UniQuest

Vaccine Platform Secures Funds Against Mosquito Threats

UQ spinout Proboxis Biotechnology has received $1.5 million via the first round of the Biointelect Venturer incubator to advance a vaccine platform against mosquito-borne diseases toward human clinical development.

Q-Sera announces first product launch of its RAPClot™

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.

Improving laboratory management and patient outcomes – Q-Sera announces first product launch of its RAPClotTM rapid serum blood collection tube technology in Japan

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.

Queensland biotech tops up $1 million Seed round with another $2m

Queensland drug developer Lucia Bio added $2 million to its seed round from UniQuest Extension Fund and Uniseed-managed funds, bringing its overall raise to $3 million ahead of a planned Series A.

Sanofi's mega US$1.6 billion Vicebio buyout once again shows the value of Aussie uni IP

Sanofi is buying Vicebio for up to US$1.6 billion in the biggest-ever exit of Australian university IP, with UQ keeping equity; the article also recalls the Inflazome and Spinifex sales and Vicebio's Medicxi seed.

UQ biotech innovation partnership forges a second startup

UniQuest and Molecule to Medicine have formed Curlew Bio to develop anti-inflammatory drugs, backed by $1 million from UniQuest's Extension Fund; the article also recalls Novartis's 2015 purchase of Spinifex Pharmaceuticals.

Vaxxas Completes Enrollment for Largest Clinical Trial of High-Density Microarray Patch (HD-MAP) For Vaccine Delivery

Vaxxas has finished enrolling 258 volunteers in its Phase I trial of a needle-free HD-MAP avian flu vaccine, funded by a US BARDA contract, with early findings due mid-2025.

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Vaxxas Completes Enrollment for Largest Clinical Trial of High-Density Microarray Patch (HD-MAP) For Vaccine Delivery

Vaxxas has filled its 258-person Phase I trial of a needle-free avian flu vaccine patch, run under a US$28.5 million US government contract; the post also recounts the company's early backing.

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Vaxxas Named Stage Winner of United States’ BARDA Prize to Advance Microarray Patches for Vaccination

Vaxxas has won the concept stage of BARDA's Patch Forward Prize, earning US$2 million (A$3.2 million) to progress its microarray patch vaccine platform alongside the University of Queensland's BASE facility.

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Vaxxas Named Stage Winner of United States' BARDA Prize to Advance Microarray Patches for Vaccination

Vaxxas wins US$2 million as a concept-stage winner of BARDA's prize to advance its skin-patch vaccine platform with UQ's BASE facility; the article also recalls early backing by OneVentures, Brandon Capital and HealthCare Ventures.

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Seven Aussie startups that raised $45.6 million this fortnight

Roundup covering seven Australian companies' recent raises — Splend, Rich Data Co, Slice, InvestorHub, Eyeonic, Graceview and Monty Compost Co — from fleet electrification finance to AI compliance and compost-monitoring seed rounds.

Two Aussie startups that raised $5 million this week

Weekly roundup: InvestorHub banks a $4m Series A extension led by EVP, while Brisbane compost-tech maker Monty Compost Co picks up $1 million from Skalata, Antler and other backers.

Also SmartCompany

Funding Australia’s Future Economy: CUREator Deploys $7.21 Million to Propel local Life Sciences Potential

CUREator, Brandon BioCatalyst's government-backed grant program, has awarded $7.21 million across eight Australian biotech firms in its newest round, split between clinical-stage and preclinical recipients.

Also Brandon BioCatalyst portfolio·Startup Daily·ausceleratesa.org

UQ start-up finds way to detect solar faults in “sea of a million panels”

UQ researchers built SolarisAI, an AI tool that pinpoints faulty panels from solar farm data; ARENA and UniQuest funding backed its development, with deployment talks under way with Edify Energy and Genex.

Medtech innovator explains the rush to save brains

Podcast profile in which EMVision chief Scott Kirkland discusses the company's portable bedside brain scanner for stroke, its origins in Queensland research, grant backing, and plans for 2024 trials and a second device.

Vaxxas Announces and Publishes Successful Phase I Clinical Trial for Measles and Rubella Vaccine Delivered Using its Proprietary High-Density Microarray Skin Patch; Plan for Phase I/II Trial in The Gambia, Africa

Vaxxas reports positive Phase I results for its needle-free skin-patch delivery of a measles-rubella vaccine, with Gates Foundation grant funding and a planned PATH-sponsored Phase I/II trial in The Gambia.

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Vaxxas Announces Interim Phase I Study Results for First Needle-Free HD-MAP COVID-19 Vaccine

Vaxxas reports encouraging interim Phase I results for its needle-free microarray-patch COVID-19 vaccine, with strong antibody responses and no serious adverse events, ahead of planned regulatory applications in Australia and the US.

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Vaxxas Appoints Dr. Rochelle Chaiken as Chief Medical Officer

Vaxxas hires former Pfizer medical executive Dr Rochelle Chaiken as its chief medical officer; the announcement also recounts the biotech's founding financing and later rounds.

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Vaxxas Appoints Dr. Rochelle Chaiken as Chief Medical Officer

Vaxxas has appointed 23-year Pfizer veteran Dr Rochelle Chaiken as chief medical officer; the announcement also recaps the vaccine-patch company's early backing by OneVentures, Brandon Capital and others.

Trioda Wilingi gets $2.6 million investment to develop medical gels from native grasses

A University of Queensland spinout has secured investment from Uniseed and an Indigenous-owned group to commercialise injectable medical gels made from spinifex grass fibres, building on earlier research funded by an Australian Research Council grant.

