DRAFT Program

2022 Australia China Science and

Innovation Forum
Day 1 – 22nd July 2022
Day 1: Suzhou Melb.
Chair: Mr Silvio Tiziani
8:00 10:00 Registration opens and on-site networking
Opening Address
Professor Aibing Yu
Mr Peter Cai (CEO, NFACR)
8:30 10:30
Professor Qing Liu (President, NICE/JITRI)
Mr Rhett Miller (AUSTRADE)
Keynote Session 1
Professor David Anderson, Introduced by: Silvio Tiziani
9:00 11:00 Forty years of friendships - a good start for global health diagnostics
Burnet Institute, Melbourne, Australia
10:00 12:00 Break
Session 1: Antimicrobials (Novel Anti-infectives and Superbugs)
Chair: Professor Jian Li
10:30 12:30 Opportunities and Challenges of Conducting Antibiotic Clinical Trials in China.
Professor Haihui Huang
Associate Director, Institute of Antibiotics, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
11:00 13:00 MTPConnect and the Australian Antimicrobial Resistance Network, opportunities in Australia.
Mr Andrew Bowskill
Director of Stakeholder Engagement, MTPConnect, Queensland, Australia
11:30 13:30 Combating antimicrobial resistance: Integration of clinical research, mechanistic investigation and drug
discovery.
Professor Jian Li
NHMRC Principal Research Fellow, Head, Laboratory of Antimicrobial Systems Pharmacology, Monash
Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
Feature Session 1
12:00 14:00 Development of Synapse and Neural Circuit of Social Behavior
Professor Wei Xie, Introduced by: Professor Aibing Yu
The Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease (MOE) Institute for Brain and Intelligence,
School of Life Science and Technology, Southeast University, China
12:30 14:30 Break
Session 2: Genetic Screening Systems (Precise gene clinical rapid screening system).
Chair: Professor Patrick Kwan
13:00 15:00 Transforming Health AI for Precision and Prevention Medicine.
Associate Professor Zongyuan Ge
Monash e-Research Centre, Monash Data Futures Institute, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
13:30 15:30 Towards Personalised Epilepsy Management: Can Stem Cells and AI Help?
Professor Patrick Kwan
Department of Neuroscience, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
14:00 16:00 Microfluidic sample processing techniques for point of care diagnosis.
Dr Tuncay Alan
Senior Lecturer, Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Victorian Heart Institute (VHI), Monash University,
Melbourne, Australia
Feature Session 2
14:30 16:30 Prenatal Diagnosis and Genetic Counseling
Dr Lei Yu, Introduced by: Professor Aibing Yu
Guiyang Women and Children's Hospital, China
15:00 17:00 Advances of polymersomes and peptides for targeted cancer therapy and immunotherapy
Professor Zhiyuan Zhong, Introduced by: Professor Aibing Yu
Soochow University Biomedical Polymers Laboratory, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Functional Polymer
Design and Application, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Soochow University, China
15:30 17:30 Session ends
DRAFT Program
2022 Australia China Science and
Innovation Forum
Day 2 – 23rd July 2022
Day 2: Suzhou Melb.
Keynote Session 2
Professor Bryan Williams, Introduced by: Professor Jian Li
8:00 10:00 Co-opting the innate and adaptive immune system for potent antitumor and antiviral activity.
Emeritus Director and Distinguished Scientist, Centre for Cancer Research, Hudson Institute for Medical
Research, Department of Molecular and Translational Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
9:00 11:00 Break
Session 3: Cancer and Immunity (Innovative therapies for cancer and immune disorders)
Chair: Prof Bryan Williams
Pharmacological inhibition of TBK1/IKKε blunts COVID-19 immunopathology.
9:30 11:30 Associate Professor Michael Gantier
Research Group Leader, Nucleic Acids and Innate Immunity Laboratory, Centre for Innate Immunity and
Infectious Diseases, Hudson Institute of Medical Research
Interferon regulators as biomarkers and targets for precision immunotherapy.
10:00 12:00 Associate Professor Belinda Parker
Co-Head, Cancer Evolution and Metastasis Program, Leader, Microenvironmental Crosstalk and Therapeutics
Laboratory at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia
Insights into the potential of Interleukin-37 as an anti-inflammatory therapeutic.
Professor Claudia Nold
10:30 12:30 NHMRC Leadership Fellow, Group Head - Interventional Immunology in Early Life Diseases, Hudson Institute of
Medical Research / The Ritchie Centre, Department of Pediatrics, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
11:00 13:00 Break
Session 4: Computational Biomedical Research
Chair: Prof Aibing Yu
Inhaled drug delivery for respiratory infections caused by superbugs.
11:30 13:30 Professor Kim Chan
Professor in Pharmaceutics (Advanced Drug Delivery), Sydney Pharmacy School, University of Sydney, NSW,
Australia
Simulating Human Gastral-Intestinal Track - Physio-Biochemical and Mathematical.
12:00 14:00 Professor Dong Chen
Soochow (Suzhou) University, Distinguished Professor, Head of Chemical and Environmental Engineering,
Suzhou, China
Simulation of gas-solid flow and powder dispersion in dry powder inhalers.
Professor Aibing Yu
12:30 14:30 Sir John Monash Distinguished Professor, Pro Vice-Chancellor and President (Suzhou), ARC Research Centre for
Computational Particle Technology, Department of Chemical Engineering,
Monash University, Suzhou, China
Feature Session 1
Ms Angela Luttick (TBC), Introduced by: Silvio Tiziani
13:00 15:00 Presentation Title: TBA
360 BioLabs, Melbourne, Australia
13:30 15:30 Break
Session 5: Regenerative medicine
Chair: Silvio Tiziani
14:00 16:00 Biomaterials in the modulation of inflammatory reaction in tissue regeneration.
Professor Yin Xiao
Group Leader, Bone and Tissue Engineering, Director of Australia-China Centre for Tissue Engineering and
Regenerative Medicine, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Queensland, Australia
14:30 16:30 OmniCAR – improving CAR T therapies through modularisation.
Associate Professor Rebecca Lim
Deputy Centre Head, The Ritchie Centre, Research Group Head, Amnion Cell Biology, Research Fellow,
Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
Keynote Session 3
15:00 17:00 Speaker (TBA), Introduced by: Professor Jian Li
Presentation Title: TBA
The George Institute for Global Health at Peking University Health Science Centre, Beijing, China
16:00 18:00 Closing remarks (Professor Jian Li)
Speaker Details
2022 Australia China Science and
Innovation Forum

The Program (PDF file).

