We meet Dr Daniel Timms, the Australian biomechanical engineer behind BiVACOR who has dedicated his life to developing a titanium Total Artificial Heart (TAH) to restore the lives of people with end-stage heart failure, a disease that impacted his own family.

It’s a 25-year quest that has taken him from a PhD at QUT, developing the device with his father in his parent’s kitchen in Queensland, to collaborating with experts around the world and expanding operations to the US on his mission to save lives.

In 2024 Daniel made history in Texas, with the first successful implantation of the titanium heart into a patient awaiting a heart transplant, as part of an FDA feasibility study. Since then, several patients have received the heart as a bridge to a heart transplant and now Australian patients will be involved in clinical studies.

MTPConnect’s Targeted Translation Research Accelerator program for diabetes and cardiovascular disease, an MRFF initiative, has supported BiVACOR ’s development of a more portable external controller to allow for long-term use with the heart.

News of BiVACOR’s innovation has spread around the world as patients have shared their story of second chances after receiving the implant. Now we hear Daniel’s story, how the TAH is designed, his inspiration and approach to innovation, collaborations with NASA and transplant surgeons around the world, his plans to expand operations in Australia and what’s next for the privately held company he has put his heart and soul into as he aims to develop the TAH as a long term device that patients can have for the rest of their lives.

As World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week (WAAW) kicked off around the globe, the Australian Antimicrobial Resistance Network (AAMRNet) was meeting in Canberra to explore how Australia can better support the development of and access to new antimicrobial technologies. 

Key clinicians, researchers, industry and government representatives gathered to discuss how a subscription-style funding model for new antimicrobials might be adapted to be fit-for-purpose in Australia.

It’s an idea turned into reality by the UK’s National Health Service (the NHS) after it successfully piloted a world-first subscription reimbursement model, with the goal to improve access to much needed antibiotics, and at the same time incentivize the pharmaceutical industry to develop new antibiotics to tackle superbugs. 

David Glover, Assistant Director of Medicines Analysis at NHS England joined the workshop to explain the UK model in detail.

Afterwards he had a chat with Caroline Duell for the MTPConnect Podcast about the impetus for this pioneering approach, why paying manufacturers a fixed fee for antimicrobials can boost drug development and why this UK model, which is now being expanded, benefits governments, companies and patients. 

It’s World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week (WAAW) and the theme is "Educate. Advocate. Act now". It’s a yearly global campaign, raising awareness of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and promoting ways to reduce the spread of drug-resistant infections. 

To mark the occasion, MTPConnect’s Andrew Bowskill, Co-chair of the Australian Antimicrobial Resistance Network, AAMRNet, and Anne Harris, Managing Director of Pfizer Australia and New Zealand join host Caroline Duell to discuss new approaches to fighting superbugs. Why it needs to be tackled holistically with a ‘One Health’ approach across all sectors, including the environment, animal health and agriculture. They discuss the role of vaccines as the first line of defence, and why a new subscription-style reimbursement model in Australia will help support equitable access to new treatments and restimulate investment in antibiotics R&D to meet future needs. We also find out how the recent upgrade to Pfizer’s manufacturing facility in Melbourne is an important development in the fight against AMR.

As thousands in the medical technology sector headed to Toronto, Canada for The MedTech 2024 Conference, MTPConnect was making sure that the 18 companies and organisations joining the Australian delegation were given opportunities to showcase their capabilities and make valuable US and international connections with a stopover in the medtech hub of Minnesota, before hitting Toronto.

In this podcast special from North America, our MTPConnect CEO Stuart Dignam caught up with Kylle Jordan from Destination Medical Centre at the Mayo Clinic campus in Rochester Minnesota ahead of the Medtech conference to find out more about the 20-year initiative underway to expand the hospital precinct as a global medical care destination.

Then it was on to the three-day MedTech Conference. MTPConnect signed an MoU with Medical Alley and Stuart talks with their new president and CEO Roberta Dressen about working together to foster global partnerships in health technology.

Stuart was on the ground at the Australian Pavilion and caught up with some of Australia’s medtech movers and shakers including iYarn’s Founder and CEO Lockie Cooke, University of Melbourne’s Principal Research Fellow, Optometry and Vision Sciences, A/Prof Lauren Ayton, Materia Health’s Founder, Dr Emily Zhen as well as the delegation’s major supporter, Global Victoria’s Carolin McCaffrey.   

The Team Australia delegation was supported by our major sponsor the Victorian Government, through Global Victoria and Invest Victoria, as well as support from NSW Health and AusBiotech.

In July 2024, MTPConnect was selected to deliver a new $28.5 million investment for Drugs and Devices, which builds on the legacy of the inaugural TTRA program.

The objective of TTRA Drugs and Devices is to accelerate development and commercialisation of promising drugs and medical devices into products that can reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease and complications of diabetes for patients, carers, families and community.

TTRA Drugs and Devices is now calling for Expressions of Interest (EOI), to fund eligible Australian start-ups, spin-outs and SMEs to develop innovative preventative, diagnostic, therapeutic and/or disease management drugs and devices for cardiovascular disease and the complications of diabetes (type 1 and type 2). Guidelines & application information can be found on the TTRA webpage. Submissions close at 16:00 AEDT on Monday 4 November 2024.

Hear from MTPConnect's TTRA Team Lauren Kelly, Dr Mana Liao and Dr Erin McAllum as well as experts Kenny Lean from Roche Diagnostics Australia, Dr Perdita Cheshire from CSL and Renza Scibilia from Breakthrough T1D.

See the TTRA Drugs and Devices webpage for more information.