Vaxxas initiates Phase I study for needle-free seasonal influenza vaccine delivered using High-Density Microarray Patch (HD-MAP)

Vaxxas has begun an Australian Phase I trial of its needle-free influenza vaccine patch. The article also recalls the company's founding equity financing led by OneVentures with Brandon Capital Partners and other co-investors.

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Coming in from the cold: needle-free patch technology for mRNA vaccines aims to end need for frozen storage and improve access

Vaxxas partners with CEPI, which will fund preclinical testing of its needle-free vaccine patch for mRNA vaccines, work that could remove cold-storage needs and widen global access to such vaccines.

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Ten Aussie startups that landed over $80 million combined this week

A weekly roundup reporting ten Australian startup funding rounds totalling roughly eighty million dollars, spanning insurance tech, biotech, process mining, connectivity and food, with several female-founded companies among the recipients.

Also @AuManufacturing·SmartCompany

Vaxxas Raises US$23 million (A$34 million) to Clinically Advance Needle-Free Vaccines, Including a Next-Generation COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate

Vaxxas completed a US$23 million (A$34 million) financing led by OneVentures and UniQuest to advance its needle-free vaccine clinical programs, including a COVID-19 candidate, with board members, management and individual investors also participating.

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QUE Oncology's non-hormonal therapy reduces hot flushes and night sweats in women with breast cancer, published in The Lancet

QUE Oncology reports its non-hormonal drug Q-122 eased hot flushes in breast cancer patients on endocrine therapy, with Phase II results in The Lancet; the Emory–UniQuest venture is backed by Brandon BioCatalyst and Uniseed.

QUE Oncology's non-hormonal therapy reduces hot flushes and night sweats in women with breast cancer, published in The Lancet

Brandon Capital's blog covers QUE Oncology's Phase II Q-122 results in The Lancet, showing reduced hot flushes and night sweats in breast cancer patients on endocrine therapy.

Vaxxas Announces Initiation of Phase I Clinical Study of First Needle-Free COVID-19 Vaccine Delivered Using High-Density Microarray Patch (HD-MAP)

Vaxxas has begun an Australian Phase I trial of its needle-free COVID-19 vaccine patch, built on a University of Texas at Austin candidate; the article also recalls the company's early financings led by OneVentures.

Vaxxas Announces Initiation of Phase I Clinical Study of First Needle-Free COVID-19 Vaccine Delivered Using High-Density Microarray Patch (HD-MAP)

Vaxxas has begun an Australian Phase I trial of its needle-free COVID-19 vaccine patch; the article also recalls the company's founding financing led by OneVentures with Brandon Capital and other co-investors.

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First Aussies to get needle-free COVID-19 vaccine patch

Vaxxas has begun a phase one trial in Australia of its needle-free COVID-19 vaccine patch. The Brisbane company, backed by OneVentures, Brandon Capital and others, has hired Scott Fry from Ellume as COO.

First Aussies to get needle-free COVID-19 vaccine patch

Brisbane biotech Vaxxas has begun human testing of its microneedle patch for COVID-19 vaccination and plans a phase two study; the venture-backed company has raised over $66 million.

Pharma giant Pfizer wins over telehealth startup ResApp Health with $179 million takeover

Pfizer has completed its takeover of ASX-listed telehealth diagnostics company ResApp Health for $179 million, with the article recalling the company's 2015 listing, earlier raises and a Gates Foundation grant.

Pfizer acquires UQ spinout for $179 million

Pfizer has completed its purchase of Brisbane digital health company ResApp Health for $179 million, doubling its per-share offer after an April bid for the ASX-listed cough-diagnosis startup.

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Biotech startup using funnel-web spider venom to treat heart attacks raises $23 million

Brisbane biotech Infensa Bioscience raised $23 million to develop a heart-attack and stroke treatment derived from funnel-web spider venom, after spinning out of the University of Queensland.

Also Cut Through Venture·SmartCompany

Pfizer bids $100 million to acquire Australian COVID-19 testing startup

Pfizer has bid $100m for ResApp, a Brisbane healthtech firm whose app diagnoses respiratory conditions from coughs; its board backs the deal, and the piece recalls a 2021 $5.5m raise under Fidelity International's lead.

Also Startup Daily

Biomedical Translation Bridge Program grants $1m to develop a drug treatment for obesity-related health conditions

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.

Also Brandon Capital portfolio·cinceratx.com

5 things you should know about tech today

Roundup covering Afterpay's eBay partnership and Coatue's $200m placement, Bay City Labs appointing a head of growth, a NASA executive keynoting StartCon, and 1Password's US$200m Series A.

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Good tidings we bring: The 10 biggest capital raises of 2018

A year-end roundup of Australia's largest 2018 startup capital raises, covering Judo Capital, Deputy, Airwallex, Inflazome, SafetyCulture, Culture Amp, Canva, Havven, Athena, Ansarada and Data Republic, with investors and earlier rounds recalled.

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Queensland biotech startup Inflazome raises $63 million to change the way we treat Alzheimer’s

Queensland biotech firm Inflazome has secured a large funding round led by Forbian to advance its anti-inflammatory drug candidates into clinical trials, and has hired a chief medical officer to lead that development.

Also SmartCompany

Squeezing opportunities out of the tube: Geelong startup works toward nanomaterials world first

A Geelong joint venture between Deakin University and the Australian Innovation Center aims to scale boron nitride nanotube production, backed by a federal manufacturing grant, and has moved into the ManuFutures hub with other startups.

Verva Pharmaceuticals Signs Deals with Two Biotechs

Australian diabetes biotech Verva sold all its IP to two biotechs and entered liquidation with PKF Australia appointed; background recalls early Adipogen backing from Uniseed, QIC BioVentures and GBS Ventures.