DAY 1 - 22 JULY 2022

Keynote Speaker
Guest Speaker Session 1: Antimicrobials (Novel Anti-infectives and Superbugs)
Feature Session Speaker 1
Guest Speaker Session 2: Genetic Screening Systems (Precise gene clinical rapid screening system)
Feature Session Speaker 2

DAY 2 - 23 JULY 2022

Keynote Speaker Session 2
Guest Speaker Session 3: Cancer and Immunity (Innovative therapies for cancer and immune disorders)
Guest Speaker Session 4: Computational Biomedical Research
Feature Session Speaker 1
Guest Speaker Session 5: Regenerative Medicine
Keynote Speaker Session 3

DAY 1 - 22 JULY 2022

KEYNOTE SPEAKER 1
Professor David Anderson

Abstract
Around the time of my first day in the lab at Fairfield Infectious Diseases Hospital in 1982, studying for my Honours
degree in microbiology, I met Prof Zhuang Hui who was at that time a visiting scholar at Fairfield but already
recognised as a leading authority on viral hepatitis in China and increasingly worldwide. Through increasing numbers
of friendships, collaborations and later business opportunities growing from that first meeting, China-Australia
collaborations have facilitated much of my work in development and commercialisation of point-of-care diagnostics
that have been the focus of my career for the past 20 years. My presentation will reflect on how long-term friendships
and trust, combined with long-term planning, determination and capacity building, can facilitate great outcomes in
product innovation between Australia and China.

Biosketch
David Anderson is Chief Scientific Officer of the Burnet Diagnostics Initiative and Deputy Director (Partnerships) of
the Burnet Institute in Melbourne, Australia, where he has spent his entire professional career since starting as a
student in 1982, with a major focus on point of care (POC) diagnostics and broader interests in the commercialisation
of the Institute’s technologies. His work has led to diagnostic innovations including the Visitect® CD4 point of care
(POC) test for monitoring of CD4+ T-cells in HIV, commercialised by Omega Diagnostics, Scotland and recently
achieving WHO prequalification as an essential diagnostic, which serves as a paradigm for future cell-based POC tests
including CD64 in sepsis and severe infection; novel POC tests for liver disease and confirmation of active syphilis;
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2022 Australia China Science and
Innovation Forum

and novel POC tests for detection of acute COVID-19 and neutralizing antibodies to COVID-19. He is the author of
more than 90 papers and book chapters, and an inventor of 10 families of patents.

In 2013 he led the establishment of Burnet spinoff company, Nanjing BioPoint Diagnostic Technology Ltd, to progress
the development and commercialisation of diagnostics R&D from the Burnet. He serves as President and CEO of the
Company which has both R&D and GMP, ISO13485-certified manufacturing facilities in Nanjing. He has had many
other collaborations with Chinese academic partners over the past 30 years, and will serve as the Chief Scientist of a
new diagnostic venture being established in Nanjing. He had a major role in establishing 360biolabs, the Burnet-
Innoviron joint venture providing clinical trial analytical services, and served on it’s Boart from its formation in 2015
until its sale in 2021 to BioAgilytix (USA). He is a Member of OzSAGE, a multi-disciplinary network of Australian experts
from a broad range of sectors relevant to the well-being of the Australian population during and after the COVID-19
pandemic; and an Executive Member of the Australian Centre for HIV and Hepatitis Virology (ACH2), a network of
laboratory research experts with a focus on translational research.
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2022 Australia China Science and
Innovation Forum

DAY 2 - 23 JULY 2022

KEYNOTE SPEAKER 2
Professor Bryan Williams

Abstract
We have shown that Toll like receptor (TLR) agonists can break tolerance in mouse tumor models but translating
these observations to human clinical trials has not identified a path to successful therapy. However by combining
innate stimuli with a nanocell (EDV) technology, invented by Sydney biotechnology company EnGeneIC Pty Ltd, it has
proved possible to develop promising therapies for cancer and also adapt these for a highly effective COVID-19
vaccine. EDVs are derived from a mutant non-pathogeneic Salmomella typhimurium bacterium that buds off the
bacterium during its normal replication via asymmetric cell division. Single chain Fv bispecific antibody targeted EDVs
have been used to deliver cytotoxic payloads and small molecules to different solid tumors in Phase 1 and IIa trials.
Tumor stabilization/regression prolonged survival and minimal to no toxicity has been observed in these patients
who have exhausted all treatment options. In current cancer trials EDVs incorporate both TLR agonists and the
interferon gamma stimulating glycolipid adjuvant alpha-galatosylceramide (alpha-GC) along with the cytotoxic drugs.
The advent of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic exposed the need for novel vaccines to combat hospitalizations and death
as the result of inflammatory consequences of infection. By packaging the EDVs with an interferon –stimulating
plasmid expressing the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein along with an alpha-GC, this EDV-COVID-alpha-GC has been shown
to elicit iNKT-licensed dendritic cell activation and maturation, follicular helper T-cell cognate help to B-cells to
undergo germinal center based somatic hypermutation and production of high affinity antibodies able to neutralize
Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Omicron variants, including a memory B cell response. Type I and II interferon
stimulation and S-specific CD8+ T cells was also achieved. Since EDV-COVID-alphaGC are lyophilized, stored, and
transported at room temperature they are ideally suited for world-wide distribution.

