The BridgeTech Program

📢 ICYMI! Here's what the team got up to in November! 📰 MTPConnect and AusBiotech convened Australia’s first National Biotech and Medtech Development and Commercialisation Summit in Canberra. Read the Summit Communique! 🎧 Tune into our podcast episodes marking World Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week (WAAW) with Australian Antimicrobial Resistance Network (AAMRNet) and Pfizer ANZ’s Anne Harris and NHS England's David Glover. Annual events - WA Life Sciences Innovation Hub's Spotlight on 2024 and MTPConnect Adelaide Intermediary Program's #APPLAUSE24 celebrates the life sciences sector! 🔬 And this month’s case study features the The Bridge Program and The BridgeTech Program Industry Fellowships Program through MTPConnect’s #REDI initiative and how it gave research academics a ‘peek’ behind the door of industry to obtain valuable experience! 🌟 Want to find out what is happening in the sector? Subscribe to stay up to date on the latest news! ✏ https://lnkd.in/gfWpM62Y Stuart Dignam, Hon. Jaala Pulford., Lauren Eve Kelly, Erin McAllum, Mana Liao, PhD, Lisa Dubé, MTPConnect Adelaide Intermediary Program, WA Life Sciences Innovation Hub, Tracey Wilkinson, Andrew Bowskill, Duncan Macinnis, Dana Bell, Amelia Vom ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gazsb8kY

What a massive 2 months it’s been! Here are my highlights from October and November: Health Ready Pipeline Showcase: October kicked off with the WA HSP Innovation Showcase at Fiona Stanley Hospital. It was a privilege to present Materia’s experience working with South Metropolitan Health Service. Thank you Tim Leen Deepti Shukla Grace Gatt-Lodding Magleeta Pereira The MedTech Conference, Toronto: Around the world in 7 days! I was honored to attend as part of the Australian delegation, alongside Lauren Ayton, supported by MTPConnect and The BridgeTech Program. This travel grant enabled us to make invaluable connections with FDA regulatory experts, product developers, US Defence and Mayo Clinic Destination Medical Center (DMC). I was blown away by Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network and MaRS, where hospitals, research centres, and spin-out companies integrate and collaborate. Check out my conversation with MTPConnect CEO Stuart Dingnam about it: https://lnkd.in/g24SgGxR 2024 WA Innovator of the Year Awards: After returning to Perth, we attended the WA Innovator of the Year Awards as Finalists in the Rio Tinto Emerging Innovation category. It was a humbling experience to be recognized alongside some of the best innovators in WA. Congratulations to the winners Uluu and SeaStock, and a heartfelt thank you to the judges and Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation for supporting us! ANZBA Australian New Zealand Burn Association ASM: Next stop, Auckland! I had the opportunity to present my latest PhD research on a new grading system for airway assessment in smoke inhalation injury patients. The response has been overwhelming, with discussions about a multi-centre study and a special interest group already underway. Thanks to my supervisors, Fiona Wood Foundation and the Wheatley Family Foundation for supporting this research. A new home: Materia Health has a new office! We’ve officially moved into a beautiful space in Maylands, which has quickly become a hub of activity with our interns and 3D printer humming in the background. Watching our journey evolve from an idea to a team has been the most rewarding experience for me as a founder. MedTech Masterclass: Just attended the MedTech Masterclass hosted by Life Sciences WA and Innovate Medtech. It was a fantastic event that deepened my understanding of IP, regulations, quality management systems, and product development. And dinner hosted by Integrated IP | Intellectual Property & Advisory was amazing! Thanks Michael Challenor and Tobias Schoep or organizing. That’s a wrap for November! But stay tuned—we have some exciting news coming next week during West Tech Fest! Michael Challenor Cosimo Santella Lincoln Black Alex Di Giovanni Sanjeev Adhikari Mikayla Hollamby WA Life Sciences Innovation Hub Tracey Wilkinson Kevin Pfleger Oliver Bazzani David Morrison Jarrod Belcher GAICD Jo Glew Hon. Jaala Pulford Kim Wiltshire Kylle Jordan Shannon Griffin

