Life Sciences

Significant growth is being achieved in the Life Science’s sector following the Queensland Government’s $1.5 billion injection into the industry. Couple this with Brisbane’s impressive infrastructure and talent base, and it is easy to see why outstanding opportunities exist in the fields of agri-food, biomedical, biopharmaceutical and human therapeutics, diagnostics and clinical trials.

Brisbane is a recognised centre of excellence – home to not only the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR), the largest medical research institute in the southern hemisphere, but also the Clive Berghofer Cancer Research Centre, one of the world’s foremost research facilities in this field.

The University of Queensland is host to the Pharmacy Australia Centre of Excellence, Australia’s leading facility for pharmaceutical research, education and drug commercialization; while Griffith University partners with global giant AstaZeneca in the Natural Drug Discovery arena.

A quarter of modern medicines are derived from natural compounds making Brisbane and Queensland gold mines for biotech companies. Queensland comprises of 19 terrestrial and 17 marine bioregions and five world heritage sights covering 40 million hectares. Just one hectare of the Daintree Rainforest in North Queensland contains more species of native plants than the whole of North America, and about 80 per cent of those species can be found nowhere else on earth.

This collaboration of tertiary education with the private sector delivers a world-class pool of scientists, engineers and technical staff. In fact, Australia has more PhD graduates in biotech-related disciplines per capita than the USA or UK.

Sectors

Agri-food

Australia has a large land size and diverse ecology suitable for agricultural based production and R&D. KPMG ranks Australia first among developed countries for cost competitiveness in the agri-food sector. Agriculture and food manufacturing is a large and growing sector in Queensland and maintains a reputation for quality, disease free and safe products is paramount.

25% of Queensland's biotechnology firms target the agbiotech sector highlighting the importance of this sector within the industry.

Biomedical

The biomedical sector in Brisbane is well established and internationally recognised for the many innovative products that have been developed by Brisbane companies. In 2004, KPMG ranked Brisbane 15 th among 121 cities from developed countries for the city's cost competitiveness in the biomedical devices sector. This sector in Brisbane is strongly supported by research institutes and Brisbane universities.

• Medigard, an Australian medical device company based in Brisbane has designed a retractable syringe that will protect health-care workers from contracting HIV and other blood-borne diseases.
• Occupational and Medical Innovations (OMI), is a Brisbane based company that develops medical safety equipment for use by medical professionals to prevent sharps injuries. Products include a safety syringe, scalpel, valve and other specifically designed safety products.
• Impedimed develops and manufactures "Intelligent Bio Impedance instruments" to assess body composition which are used for a range of medical applications including research, and nutritional and health evaluation.

Biopharmaceutical & Human Therapeutics

Pharmaceutical is the largest employer of all biotechnology sectors. KPMG ranked Brisbane 16 th out of 121 cities in developed countries for its competitiveness in the pharmaceutical industry. The Queensland pharmaceutical sector has a large focus on human therapeutics. Natural Product Discovery, is a collaboration between AstraZeneca and Griffith University, Brisbane. The facility, located in Brisbane, conducts research to develop pharmaceuticals from natural drug products for commercialisation.

• Herron Pharmaceuticals, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in Australia, manufactures over 600 pharmaceutical and natural healthcare products at its R&D and manufacturing facility in Brisbane.
• Progen operates a 1,000 square metre manufacturing plant in Brisbane. The company focuses on developing biopharmaceutical therapeutics for treatment of human disease and on molecular biology products for R&D.
• Alphapharm has a 60,000 square metre manufacturing and R&D operation in Carol Park, Brisbane employing 600 staff and exporting generic pharmaceutical products to 30 different countries.
• Alchemia's R&D facilities and corporate headquarters are located in Brisbane. Alchemia has business development support in the US, Europe and Japan.

Clinical Trials

Underpinning growth and regulatory approval of new pharmaceutical products and medical devices is clinical trials. The Queensland Government has access to the largest patient and research base in Australia through its hospitals. On top of world-class infrastructure is world renowned medical writers and an Australian Industry cluster group.

• The Queensland Clinical Trials Network Inc. (QCTN) is a visible point of contact for international and national entities wanting to undertake clinical trials in Australia and an association of Queensland based, clinical research related entities. QCTN is funded by both its members and a Queensland Government grant. For additional information please visit the QCTN website at www.qctn.com.au.
• Clinical Network Services (CNS) Pty Ltd is an organisation that aims to increase the number of clinical trials undertaken in Australia. Located in Brisbane, CNS coordinates hospitals and clinicians to facilitate clinical trials and secure international sponsorship. Firms locating in Brisbane are close to this national organisation and will benefit from its support of the sector.
• The Royal Brisbane Hospital is the second largest hospital in the southern hemisphere. The hospital incorporates the facilities of the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR), the largest medical research institute in the southern hemisphere, the Clive Berghofer Cancer Research Centre and Qpharm, a clinical trials and drug analysis company.
• Mater Medical Research Institute (MMRI) is an affiliate of the University of Queensland, Brisbane. MMRI research is concentrated on cancer and cancer biotherapy. In 2003 MMRI established a $17.5 million Clinical Trials Centre.
• The Princess Alexandra Hospital hosts a number of facilities including the Centre for Immunology and Cancer Research facilities, which trials novel therapies for leukaemia, melanoma and cervical cancer.

