Victorian Deputy Premier and Minister for Medical Research Ben Carroll has officially opened the newly built Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre (MMIC) in the Monash Technology Precinct.
Funded through an $8.58 million investment from the Victorian Higher Education State Investment Fund and $4 million from Monash University, MMIC’s expansion to Clayton builds on the work based at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS) in Parkville.
Minister Carroll also announced a grant awarded to MMIC by the Cumming Global Centre for Pandemic Therapeutics. The grant will fund the development of a potential new therapeutic agent for treating respiratory infections and inflammation.
Professor Michelle McIntosh, director of MMIC, said the Centre’s expansion to Clayton will deliver far-reaching benefits to the Victorian community.
“This new facility represents a significant advancement in Victoria’s research commercialisation opportunities. Our team of dedicated pharmaceutical scientists are committed to driving forward the end-to-end development of a range of medicines using state-of-the-art technology, from laboratory-scale projects right through to local manufacture of medicines for clinical trials,” said Professor McIntosh.
“We’re also thrilled to have Cumming Global Centre’s Professor Sharon Lewin join us for the MMIC launch. Fostering collaboration between research institutes is central to MMICs mission, and we are excited to be working with Professor Lewin and her team to progress a new treatment for respiratory viruses and further strengthen Australia’s resilience to future health emergencies.”
Inaugural Director of the Cumming Global Centre, Melbourne Laureate Professor Sharon Lewin congratulated Professor McIntosh on the grant and said she looks forward to seeing the project come to fruition.
“In a globally competitive process, Professor McIntosh’s exploration of an innovative delivery system to treat future respiratory viruses stood out for both scientific excellence and its alignment to the Centre’s mission to advance the science behind therapeutics for pathogens of pandemic potential,” Professor Lewin said.
Monash University Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Sharon Pickering said the permanent MMIC facility is an important new addition to the Monash Technology Precinct.
“This new facility will further strengthen the research and development capability of the Monash Technology Precinct innovation ecosystem, joining world-leading research and technology organisations such the CSIRO, the Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication, the Victorian Heart Hospital and the soon-to-be completed Moderna manufacturing facility.
“By being located in the world-class Monash Technology Precinct, the MMIC will provide our researchers, precinct partners and local and international companies the opportunity to develop, test and scale-up new medicines here in Australia without going off-shore."