🌟 Reflecting on a Successful Year: Bridge and BridgeTech Programs Closing Event! 🌟 Yesterday we celebrated the 2024 Bridge and BridgeTech Programs in Brisbane, bringing together current participants, alumni, and industry partners. This gathering was a wonderful opportunity to share insights, discuss our achievements, and confront the challenges we've encountered over the past year. As we celebrated our collective journey, we also laid the groundwork for future collaborations that will drive innovation and success in our fields. A heartfelt thank you to our program partners, alumni and 2024 participants for a fantastic year! QUT Centre for Genomics and Personalised Health MTPConnect #BridgeProgram #BridgeTech #Networking #Collaboration #Innovation #Achievements #MedTech #BioTech #Pharma #Commercialisation

📢 New case study! 📢 🍭💓💻👨🏾⚕️👩🔬🧑🏼🔬 QUT (Queensland University of Technology)’s Cardiovascular Engineering Laboratory has developed a new way to #diagnose clogged #arteries in people with #diabetes and #cardiovasculardisease. The project, which has been co-designed with #clinicians, #community and #consumers, was supported from its early stages by MTPConnect's Targeted Translation Research Accelerator (#TTRA) program and is on the path to #translation and #commercialisation. ✨🖥💡💓🍪 💰 An #innovative approach by an #interdisciplinary team at QUT (Queensland University of Technology) – integrating #medical #imaging #technology with #computational #fluid #dynamics (#CFD) analysis – has the potential to improve the understanding and management of #vascular #disease in people living with #diabetes and #cardiovascular #disease. Find out how #TTRA #funding played a #crucial role. Hon. Jaala Pulford, Stuart Dignam, Lauren Eve Kelly, Erin McAllum, Mana Liao, PhD, Andrew Bowskill, Hujin Xie, Zhiyong Li, Jorge Amaya Cataño, Mingyang(Aaron) Yuan, Han Yu, The Australian Centre for Accelerating Diabetes Innovations (ACADI), Australian Stroke and Heart Research Accelerator (ASHRA), Diabetes Australia, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Diabetes Victoria, ANDHealth, University of Sydney, The BridgeTech Program, Danielle Shand, Jarrod Belcher GAICD

Today, I had the opportunity to attend Medical Technology Association of Australia (MTAA) RegConnect24 in Sydney, where I gained valuable insights into the regulatory landscape for medical devices and IVDs from the Therapeutic Goods Administration. While primarily geared towards regulatory professionals, the event truly opened my eyes to the complexity of regulatory affairs in the MedTech space. This knowledge will be invaluable for HatiSens as we navigate through the regulatory pathway for our device. I also had the chance to connect with many amazing professionals across the field. A big thank you to The BridgeTech Program Program for this opportunity following my PitchTech 2023 win! Also, much appreciation to the Integrated Photonics and Applications Centre for the continued support. I particularly enjoyed the dazzling debate about whether robots have a role in the regulation of MedTech at the end! Looking forward to attending the MTAA MedTech Conference tomorrow—see you there! #regulatory #medtech #healthcare #mtaa #tga

I had a blast attending the Medical Technology Association of Australia (MTAA) MedTech Conference! The sessions were incredibly insightful, and I’m feeling even more inspired to continue my journey with HatiSens. Hearing the story of Street Side Medics by Daniel Nour was particularly moving and an eye-opener for me. It’s a powerful reminder that I need to be more aware of the healthcare challenges faced by the homeless community. Another session I really enjoyed was the hypothetical discussion between entrepreneurs and investors at the end of Day 1. That was a thoughtful discussion about capital raising, and it sparked some great ideas for navigating the funding landscape. While I could not tag everyone, it was lovely meeting everyone in the conference! I will be reaching out again to follow up on the discussions. Special thanks to The BridgeTech Program for sponsoring this trip as the winner of PitchTech 2023 as well as to Oded VanHam and Alejandro Caro for the introductions and engaging conversations! As always, thank you to Integrated Photonics and Applications Centre for the support! #medtech #MTAA #HatiSens #startup

