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Wednesday Sep 04, 2024

Day 01: Shifting into high gear on Road to the Max: Australia

Fueling the Fury: The Start of Journey Through Australia's Pharma Frontier

Welcome to Day 01 of Road to the Max: Australia! In true Mad Max style, our team of five hit the ground running on the first official day. Today we're blazing through Melbourne, home to about 40% of Australian life science companies and over 60% of Australian pharmaceutical exports. With our sixth member — producer Phill Neill — en route, we wasted no time tearing through the city, ready to engage with the industry's top minds. Fasten your seatbelt, because you're in for our wildest "Road To..." ride yet.

Finally Putting the Pedal to the Metal

The day kicked off with a visit to PCI Pharma, where Dr. Michèle Stokes, Vice President of the Asia Pacific Region, gave us a tour of their state-of-the-art facility, offering a glimpse into the future of Australia’s booming clinical trials landscape. With 188 kilometers of asphalt behind us, we ended on a visit with Clint O’Neill, Founder & CEO of National Auto Service (NAS), the man who fueled our journey by connecting us with Brett and Karen Gooding, the Ford Falcon Interceptor's owners. Buckle up and join us as we speed through the wilds of Australia, where innovation is just around the bend!

TriRx Pharma
Tedor Pharmaceuticals
SAI Rentschler
Rentschler
PCI
NAS
Fujim
Experic
BioXCell
Biosidus
Kineticos
Scorpius Biomanufacturing
Gray's
ppd
Avid Bioservices
Road Tripping is Much Easier with Your Own Mechanic On Hand

On Day 01 of Road to the Max: Australia, Nigel Walker sat down with Clinton O’Neill, Founder & CEO of National Auto Service (NAS), the team responsible for keeping our journey on track. From sourcing the legendary Interceptor to ensuring its top-notch condition throughout our 3,000 km road trip, Clint and his team played a crucial role in our adventure.

One of Our First Looks at the Burgeoning Australia Biotech Ecosystem

In this insightful interview, Michèle Stokes, Ph.D., VP of the Asia Pacific Region at PCI Pharma Services, offered the crew a tour of their Melbourne facility. Michèle discusses the exciting direction of the industry, focusing on the rapid growth of mRNA technologies and the emergence of personalized, precision medicines driven by cell and gene therapies. She also offers a glimpse into PCI’s advanced temperature-controlled warehousing and explains how the company is supporting innovators in Australia's booming biopharma clinical trials landscape and the APAC region.

Lucas and Adama lurking in the shadows.
Remember to keep your hands at 10 and 2.
It's Michèle Stokes' turn for a shot with the Interceptor.
Clint O'Neill poses with the Interceptor.
Clint, Rocco, and Nigel in deep conversation on the beach.
Rocco's ready to get behind the wheel.
Nigel, Rocco, and Clint looking like they're ready to take on Australia.
Now this is a man who looks like he knows a thing or two about cars.
Lucas, quit texting, we're trying to do a photo shoot here.
Rocco, Adama, and Clint just before the team departs from NAS headquarters.
Aaron Lofts was kind enough to give us a tour of Grays Auction House.
The Day 01 shadow pose.
There she is in all her majestic beauty.
The whole NAS crew came out to wish the team good luck on the road trip.
Adama made a new friend.
A steely day in Melbourne today.
Phill Neill's hiding in the background.
This '71 Ford Falcon GT looks a bit more gently used than ours.