A clinical-stage biotechnology company established by The University of Queensland and Emory University (Atlanta, USA) to develop novel cancer supportive care and anticancer therapies has raised US$16 million in series A investment.

The investment from the Brandon Capital-managed Medical Research Commercialisation Fund (MRCF) and Uniseed will enable the company, called QUE Oncology Inc. (QUE) to further develop its leading drug candidate Q-122 and progress its preclinical pipeline.

Q-122 is a new non-hormonal therapy for the treatment of hot flashes in women undergoing endocrine therapy for breast cancers.

QUE was founded in 2013 in a collaboration between UQ’s main commercialisation company, UniQuest, and Emory University around intellectual property licensed from UQ and Emory University, with both parties providing seed investment and support.

UQ Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Peter Høj said QUE’s success was built on the strong relationship between the two universities.

“UQ and Emory share many research synergies, particularly in the development of treatments for cancer, and we are proud that we have been able to work together to facilitate this landmark investment,” Professor Høj said.

“It is wonderful to see QUE achieve this significant investment – a fantastic outcome from our international research collaboration that promises to create real change in our world.”

UniQuest chief executive officer Dr Dean Moss said the series A investment was a significant endorsement of the prospects of the company and its programs.

“QUE recently completed a successful phase 1b clinical trial of Q-122 where, in some cases, participants reported a 100 per cent reduction in hot flash incidents,” Dr Moss said.

“This investment will support the company as it continues to navigate the clinical trial and regulatory processes required to bring this life-changing treatment to the market.

“It could make a real difference to many women around the world.”

QUE is also progressing three preclinical projects licensed from UQ researchers Professor Maree Smith, Dr Trent Woodruff, Professor Greg Monteith and Professor Sarah Roberts-Thomson, and collaborator Professor William Denny from the University of Auckland, in the areas of breast cancer, melanoma and cancer pain.

Media: UniQuest, Danielle Koopman, d.koopman@uniquest.com.au, +614 09 767 199.

Three University of Queensland researchers have each received $1 million from the FightMND foundation for clinical trials to help fast-track potential treatments for motor neurone disease.

UQ Centre for Clinical Research and Queensland Brain Institute’s Associate Professor Robert Henderson and QBI’s Professor Perry Bartlett, along with UQ School of Biomedical Sciences Associate Professor Trent Woodruff will trial drugs that may protect motor neurons and delay progression of the disease.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) Professor Robyn Ward said the grants would support UQ researchers to find potential therapies for patients with MND.

“These translational research grants from FightMND will accelerate the work of UQ’s world-class researchers in developing treatments for this devastating disease,” Professor Ward said.

Dr Henderson will lead a phase one clinical trial testing the safety and efficacy of an immunotherapy treatment that blocks a molecule implicated in inflammation in brain cells.

The drug is being developed by the Queensland biotechnology company Implicit Bioscience Ltd, sponsor of the clinical study, with funding for the initial phase coming from the FightMND grant.

Blocking inflammation has been shown to be protective in a number of MND models.

The trial, involving a small number of patients at the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, is likely to start in the next few months.

Professor Bartlett’s research will focus on a drug that slows the progression of MND.

The drug, which blocks a protein called EphA4, will soon enter clinical trials in MND patients.

The funding will enable Professor Woodruff’s lab to accelerate safety testing of the anti-inflammatory drug PMX205, which delays the progression of MND symptoms and extends survival in animal models.

“The grant will also allow manufacture of the drug to be scaled up,” Dr Woodruff said.

“Assuming the drug is shown to be safe in pre-clinical testing, human trials could potentially start as early as 2018.”

The funding is part of a $7.8 million boost to MND research from FightMND, the foundation previously known as Cure for MND.

Media: Kim Lyell, UQ Faculty of Medicine, k.lyell@uq.edu.au, +61 7 3365 5133, +61 427 530647; Donna Lu, Queensland Brain Institute, communications@qbi.uq.edu.au, +61 405 661 856. 

The University of Queensland has moved higher in the influential QS World University Rankings, coming in at 47^th globally, placing it well inside the top one per cent of the world’s 26,000 universities.

