Australian biotech company VivaZome Therapeutics has announced that it has been awarded an Australian Government CRC-P grant of $2.18m in support of the project “Enabling Exosome Therapy: Developing an Advanced Manufacturing Process”, with the funds provided under the Advanced Manufacturing Scheme.
VivaZome Therapeutics Pty Ltd is a privately-held Australian biotech company, head quartered in Geelong, Victoria. VivaZome was formed to develop and commercialise exosome-based therapies, with a focus on treatments for debilitating and/or life-threatening disorders which are not adequately managed by current therapies.
Joining VivaZome in the CRC-P are La Trobe University and SeerPharma Pty Ltd, each of which bring high-level scientific and operational skills to the 3 –year project. VivaZome will also engage with the CSIRO to provide expertise in industrial–scale manufacturing.
Craig Newton, Executive Director and founder of VivaZome Therapeutics said: “We are delighted to receive this strong support from the Australian Government. Exosomes have great potential to treat a wide range of diseases. What’s held back that potential is the challenge of producing exosomes in large quantities. With the help of La Trobe University, SeerPharma and CSIRO, we will develop a scalable manufacturing process to address that challenge. We expect our first product to focus on vascular disease where new treatment options are urgently needed.”
Dr Dan Grant, Pro Vice-Chancellor (Industry Engagement) of La Trobe University said: “Our collaboration with VivaZome and SeerPharma is another example of La Trobe’s continued commitment to partner with industry and generate real impact from the world-leading research we undertake.”
Paul Kerr, Partner and Senior Consultant at SeerPharma said: “We are excited to be involved in this innovative project and to bring our expertise in quality and risk management consulting, compliance oversight and GLP / GMP training.”
The VivaZome CRC-P project work will commence in early 2018 with a series of significant scientific, industrial and education milestones to be achieved by end 2020.
For further information, contact:
Mr Craig Newton, Executive Director at VivaZome Therapeutics via craig.newton@vivazome.com or phone 0434 674 256