Media Release by D+I
Sydney-based radiopharmaceutical company AdvanCell has received the 2022 Australian Good Design Award of the Year for its world-first Alpha Isotope Generator designed by leading Australian product development consultancy, Design + Industry (D+I).
The generator addresses the greatest unmet need in targeted alpha therapies — a reliable, scalable and quality-controlled supply of this rare isotope used in prostate and several other cancer treatments.
The announcement was made at the Annual Good Design Awards Ceremony held on Friday Evening (16th September 2022) at the International Convention Centre, Sydney, Australia. The Good Design Awards attract new and innovative design projects from around the world, celebrating the very best in all areas of design, architecture, engineering, research, fashion and social impact. The Awards are one of the longest-running international design awards in the world, promoting excellence in design and innovation since 1958.
Dr Brandon Gien, CEO of Good Design Australia and Chair of the Awards says, “AdvanCell’s Generator is a revolutionary product that is going to have a remarkable impact on the lives of many people. The attention to detail in the design of the device is exemplary, the use of materials and thoughtfulness about the experience of the user are a real highlight as is the use of recycled materials to create the actual isotopes. Two other astounding features include the fact that this product replaces a machine the size of a small bedroom and it negates the requirement to source radioactive elements from Russia, thus securing supply of this precious resource,”
“AdvanCell will change the game for people in the medical industry, victims of cancer and quite frankly, the world. Despite dedicated efforts of researchers in the field, this level of breakthrough is rare and deserves recognition for its massive contribution to the medical industry and more specifically, towards the progression of cancer treatment,” said Dr. Gien
In just under two years, AdvanCell has grown from a small group with specific scientific, clinical and commercial expertise to attracting global investment and partnerships as a result of its medical innovations developed here in Australia. In order to take their technology to market, AdvanCell engaged D+I as a proven turnkey product development solution, leveraging the company’s full-service in-house capabilities which included Industrial Design, Mechanical Engineering and Electronics Design (ISO 13485:2016 Certified for the compliant development of medical devices).
“AdvanCell is an Australian company dedicated to changing the course of cancer treatment. The pharmaceuticals we and our partners develop rely on the production of isotopes from this generator. This technology enables a revolutionary treatment called Targeted Alpha Therapy. The genesis of the Company arose from an insight that Julian Kelly, AdvanCell’s Chief Nuclear Scientist, had about a novel method to produce an isotope with properties well suited for cancer treatment. With the support of our shareholders and the NSW Health Medical Devices Fund, D+I and AdvanCell managed to design and build this generator and produce our first isotope from it – in under 12-months. Drug design and pre-clinical studies followed shortly after, and we aim to begin a first in human clinical trial before year end. AdvanCell is honoured to be a recipient at the 2022 Australian Good Design Awards. I would like to thank the entire Design and Industry team for their hard work and ingenuity. ”
Andrew Adamovich (Chief Executive Officer, AdvanCell)
Pairing research with industry specialists, government support, venture capital and business leaders has created a platform for AdvanCell to be a leading player in the growing global radiopharmaceutical market (expected to reach USD $30B by 2030, with the Targeted Alpha Therapy market segment currently experiencing growth of over 20% per year.)
“It has been a pleasure to work with AdvanCell, to develop their technology into a commercial solution. Rationalising the technology and component assembly, a focus on usability and operability meant we could translate AdvanCells technology into a highly-complex but simple to operate solution that will provide clinicians with access to mission critical nuclear medicines. It is a privilege to be involved in the realisation of new healthcare technologies that enable access to novel treatments for patients around the world.”
Murray Hunter (Founder, D+I)
The AdvanCell ²¹²Pb Generator is a proprietary manufacturing platform capable of delivering a scalable solution to fully automated, GMP compliant manufacture of targeted alpha therapies. The Generator is an innovative combination of source containment, gas supply, high-temp steam delivery and vacuum capability within a compact bench-top system that enables a decentralised scalable supply for clinical trials and large patient populations.
“The platform enables patients to access the radiopharmaceutical drug because we are able to provide a quality controlled radioisotopically pure product, and make them in sufficient amounts when and where needed.”
Andrew Adamovich (Chief Executive Officer, AdvanCell)
One of the challenges in the delivery of treatments to patients is the severely limited supply of clinically useful alpha isotopes. Existing sources are enough to treat perhaps 2,000 patients a year. This is not enough to supply small clinical trials, let alone large patient populations.
Existing solutions are limited due to the complexity of production, where the manufacture requires large capital equipment such as a nuclear reactor or a cyclotron, and the use of severely limited source material for the reaction that is required to make the isotope. In addition, manufacture can rely on highly secure fissile material that is unlikely to be made available to industry. And even then the decay chain attributes of some of those accelerator or reactor produced isotopes can present currently insurmountable radiochemical challenges, resulting in these drugs being used exclusively in late stage disease. AdvanCell’s solution relies on a widely available feedstock that among its other sources can be recovered from mining tailings, a use that would leverage Australian mineral resources to directly supply the parent isotope and reduce reliance on foreign supply chains.
AdvanCell now routinely manufactures Alpha 212® (AdvanCell’s trademarked isotope product) through a fleet of the award-winning generators enabling full control of the supply chain for global manufacture of a pipeline of targeted alpha therapies. By enabling a scalable, local isotope production capability, the Generator will be able to fast track the access to and delivery of these cutting-edge cancer treatments to patients who need it most. In early September 2022, AdvanCell announced an A$18M Series B funding round led by Morningside to advance their lead clinical program and expand their manufacturing platform.
“The isotope generator is the realization of a world’s first technology platform and the embodiment of a clever design concept that is destined to save lives.”
John Lancken (Head of Electronics: Newcastle & Sydney, D+I)
This accolade marks the third time product developers, Design + Industry, have received the Good Design Award of the Year in the last decade reinforcing the company’s ability to help innovative businesses translate their ideas into real-world product solutions (2019 Award of the Year — Inventia Life Sciences RASTRUM 3D Bio-Printer, 2012 Award of the Year — The Deepsea Challenger Submarine which took director James Cameron on his historic dive to the bottom of the Mariana trench.)
AdvanCell ²¹²Pb Generator
2022 Good Design Award of the Year
2022 Good Design Best in Class (Product Design: Medical and Scientific)