UQ’s placing in the annual QS ranking announced today follows the University’s impressive performance in the prestigious Leiden ranking last month and a “massive result” in Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project funding announced last week.

Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Peter Høj said UQ had continued to excel this week, securing $22.6 million in ARC funding for 17 projects on Monday – with funding for more research projects than any other university nationally.

“UQ sits comfortably within the world’s top 50 universities across a number of measures,” Professor Høj said.

“This latest QS result is an extremely gratifying endorsement of our efforts to provide our students with a world-class education in a global top-tier research university.

“Every UQ staff member has contributed in some way to this result, and I congratulate them all for their efforts.

“It’s no small achievement to be placed within the world’s best 50 universities,” Professor Høj said.

The QS ranking considers more than 4000 universities and evaluates 980 of them in detail.

For the latest QS report – released today – the London-based Quacquarelli Symonds Ltd (QS) analysed 75 million citations encompassing more than 12 million papers, and 115,000 survey responses from employers and academics.

The QS institution report on UQ states that its performance against about 26,000 universities globally places it in the top one per cent of universities in the world, and at fourth in Australia.

UQ has featured strongly in the QS ranking over the past five years.

Media: Fiona Cameron, communications@uq.edu.au, +61 7 3346 7086.

The University of Queensland’s world-leading research is well positioned to benefit from a landmark deal with IP Group plc which will see A$200 million available for investment in technology from top universities in Australia and New Zealand.

Projects that link University of Queensland research with business and industry have received a $4.3 million Australian Government funding boost today.

The Australian Research Council Linkage Projects funding will support 12 UQ projects designed to deliver practical solutions to problems across a range of industries.

UQ researchers will work with industry on projects to improve dairy cow fertility, support science, technology, engineering, maths teaching in middle school and develop biodegradable wood plastic composites.

UQ Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Peter Høj said the funding was “a massive result” for UQ, which continues to lead the sector and has had more successful projects and Commonwealth funding than any other institution in the linkage round.

“UQ has now been awarded 20 grants from 37 applications in this continuous round, reflecting a 54 per cent success rate,” Professor Høj said.

“We have scooped 22 per cent of ARC Linkage grants awarded across Australia’s 40 institutions over the continuous round.

“This is powerful recognition of the fact that our research is creating positive change for business and industry.

“Earlier this month we secured $1.28 million for four research projects under the same scheme, and last week the impact of our global scientific research was confirmed by impressive results in the prestigious international Leiden Ranking,” he said.

“This significant success in the national competitive scheme is synergistic with the significant investments the Queensland Government is making in university-industry partnerships through its outstanding Advance Queensland program.”

Highlights of today’s ARC grants include $750,000 for the UQ Centre for Clinical Research’s Professor Murray Mitchell to partner with DairyNZ on a project to identify fertility biomarkers to develop superior dairy cow breeding stock and boost industry productivity.

Dr Kim Nichols from UQ’s School of Education has received $278,000 for a project to develop a science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) professional learning model to help create a more skilled and educated STEM workforce.

“Improving STEM workforce readiness is critical to producing a more creative society and a leading, dynamic economy,” she said.

Dr Nichols will partner with the Queensland Museum, the Queensland Department of Education and Training and QGC Pty Ltd to create a museum-based teacher professional development program.

Cellulose fibres from native spinifex grass will feature in a project led by Associate Professor Steven Pratt, from the School of Chemical Engineering.

He has been awarded $173,000 to work with Norske Skog Paper Mills Australia Ltd to develop tough bio-based and biodegradable wood plastic composites.

“This will lead to new products and markets for the Australian forestry industry and for rural and indigenous Australia, maximising Australia’s competitive advantage in biomass-derived products,” Dr Pratt said.

Professor Høj said Government funding for each Linkage Project was matched or exceeded by contributions from industry partners.

“It’s immensely satisfying to know that UQ research is hitting the nail on the head in providing relevant and valuable knowledge and expertise to industry,” he said.

“UQ’s success in this national competitive scheme is synergisitic with the investments the Queensland Government is making in university-industry partnerships through its outstanding Advance Queensland program.”

A full list of the latest grants awarded to UQ researchers is here.

Media: Fiona Cameron, UQ Communications, +61 7 3346 7086, communications@uq.edu.au.