Biosketch
Professor Bryan Williams is Emeritus Director and Distinguished Scientist at the Hudson Institute of Medical Research
and the Department of Molecular and Translational Science, Monash University. He also serves as Scientific Director,
Office of Strategic Alliances and Technology Development, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic USA. Professor
Williams received his PhD from the Department of Microbiology at the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Following postdoctoral training at the National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, London, he held faculty
positions at the University of Toronto and the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada. He was Chairman of the
Department of Cancer Biology at the Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, USA, from 1991 until
joining the Hudson Institute of Medical Research as Director in 2006. Professor Williams has a distinguished research
career in the areas of innate immunity and cancer biology. He has made major contributions to our understanding of
the antiviral mechanisms of actions of interferons, advancing their therapeutic utility. His discoveries in the 2-5A-
RNaseL pathway, cloning and characterisation of protein kinase R, and signalling pathways activated by interferons
and innate immune activation by small interfering RNAs, have opened new therapeutic opportunities. He received
the 1990 Milstein Award from the International Society for Interferon Research, in recognition of his contributions
to advancing interferon research for the treatment of human diseases. He was elected as an Honorary Fellow of the
Royal Society of New Zealand in 1997 and served as President of the International Society for Interferon and Cytokine
Research from 1998 to 1999. In 2005, he shared the Maurice Saltzman Award from the Mt Sinai Health Care
Foundation, for his leadership contribution to the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, and in 2006 the Dolph Adams
Award for the most highly cited review article published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology. In 2008, he received the
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2022 Australia China Science and
Innovation Forum

Boltzmann Award for international research collaboration, awarded by the European Cytokine Society. In 2013, he
was elected as a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology.

Professor Williams is the Deputy Chair of the Board of Pacific Edge Ltd, and on the Boards of Pacific Edge Pty Ltd,
Pacific Edge Singapore Ltd, Pacific Edge USA, Catherics Pty Ltd and EnGeneIC Pty Ltd. He is Chairman of the Board of
Trustees and Co-Chair of the Scientific Advisory Council of the Hope Funds for Cancer Research (Newport, RI, USA).
Professor Williams is an Editor for Journal of Virology and serves on the Editorial Boards of Journal of Interferon and
Cytokine Research, Viral Immunology, Faculty of 1000, Cytokine and Growth Factor Reviews, and Frontiers in Cancer
Genetics.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER 3
Professor Lily Zhu

Abstract

Biosketch

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2022 Australia China Science and
Innovation Forum

DAY 1 - 22 JULY 2022

FEATURE SESSION 1
Professor Wei Xie

Abstract
Proper brain function depends on the precise arrangement of trillions of individual synaptic connections and neural
networks. The development of specific patterns of connectivity requires axons and dendrites of synaptic partners to
be targeted to defined regions of the CNS, correctly identify their synaptic targets within that region, and then form
specialized synapses with their targets. A defect at any stage of this process leads to incorrect patterns of connectivity
and impaired neural networks and brain function. During brain development, each neuron must find and synapse
with the correct pre- and postsynaptic partners. The complexity of these connections and the relatively large
distances some neurons must send their axons to find the correct partners makes studying brain development one
of the most challenging, and yet fascinating disciplines in biology. Neurexin and neuroligin are two cell adhesion
molecules identified as important regulators of this process. The importance of these genes in the development and
modulation of synaptic connectivity is emphasised by the observation that mutations in these genes in humans have
been associated with cognitive disorders such as Autism spectrum disorders, Tourette syndrome and Schizophrenia.
Here we will present an overview of our recent research in synaptic formation and identification of neural circuit
involved in animal social behaviour briefly, and also discuss the role of some genes in development of synapse and
neural circuits in animal models, and how these results relate to human diseases.

Biosketch
Professor Wei Xie specialized in developmental genetics and molecular neurobiology, obtaining Master Degree in
1991 in Southeast University and PhD in 1995 from Nanjing University. He was trained as postdoctoral fellow in
Rochester University and Sickkids Hosptial affiliated to University of Toronto from 1997 to 2001. He is currently CJ
Distinguished Professor, director of The Key Laboratory of Developmental Genes and Human Disease (SEU), Ministry
of Education, China. He was a founding director of Institute of Life Sciences, and has participated in establishing the
SEU-ALLEN Joint Center and Institute for Brain and Intelligence in Southeast University. He was also the founding
director of SEU-Monash Joint Research Centre for Bioinformatics/System Biology, and of Behring Institutes of Biomed
and Application (BIBA) in Nanjing Jianbei New Area, a National Innovation District. He is a developmental
neurobiologist with 20-year of dedicated research toward the understanding roles and pathways of various genes
important for cell signal transduction, synaptogenesis, synaptic specification and formation of neural circuits, and
interested in neural development and the pathogenesis of autism spectrum disorders and the circuits of cognitive
disorders. He found that autism-related genes NRX and NLG were involved in the regulation of learning and memory,
social behavior and sleep regulation, and found PAK, a gene associated with intellectual disability and autism, to
regulate brain development, hippocampal function, synaptic plasticity and endocannabinoid regulation. He has
authored/co-authored more than 100 publications (collected in the ISI Web of Science) published in international
famous journals, including in Science, Nature and Neuron etc. Now he is chairing a Major Project of the Science and
Technology Innovation 2030- "Brain Science and Brain-like Research".
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2022 Australia China Science and
Innovation Forum

FEATURE SESSION 2
Dr Lei Yu

Abstract
Prenatal diagnosis is to detect and diagnose the developmental state of the embryo or fetus to find out whether it is
suffering from diseases before birth, so as to take the preemptive opportunities and provide intrauterine treatment
for curable diseases in due course; for incurable diseases, patients can make their own choices after being informed
of the facts or the details of their own situation through prenatal diagnosis. With the development of science and
technology and the improvement of diagnostic techniques, an average of more than 100 new genetic diseases are
detected every year, and the occurrence of many of these diseases brings tremendous tortures to the patients and
their families, as well as a heavy burden to the society. Therefore, the ultimate goal of prenatal diagnosis is to provide
patients with the right to know the information, to make scientific predictions about the probability of having sick
offspring, and to take preventive measures to reduce the number of children with genetic diseases and the incidence
of genetic diseases.

