The Bellarine Peninsula
Connecting people and communities
Friday, 10 January, 2014
Phone: 5249 6700 Trades and Classifieds: 1300 666 808
UNI RESEARCHER WORKS ON INVISIBILITY - P5
CAR MUSEUM PLAN FOR MARKET - P3
Bio-tech cure for Geelong loss
Drug maker in Ford plan By NOEL MURPHY
ROO RESCUE: Leopold Wildlife Shelter’s David Burrell with Tilley the wallaby. 112523
Picture: REG RYAN
Rescuing our secret roo residents THEY’RE Geelong’s secret residents, hiding in back yards, sleeping during the day and foraging on garden beds and foliage of a night time. Swamp wallabies and eastern grey kangaroos make their way into Geelong every day, according to wildlife rescuer David Burrell, to munch and chomp on plentiful suburban food supplies.
Some have been living in town for years. Mr Burrell removes hundreds of the animals from urban areas each year. He says North Geelong through the city centre to Highton and Grovedale are all popular destinations for the hungry macropods. Continued Page 2
FORD’S North Geelong plant could be converted to a multi-million dollar pharmaceutical manufacturing site if a Sydney cell biologist has his way. Managing director of Benitec Biopharma Limited, Dr Peter French, said he was keen to utilise Ford’s plant when it is decommissioned from carmaking, to manufacture drugs. He hopes the operation could become a giant global enterprise based at Geelong. Benitec Biopharma operates out of Sydney but Dr French, who earned his doctorate at Deakin University, is testing new drugs which could lead to a single-injection hepatitis C treatment. If successful, this could change the lives of up to 170 million hep C sufferers around the world. Dr French’s research is also tackling gene therapy assaults on hepatitis B, affecting 350 million, and lung cancer. “We’re starting trials in America soon and if they’re shown to be safe and effective we’ll gear up for more trials and then start thinking manufacture,” Dr French told the Independent. “But the time is now to talk to governments about assisting us. There is clearly a need for Australia to embrace clever technologies and we are the only gene therapy technology company in Australia. “We’re a small company with an enormous potential if we can provide a single-shot cure for hep B and C.” Dr French said Chinese investors had shown interest in his company’s work but he was keen to keep manufacturing in Australia and, with major manufacturers such as Ford culling back their operations, he thought Geelong was a good proposition. “The shell of the building would be useful but at this stage we have no idea exactly what space we’d need, it’s still at a very early stage, but we need to start thinking about it now,” he said. “My main aim is to get the Government thinking about the possibility of more creative uses of its subsidies to old industries and how it could be helping new industries.” Dr French thought start-up cost savings could be
FRESH HOPE: Dr Peter French of Benitec Biopharma. achieved by helping new industries utilise the infrastructure of declining industries. The US Food and Drug Administration is tipped to give the nod within weeks to Benitec’s breakthrough technology that would result in patient DNA affected by hepatitis being shut down with a single injection medication. The treatment involves an artificially-built DNA strand carried to the liver by a benign virus injected into the patient. Liver cells then generate a therapeutic double stranded RNA molecule which shuts down the hepatitis C from replicating. Dr French’s aspirations of utilising the Ford site have drawn national attention, including a qualified nod from former prime minister Bob Hawke. “For us to go overseas would be a great loss for Australia if we’re as successful as we hope to be,” Dr French said.
2014
Saturday 22 March 2014 Torquay · 145km or 60km 8th Annual Event. Limited Field of 3,500.
2014
Entry includes event jersey
Register at supersprint.com.au 1059479-JL4-13