‘Women are leading the biotech industry in Australia and India’

Keith Anthonisz, manager for biotechnology in the department of industry and resources of the Western Australian Government, has vast experience in both government and the private sector in technology development and intellectual property commercialisation. In an interview with Balakrishnan Nair and Shivangi Ambani, Keith Anthonisz says he is keen to support alliances and partnerships between India and Western Australia has found huge potential in the exchange of biotech capabilities.

Please give a brief profile about yourself.

My association with technology spans for more than two decades during which I have been a consultant with Technology and Innovation Management Pty Ltd. Presently, I am the manager for biotechnology in the department of industry and resources of the Western Australian Government. Technology and Innovation Management Pvt Ltd is a university-owned company, managing intellectual property agreements and developing commercialisation strategies for new technologies. Our team is focussed on the development of biotechnology industries by leveraging of Western Australian strengths like biomedical research supported by research institutes and foundations in cancer, diabetes, genomics, burns research and opthalmology, agricultural biotech, environmental technology and bioinfomatics.

What has been the response at Bangalore Bio 2005?

The purpose of Australia’s participation in Bangalore Bio 2005 was to highlight inherent strengths of Western Australia like highly skilled workforce, innovative companies, low research costs and biodiversity to the Indian biotechnology industry. The response to our participation was excellent. We have extended invitation to Indian companies to participate in the AusBiotech 2005 to be held in Perth, Western Australia in November this year. So far, around 20 companies—including private companies and academic institutes—have evinced interest to participate in our event.

What are the trends witnessed in the biotechnology industry in Australia?

The biotechnology industry is one of the fastest growing sectors in Australia. There are around 400 biotech companies in Australia, of which around 140 companies are situated in Western Australia. In fact, the biotechnology industry in the state of Western Australia has an approximate share of 18 per cent. The industry has witnessed rapid growth over the past five years with the number of core biotechnology companies almost doubling. Considering the importance of this industry, the Western Australian Biotechnology Initiatives Program was launched by the Minister for State Development in November 2004.

Proteomics International, Tri-Med Distributors Pty Ltd and Inner Vision Biometrics Pty Ltd are some of the leading companies which have evinced interest in alliances with the Indian industry. Proteomics Interna-tional is a drug discovery service company offering services in peptide synthesis, peptide analysis, amino acid analysis, protein analysis and mass spectrometric services.

Tri-Med Distributors holds patents on diagnostic methods for the stomach cancer causing bacteria Helicobacter pylori.

Nanotechnology is also an emerging area and Psivida is a leading company manufacturing nanostructured porous silicon for multiple potential applications in healthcare with a core focus on drug delivery.

What are your views about the Indian biotechnology industry?

The Indian biotechnology industry is an emerging one with a highly educated community of scientists and researchers, strong support from government and a growing infrastructure base. Of the 800 companies active in the market, around 50 of them work on advanced biotechnology applications.

India needs to invest resources in the academic and industrial biotechnology sectors both in research and development and infrastructure. However, certain factors continue to be crucial to the development of the biotechnology industry in India like infrastructure, R&D, alliances (institutional and academic), industry alliances and regulatory support.

Recently, Dr Fiona Wood, co-founder of Clinical Cell Culture, a private company recognised in medical circles for its world-leading research and breakthroughs in the treatment of burns, was presented the Australian of the Year Awards 2005.

Similarly, Kiran Mazumdar Shaw chairman and managing director of Biocon Ltd leads the Indian biotechnology industry. So I think, women are leading the biotechnology segment in India and Australia.

Can you brief about universities offering support for biotechnology?

Western Australia has around five universities as well as colleges and vocational training establishments that attract around 30,000 foreign students from 60 countries annually. Besides, Bentley Technology Park, the leading technology park in Australia has around 80 innovative companies currently in operation. The park has an international alliance network with other technology, science and research parks worldwide through its strong link with the International Association of Science Parks.

Besides, the Western Australian Genetic Epidemi-ology Resource (WAGER) is a national resource of unique population health data collected and managed over three decades. WAGER, which is a part of the Western Australian Institute for Medical Research (WAIMR) has a significant capability to support research in medical biostatical genetics and in genetic epidemiology of specific clinical diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease and sleep apnea.

What are the salient features of AusBiotech 2005?

AusBiotech 2005 is scheduled to be held in Perth during November 20 to 23, 2005. The event is a major conference in the Australian biotechnology industry supporting business partnering and investment. The objective of AusBiotech 2005 is to encourage alliances and partnerships between India and Australia. The theme of the event is Linking the Region. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw will be the keynote speaker at the event.

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