The Bio21 Institute's 2017 Annual Report Is Available to Download
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Annual Report 2017 The Bio21 Molecular Science and Director Associate Director – Platform Biotechnology Institute Professor Michael W. Parker Infrastructure University of Melbourne DPhil (Oxon) FAA FAHMS Professor Malcolm McConville 30 Flemington Road Deputy Director Associate Director – Commercialisation Parkville Victoria 3010 Professor Frances Separovic Professor Spencer Williams Telephone: (03) 8344 2220 PhD FAA www.bio21.unimelb.edu.au Associate Director – Engagement @Bio21Institute Scientific Research Manager Associate Professor Sally Gras @Bio21Institute Dr David Keizer Produced by the Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Communications and Engagement team b Bio21 Institute Annual Report 2017 Contents Our Mission 02 Our Vision 02 About the Institute 03 Director’s Message 04 Bio21 Leadership 06 Deputy Director Frances Separovic 06 Associate Directors Appointed 08 Associate Director Engagement – Associate Professor Sally Gras 08 Associate Director Commercialisation – Professor Spencer Williams 09 Associate Director Platform Infrastructure – Professor Malcolm McConville 09 New Group Leaders Welcomed 10 Impacts of Research 12 Enabling Platform Technologies 16 Scientific Research Manager’s Message 16 Industry Engagement and Commercialisation 18 External Relations, Communications and Engagement 20 Bio21 Visiting Delegations 20 Public and School Engagement 22 Bio21 Institute Internal Community Events and Engagement 26 Bio21 Hosted Events 27 Bio21 Graduate Researchers and Postdocs 29 Bio21 Institute Members Honoured 31 Grant Successes 34 Governance 38 Occupational Health and Safety Statement 39 Bio21 People 40 Institute in Numbers 42 Steering Committee 43 Papers Published 48 Bio21 Institute Annual Report 2017 1 Our Mission The Bio21 Institute seeks to improve human health and the environment through innovation in molecular life sciences and biotechnology, driven by collaborative research and dynamic interactions with industry. Our Vision Research Excellence: Shared resources: Industry Science Education To be leaders in To provide Core engagement and for secondary world-class Platform Technology Innovation: schools through the multidisciplinary Facilities to industry To nurture Australia’s partnership with the molecular science and academic biotechnology Elizabeth Blackburn research and research researchers sector Science School training 2 Bio21 Institute Annual Report 2017 About the Institute The University of Melbourne’s $140 million core research and development facility, Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute (Bio21 Institute), is a multidisciplinary molecular science research centre specialising in medical, agricultural and environmental biotechnology. Accommodating up to 600 academic and industry research scientists, the Bio21 Institute is one of the largest biotechnology research centres in Australia. The Bio21 Institute seeks to improve medical and other biomedical areas human health and the environment of biotechnology, are fundamental to through innovation in molecular science translating biological discoveries into biotechnology and related areas, driven biotechnology outcomes. The Institute by collaborative research and dynamic also embraces commercialisation as a interactions with industry. facilitator for scientific advancement, skills development and economic The commitment to establish the Bio21 outcomes. The Institute’s commitment Institute was the University of Melbourne’s to intellectual property protection, original contribution to the Bio21 Cluster technology transfer and business project, now known as Biomedical incubation are key drivers of this Research Victoria. innovation. Established in 2002, the Bio21 Institute The Bio21 Institute now attracts was officially launched on 8 June 2005 outstanding scientists and technicians by Victorian Premier Mr Steve Bracks, looking to use the purpose-built joined by University of Melbourne laboratories and state-of-the-art core Vice-Chancellor Professor Glyn Davis, platform technology facilities which Innovation Minister Mr John Brumby are accessible to these diverse scientific and Health Minister Ms Bronwyn Pike. and industry communities investigating A home of research and discovery various research themes. Included in this community are the start-up The Bio21 Institute was built on the companies supported through business premise that multidisciplinary ventures incubation and entrepreneurship skills between life sciences, physical sciences development, as well as students and and engineering disciplines, including early-career researchers. harnessing genomics knowledge in Bio21 Institute Annual Report 2017 3 Bio21 Welcomes Michael Parker as new director Professor Michael Parker