The University of Queensland (UQ)’s newly created Advanced Manufacture of Targeted Radiopharmaceuticals (AMTAR) hub will bring experts and industry together and streamline emerging radiopharmaceutical technologies.
The AMTAR hub will be led by professor Kris Thurecht from UQ’s Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology and Centre for Advanced Imaging, alongside crucial pharma industry partners and some of the world’s best scientific minds.
The hub was established from a $5 million grant from the Australian Research Council (ARC) as well as $10 million from partners.
Thurecht said the hub will use the capabilities and infrastructure on hand at UQ and the University of Sydney to bring together key industry and scientific players.
Basically, the hub’s a one-stop shop that will help enhance Australia’s reputation in the field of radiopharmaceuticals, and importantly, open us up to lucrative commercial opportunities.”
Radiopharmaceuticals are an emerging medical technology that deliver radiation therapy directly to cancer cells while sparing the rest of the body from the harsh effects of cancer treatment.
Thurecht explained that AMTAR’s vision was to develop new technologies and establish a platform for smart-design, manufacture and quality assurance of targeted radiopharmaceuticals.
“We’ll do this through collaborative research that improves the cost-effectiveness of production while ensuring there’s a process in place to manufacture new products here in Australia.
A big part of our work will be assessing how radiopharmaceutical design and development can enhance commercial opportunities. Australia’s already a recognised incubator of early-stage innovation in the biotechnology sector, and this will further our position as a leader,” he explained.