Biosketch
Lei YU, PhD in Obstetrics and Gynecology from Jinan University and PhD in Infectious Diseases from Guizhou Medical
University, postdoctoral fellow at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA and Guizhou Medical University,
PRC, is currently the Vice President of Guiyang Women and Children's Hospital, a member of the Board of Directors
of the Chinese Eugenics Association, Geneticists Branch of the Chinese Physicians Association, Physicians Branch of
the European and American Association, Guizhou Youth Federation, and Guizhou Reproductive Genetics Society. She
is an expert in prenatal diagnosis and pregnancy and fertility in Guizhou Province. She has made a lot of contributions
to the backward status of prenatal diagnosis in Guizhou Province. In 2012, as a backbone, she established the Guizhou
Provincial Prenatal Diagnosis Center, introduced international advanced technology to Guizhou, serving more than
600,000 patients in total, and effectively protected the health of mothers and infants. In addition, she also played a
significant role as a core expert to conduct standardized training on prenatal diagnosis and screening at the grassroots
level in nine cities in Guizhou Province and conducted 15 training courses for more than 3,000 people. In the past 5
years, she has published tens of articles and has presided over many projects granted at the national, provincial and
municipal levels. In addition, she has also written several textbooks such as "Prenatal Diagnosis and Screening
Standardized Training Materials in Guizhou Province ", "Thalassemia Quality Control Guidelines in Guizhou Province",
and "Prenatal Diagnosis and Screening Guidelines in Guizhou Province". She also lectures at Guizhou Medical
University and has trained more than 400 undergraduates, masters, core doctors and trainees. She is dedicated to
the diagnosis, treatment and in-depth research of rare diseases, and promotes the high-quality development of the
hospital.
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2022 Australia China Science and
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Professor Zhiyuan Zhong

Abstract
Targeted delivery systems provide an emerging strategy to innovate cancer therapy and immunotherapy. We
recently developed bioresponsive and biodegradable polymersomes as an advanced alternative to liposomes and
lipid nanoparticles for efficient loading and targeted intracellular delivery of clinical chemotherapeutics, molecular
targeted drugs, therapeutic peptides and proteins, nucleic acid drugs, and immunoadjuvants, which has shown to
dramatically boost their anti-cancer efficacy while reducing off-target adverse effects. The polymersomes
quantitatively co-encapsulating lysates of tumor cells and adjuvants can home to lymph nodes and trigger strong and
durable immune responses. We have also developed a PSMA-specific peptide to achieve high-efficacy targeted
radionuclide therapy of prostate cancer. Here, I will discuss about the advance of polymersomes and peptides for
targeted cancer therapy and immunotherapy and further introduce the dynamic College of Pharmaceutical Sciences
of Soochow University.

Biosketch
Zhiyuan Zhong is the dean and distinguished professor of the College of Pharmaceutical Sciences of Soochow
University, director of Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Polymer Design and Application, director of Targeted
Radiopharmaceuticals Center of the State Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Protection, and associate editor
of J. Control. Release. He is a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE). He
received his Ph.D. from the University of Twente in 2002, became a Vice President of Suzhou BioBay in 2011-2012,
and served as an Associate Editor for Biomacromolecules in 2015-2019. His research focuses on drug delivery and
targeted tumor therapy. He has co-authored 300 papers (# citations >22000, H-Index 77) and is a Highly Cited
Researcher in 2018-2021. He is an Editorial/Advisory Board Member of Mater. Today, Biomacromolecules, Mater.
Today Chem., Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B, Nanotechnology, and PLoS One. He has received several awards including
Biomacromolecules/Macromolecules Young Investigator Award (ACS), the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award
(Humboldt Foundation), Award for Breakthrough Technologies in Drug Delivery Systems in Asia (Japanese Society of
Drug Delivery System), and National Outstanding Young Scholar Award (NSFC).

DAY 2 - 23 JULY 2022

FEATURE SESSION SPEAKER 1

Ms Angela Luttick

Abstract

Bioskectch
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2022 Australia China Science and
Innovation Forum

GUEST SPEAKERS

DAY 1 - SESSION 1: ANTIMICROBIALS (NOVEL ANTI-INFECTIVES AND SUPERBUGS)

Professor Haihui Huang

Abstract
Since China joined ICH, development of new antibiotics is continuously growing fast. In recent years, China has
published a series of development plan and regulation policy for biomedicine, drug development is speeding, and
research environment is becoming more and more mature. However, the execution of clinical trials are still behind
other segment in the innovation process, such as similarity of the trial design, unbalanced territory distribution , large
patients’ population with very slow recruitment.

Biosketch
Professor Haihui Huang is both the Associate Director of Institute of Antibiotics, Fudan University Hospital Huashan,
and the Associate Director of Key Laboratory of Clinical Pharmacology of Antibiotics, National Health and Family
Planning Commission, Shanghai, China. She spends the majority of her time seeing patients with bacterial or fungal
infections. She has accumulated excellent experience as the principal investigators in national and international
clinical trials and is the member of Antimicrobial Drugs Advisory Committee of CENTER FOR DRUG EVALUATION,
NMPA. Her major interest in scientific research is related to anaerobic infections and infections in the
immunocompromised hosts.

Mr Andrew Bowskill

Abstract
MTPConnect is the Industry Growth Centre for the medtech, biotech, pharmaceutical and digital health sector in
Australia. It aims to accelerate the rate of growth of the medical products sector here. MTPConnect established and
operates the Australian Antimicrobial Resistance Network (AAMRNet), an Australian first industry-led collaborative
network bringing together key stakeholders to drive action and address the impact of AMR on human health. This
presentation outlines the two organisations, their priorities and achievements, what they offer, and what makes
Australia an attractive destination for clinical research.

Biosketch
Andrew Bowskill is Director of Stakeholder Engagement for Queensland at MTPConnect, the Industry Growth Centre
for the medtech, biotech and pharmaceutical sector in Australia. MTPConnect raises awareness, fosters collaboration
and competition, and aggregates and shares existing knowledge with the sector. It also jointly funds projects that
address sector priorities, and constraints and gaps identified in the sector. Previously, Andrew was Manager of
Industry and Regulatory Policy at Medicines Australia, the peak body for the innovative pharmaceutical industry. He
also currently co-chairs of the Australian Antimicrobial resistance Network (AAMRNet). Andrew has a Bachelor of
Pharmacy from the University of Otago and has worked as a community and hospital pharmacist in New Zealand and
Australia.
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2022 Australia China Science and
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Professor Jian Li

Abstract
Gram-negative ‘superbugs’, namely, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii and Pseudomonas aeruginosa,
have caused life-threatening infections worldwide and can become resistant to almost all current antibiotics. They
are on the top of the Priority Pathogens List as highlighted by the World Health Organization. Without novel classes
of antibiotics in the near future, polymyxins are increasingly used as a last-line therapy. Unfortunately, polymyxin
resistance and associated toxicities have been increasingly reported worldwide and limited their clinical usefulness.
This presentation will provide an overview on how the fundamental and translational research in my laboratory led
to the discovery of a novel antibiotic drug QPX9003 using multi-disciplinary approaches.

