State’s Bio 2006 support pays off

A much-heralded mission to a key US biotechnology forum appears to have achieved some significant success and provided a point of difference from the days when industry was critical of poor support from the then Geoff Gallop-led government.

Premier Alan Carpenter, who is also state development minister, recently led a large delegation to Bio 2006 in Chicago, with the state government claiming ground-breaking results from the world’s largest biotechnology event.

The move is more akin to the style of Queensland’s Peter Beattie, who has ensured his state has a major presence in several key global industry events, especially in the biotechnology field.

Industry groups as widely dispersed as wine and travel have been critical of the lack of state support at major global showcases.

During the April conference, Mr Carpenter witnessed the signing of an agreement between the WA Institute of Medical Research and US-based XBio Systems to help implement a software system for clinical trials of new treatments for diseases such as asthma, cancer and diabetes.

The Bio 2006 conference also provided an opportunity for Mr Carpenter to follow up a memorandum of understanding signed in November last year with the University of California Science and Technology Research Programs and Initiatives regarding collaboration and cooper-ation in research and technology.

Department of Industry and Resources Biotechnology manager Keith Anthonisz said the presence of the premier sent a signal that the government was committed to building the industry.

“The conference is very important in terms of how these companies develop networks internationally,” he said.

Mr Anthonisz said the number of WA participants at the event had increased markedly, from 35 last year to 53 in 2006.

“There has been momentum building in the industry,” he said. “I think there is a view in the investment community that biotechnology is something that [WA] is becoming more active in.”

UWA’s WAIMR Laboratory for Genetic Epidemiology head and 2005 40under40 winner, Professor Lyle Palmer, told WA Business News the substantial WA presence illustrated the rise of the industry in the state.

“It was very positive and very important the premier attended the conference, as it gave him the oppor-tunity to see how our state compared to the rest of the world in terms of biotechnology,” Professor Palmer said.

He said WAIMR’s partnership with X Bio Systems could have a major impact on the clinical trials industry, with the software system offering improved efficiency and cost savings of up to 40 per cent.

“The fact that WA will be at the forefront of such a revolution is very exciting,” Professor Palmer said.

“We believe it will benefit both industry and the general community through increased access to clinical trials and improved health.”

Mr Anthonisz said a final agreement was expected soon on the University of California STRI deal.

“We are looking at working together to cooperate in areas relevant to economic and social development, exchange of views in supporting the formulation and application of research and technology,” he said.

Mr Anthonisz said joint research and development applications in bio-informatics between the University of California San Francisco Centre for Bioinformatics and Molecular Biostatics and WA companies were possible research projects to come out of the agreement.