Venture capital fund · 14 deals
Melbourne, VIC
Every published round Medical Research Commercialisation Fund (MRCF) took part in, and every parcel of existing shares it bought off another holder. Deals we hold but haven't published yet are not counted.
Companies Medical Research Commercialisation Fund (MRCF) has backed in a published round, and companies whose existing shares it bought off another holder.
| Company | What it does | First invested | Rounds | Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Azura Ophthalmics | 23 Oct 2020 | 1 | 0 | |
| Cincera Therapeutics | 2018 | 1 | 0 | |
| Currus Biologics | 5 Jul 2021, Series A | 1 | 1 | |
| ENA Respiratory | Antiviral nasal spray to prevent severe respiratory viral infections | 27 Sep 2020, Series A | 1 | 1 |
| Fibrotech | 10 Feb 2009, Series A | 1 | 0 | |
| George Medicines | 10 Mar 2020 | 1 | 0 | |
| Glyscend | 12 Jun 2020, Series A | 1 | 1 | |
| Glyscend, Inc. | Oral polymer drugs mimicking bariatric surgery for metabolic disease | Jun 2020, Series A | 1 | 1 |
| Kea Therapeutics Ltd | 2017, Series A | 1 | 0 | |
| Longas | 16 May 2019 | 1 | 0 | |
| Myricx Pharma | 17 Nov 2020, Seed | 1 | 1 | |
| Okogen | Dec 2017, Series A | 1 | 0 | |
| Polyactiva | 23 Jul 2019 | 1 | 0 | |
| Vaxxas | 4 Aug 2011, Series A | 1 | 0 |
Fund closes reported for Medical Research Commercialisation Fund (MRCF), as distinct from the investments it has made.
Companies Medical Research Commercialisation Fund (MRCF) has backed that another company then bought. An exit for the holding, not a deal Medical Research Commercialisation Fund (MRCF) did.
Stories naming Medical Research Commercialisation Fund (MRCF). Where several outlets covered the same round, they are bundled under whichever ran the fullest account.
Brandon Capital's blog interviews Denteric's operating chief about its gingipain-targeting therapy for periodontitis, trial progress, and its origins in University of Melbourne oral health research.
Uniseed-backed Australian medtech Q-Sera's blood-clotting tube technology has debuted in Japan via Terumo's VenoJect II launch; the post also credits MRCF and UniQuest Extension Fund as backers.
Q-Sera's rapid-clotting blood tube technology has gone to market in Japan via Terumo's VenoJect II launch; the Melbourne startup's backers include MRCF, Uniseed and the UniQuest Extension Fund.
A profile of Brandon Capital partner Chris Smith, tracing his path from immunology research and a Cambridge postdoc into biotech investing, with resilience lessons drawn from equestrian sport and companies Aravax and ENA Respiratory.
Drug developer ENA Respiratory reports positive Phase 2a results for its INNA-051 nasal immunomodulator against influenza, with its Series A backed by Brandon Capital managed funds, the Minderoo Foundation and Uniseed.
Cancer biotech Amaroq Therapeutics appointed four experts to its advisory board as it moves toward clinical trials; the New Zealand company's backers include Brandon Capital, which reports $14m invested to date.
New Zealand biotech Amaroq Therapeutics reported early progress toward clinical trials and appointed four leading scientists to its scientific advisory board, strengthening its lncRNA cancer therapy programme.
Case study on how CSIRO's bioinformatics teams independently validated the cancer-target findings of Amaroq Therapeutics, a New Zealand biotech whose $14m seed round was funded by the Brandon Capital-managed MRCF and others.
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New Zealand cancer biotech Amaroq Therapeutics had its lncRNA drug targets independently validated by CSIRO, according to this profile, which also recalls its $14 million seed round and support from Callaghan Innovation.
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Vaxxas has exclusively licensed UT Austin's HexaPro spike protein for a needle-free COVID-19 vaccine patch, backed by an NIH license, with a Phase 1 trial planned this year; background notes its founding backers.
Startup Daily reports the inaugural Governor of Victoria Startup Awards, where Amber Electric and Seer Medical shared the top prize, Linktree took scaleup honours, and the Allens' Tractor Ventures won investor recognition.
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The MRCF, managed by publisher Brandon Capital, has launched a government-funded national biotech incubator with committed funding, and appointed a new Head of Operations, with applications now open for its first intake.
Weekly venture roundup covering Scalapay's giant series A, numerous Australian raises, acquisitions of Clipchamp, Paidy and CipherTrace, Houseparty's closure, crypto regulation developments, and Atlassian appointing a Cloudflare founder as director.
The federal government has announced $79 million in grants for ANDHealth, MRCF and MTPConnect to commercialise medical research, plus two industry fellowships for researchers, under its Medical Research Future Fund.
Glyscend Therapeutics, a Johns Hopkins spin-out, is starting a Phase I trial of its type 2 diabetes pill in Adelaide; the piece recalls its AUD$29 million Series A led by Brandon Capital's MRCF.