Biosketch
Professor Jian Li (PhD 2002) is a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology and Head of the Antimicrobial
Systems Pharmacology Laboratory at Monash University. He has an internationally recognised track record in
antimicrobial pharmacology and drug discovery. He has 406 publications with 24,228 citations and an h-index of 76.
His research has led to the first scientifically-based dosing recommendations for polymyxins and substantially
improved clinical practice worldwide. The majority of modern pharmacology data of polymyxins were reported by
his group, including several novel mechanisms of bacterial resistance and toxicities in mammalian cells. Professor Li
has developed a novel antibiotic drug QPX9003 from concept to clinical trials, which has been licensed to Qpex
Biopharma. He is a Web of Science Highly Cited Researcher in Pharmacology & Toxicology (2015-2017), and the
Editor-in-Chief of the first-ever book on polymyxins (2019). He is an Editor of Int J Antimicrob Agents and an Associate
Editor of BMC Microbiol and Frontiers Microbiol. He is a reviewer for 186 journals and grant applications for 25
funding bodies globally. Professor Li has received numerous awards, including the Australian Academy of Science
Jacques Miller Medal (2017).
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2022 Australia China Science and
Innovation Forum

DAY 1 - SESSION 2: GENETIC SCREENING SYSTEMS (PRECISE GENE CLINICAL RAPID SCREEN
SYSTEMS)
Associate Professor Zongyuan Ge

Abstract
The world is now approaching the era of medical digitalisation. All types of medical data from CT, MRI to EHR/EMR
are programmed into a computer-readable format. Meanwhile, we also see new diagnostic technologies being
approved by the FDA every year and more affordable genome sequencing tests available on the market. However, it
is beyond the capability of a medical specialist to read and utilise all information for medical decision purposes. The
rapid advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning have demonstrated that deep learning technologies
have superiority in solving various medical data analysis and prognosis tasks, thanks to the massive parallel
processing power of modern GPU. We believe it is time to bring AI technology and medical digitalised data together
to accelerate diagnoses, personalise treatment and medicine, and optimise healthcare pricing. In this session, A/Prof
Ge will show some case studies about his recent achievement in medical AI research in skin cancer diagnosis
(dermatology) and epilepsy anti-seizure medication selection.

Biosketch
I conduct interdisciplinary research at the boundary between artificial intelligence, machine learning, computer-
aided diagnosis, medical imaging and biomedical engineering, and am a multi-award winning medical information
science and technology entrepreneur. My research leverages cutting-edge AI technologies using large-scale multi-
modality medical data including imaging, medical records, genomics data, proteomics data and models the clinicians’
medical knowledge underlying tasks like diagnosis, prognosis and risk stratification for eye (ophthalmology), skin
(dermatology), heart (cardiovascular) and neurodegeneration diseases. I am also one of Australia’s most in-demand
experts in technologies including medical AI, medical robotics and artificial intelligence, and am a passionate science
communicator.

Professor Patrick Kwan

Abstract
Epilepsy affects 4% of the population during their lifetime. Patients have reduced quality of life and productivity,
increased hospitalisation rates, higher medical and psychiatric comorbidities, death rates and health costs, and lower
productivity. Our recent study shows that epilepsy costs Australia $2.3 billion in gross domestic product (GDP) per
year owing to loss of productivity in patients of working age. With over 140,000 people having active epilepsy in
Australia, the total annual cost of epilepsy for 2019-20 is $12.3 billion. Despite tens of billions of dollars spent in
developing newer generations of anti-seizure medications (ASMs) in the past three decades, patient outcomes have
not fundamentally improved in a number of ways:
1. One in three patients have drug-resistant epilepsy.
2. Even for the drug-responsive patients, finding the right ASM(s) has remained a largely trial-and-error process of
selecting from >20 different drugs and thousands of possible combinations.
3. ASMs have major adverse effects.
This talk will provide an overview of ASM development, and discuss emerging approaches to achieve the much-
needed breakthrough in epilepsy management, including artificial intelligence and neural stem cells.
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2022 Australia China Science and
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Biosketch
Patrick Kwan is a Professor of Neurology in the Department of Neuroscience within the Central Clinical School, and
Consultant Neurologist and Head of Epilepsy at Alfred Health. In addition, he is Co-Director of Monash Institute of
Medical Engineering (MIME), a cross-faculty virtual centre that supports research and promotes commercialisation
of engineering solutions for unmet clinical needs. He is a medical specialist in neurology and an international
authority in epileptology and antiepileptic drug development. Professor Kwan’s research portfolio encompasses both
applied basic science and clinical aspects to improve the treatment outcomes of epilepsy. His research goal is to
realise personalised epilepsy management through understanding the long term outcomes, identifying factors that
affect treatment response and mechanisms of drug resistance, and identifying novel molecular targets for the
treatment and prevention of epilepsy. He has a particular interest in harnessing technologies to solve clinical
problems. He supervises a highly multidisciplinary, integrated research team that spans across genomics, stem cells,
animal models, bioengineering, artificial intelligence, bio-databanks and clinical trials. He has extensive national and
international collaborations in academia, hospitals and MedTech industry.

Dr Tuncay Alan

Abstract
This talk will focus on recently developed microfluidic techniques to interface biological samples from macro to micro
environments, on-chip processing steps to extract and transfer biomarkers of interest, and recent approaches to
integrate detection technologies in accessible small form factor devices. I will present i) a portable, battery operated,
label-free plasma separation system, which can process 3 µL of blood in under 2 min with 98% collection efficiency,
ii) acoustically actuated devices which can lyse blood cells and homogenise whole blood in several seconds and iii)
microfluidic approaches to introduce samples to functional sensor nodes.

