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The CRC-CGF was the first CRC to be established under the new Commonwealth Cooperative Research Centre scheme in 1991. In 1996 it successfully rebid for a second term and now, after 13 successful years, it has wound up. During its first 10 years, the CRC focussed on discovering and validating new biological targets that had clinical and commercial potential. In mid 2002 – coinciding with the formal fifth year CRC review process and cogniscent of the decision by the CRC-CGF Management Committee not to rebid for a third term – the Scientific and Commercialisation Committee redirected CRC resources into strategies designed to discover molecules active against these targets from which new medicines might be developed. This decision coincided with the establishment within WEHI of the magnificent new Biotechnology Laboratories at the Bundoora site and the CRC has been the pioneer in utilising the high throughput screening and medicinal chemistry laboratories at these Bundoora facilities.
The past year has focussed on developing assays for screening whether they be for in vitro high throughput screening of compound libraries or for in vivo screening in laboratory models of disease. In vivo screens have been conducted or are in progress against models of cancer (the EGFR project) and high throughput screens in vitro have been run against the SOCS1, 2 and 3 proteins as well as the EGF receptor. Compound hits have been found against all these novel targets and are currently being analysed. Medicinal chemistry programs have been run in parallel with these screening programs on leads identified from earlier structural biology and screening studies (SOCS-3 and EGFR projects). These outcomes will be pursued by the partners of the CRC-CGF in planned new arrangements for funding and collaborations after the wind up of the CRC.
The Government perspective in 1990 as articulated by the then Chief Scientist Dr Ralph Slatyer was that too much of Australian research was dispersed and uncompetitive and that there was little to no academic and industry collaboration. The CRC scheme was established as a solution to these problems and the CRC-CGF was the pioneer of the scheme. It has unequivocally realised the benefits of the scheme. The critical mass achieved particularly in the areas of core expertise (particularly in the Central Laboratory for protein and molecular biology based at WEHI and the Fermentation facilities at CSIRO) has been crucial for success, as has been the long-term funding which is a prerequisite for commercialising medical research. The contribution of Amrad in influencing commercial strategy and delivering on commercialising outcomes has been outstanding. The pharmaceutical development expertise/education that has been fostered through experience and interaction has been profound at all levels of those who have participated, from undergraduates in the UROP scheme through to its most senior scientists.
It has been customary over the years to quote from the independent scientific reviews of the CRC-CGF on the benefits it provides to Australians through continued funding. At the end of the CRC-CGF’s pioneer trail it is appropriate to quote from an article published in Australian Life Scientist June 2004, pages 40-43:
“In the last 13 years, the Cooperative Research Centre for Cellular Growth Factors (CRC-CGF) has published something in the order of 400 papers, filed more than 60 patent applications, engaged in numerous commercial agreements and partnerships, and seen 52 PhD students, 28 honours/masters students, four bachelor of medical science students and 62 undergraduate research program students pass through.
“To top it off, one of the receptors discovered by the CRC researchers about 10 years ago was last year the subject of a royalties deal worth more than US$112 million between CRC industry partner Amrad and pharmaceutical behemoth Merck & Co
“It’s a record that participants in Australia’s very first CRC are proud of. It’s also an indication of just how far-seeing government programs designed to foster innovation and commercial success need to be.”
John D. Flack, PhD
Director,
CRC for Cellular Growth Factors
The Cooperative Research Centre for Cellular Growth Factors. Disclaimer and Copyright Information.
December 2004.