics important to the future of science and technology in the State. At our WA Life Sciences Innovation Hub’s Spotlight event he joined MTPConnect’s Dr Tracey Wilkinson for a fireside chat sharing his vision for science and technology in WA, his ambitions for the three years ahead, and insights from his first few months in the role.Accomplished nanotech researcher and commercialisation champion, Professor Sharath spent 16 years at RMIT University in Melbourne most recently as director of the Discovery to Device manufacturing facility. In the last two years he also co-founded healthtech startups Fragment BioTech and Lubdub AI, and is the current president of the national peak body, Science & Technology Australia.
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Why Space Matters for Advancing Life Sciences Research
Sep 500:50:00Tap to summarizeTo mark our 200th episode, we are taking you into Space to discover the benefits of microgravity for health and medical research and its real-world applications. Can we use space technology to advance medical discoveries to improve health here on earth? And should we be doing more to connect our life science sector innovators into Australia’s space research sector?We meet leading Australian superstars working at the intersection of space and health technologies at MTPConnect SA’s Insights Series event “What’s Your Place in Space’, celebrating Australian Space Week in Adelaide.Australia’s first astronaut, Katherine Bennell-Pegg, Director of Space Technology at the Australian Space Agency shares her view on why space matters, and the role of astronauts on the International Space Station as scientists in space. She reveals how biotech research in space using microgravity is revolutionising pharmaceutical development and unlocking treatments for cancer here on Earth.Aerospace medicine specialist Dr Gordon Cable from Human Aerospace, is working on a spacesuit design program, developing compression garments that "trick" the body into thinking gravity exists, with applications for burns, lymphedema and post-surgical recovery. Dr Richard Harvey from the ARC Centre of Excellence in Plants for Space explains how the international research consortium is engineering smart plants in space labs, that operate as programmable biological factories for biomolecule synthesis, to produce pharmaceuticals, including compounds that protect against radiation and improve cancer therapies. And Tiffany Sharp from Cambrian Defence and Space discusses launching medical research into space on a rocket in the Arctic circle - looking into the gut microbiome which shows how certain bacteria affecting anxiety and depression decline in microgravity, offering insights for mental health treatments.
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Bio Bites: Doing Business in Boston
Aug 4, 202500:25:14Tap to summarizeAs the world’s largest biotech partnering event took place in Boston in June, MTPConnect was there introducing an Australian delegation to the Boston ecosystem, hosting business events to drive international collaborations and leading the Australian Pavilion to highlight Australia's fast-growing life sciences sector to the international biotech industry.Our CEO Stuart Dignam was on the ground to find out why people are making the trip to BIO and what the buzz is all about. In this episode, Stuart speaks to Brent Owens, co-founder of Ballarat-based Vitrafy Life Sciences – a company pioneering cryopreservation technology and Brent Barnes, CEO and Manager Director of Adelaide-based Clever Culture Systems - inventor of APAS Independence, an intelligent microbiology culture plate reading technology that is revolutionising pharmaceutical lab work. These Australian start-ups have established a foothold in the US and are looking to expand and navigate the new tariff regime. Stuart also catches up with Professor Chris Molloy from the UK’s Medicines Discovery Catapult to get his take on BIO and find out more about the BIOBridge initiative and why collaboration is key to solving the world’s health challenges. For the support and partnership, MTPConnect would like to thank the state governments of NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia, and the Department of Industry, Science and Resources, Austrade, CSIRO and AusBiotech.And thanks for the industry support from Moderna, Novartis, Australia & New Zealand, Cytiva, Sanofi, Arrotex Pharmaceuticals and Nutromics, and support for MTPConnect’s Australian delegation site visit program from CSL and Global Pharma Solutions.
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Fast, Fearless and Future - Showcasing Research Excellence for Queensland Health
Jul 30, 202500:42:53Tap to summarizeQueensland Health is one of the largest employers in the state with some 130,000 full-time employees, geographically dispersed with 16 hospitals and health services across the country. The Office of Research and Innovation (ORI) hosts the ‘Queensland Health Research Excellence Showcase’ to celebrate how translating research into practice is advancing medical research, workforce development and healthcare. The Showcase’s theme - Fast, Fearless and Future – is a unique opportunity for Queensland Health employees to promote their translation-ready research. MTPConnect partnered with ORI to deliver a research poster and pitch session for the Showcase – attracting more than 40 entries from across Queensland.In this episode, we head to Brisbane for the Showcase event to meet some of Queensland Health’s research champions working on major healthcare challenges in mental health, kidney disease, hand therapy, pain education and diabetes-related ulcer care, to find out more about their posters – Dr Mike Trott (University of Queensland), Emma Taylor (STARS Hospital), Hannah Kennedy (Gold Coast Health), Ifeoluwapo Tokun (Townsville Hospital and Health Service) and Margie Conley (Metro South Hospital and Health Service). And Tammy Sovenyhazi Acting Executive Director, Queensland Health’s Office of Research and Innovation, explains what the Showcase is all about! NB. Findings from Dr Trott’s research were recently published internationally in a world first in The Lancet Psychiatry journal https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(25)00129-4/abstract
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Unlocking Intrinsic Value to Get Investor Ready
Feb 19, 2025Tap to summarizeThis episode is coming to you from MTPConnect’s Development Workshop Series held in Sydney for 52 start-up organisations from around Australia. The 2-day program was a terrific opportunity for companies participating in our Accelerator programs to get ‘investor ready’.Advisory firm Intrinsika’s workshop, ‘Finding Your Intrinsic Value’, focused on how to reframe a company’s value beyond the financials, by identifying and maximising unique assets and pitching this value to investors. Intrinsika’s Brett Kensett-Smith and Michael Masterson joined host Caroline Duell at the event to discuss the importance of differentiating your company to capture investor attention and nailing a 30 second pitch. They share their list of intrinsic assets to consider including trade secrets and effective brand building and explain how cleverly navigating the patent landscape can make all the difference to companies looking to scale up.
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