NSW Bioactive Discovery and Development Group

The BDDG was established in 2016 to promote better interactions between the academic, government and industrial arms of biotech research in Sydney and the state of New South Wales, and is a forum for researchers to address/discuss the current paradigm for collaborations in drug discovery and development.

The group aims to provide regular networking events for scientists and professionals from academia, industry, research institutes, government organisations, etc., involved in all stages of discovery and development of bioactive molecules. We aim to run 2-3 events each year, open to all in the community (RACI membership provides a small discount). Our events are typically evening functions running between 6 – 10 pm with an informal presentation/speech from one to three speakers (20 - 30 mins) with a large portion of the evening dedicated to Q&A and networking. Depending on the time of year, events are run either independently or as add-ons to a local conference.

The committee would like to thank FB Rice for their continued support of the BDD group events.

 Past Committee

• Chair - Jonathan Foot
• Secretary - Dr Fei Lei
• Eleanor Eiffe
• Jess Gledhill
• Ellen Van Dam
• Thomas Balle
• Roger Read
• Naresh Kumar

Past Speakers

• International Speakers
  

  • Prof. Jane Aldrich, Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Florida

  • Prof. Mike Fainzilber, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel

  • Dr. Joseph Lewcock, Denali Therapeutics, USA

  • Dr. Klaus Muller, ETH Zurich & Roche

  • Dr. Mike Pollastri, Northeastern University, USA

  • Dr. Wendy Young, Senior Vice President, Small Molecules, Genentech, USA

     

• National Speakers
  

  • Dr. Chris Burns, CEO, MetabloQ Pharmaceuticals

  • Dr. Klaus Muller, ETH Zurich & Roche

  • Dr. Kathy Connell, Senior Director of New Ventures, Australia and New Zealand, Johnson & Johnson

  • Dr. Bronwyn Evans, MTPConnect

  • Dr. Wolfgang Jarolimek, Head of Research, Pharmaxis Ltd.

  • Prof. Kate Jolliffe, University of Sydney

  • Prof. Michael Kassiou, University of Sydney

  • Dr. Phil Kearney, Merck Australia

  • Dr. Charles Lindall, Commercialisation Manager, CSIRO

  • Dr. Fei Liu, Macquarie University

  • Dr. Brendon Monahan, Chief Scientific Officer, CTX & WEHI

  • Dr. Keats Nelms, CEO & Co-Founder, Beta Therapeutics & Director, Business Development, ANU

  • A/Prof. Elizabeth New, University of Sydney

  • Prof. Phoebe Phillips, Eisenhower Global Fellow 2019 & UNSW

  • Dr. Susan Pond, Director Biotron Limited and Vectus Biosystems Limited

  • Prof. Phil Robinson, CMRI, University of Sydney

Our Future Events

TBC - We plan to run an event in March 2022 in Sydney CBD and a second one in conjunction with the OMC2022 conference in Wollongong, 20th - 23rd Nov

Our Past Events

• 2019 - 15th October - Drug discovery in Australia: the importance of a healthy relationship between academia & industry

  • Featuring Dr. Brendon Monahan, Chief Scientific Officer, CTX & WEHI and Prof. Phoebe Phillips, Eisenhower Global Fellow 2019 & UNSW.

  • The two speakers provided key insights into strategies on developing wider collaboration between industry and academia, along with better ways of capturing new opportunities through an expanded and more globalized network. An excellent turnout of nearing 80 attendees joined the conversation by sharing their experiences through various Q&A sessions and follow-up small group discussions.

     

• 2019 – 19th June - Commercializing Australian research with the CSIRO ON program

  • Featuring David Burt, Executive Manager, ON Program, CSIRO, with feedback from former participants, including: Dr. Fei Liu, A/Prof. Elizabeth New, Prof. Kate Jolliffe

  •  

  • David Burt led the discussion on the current landscape of commercializing Australian pharmaceutical /biotech research and how the CSIRO ON program may help overcome some of the hurdles in finding the right product-customer fit, commercialization strategies, IP negotiation/ protection, and practical ways of managing time. A lively Q&A session followed, and the networking with drinks and nibbles continued late into the evening amongst an enthusiastic group of ~60 participants including students, academics, lawyers, university officers, and industry partners.;

     

• 2018- 15th November - Drug Discovery in Academia: Naviagating the Path from the Bench to the Clinic
  

  • Featuring Prof. Jane Aldrich (Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, University of Florida), Dr. Keats Nelms (CEO & Co-Founder, Beta Therapeutics & Director, Business Development, ANU), and Dr. Chris Burns (CEO, MetabloQ Pharmaceuticals)

  • The speakers candidly talked about the challenges, as well as joy, associated with translating academic drug discoveries into real word patient benefits. Their insights into how success may be achieved catalyzed highly animated conversations afterwards amongst a crowd of ~70 participants.

• 2018 - 8th of May - From Discovery to commercialization: a tech scout's Persepctive
  

  • Featuring Dr. Phil Kearney, Merck Australia

    
    

  • Phil kicked off by presenting the audience with the challenges that face the pharmaceutical industry as whole, and strategies to meet and adapt to the new requirements and expectations from the public, patient groups and regulatory bodies. From there he outlined how Merck approaches collaborations with academia and start-ups, and what they look for when building productive collaborations, all the way from early stage research to licensing in new drugs.

  • The event was well attended with ~70 people turning up on the night, and the cosy atmosphere of the venue allowed for plenty of discussion and networking for all.

     
• 2017 - 1st December - The Future of CNS Druig Development - Driving Translation with Academia and Industry
  

  • Featuring Dr. Joseph Lewcock (Denali Therapeutics, USA), Prof. Michael Kassiou (University of Sydney) and Prof. Mike Fainzilber (Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel)

  • This event was held at NeuRA (Neuroscience Research Australia) in Randwick. The evening was designed to tie-in with a symposium centred on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease and received a high level of support from the conference organisers. A panel Q&A style session was held which led on to a lively debate, with BDDG members and symposium attendees continuing discussions and networking over drinks and nibbles afterwards.