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Adelaide-backed biotech Glyscend is recruiting volunteers for phase 1 trials of a pill mimicking gastric bypass surgery to treat type 2 diabetes, funded with $29 million from Brandon Capital's MRCF, Santé Ventures and Breakout Labs.
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Glyscend Therapeutics, an Adelaide-Baltimore biotech, is recruiting volunteers for phase 1 trials of GLY-200, a pill mimicking gastric bypass for type 2 diabetes, developed with $29 million from MRCF, Santé Ventures and Breakout Labs.
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Brandon Capital's site announces it led $14m for Amaroq Therapeutics, an Otago spinout developing RNA-based cancer treatments — the firm's first deal as a government-backed incubator. The piece also recalls Kea Therapeutics' shutdown.
Brandon Capital led a NZ$14 million investment in Amaroq Therapeutics, a University of Otago spinout developing RNA cancer therapies, with three co-investors and a Callaghan Innovation repayable grant supporting the deal.
University of Otago cancer RNA spinout Amaroq Therapeutics has raised NZ$14 million led by Brandon Capital with Otago Innovation, NZ Innovation Booster and Cure Kids Ventures to advance its lncRNA-targeting cancer therapies.
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Weekly roundup of Australian startup funding: Gilmour Space's $61m raise, rounds for Mindset Health, HowToo, Beer Cartel, Tracer DAO and Wimp 2 Warrior, Currus Biologics' $10m cancer-treatment raise, and Alberts' $16m impact fund.
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Melbourne cancer immunotherapy startup Currus Biologics, spun out of Peter MacCallum, raised $10 million led by the Brandon Capital-managed Medical Research Commercialisation Fund with Uniseed, to advance its BEAT technology toward human trials.
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ENA Respiratory secured up to AU$32 million, co-led by Brandon Capital Partners and Minderoo Foundation with Uniseed, to advance its INNA-051 nasal spray, and appointed Ruth Tal-Singer to its board.
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IP lawyer Kylie Diwell joins the board of the Brandon Capital-managed MRCF. She argues research commercialisation needs skilled teams, while MRCF leaders welcome government innovation support and urge patent box tax reform for biotech.
Brandon Capital's blog republishes an AFR report on Azura Ophthalmics' encouraging phase 2 dry-eye results, recalling the Israel-founded biotech's US$38 million raised, among it a US$16 million round that Brandon Capital's fund co-led.
Azura Ophthalmics reports positive phase two results for its dry eye ointment and moves toward registration studies; the Brandon Capital-backed biotech has raised US$38 million, including a US$16 million round co-led by MRCF.
The Western Australian Government is putting $150,000 from its New Industries Fund into medtech startup OncoRes Medical to expand R&D and jobs, with the company also recalling $7.5 million raised from MRCF.
UK biotech Myricx Pharma launched with a £4.5 million seed round from Sofinnova Partners and Brandon Capital to advance its NMT-inhibitor cancer drug discovery work.
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PolyActiva's glaucoma implant was well tolerated in a Phase I trial and a Phase II study is underway; the Melbourne biotech is backed by Brandon Capital's MRCF and Yuuwa Capital.
Perth medtech OncoRes Medical won the IGNITE Madness 2020 pitch competition in Houston, earning a US$10,000 cash prize plus a Texas Medical Centre Ventures investment prize valued above US$100,000.
Eye-disease drug developer Azura Ophthalmics announced a $28 million round from existing backers including MRCF, OrbiMed, TPG Biotech and Ganot Capital, funding registration studies of its dry eye treatment candidate.
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Vaxxas has received a US$22 million (A$30.6 million) US government BARDA award to advance its needle-free vaccine patch for pandemic use; earlier financing led by OneVentures with Brandon Capital is recalled.
Biotech Vaxxas has won a US government award via BARDA worth US$22 million to advance its needle-free vaccine patch for pandemic influenza; the piece recalls founding backing from OneVentures, Brandon Capital, MRCF and HealthCare Ventures.
Ferret research found Ena Respiratory's INNA-051 nasal spray sharply lowered coronavirus levels; the biotech has banked an $11.7 million Series A and aims to begin human trials within months.
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Cincera Therapeutics has received a million-dollar Biomedical Translation Bridge grant to advance its Des-1 inhibitor drug for obesity-related metabolic diseases. The Monash and UniSA spin-out previously secured venture funding from the Medical Research Commercialisation Fund.
OncoRes Medical received grant funding through the third round of MTPConnect's BMTH program to develop a second-generation imaging device for breast-conserving surgery, the article's profile states.
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The George Institute's commercial arm and its drug development company have secured $53 million from three Australian investors to speed commercialisation of medical research, with Brandon Capital's Ingmar Wahlqvist involved.
Brandon Capital, manager of the MRCF, has been appointed by Callaghan Innovation to run a life science incubator for New Zealand startups from April 2020, offering loans matched with investment.