New biotech research and manufacturing hub opens at University of Queensland, Australia

A range of hyper accurate cancer drugs is in production at a newly opened research and manufacturing hub at The University of Queensland (UQ). The Australian Research Council (ARC) hub for Advanced Manufacture of Targeted Radiopharmaceuticals (AMTAR) is a one-stop-shop connecting biotech firms with expertise and equipment to design, test and deliver groundbreaking precision cancer treatments.

Created through a $5 million ARC grant and more than $10 million in industry funds, the AMTAR hub operates out of UQ’s Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) with support from collaborators across the radiopharmaceutical supply chain.

Professor Kris Thurecht, AIBN Director of Research and Hub leader, said radiopharmaceuticals were an emerging group of drugs designed to spare the body from the harsh effects of cancer treatment.

“The medical technology is still very much in development, but radiopharmaceuticals already represent a multi-billion-dollar industry that will be integral to modern healthcare,” Professor Thurecht said.

AMTAR is a collaboration between UQ, the University of Sydney and multi-national radiopharmaceutical industry partners including Telix, AdvanCell, Starpharma, Clarity Pharmaceuticals, Cyclowest and GlyTherix.

The AMTAR research hub will also feature contributions from The University of Nottingham and University of Tokyo, as well as the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre in the US.