formally took over from Professor Malcolm McConville as Director of Bio21 Molecular Science and Biotechnology Institute on 6 March 2017. As one of Australia’s leading protein structural biologists, Michael is exceptionally well placed to develop the strategic directions of the Institute and further promote the vibrant, multidisciplinary culture that has been established here. Michael’s research group moved into Bio21 Institute from the St Vincent’s Institute for Medical Research in a staged process during 2017. Director’s Message In March 2017 I took up my post as With 9 nuclear magnetic resonance Also, there are numerous examples within Director of the Bio21 Molecular Science spectrometers; 22 mass spectrometers and the Institute of collaboration that has and Biotechnology Institute. It is a great a high-end Advanced Microscopy facility led to truly innovative commercialisation honour to lead the Institute into an that is home to two new Cryo-electron successes, such as: Spencer William’s exciting future, located in one of the microscopes, Bio21 is uniquely positioned success with Fibrotech and Paul Donnelly’s great bioscience precincts in the world. with large, state-of-the-art technology to commercialisation of radiopharmaceuticals delve deeply into the structure and nature through Clarity Pharmaceuticals; Barnham As I step into this role, it is an opportunity of molecules, from small molecules, to and Donnelly labs commercialisation and to think about what kind of institute we peptides, proteins, nucleic acids and viruses. licencing of a motor neurone disease drug are, what we do and where we’re going. with Collaborative Medicinal Development Bio21 is not the ‘cancer’ centre, the ‘brain’, In the labs of the Bio21 Institute, true Pty Ltd (CMD); and collaborative work ‘infectious diseases’ or ‘sustainability’ innovation occurs. Bio21 is a scientific between Takeda Pharmaceuticals and institute; yet individual groups do success story and this was reflected the Tilley lab to show that proteasome- conduct research in all these fields. From in a Nature survey of leading research inhibiting cancer drugs can be repurposed understanding how malaria invades the institutions in Australia, where the to be effective against malaria. These body, to what makes mozzarella cheese Bio21 Institute figured prominently. great stories highlight the biotechnology stretchy, or how organisms can adapt to One strategy that has served many of us aspirations of Bio21. climate change – the common denominator well is to truly seek to work collaboratively is the molecular science approach we The Bio21 Institute was built with with our colleagues within and across all use to seek knowledge and solutions collaboration in mind. The architects disciplines, in academia and industry. to problems in health and disease, built bridges across the atrium with Recent successes that illustrate this are environment and agriculture and more break-out spaces to meet and chat. the ARC Linkage grants awarded to the generally the biological sciences. We The Institute is home to groups across Gleeson/Mintern labs with CSL; Wille lab are the ‘molecular sciences’ institute! the three faculties (Science, Medicine with Incitec Pivot Ltd, and the successful Dentistry and Health Sciences and the grant for the ARC Centre of Excellence in Melbourne School of Engineering). Excition Science (under the ARC Linkage scheme) led by Professor Paul Mulvaney. 4 Bio21 Institute Annual Report 2017 Our community also includes industry So, as Director of the Bio21 Molecular Michael W. Parker tenants CSL Ltd, Prana Biotech Ltd, Science and Biotechnology Institute, DPhil (Oxon) FAA FAHMS Circa Group and research groups from I endeavour to carry on the powerful Director, Bio21 Molecular Science and The Women’s Hospital and the Murdoch founding vision of the Institute which is Biotechnology Institute (Bio21 Institute) Children’s Research Institute. inherent in its name: a molecular science Professor, Department of Biochemistry and and biotechnology institute. A community Molecular Biology l University of Melbourne In the course of 2017, we saw the Stage of brilliant scientists, equipped with the NHMRC Senior Principal Research Fellow 2B building arise from its foundations. most cutting-edge instrumentation, Head of Structural Biology It is founded on collaboration between working together to improve human ACRF Rational Drug Discovery Centre CSL and the University of Melbourne and health and the environment through St. Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research will house CSL research groups as well as innovation in biotechnology and molecular groups from the University of Melbourne. sciences, driven by multidisciplinary We particularly thank Malcolm McConville, research and dynamic interactions previous Director and currently Associate with