Diagnostics

The Diagnostics sector in Brisbane is well established with several large and successful companies located there. The Cooperative Research Centre for Diagnostic Technologies at Queensland University of Technology Brisbane assists this sector by coordinating research institutions and commercial manufacturers to develop competitive and innovative diagnostic technologies.

• PanBio's global headquarters, based in Brisbane, researches, develops and manufactures pharmaceuticals for infectious diseases. PanBio has been consistently ranked in the Business Review Weekly's list of the top 100 growing companies in Australia.
• Agenix is a Brisbane based pharmaceutical company specialising in diagnostics, research and development and manufacture of pharmaceutical companies. The company is divided into two businesses, Agen Biomedical and Milton Pharmaceuticals. Agen Biomedical specialises in the development and commercialisation of medical and veterinary diagnostic products. The company has been developing simple and rapid blood testing products for more than 14 years.
• Milton Pharmaceuticals, also based in Brisbane, develops over the counter healthcare products for sale in supermarkets and pharmacies

Why Brisbane

Government Support

Australia is ranked third among OECD countries for government support for R&D in life sciences and healthcare. The Queensland Government has invested $1.5 billion to position the state as a centre for excellence in biotechnology. Strategic alliances have been established, including the New Zealand - Queensland Biotechnology Collaboration agreement, the Australian Biotech Alliance and the Biotechnology Advisory Council. Furthermore, The Brisbane Technology Park has been developed to stimulate jobs and opportunities in technology related industries.

A Skilled and Cost Competitive Work Force

Australia has more PhD level students graduating in biotech-related disciplines per capita than the United States or United Kingdom. Within this, Brisbane’s tertiary education system works with the private sector to deliver a world-class pool of scientists, engineers, and technical staff. Labour costs are generally lower than in other Australian capital cities, and labour agreements are the least restrictive in the country.

World-class Infrastructure

Key research facilities and projects include:

• The Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) - the largest medical research institute in the Sourthern Hemisphere, and home to the Clive Berghofer Cancer Research Centre, one of the world's foremost cancer research centres.
• The University of Queensland:
• The Queensland Bioscience Precinct (QBP), the largest biotechnology research facility in Australia
• The Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) a leading research institute in the Asia Pacific
• The Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation
• The Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology
• The Pharmacy Australia Centre of Excellence (PACE), Australia's leading facility for pharmaceutical research, education and drug commercialization
• Queensland University of Technology:
• The Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, focusing on developing collaboration across health and biomedical disciplines to solve major health problems, commercialise discoveries and provide consultancy services throughout the Asia Pacific region
• Griffith University:
• The Institute of Glycomics, a partnership with the Queensland Government to assist the biotech industry in Queensland
• The Natural Product Discovery project, in conjunction with AstraZeneca

Biodiversity & Natural Advantages

Brisbane and the wider Queensland area are rich in natural resources important to the advancement and success of biotech companies. Queensland boasts 19 terrestrial and 17 marine bio-regions and five world heritage sites covering 40 million hectares. Natural compounds are in abundance in regions such as the Great Barrier Reef, Central Eastern rainforests, and the wet tropics of North Queensland. The diversity here is exceptional – for example, just one hectare of the Daintree Rainforest in North Queensland contains more species of native plants than the whole of North America, and about 80% of those species can be found nowhere else on earth.

Cost Competitive Environment

The cost of research and development, clinical trials and manufacturing in Brisbane is highly competitive when compared to major world biotechnology centres. In 2004, KPMG ranked Brisbane 18th among 121 cities globally for biotechnology cost competitiveness, and Australia 2nd amongst 11 contries. For example, establishing a biotechnology centre in Australia costs 36% less than in the USA and 27% less than in Singapore.

Gardasil^®

Brisbane immunologist Professor Ian Hector Frazer, Head of the University of Queensland’s Diamantina Institute for Cancer, Immunology and Metabolic Medicine, developed the world’s first cervical cancer vaccine Gardasil^®. It works by protecting women from Human Papillomavirus (HPV), the primary cause of cervical cancer, which kills 270,000 women each year.

In 2005 Frazer and his research groups undertook clinical study of a vaccine against human papillomavirus which was 100 per cent effective in preventing common cervical cancers caused by the virus. The drug named Gardisil has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration and has been approved for use in the European Union.

Frazer has initiated a $200 million commitment to build a Translational Research Institute at the Princess Alexandra Hospital. The facility for small and medium scale production and testing of biopharmaceuticals to the highest international standards will make Brisbane’s growing pharmaceuticals industry world competitive.