AdAlta (ASX:1AD) has announced the awarding of a Science and Industry Endowment Fund (SIEF) Business Fellowship to Dr Chris Hosking.
The fellowship program, which the company said further strengthens its collaboration with La Trobe University, aims to build deeper connections and collaborations between researchers and industry, accelerate the adoption of new ideas and technology while also helping businesses to grow into larger and more profitable organisations.
The program also provides practical industry experience for early career researches.
According to AdAlta CEO Sam Cobb, “This SIEF Fellowship provides non-dilutive funding to facilitate further development of our i-body pipeline.”
The fellowship will support Dr Hosking’s work with Professor Mick Foley, AdAlta chief scientific officer, at the La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science.
The company said it will give Dr Hosking and AdAlta the opportunity to focus on identifying potential new clinical candidates from its proprietary i-body library.
The fellowship will provide a total of $427,000 in funding - $210,000 from CSIRO.
“Under the SIEF grant we will screen the i-body library to identify and develop new i-body candidates against difficult to access drug targets such as complex signalling proteins called GPCRs," said Professor Foley. "Chris is an excellent candidate for the fellowship because he has extensive experience working with phage displays and screening libraries. Chris brings significant expertise to the AdAlta team.”
Dr Daniel Grant, La Trobe pro-vice chancellor (industry engagement), said, “La Trobe recognises the importance of engaging with, and building strong partnerships with, innovative companies. We have had a longstanding and productive relationship with AdAlta and this Fellowship is a great outcome for both parties.”