WOW - what a huge 10 days! I am about to fly home from a mammoth trip, first representing University of Melbourne Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences at the MTPConnect Delegation to Minneapolis (including a visit to the amazing Mayo Clinic), and then on to the #MTC24 conference in Toronto, and finally time with my wonderful collaborator elise heon at Toronto Hospital for Sick Kids, and a day being shown the wonders of the MaRS Discovery District, including CCRM. So many things learnt, new connections made, and ideas percolating. Huge thanks to The BridgeTech Program, who supported Emily Zhen and myself as part of the BridgeTech Pitch Competition prize, and the wonderful Australian delegation for being a family away from home. Feeling incredibly inspired about what we can achieve in Australia, and all of the wonderful work being done to bring medical technology to patients around the globe! Carolin McCaffrey Global Victoria Hon. Jaala Pulford Stuart Dignam Tracey Wilkinson Jarrod Belcher GAICD Jo Glew Anders Sideris Stephen Skeen Kent DiasAbeygunawardena Michael Challenor Kim Wiltshire Lachlan (Lockie) Cooke Stefan Czyniewski Jean-Frederic Levesque Sanchitha Fernando Chelsea Cornelius ShanShan Wang Lauren Richardson Iman Manavitehrani Alita Singer Aneis Reed Martin Cook

Our Chief Operating Officer, Lisa Dubé, kicks off the first day of MTPConnect’s Development Workshop Series in Sydney today. In her opening remarks, Lisa said this event is a terrific opportunity for start-ups participating in our Accelerator programs to get Investor Ready. With 84 guests representing 52 organisations from around Australia attending this two-day event, Lisa remarked that this was the first event bringing together awardees of MTPConnect’s Clinical Translation and Commercialisation Medtech program (CTCM), Targeted Translation and Research Accelerator (TTRA) program as well as participants of the Industry Growth Program (IGP). Joining program participants were special guests Dr Alan Woods (Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care), Dr peter spencer (Peter Spencer & Associates), CTCM Steering Committee members Prof Lyn Griffiths AM (The BridgeTech Program QUT (Queensland University of Technology), Prof Karen Reynolds from Medical Device Partnering Program, Hebbat Manhy from Cicada Innovations and, on behalf of Therapeutic Innovation Australia, Dr Heather Donaghy. Today’s workshop with Intrinsika focuses on how to identify and maximise intangible assets. Stuart Dignam, Hon. Jaala Pulford, Danielle Shand, Michelle L., Andionne Parlade, Lauren Eve Kelly, Mana Liao, PhD, Erin McAllum, Dharmica Mistry (PhD, GAICD), Duncan Macinnis, Brett Kensett-Smith, Michael Masterson, Amelia Vom

Reflecting on 3 Years at the University of Melbourne The past three years have been an extraordinary journey of growth, innovation, and impactful contributions at University of Melbourne. I've had the privilege to be part of digital health initiatives that are shaping the future of healthcare, and I’m excited to share some key highlights. In September 2021 I joined the Centre for Digital Transformation of Health and my superstar colleagues. Since that time, I have worked with exceptional teams to apply for 32 grants, collectively valued at $16.5M, and securing over $1.8M in critical funding. The most significant funded project I’ve led was a one-year effort to deliver the National Pancreatic Cancer Road Map project, funded by Cancer Australia and spearheaded by the remarkable Professor Jennifer Philips. This initiative has been instrumental in shaping a national response to pancreatic cancer. Along the way, I've celebrated meaningful, personal milestones, such as hitting 100 citations on my most cited paper, being awarded a REDI Fellowship through the MTPConnect The BridgeTech Program to improve my commercialisation knowledge and  running the inaugural Australian Digital Health Evidence Generation Bootcamp with DigitalHealth.London. Leadership and advocacy remain a personal mission which I deliver on in my role. During 2024 I have been participating in the Australasian Institute of Digital Health (AIDH) Women in Digital Health Leadership Program and throughout 2023 I worked steadily to advance critical discussions on health equity with the Digital Health Festival and Oxford Institute for Digital Health. I also have translated this work in healthcare leadership education programs at University of Melbourne and publications in top journals like JMIR Publications. As I look ahead, I remain dedicated to driving further digital health innovation and equity. Here’s to the future and our ongoing mission to make healthcare more accessible, innovative, and fair for everyone. Thank you to Wendy Chapman and Meredith Layton for your leadership and support. #DigitalHealth #HealthEquity #InnovationLeadership #MedTech #HealthcareTransformation #EquitableCare #FutureOfHealthcare

I had a great time being involved with QUT's 2024 The BridgeTech Program for medical device commercialisation and highly recommended it for anyone interested in that area. Congratulations to Materia Health for your win in the PitchTech competition!