- Government invests $2 million in mRNA production facility in Western Australia
- First Australian centre to focus solely on RNA technology for cancer treatment
- RNA Foundry will foster engagement and partnerships between academia and industry.
Western Australia’s specialist biotechnology industry has received more than $2 million from the Cook Government’s Future Health Research and Innovation (FHRI) Fund to establish Australia’s first specialist centre for the development of RNA technology for cancer treatment.
Medical Research Minister Stephen Dawson said the University of Western Australia
Archa Fox was the first recipient of the FHRI National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategic Partnership Program to establish the RNA Foundry in Western Australia.
This FHRI Fund investment will be supplemented by an additional $4.78 million in additional funding from NCRIS through Therapeutic Innovation Australia (TIA) and the University of Western Australia (UWA).
The RNA Production Center is part of a national network of RNA Production Centers established to support and accelerate the translation of RNA discoveries into therapeutics for society.
The WA Node will see researchers and innovators collaborate and work alongside oncologists, consumers and patient advocates to design, produce, test and improve experimental RNA products.
It will be the first centre in Australia to focus exclusively on the application of RNA technology in oncology treatments, attracting and developing a generation of scientists and improving outcomes for a wide range of cancers.
RNA technology has emerged to the forefront of treatments during the COVID-19 pandemic with its use in vaccine production, and it is a promising technology for cancer treatment, as treatments can be tailored to individual patients and tumors.
The Cook Government established the FHRI Fund in 2020, backed by the state’s sovereign wealth fund of around $1.8 billion. This has provided nearly $250 million over the next four years to support health and medical research and innovation in Western Australia.
Comments attributed to Medical Research Minister Stephen Dawson:
“This is another pioneering medical treatment being implemented in Western Australia made possible by investment through the Cook Government’s FHRI Fund.
“Our government’s FHRI Fund is proud to partner with TIA and UWA through the NCRIS program to help develop new RNA therapies and improve outcomes and quality of life for those living with cancer.
“Investing in health and medical research infrastructure such as the RNA Foundry is critical to ensuring Western Australia has the capacity and expertise to capitalise on health and medical research and innovation opportunities.
“This combined investment will lead to improvements in health and medical policy and practice, improved patient care and ultimately better health outcomes for the people of Western Australia.
“It will also strengthen Western Australia as a centre for high-quality training and research, attracting talented students and researchers to our state.”
