Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews has officially opened the T3 Cleanrooms at the Translational Research Institute (TRI) in Brisbane that will enable Australian start-ups to manufacture potentially life-changing products for clinical trials.
Backed by the Morrison Government with $500,000 in federal funding, this first-of-its-kind facility will support the development of new medical technologies and pharmaceuticals – fast-tracking job-creating innovations in Australia.
Minister Andrews said the new facility demonstrates the Government’s commitment to medical product manufacturing.
“We want to back our medical product manufacturers to scale up and take on the world – that’s why it’s one of six priorities under our $1.5 billion Modern Manufacturing Strategy,” Ms Andrews said.
“The T3 Cleanrooms are an Australian first and will help us locally manufacture medical technology and pharmaceutical products for clinical trials – products that can be of great benefit to consumers worldwide.
“The facility will also help start-up companies test their innovations locally and will be a perfect training ground for our researchers and students.”
In addition to the $500,000 in funding from MTPConnect – one of the Government’s Industry Growth Centres – the new clinical manufacturing training hub was delivered with $500,000 in funding from TRI, with Australian biotech company Vaxxas providing in kind support.
TRI CEO Professor Scott Bell said the facility ‘is the outcome of a successful partnership with Vaxxas’.
“Vaxxas worked with us to identify a critical gap in medtech manufacturing and skills for companies needing to scale-up production for clinical trials, which led TRI to develop the unique T3 Cleanrooms,” Professor Bell said.
“Having access to this vital facility is enabling Vaxxas to progress its innovative vaccine technology from preclinical to clinical trials, and is a great example of the translational pathway that exists at TRI to foster the commercialisation of Australian medical innovations.”
MTPConnect Managing Director and CEO Dr Dan Grant said the funding provided by the Growth Centre has been critical in setting up the hub at the TRI and upgrading its dedicated cleanrooms to Current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP).
“Having state of the art facilities like these cleanrooms at the TRI means Australian start-ups, like Vaxxas, don’t have to take their small-scale, early stage clinical product manufacturing for clinical trials overseas,” Dr Grant said.
“It means we can keep our best and brightest innovators here in Australia and importantly, accelerate the translation of new innovations which lead to new jobs, economic growth and improved patient outcomes.”