Biosketch
Tuncay Alan, PhD, is Senior Lecturer, Director of Industry Engagement and Deputy Director of Research Training at
the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Monash University. He has 15 years’ experience in
advanced nano-manufacturing, which he combines with microfluidics and acoustics to develop unique biomedical
technologies and scientific tools. He was awarded his PhD in Engineering (Theoretical and Applied Mechanics) from
Cornell University (NY, US) in 2007. He then undertook postdoctoral training at Delft University of Technology
(Netherlands) and University College London (UK). He joined Monash University in 2010. In 2015 he spent six months
as a visiting scientist at the Paul Scherrer Institute (Villigen, Switzerland).
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2022 Australia China Science and
Innovation Forum

DAY 2 - SESSION 3: CANCER AND IMMUNITY (INNOVATIVE THERAPIES FOR CANCER AND
IMMUNE DISORDERS)
Associate Professor Michael Gantier

Abstract
TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1) is a key signalling component that drives the production of type-I interferons (IFNs),
which have essential antiviral activities including against SARS-CoV-2. TBK1 and its homolog IκB kinase-ε (IKKε) can
also induce the production of pro-inflammatory factors that contribute to pathogen clearance. While initially
protective, delayed engagement of type-I IFN is associated with lethal hyper-inflammation seen in severe COVID-19
patients. The contribution of TBK1/IKKε signalling to this response is unknown. We have discovered that the
anticancer small molecule idronoxil inhibits both IRF3 and NF-κB-driven inflammation by disrupting the formation of
TBK1/IKKε signalling complexes following STING activation. Leveraging this unique activity, we show that therapeutic
administration of idronoxil suppresses cellular and molecular lung inflammation in K18-hACE2 mice challenged with
SARS-CoV-2, resulting in reduced pro-inflammatory cytokine production and decreased airway fibrosis in
experimental COVID-19. Our results indicate a critical role for TBK1/IKKε signalling in SARS-CoV-2 hyper-inflammation
and identify a novel therapeutic intervention to limit disease severity in COVID-19 patients.

Biosketch
Associate Professor Michael Gantier leads the Nucleic Acids and Innate Immunity laboratory in the Centre for Innate
Immunity and Infectious Disease at the Hudson Institute of Medical Research. The central theme of his research is to
define how nucleic acids (RNA and DNA) modulate immune responses. He was trained as a biological engineer in
Compiegne, France, prior to undertaking his PhD in Medicine and Therapeutics in University College Dublin with Prof.
Seamas Donnelly, working on the then emerging RNA interference technology. Following on his PhD studies he joined
the laboratory of Prof Bryan Williams in 2006, to define the interaction of RNAs with the innate immune system. This
led to the discoveries of structural determinants of RNAs which underlie their capacity to activate or inhibit immune
responses by Toll Like Receptors, a theme he has developed further in his independent laboratory since 2015. More
recently, his laboratory discovered how immune responses could be engaged in damaged cells, with implications in
infection, immunity, and cancer - through the engagement of the cGAS-STING pathway. He received the prestigious
Milstein Young Investigator award from the International Cytokine and Interferon Society (2010), and
Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society Young Investigator award (2014) among several other international and
national awards. He has published over 75 peer-reviewed publications in high-quality journals (inc. Nature, Cell,
Nature Biotech, Nature Immunol, Cell Host & Microbe, Nucleic Acids Res.), with >3900 citations, and is an inventor
on 6 PCT patents. He currently serves as Associate Editor for the prestigious Molecular Therapy-Nucleic Acids journal
and Journal of Interferon and Cytokine Research.

Associate Professor Belinda Parker

Abstract
Despite high 5-year survival rates, breast and prostate cancer remain the second leading cause of cancer-related
deaths in Australia due to metastatic recurrence. Upon diagnosis of metastatic disease, the 5-year survival rate drops
to less than 30%, emphasising the critical need for strategies to predict, prevent and target metastases. Previous
work from our laboratory has revealed loss of tumour cell-inherent type I interferon (IFN) immune signalling renders
cancers metastatic, poorly immunogenic, and resistant to conventional and immune-based therapies. Profiling of
primary and metastatic breast and prostate cancer tissues has confirmed a link between loss of tumour inherent IFNs
and the poorly immunogenic status of metastatic tumours. Based on the molecular alterations that lead to this loss
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2022 Australia China Science and
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of cellular immunogenicity, we have now discovered novel IFN suppressor proteins that regulate tumour
immunogenicity and are promising prognostic biomarkers to predict risk of bone metastasis. Additionally, using
metastatic tumour cells coupled to a high throughput compound screen, we have discovered new approaches to
reverse type I IFN loss via epigenetic reprogramming to restore antigen presentation and enhance immune
dependent, long-term metastasis-free survival. Validation of these approaches in preclinical models will lead to the
design of new immunotherapy and radiotherapy combination strategies to provide an effective therapeutic option
for patients with metastatic disease, improving survival outcomes.

Biosketch
Associate Professor Belinda Parker co-Heads the Cancer Evolution and Metastasis Program and leads the
Microenvironmental Crosstalk and Therapeutics laboratory at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in
Melbourne. After postdoctoral training in the Department of Oncology at Johns Hopkins University, USA in 2002 and
at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Dr Parker moved to La Trobe University as a group leader in 2013 where she was
Leader of the Cancer Theme until her return to Senior Faculty at Peter Mac in 2019. Dr Parker’s team focuses on
tumour cell crosstalk with the microenvironment, with a particular interest in stromal biomarkers that predict risk of
early breast cancer recurrence and tumour markers and targets for precision immunotherapeutic strategies in breast
and prostate cancer. A specific area of interest for her laboratory are the tumour cell inherent immunoregulatory
cytokines that dictate metastatic spread and therapeutic response. Based on her expertise in this field, Dr Parker has
secured commercial collaborations to lead investigator-initiated trials of IFN-inducing agents in breast and prostate
cancer and is currently driving biomarker development for precision therapeutic strategies in early breast cancer and
late-stage breast and prostate cancer.

