Australian clinical-stage biotech Noxopharm (ASX:NOX) has announced a new research collaboration with UNSW Sydney, supported by a TechVoucher grant from the NSW Government, to explore the use of its Sofra technology in reducing inflammation caused by medical implants.
The $25,000 grant, awarded under the state’s TechVouchers program, will fund a feasibility study examining how Noxopharm’s novel anti-inflammatory oligonucleotides could prevent or minimise post-implant inflammation. This common clinical challenge can compromise the success of implanted medical devices. Noxopharm will provide matched funding to support the research.
The project builds on a long-standing partnership between Noxopharm and UNSW, with the university’s research team applying its expertise in immunology and materials science to test Sofra compounds in this new therapeutic context.
Noxopharm Chief Executive Dr Gisela Mautner said the collaboration underscored the versatility and growing potential of the company’s technology platform.
“This grant is another illustration of the potential of our technology, which, because of its ability to mitigate inflammation, could one day be used in a wide variety of settings,” Dr Mautner said. “UNSW has been a longstanding collaborator, and we are very much looking forward to benefiting from their expertise and insights as this study progresses.”
Developed from a breakthrough discovery in immune signalling, Sofra represents a new class of short nucleic acid-based drugs, which are oligonucleotides, designed to regulate inflammation at its source precisely. The platform has broad potential applications across autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, oncology, and RNA therapeutics, with early programs targeting conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and diabetes.
According to industry analysts, the global autoimmune disease therapeutics market was valued at US$163 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow to US$220 billion by 2035. Meanwhile, the immuno-oncology market is projected to reach US$284 billion by 2033.
The collaboration with UNSW aligns with Noxopharm’s broader strategy of leveraging Australian research expertise to advance novel anti-inflammatory treatments derived from Sofra and its complementary oncology-focused Chroma platform.
Dr Mautner said the study would also highlight how Australian biotech–academic partnerships can accelerate the translation of discovery science into practical, clinically relevant innovation. “This is exactly the type of collaboration that demonstrates how Australian research can lead the world in pioneering new therapeutic approaches,” she said.