ad image
Wednesday Sep 25, 2024

Day 16: Biotherapeutics and Brain Science

Exploring the Future of Live Biotherapeutics

Day 16 of Road to the Max: Australia saw us reunited with the Interceptor, thanks to the expert team at NAS. Eager to regain momentum, we headed north out of Brisbane to Coolum Beach for a visit with Servatus, an Australian biothech developing live biotherapeutics for a range of autoimmune disorders. After a tour of the lab led by Nicolas Pichon, General Manager, we had the pleasure of taking Mark Williams, CEO of Servatus, for a spin in the Interceptor. Mark shared more about Servatus’s innovative work and its focus on autoimmune diseases, giving us a glimpse into the future of biotherapeutics.

Road to the Max University Tour

Next, we made our way to the Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) at the University of Queensland. We met with Rachel de las Heras, Ultrasound Product Development Manager, who gave us an inside look at QBI’s groundbreaking research in treatments for neurodegenerative, psychiatric, and age-related brain diseases. To close out the day, we visited the Queensland University of Technology, where we took a closer look at their synthetic biology lab. It was an inspiring day filled with cutting-edge science, innovation, and new discoveries, all fueled by the roar of the Interceptor. Stay tuned as we near the final stretch of our journey on the Road to the Max: Australia!

NAS
Queensland University of Technology
Rentschler Biopharma
Resolian
Richter-Helm
RoosterBio
RSK Live Science Media
Sai Life Sciences
Samsung Biologics
SanaClis
Sanisure
scantox
Science 37
Servatus
Ultrathera
Queensland University of Technology's Cutting-Edge Synthetic Biology Lab

We met with Dr. Wayne Johnston, Research Associate and Lecturer, Dr. James Antoney, Postdoctoral Fellow in Protein Engineering, and Mica Fiorito, Ph.D. student at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). As members of Professor Kirill Alexandrov's and Dr. James Behrendorff's labs, they discuss their work in QUT’s synthetic biology lab and the exciting potential for synthetic biology to be applied in diagnosing diseases like cancer. Their cutting-edge research is paving the way for innovative diagnostic methods that could transform how diseases are detected and treated in the near future.

QBI is Helping Translate Brain Research into Treatments

Dr. Rachel de las Heras, Ultrasound Product Development Manager at The Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) on the University of Queensland campus in Brisbane, shares QBI’s mission to understand the fundamentals of brain function. The institute focuses on translating this knowledge into breakthrough treatments for brain diseases, neurodegenerative conditions, and psychiatric disorders. Through its dedicated research, QBI is paving the way for innovative therapies to address some of the most challenging health issues of our time.

Exploring the Microbiome with Servatus

Nicolas Pichon, General Manager of Australian Biotherapeutics and Head of Biomanufacturing, shares how Servatus is innovating in the field of live biotherapeutics to address a wide range of health conditions, from IBS to insomnia. With a focus on developing a curated consortium of controlled bacteria, Servatus is pioneering new approaches to microbiome-based therapies, offering promising advancements in the biomanufacturing and therapeutic landscapes.

Don't try this at home, kids.
Nicolas Pichon, General Manager at Servatus.
Looking good, Nicolas.
Comedy & Tragedy Gooding.
Headed into the Servatus facility in Coolum Beach.
Mark Williams, CEO of Servatus.
Vroom vroom.
Some of the brains behind the Queensland Brain Institute.
Rachel de las Heras, Ultrasound Product Development Manager at the Queensland Brain Institute.
Posing with the QUT crew.
The light is on, which means we're going fast.
Wayne from the QUT lab is ready to ride.
Wayne, James, and Mica at Queensland University of Technology.
Returning to nature outside the Servatus facility.
Team Servatus posing with the Interceptor.
Never too far from the Interceptor.
Headed onto the QUT campus.
Some passers-by enjoying some quality time with the Interceptor.