The Western Australian Government has committed $645,000 to open the State’s first medical manufacturing facility to help patients fight antibiotic-resistant superbugs.
Medical Research minister Stephen Dawson said the new phage manufacturing unit uses groundbreaking technology that could transform the lives of those battling infections that no longer respond to antibiotic treatment.
“This is a lifesaving new treatment that brings new hope to those Western Australians who have exhausted all other possible avenues of fighting an antibiotic infection,” said Dawson.
“This is another exciting day for medical research in WA with the State’s first phage facility now officially open for business, ready to help WA patients get access to these lifesaving alternative therapies.”
The State Government has supported the establishment of Phage WA with a $645,000 investment through the Future Health Research and Innovation Fund’s Innovation Seed Fund and Innovation Fellowship Grant.
The State Government’s commitment is in addition to a $1.9 million grant from the Commonwealth Government’s Medical Research Future Fund.
Bacteriophages, or phages, are naturally occurring ‘friendly’ viruses which attack bacteria by injecting their DNA into bacterial cells.
Phage therapy has the potential to treat antibiotic-resistant superbugs such as lung, skin and ear infections as well as bacterial infections like Golden Staph.
By launching a phage manufacturing facility in Western Australia, local patients now have access to alternative therapies much closer to home.
Phage WA is a partnership between the Wal-yan Respiratory Research Centre at Telethon Kids Institute, Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation and Perth Children’s Hospital with the manufacturing facility based at Cell and Tissue Therapies WA at Royal Perth Hospital.
The launch of Phage WA, alongside the recently announced Collaborative Centre for Advanced Therapies at Royal Perth Hospital, highlights WA’s growing momentum in advanced therapy manufacturing capability.