CUREator, the biotech incubator operated by Brandon BioCatalyst, has awarded $1.23 million in top-up funding to six early-stage projects that have outperformed expectations in its Preclinical and Minimising Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) streams.
The additional support was allocated through a competitive process overseen by each stream’s Investment Review Committee, which assessed both the progress made with initial funding and the strength of applicants’ top-up plans.
From the Preclinical stream, four companies will share $668,710 thanks to funding from the Federal Government’s Medical Research Future Fund Early-Stage Translation and Commercialisation Support (ESTAC) grant. The new grants add to the $2.5 million these biotechs secured in earlier rounds.
The recipients, Frontier Inflammasome Therapeutics (small molecule inhibitors for inflammatory lung and skin conditions), RAGE Biotech (inhaled RNA therapy for chronic lung disease), Cincera Therapeutics (novel drugs for fibrotic disease), and xCystence Bio (therapies for polycystic kidney disease) are pioneering targeted treatments for inflammatory and fibrotic disorders affecting the skin, kidneys, and lungs.
Professor Ian Smyth, project lead at xCystence Bio, said the program had been instrumental in translating research into a commercial opportunity. “Support from the CUREator program has been instrumental in enabling us to found xCystence Bio and in supporting the onward development of a new class of therapeutics to treat polycystic kidney disease, a disease of significant unmet clinical need,” he said.
In the AMR stream, $570,000 was awarded to two projects backed by the CSIRO, supplementing the $930,000 allocated in the first funding round. The awardees are Clinical Branches, which is building a SaaS platform to guide antimicrobial prescribing by integrating patient data with clinical pathways, and Spritz-OM, a program developing a nasal probiotic to prevent childhood ear infections and reduce antibiotic overuse.
Professor Branwen Morgan of CSIRO emphasised the importance of reducing antibiotic dependence. “We need to protect and preserve the power of our life-saving antibiotics,” she said. “CSIRO is delighted to support Spritz-OM and Clinical Branches on their research translation journey that ultimately will help mitigate the impact of antimicrobial resistance on society.”
Clinical Branches co-founder John Shanks, a pharmacist turned software developer, said the funding would allow the team to take the next step. “The CSIRO-funded CUREator grant enabled us to prove the demand for an accessible antimicrobial prescribing tool and we’ll be using the top-up funding to build a mobile version to give guidance with context directly at the point of treatment, transforming emergency and rural care,” he said.
CUREator’s funding model is designed to reward milestone achievement. By redistributing funds from projects that fall short of goals to those exceeding them, the incubator ensures high-performing initiatives maintain momentum.
Brandon BioCatalyst co-founder and managing director Dr Chris Nave said this approach was designed to close a critical gap for early-stage biotech ventures. “CUREator’s top-up funding model is designed to accelerate high-performing projects. By providing timely, targeted follow-up funding, CUREator helps bridge the gap between early-stage innovation and investor-ready progress,” he said.
As Australia continues to produce research with global potential, programs like CUREator are becoming an essential part of the ecosystem, helping promising biotechs build the evidence and momentum needed to attract long-term investment.