Working together for better healthcare
We’re working to benefit patients through developing new identification and treatment tools and technologies for some of the world’s most devastating illnesses, with the aim of improving outcomes and providing better healthcare for all.
Griffith and Sienna Cancer Diagnostics Ltd partner for game-changing cancer detection research
Researchers from the Institute for Glycomics and the University of Adelaide have entered into an exclusive licensing deal with medical technology company Sienna Cancer Diagnostics Ltd to commercialise a novel cancer diagnostic tool.
Together, the teams of researchers have engineered a unique protein, called SubB2M, that binds specifically to a sugar molecule only present in cancer cells—a potential game-changer for detecting cancer.
The first stage of the research will focus on developing a high throughput ELISA-based assay liquid biopsy assay for cancer screening and monitoring suitable for use in hospital pathology laboratories.
In parallel, Sienna will actively develop SubB2M for other applications, including a novel circulating tumour cell capture assay and a novel reagent for PET imaging in conjunction with industry partners.
Lead researcher: Professor Michael Jennings
Research institute: Institute for Glycomics
US biotech company Viome aids Griffith hunt for saliva-based oral cancer detector
In partnership with Viome, a US-based biotech company transforming AI-driven personalised health, a Griffith University research group has developed a novel saliva-based diagnostic test for the early detection of oral cancer.
The project’s lead researcher, Professor Chamindie Punyadeera of the Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery and the former Menzies Health Institute Queensland, is a global pioneer in saliva-based diagnostics. Under Professor Punyadeera's stewardship, the team’s saliva test has received FDA approval under the designation of ‘breakthrough device’.
At Griffith, this partnership will further accelerate the translation and commercialisation of new biomarker discovery programs that will help to better manage patients with premalignant lesion and oral cancer, helping to reduce the burden of healthcare costs.
Lead researcher: Professor Chamindie Punyadeera
Research institute: The former Menzies Health Institute Queensland and Griffith Institute for Drug Discovery
Griffith researchers lead human trials for malaria vaccines
Griffith University’s Institute for Glycomics’ malaria vaccine researchers are one step closer to conducting human clinical trials for a malaria vaccine that can be freeze-dried for easy transportation to malaria-endemic countries.
The Phase 1 clinical trial will test the vaccine, PlasProtecT, in human volunteers in Australia to confirm its safety and efficacy.
The Malaria Vaccine Project, a joint fundraising partnership between Rotary District 9640 and Griffith University, has raised $1.34m from Australian Rotary Clubs, the Medical Research Future Fund and generous community donors over the past five years.
Griffith’s parasite malaria vaccine is the first of its kind and can be freeze-dried into a powder or frozen without losing effectiveness against the disease, which claimed an estimated 627,000 lives in 2020.
Lead researcher: Dr Danielle Stanisic
Research institute: Institute for Glycomics
Griffith and Indian Immunologicals Ltd partner on innovative single-dose COVID-19 vaccine
Griffith University researchers have joined forces with Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL), a leading vaccines manufacturer based in Hyderabad, to develop a live attenuated COVID-19 vaccine using the latest codon de-optimisation technology.
Using this technology, they made changes to the virus’s genome to decrease replication efficiency in human cells and render it harmless.
This technology is promising for developing a live-attenuated vaccine for prophylactic, active, single-dose immunisation against coronavirus in humans, with an enhanced safety profile.
The benefit of a live-attenuated vaccine is its proven capacity for economical large-scale manufacturing and a well-known regulatory approval pathway, with the vaccine expected to reach the market in late 2022.
Lead researcher: Professor Suresh Mahalingam
Research institute: The former Menzies Health Institute Queensland
Griffith researchers develop magnetised nanobeads to detect early-stage cancer
Griffith University researchers have developed a new way to detect cancer biomarkers that could help diagnose early-stage disease.
The research team designed an inexpensive and sensitive way of detecting ovarian cancer and other diseases using a new class of superparamagnetic nanomaterials.
The work comprises bioengineered cell factories to assemble nanobeads with magnetic properties that bind to specific target antibodies, which have been added to ovarian cancer cells to capture methylated DNA and exosomes to detect cancer.
The nanomaterials can be engineered according to the need for detecting a certain disease type and can be tuned for almost any kind of relevant biological molecules.
Lead researcher: Associate Professor Muhammad Shiddiky and Professor Bernd Rehm
Research institute: Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Centre
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