Professor Claudia Nold

Abstract
An estimated 5-8% of the world’s population is afflicted by severe inflammatory diseases that cause tremendous
suffering and entail a major socioeconomic cost. In many areas of the globe, such diseases are among the leading
causes of death, particularly in women younger than 65 years in the case of autoimmune aetiologies. Therefore,
improved therapeutics are urgently needed. Here we highlight the potential of interleukin (IL-)37 as a therapeutic in
this field. Its powerful anti-inflammatory functions govern principal pathways of innate and adaptive immunity and
inflammation, including signalling by pattern recognition receptors such as Toll-like receptors (TLRs), cytokines such
as IL-1 and tumour necrosis factor (TNF), and type 1-, 2- and 3-polarised adaptive immune responses. Many of the
mediators reined in by IL-37 are themselves important targets of inhibitory drugs in current clinical use (e.g. IL-17
blocked by secukinumab in psoriasis and TNF by infliximab in several autoimmune diseases). Given such broad
inhibitory effects on clinically relevant targets, there is great interest in utilising IL-37 itself and derivations thereof
as broad-spectrum anti-inflammatory therapeutics. However, despite potent anti-inflammatory effects in several
disease models, unmodified native IL-37 is poorly suited to therapeutic development. In collaboration with F.
Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd our team therefore engineered an anti-inflammatory IL-37 as an Fc-fusion protein with an
excellent therapeutic likeness that holds great potential.

Biosketch
Prof Claudia Nold is an expert in immunology and molecular medicine. After her graduation from pharmacy school
in 2000, she was awarded a competitive three-year PhD scholarship by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and
started her PhD at the Pharmazentrum Frankfurt, Germany. This scholarship entailed a 6-month tenure at the
Institute of Asthma and Allergy at the Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden. From 2006 until 2009 she held a post-
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2022 Australia China Science and
Innovation Forum

doctoral position in Denver, Colorado, USA in the laboratory of Professor Charles A. Dinarello. In 2009 she was
recruited to The Ritchie Centre at Hudson Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne. The discovery of the anti-
inflammatory function of IL-37, which Prof Nold co-published in Nature Immunology in 2010, had a major impact on
the interleukin field and necessitated a reorganisation of the IL-1 family nomenclature. Five years later, she
discovered the IL-37 receptor complex. Next, she and her team identified critical regions in the IL-37 structure and
generated a modified IL-37 biologic with enhanced anti-inflammatory properties to then engineer an IL-37
immunotherapeutic holding promise for inflammatory diseases. Her achievements in interventional immunology
have been recognised by the Australian National Heart Foundation and the Australian National Health and Medical
Research Council.
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2022 Australia China Science and
Innovation Forum

DAY 2 - SESSION 4: COMPUTATIONAL BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH

Professor Kim Chan

Abstract
Respiratory infection caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacteria (‘superbugs’) is a major health
problem worldwide. Antibiotics (e.g. tobramycin, amikacin, ciprofloxacin) have been successfully delivered by
inhalation to the lungs to increase the local drug concentration and reduce systemic side effects. However, these
drugs require multiple daily administration. Ciprofloxacin was thus developed as a liposomal formulation to allow
once daily dosing. We have developed a novel formulation containing nanocrystals of ciprofloxacin in liposomes to
modulate controlled release from the liposomes. Bacteriophages (‘bacteria-eaters’) have been documented to be
efficacious against MDR bacteria with minimal side effects. In addition, endolysins are enzymatic proteins derived
from phages with strong antibacterial properties. However, intravenous administration of these biologics may not
be effective against lung infections, as degradation and clearance in the systemic circulation occur before they can
reach the infected respiratory tract. Inhalation administration for respiratory infection is thus emerging as a
promising alternative delivery route. We have successfully produced liquid and powder aerosols suitable for
respiratory delivery of phages and endolysins. The powder formulations of phages were shown to be stable, highly
dispersible and inhalable, and capable of killing ‘superbugs’ in the lungs of infected animals. With no new effective
antibiotics being in the development pipeline for the life-threatening infections caused by Gram-negative
‘superbugs’, our study provides the much-needed formulation and pharmacological information on inhalation
delivery for fast-tracking translational research into a new therapy.

Biosketch
Professor Kim Chan, Professor in Pharmaceutics is leading the Advanced Drug Delivery Group at the Sydney Pharmacy
School. He graduated from the University of Sydney (PhD 1988 and DSc 2009), was a postdoc at the University of
Minnesota in 1988-89 and a scientist at Genentech Inc (1992-1995). Prof. Chan is a world leader in respiratory drug
delivery, with a research program ranging from powder production by novel processes, particle engineering and
aerosol formulation, to scintigraphic imaging of lung deposition and clinical outcome. He is an Executive Editor of
Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews (IF 15.5) and has more than 500 scientific publications (>20,000 citations, h-index
77) on pharmaceutical formulation and drug delivery.

Professor Dong Chen

Abstract
Human gastral-intestinal (GI) track is the ‘front line’ for keeping good health. Foods and orally delivered medicines
have to go through mouth and then digested in stomach, duodenum and other small intestine sections.
Nutrients/drug components released during digestion may be absorbed along small intestine. The remaining of the
digestion is then moved into the colon participating dewatering and fermentation. The microbiological world in there
is known to play significant role in health including mental health. The movement (motility) of the human organs
involved in the GI track is of critical importance. The digesta changes its properties dramatically due to various
enzymatic actions and pH at the different stations along the track. Both physio-biochemical modeling (in vitro testing)
and mathematical modeling (in silico) may be conducted to explore the insights of digestion. The in vitro devices can
be employed for developing and optimizing functional food and pharmaceutics. The talk will give an overview of the
issues involved, what has been done in vitro and in mathematical terms. Some future prospects will be discussed.
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Biosketch
Soochow University Distinguished Professor and Founding Head of the School of Chemical and Environmental
Engineering (2013-). His professional interests include life quality engineering (LQ Engineering), food engineering,
bioinspired chemical engineering and particle technology. Previously held Chair Professorships at Xiamen University,
Monash University and The University of Auckland respectively (2001-2010). Was a Senior Research Engineer at New
Zealand Dairy Research Institute (now Fonterra Research) (1991-1993). Has received many awards such as The IDS
Founder Award for Outstanding Contribution to Drying (2014), IAEF Lifetime Achievement Award in Food Engineering
(2015), Most Favourite Teacher of Soochow University (2017) etc. Received Docteur Honoris Causa (Agrocampus
Ouest, France, 2017), Fellow of Royal Society of New Zealand (2000), Fellow of IChemE (2001), Fellow of Australian
Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (2007), etc. He is a Chartered Chemical Engineer.

