Eleven life sciences companies will spend three minutes each making their case to investors on the Gold Coast this month. They will have no slides to lean on. They will need to explain plainly where they stand, what they plan to achieve next and how much money it will take.
The two new Capital Sprint sessions are part of the AusBiotech International Conference. They have been designed to bring companies and investors into the same room for a focused conversation about progress and capital. The companies work across cancer therapies, neurological disease, drug delivery, digital diagnostics, and medical imaging, showing how broad the field of Australian innovation seeking investment has become.
The format is simple by design. Each presenter gets three minutes, and then investors respond with questions and observations. That exchange is the point of the exercise. It shows delegates how investors weigh a company's current position, its next milestones and the funding it says it needs.
The first session, Capital Sprint Public Markets, runs on Wednesday 21 October and features five listed companies. It targets businesses with an established market presence, catalysts on the horizon, and a clear plan for the next phase.
Avecho Biotechnology builds pharmaceutical products on its proprietary TPM drug delivery technology. Its lead program is an oral cannabidiol formulation now in a Phase III clinical trial for insomnia.
BlinkLab Limited is using artificial intelligence and smartphones to help clinicians assess autism. Its technology measures reflex responses and gives objective information that can sit alongside clinical observation.
Starpharma works with dendrimers, precisely structured molecules at the nanoscale. Its DEP drug delivery platform aims to improve how medicines are delivered and how well they perform, particularly in cancer treatment.
Alterity Therapeutics is pursuing treatments that could change the course of neurodegenerative disease. Its lead candidate, ATH434, is being developed for multiple system atrophy, a rare and progressive neurological condition.
Optiscan makes microscopic imaging technology that lets clinicians and researchers see tissue at the cellular level in real time. The technology has uses in digital pathology and precision surgery, where it can help guide decisions about tissue during a procedure.
On Thursday 22 October, the focus moves to private companies. Capital Sprint Venture, sponsored by Google Cloud, showcases six companies with a clear investment proposition, credible progress, and a defined next milestone.
Anaxis Pharma is developing small molecule medicines that target necroptosis, a form of cell death that drives inflammation. The company hopes to give people with chronic inflammatory diseases new treatment options.
Delica Bio uses cell-free synthesis and biocatalysis to produce naturally occurring compounds with therapeutic potential. The Australian company focuses on compounds that are hard to manufacture, aiming to make them easier to use in pharmaceutical development.
FivepHusion is working on cancer treatments intended to improve both outcomes and quality of life. Its lead program, Deflexifol, is a new formulation designed to overcome limitations of existing chemotherapy.
HaemaLogiX is developing targeted immunotherapies for blood cancers and B cell disorders, with a particular focus on multiple myeloma. Its pipeline includes antibody and CAR T cell therapies that recognise specific targets on cancerous cells while leaving healthy plasma cells alone.
Novoroo Bioscience is developing biological therapies to restore the brain and spinal cord's ability to repair themselves. Its research covers spinal cord injury, multiple sclerosis and conditions involving abnormal tau protein, including Alzheimer's disease.
TargTex is developing treatments delivered directly into hard-to-treat tumours. Its lead program targets glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer. The company's hydrogel approach places therapy at the tumour site during surgery so it can attack any cancer cells left behind.
Across the two days, delegates will hear from companies on quite different capital pathways. They will also hear the questions investors ask as they judge progress, milestones and future funding needs.
Capital Sprint sits within the conference's Investment and Global Growth stream. The AusBiotech International Conference runs from 21 to 23 October on the Gold Coast alongside the AusMedtech Conference as part of Australia's Biggest Week in Biotech.
The full program and registration details are available at www.biggestweekinbiotech.com.
