WEHI’s Dr. Paola Favuzza has been awarded an MTPConnect Researcher Exchange and Development within Industry (REDI) Fellowship, which will provide her with the vital industry experience needed to turn basic scientific research into positive patient outcomes.

In one look

• Dr. Paola Favuzza, Senior Research Officer at WEHI, has been awarded a REDI Fellowship which will enable her to acquire translation skills and knowledge for the drug discovery process.
• Dr. Favuzza will undertake a year-long project at MMV in Switzerland to discover how research conducted within an organization can evolve into clinical trials and the therapeutic market.
• MTPConnect fosters relationships between researchers and industry to accelerate drug discovery potential in Australia. MMV aims to reduce the burden of malaria in endemic countries by developing and distributing effective antimalarial drugs.

Switzerland as part of the stock market

Dr Favuzza, a malaria researcher with over 10 years of experience, will undertake a 12-month project with Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) in Switzerland, a leading product development partnership working to reduce the disease burden of malaria in the world.

There, she will acquire the skills needed to bridge the gap between basic research and clinical trials, including knowledge in drug research and development, while strengthening the relationship between academia and industry.

Dr. Favuzza will return to WEHI at the end of the program to apply his knowledge to the Institute’s drug development and malaria control programs, with the goal of building strong partnerships across industries to build drug discovery capabilities. drugs in Australia.

The REDI initiative is implemented by MTPConnect for the Australian Government’s Medical Research Future Fund and provides industry experiences and skills development for people in the medical, biomedical and pharmaceutical industries to fill skills gaps in these sectors.

Bridging a Vital Gap

The work carried out by MMV and their partners has led to the validation of 19 new antimalarial targets since 1999 and the launch of 11 new products, which have saved the lives of approximately 2.7 million people.

By working with the organization, Dr. Favuzza will learn first-hand about the process that leads to drugs entering the market, from their development in the laboratory to their entry into clinical trials.

Dr. Favuzza said the program will fill this vital skills gap and give him a better understanding of drug discovery and development.

“This fellowship is the perfect bridge between basic and applied research,” she said.

“Although I have extensive knowledge in the laboratory, I have a lot to learn about the processes needed to go beyond the laboratory. This rare training opportunity will fill the knowledge gap I currently have to enable me to contribute to improving the potential for drug discovery in Australia.

While she will oversee how potential antimalarial drug targets can be advanced from a basic research concept, Dr Favuzza said she hopes the fellowship will provide her with skills that can be applied in a context. broader health and other illnesses.

Impactful collaborations

malaria

MMV is currently collaborating with WEHI and has provided critical guidance for potential new antimalarial compounds that have been developed through an extensive drug discovery collaboration between WEHI and Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, where Dr. Favuzza is a key investigator.

WEHI Director Professor Doug Hilton AO said the fellowship would strengthen that relationship and unite efforts to fight a disease that kills hundreds of thousands of people around the world each year.

“Collaborations like these are what allow institutes like ours to make meaningful discoveries,” he said.

“This program will not only fill a critical knowledge gap in academic fields about how research can turn into something of commercial value, but will also allow Paola to bring what she learns back to Switzerland to WEHI and enhance our drug development potential.”

Dr Favuzza said she hopes the program will allow her to be at the forefront of drug development and approval in Australia.

“Australia is a world leader in basic science, but we tend to lag behind in translational research,” she said.

“I am honored to have this opportunity to better understand what it takes to develop medicines beyond the lab to improve health outcomes around the world.”