Professor Aibing Yu

Abstract
Dry powder inhaler (DPI) has been widely used for drug delivery to the respiratory tract to treat disease such as
asthma and cystic fibrosis. The performance of a DPI depends on the gas-solid flow and powder dispersion in it. It is
important to improve the efficiency of DPIs by better understanding the dispersion mechanisms of powders. The
main principle of powder dispersion is to overcome the inter-particle cohesion using various dispersion/de-
agglomeration forces. While different dispersion mechanisms have been identified, their relative importance under
different conditions is not clear. This talk presents an overview of our recent efforts in developing a
combined computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and discrete element method (DEM) approach to gain such pivotal
information. Dispersions under various specifically designed conditions are simulated to exam the relative roles of
individual dispersion mechanisms. The air and particle flows are analysed at the particle scale and linked to dispersion
performance. Moreover, the dispersion mechanisms of both drug only and carrier based formulations in a
commercial inhaler are studied. The results show that the CFD-DEM approach can generate information useful not
only for fundamental understanding but also for designing new DPIs.

Biosketch
Professor Aibing Yu specialized in process metallurgy, obtaining BEng in 1982 and MEng in 1985 from Northeastern
University, PhD in 1990 from University of Wollongong, and DSc in 2007 from the University of New South Wales
(UNSW). He is currently Sir John Monash Distinguished Professor, Pro Vice-Chancellor and President of Monash
Suzhou, Monash University. He has been Inaugural Director of UNSW Centre for Simulation and Modelling of
Particulate Systems, Deputy Director of ARC Centre of Excellence for Functional Nanomaterials, Founding Director of
Australia-China Joint Research Centre for Minerals, Metallurgy and Materials, ARC Research Hub for Computational
Particle Technology, and JITRI Research Institute for Process Modelling and Optimisation. He is a world-leading
scientist in particle/powder technology and process engineering. He has made many significant contributions and is
recognised as an authority in particle packing and flow, particulate and multiphase processing, and simulation and
modelling. He has authored/co-authored >1,000 publications (including >800 collected in the ISI Web of Science),
delivered many invited plenary/keynote presentations at various international conferences, and graduated ~50
postdoc fellows and >100 PhD students. He is Executive Editor of Powder Technology, Regional Editor of Granular
Matter, and on the editorial board of ~20 learned journals. He is a recipient of numerous prestigious awards and
fellowships. He was elected to Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) in
2004, and Australian Academy of Science (AAS) in 2011, and Foreign Member (Academician) of Chinese Academy of
Engineering (CAE) in 2017.
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2022 Australia China Science and
Innovation Forum

DAY 2 - SESSION 5: REGENERATIVE MEDICINE

Professor Yin Xiao

Abstract
Native tissue repair and regeneration are initiated by the infiltration of inflammatory cells, which not only scavenge
the damaged tissues, but also regulate cytokines for stem cell recruitment and differentiation. Functional
biomaterials are designed to enhance tissue regeneration by activation of stem cell differentiation, regulation of local
tissue inflammatory reaction and angiogenesis. The early inflammation and immune cells influxes into the injury sites
after applying biomaterials are critical in the subsequent cascade of tissue healing processes. The unique
biomaterials-inflammation microenvironment determines the outcome of tissue regeneration. Our current strategies
for developing functional nano surfaces of biomaterials for skeleton tissue regeneration show that manipulation of
inflammatory cells, such as macrophages, polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs), and dendritic cells, can
significantly control the osteo-immune responses, leading to stem cell differentiation and bone regeneration.

Biosketch
Professor Yin Xiao, a dental specialist (BDSc 1986 and MDSc 1991), started his research career in 2000 (Ph.D. from
the University of Queensland) and has been a tenured professor at Queensland University of Technology since 2005.
He is the Founder, and the Director of the Australia- China Centre for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine
(ACCTERM), established in 2013, and the Joint Research Centre of functional biomaterials for tissue and organ
replacement. His work has predominantly focused on bone, biomaterials, stem cells, dentistry, osteoarthritis, and
tissue engineering. He initiated the concept of osteoimmunology in bone biomaterial development and introduced
the "Materiobiology" in M. Phil's training courses at QUT. He has authored more than 340 journal
papers, three books, and 23 book chapters. His H index is 72, and his work has been cited more than 20,000 times.
He was named one of the top 250 researchers in Australia and the field leader in Biomedical Technology in 2019 and
2021 by Australian Research Magazine.
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2022 Australia China Science and
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Associate Professor Rebecca Lim

Abstract
OmniCAR is the world’s first universal immune receptor system that leverages the high-fidelity nature of covalent
chemistry. Originating from Oxford University and University of Pennsylvania, OmniCAR has the capability of
addressing multiple technical hurdles faced by conventional CAR-T therapies including exhaustion, antigen
heterogeneity/escape and control of CAR activity in vivo. Prescient has licensed and is developing OmniCAR to treat
some of the most intractable cancers, including relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukaemia. We will present early
evidence showing that OmniCAR can be armed both sequentially and simultaneously, with real-time tumour killing
studies. We will showcase some of the core attributes of OmniCAR such as its predictable and controllable CAR
activity using minimal amounts of targeting ligand. Our strategy for clinical development will also be discussed.

Biosketch
Dr Rebecca Lim PhD is the Senior VP of Scientific Affairs at Prescient Therapeutics, a Melbourne-based oncology-
focused biotechnology company. Since joining Prescient at the start of 2021, she has taken OmniCAR as a discovery
asset through to rigorous preclinical testing and process development. Her 15 years of academic research
experience in cell therapies and regenerative medicine has enabled her to tackle aggressive timelines with this
world-first covalent modular CAR-T system that aims to address some of the toughest cancers. In 2019, she was
recognised as NHMRC’s top Career Development Fellow (Industry). In 2020 and 2021, she was recognised as the
most highly cited Australian researcher in the areas of embryology and developmental biology. To date, she has
been the scientific lead for 6 cell therapy clinical trials in Australia. She continues to hold an Adjunct Associate
Professor position