Omico is leading Australia’s largest cancer genomics initiative –giving 23,000 Australians nationwide with advanced or incurable cancers, access to genomic profiling to detect unique genetic variations in their tumours to identify potential matches to new targeted treatments options. It is opening up new treatment pathways, extending lives and attracting more international trials to Australia.

Professor David Thomas, renowned for his groundbreaking work in precision oncology, is the founder and Chief Science and Strategy Officer of Omico - the Australian Genomic Cancer Medicine Centre. 

In this episode, host Caroline Duell speaks with Professor Thomas to find out more about his mission to open up new treatment options for all cancer patients using genomics, the impact of pan tumour therapies on our healthcare system, and why we need to change the way we look at cancer care and cure right now before more people die unnecessarily.

Biocom California is the US state’s advocate for the life sciences industry with a network of over 1700 members. With offices located in San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento, Washington, D.C, and Tokyo the group is focused on building international collaborations and networks to bring new medicines to patients.

MTPConnect recently signed an MoU with Biocom California during a visit to San Diego for the 2024 BIO Convention to strengthen ties between the US and Australian life sciences sector. 

In this episode, MTPConnect CEO Stuart Dignam joins host Caroline Duell to chat with Co-founder, President and CEO of Biocom California, Joe Panetta, about the Biocom California journey that began more than thirty years ago to advocate for the Californian life science sector, one of the leading innovation hubs in the world. Joe shares his top tips for Australian companies looking to move into the US market and talks about Biocom California’s upcoming Global Life Science Partnering and Investor Conference in February 2025 in La Jolla which will provide an important avenue for companies to connect with investors. Australian biotech companies are encouraged to attend this event!

Back in June, MTPConnect led the Australian delegation at BIO 2024 in San Diego organising a range of activities to showcase Australia’s innovative life sciences sector to the international biotech industry. With a powerful #TeamAustralia focus and a 500-strong delegation from Australia, BIO2024 was the biggest and best ever! 

In this BIO Bites episode, hosts Caroline Duell and Stuart Dignam catch up with Australian and global companies, entrepreneurs and researchers doing business at BIO and find out what all the buzz is about at the world's largest biotech partnering event. 

We take a tour around San Diego’s ecosystem catching up with Rachel Rath from the Blue Knight Initiative at J&J Innovation’s JLABS who are supporting early-stage companies, and Dena Marrinucci from US startup Truvian Health who are working with Planet Innovation on a portable blood testing platform. At the Australian Pavilion we chat with University of Adelaide ’s Prof Mark Hutchinson on defence and the SABRE Alliance and find out how statistics and AI are adding value to the life sciences sector with Adelaide Data Science Centre’s Dr Melissa Humphries. Topelia Australia’s David Fox talks about their antiviral therapeutic targeting coronavirus infections, Bridgewest Ventures’ Saum Vahdat explains their investment in drug manufacturing in Australia and Attentive Science Australia’s Holly Stefl discusses their recent expansion into the clinical trial ecosystem in Australia. 

Back in June, MTPConnect led the Australian delegation at BIO 2024 in San Diego organising a range of activities to showcase Australia’s innovative life sciences sector to the international biotech industry. With a powerful #TeamAustralia focus and a 500-strong delegation from Australia, BIO2024 was the biggest and best ever! 

In this BIO Bites episode, hosts Caroline Duell and Stuart Dignam catch up with Australian and global companies, entrepreneurs and researchers doing business at BIO and find out what all the buzz is about at the world's largest biotech partnering event. 

We take you to the Australian Global VIP Networking and Business Reception held on Coronado Island, as special guest John F Crowley, BIO’s President and CEO, welcomes guests in a very inspirational way and Australia’s Minister for Industry and Science the Hon Ed Husic MP who spearheaded the delegation, makes an address to the global audience to raise Australia’s credentials as a global hub for advanced biomanufacturing and clinical trials. We take in a site visit tour around San Diego’s ecosystem and catch up with Illumina’s Dr Emma Ball about the latest in DNA sequencing technologies enabling research discovery and personalized health. And head to the Australian Pavilion to chat to Pending AI’s David Cardoso about their drug discovery platform enabled by artificial intelligence and quantum mechanics, Gelomics’ Christoph Meinert discusses their 3D cell culture technology for animal-free research and Bellberry’s Kylie Sproston discusses the lure of Australia as an attractive destination for clinical trials.

Diabetes affects one in 20 people. An important initiative to set up a ‘virtual’ emergency department designed for people living with diabetes has launched in Melbourne, Victoria during National Diabetes Week, with the aim of preventing unnecessary trips to hospital. 

The Victorian Virtual Emergency Department-Diabetes Service will be added to the existing Victorian Virtual Emergency Department (VVED) giving patients 24/7 online video access to emergency nurses and doctors. As a world first, this new model of care will add a roster of diabetes specialists on weekend and evening shifts, when diabetes patients are most likely to present to a hospital emergency department.

Joining the podcast to talk about this new initiative is endocrinologist Professor Elif Ekinci, Director of Diabetes at Austin Health, Head of Department of Medicine at University of Melbourne, and Director of the Australian Centre for Accelerating Diabetes Innovations(ACADI). ACADI was established in 2022 through MRFF funding from the Australian Government’s Targeted Translation Research Accelerator (TTRA) program, delivered by MTPConnect.

Also joining the discussion is Northern Health’s Dr Loren Sher, an emergency specialist who led development of Australia’s first virtual emergency department model, now operating as a Victorian state-wide service. Loren has been instrumental in working with Elif to get the diabetes service up and running. 

Hosts are Caroline Duell, MTPConnect’s Director Media and Communications and Lauren Kelly, Senior Director of the TTRA program.