Funding boost for WA health projects

The state government has awarded $4.3 million to nine health and medical projects, including developing new therapy for liver cancer and delaying Alzheimer’s disease progression.

Medical Research Minister Stephen Dawson last week announced the recipients of the 2022-23 Future Health Research and Innovation Fund.

The funding pool, slightly more than $4.3 million, was awarded to health and medical start-up companies or bodies to advance innovations that has commercial potential for more investment.

Among the recipients is VitalTrace who received $500,000 to develop a commercialisation-ready and clinically compatible fetal monitoring biosensor.

The University of Western Australia received funding for three of its activities, all awarded just under $500,000 each, including finding a bone substitute for osteomyelitis treatment, pursuing a new treatment for gonorrhoea, and developing new therapy for liver cancer, which is led by Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research director Peter Leedman.

Argenica Therapeutics received $418,816 to improve therapeutic delivery to slow Alzheimer's disease progression to be led by Samantha South, a company director.

Argenica chief executive and managing director Liz Dallimore welcomed the grant.

“Should Argenica be successful in developing this new administration route of ARG007, it will allow the company to commercialise a new drug asset for chronic neurological conditions,” she said.

Almost $500,000 was each awarded to Telethon Kids Institute on behalf of UWA for a study on nasal vaccine SpritzOM, to EarFlo to develop a device to non-invasively treat Glue Ear in young children, and to Virex Pharma for GlyXine, an inhalation treatment of Respiratory Syncytial Virus.

HAVApp also received slightly more than $400,000 to fund its HandScan patient trial and regulatory approval.

"These start-ups have the potential to change lives, and this funding will help them secure capital and develop into sustainable businesses,” Mr Dawson said.

"The Innovation Seed Fund is all about building the number of local health and medical innovation start-ups, and supporting them to take their groundbreaking ideas to market.”