UWA health innovation takes to the stage at a ‘Rocking Celebration’

Last week, the WA Life Sciences Innovation Hub was proud to celebrate two decades of health innovation at the University of Western Australia, which was particularly meaningful as UWA has been one of WALSIH’s partners since inception. This was a special occasion marking 20 years since Prof Barry Marshall AC and the late Prof Robin Warren AC received the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Prof Marshall’s upcoming retirement, and the long history of health innovation at the university.

The evening kicked off with a bang; an unforgettable performance from a band of health professionals (joined on stage by Prof Marshall himself!) proving WA knows how to rock both in the lab and on stage.

Hon Stephen Dawson MLC, Minister for Science & Innovation and Medical Research made an address, and in the spirit of the ‘Rocking Celebration’ turned out an Irish jig!

It was a night that showcased the very best of WA research translation, with an impressive line-up of UWA spinouts and research projects:

• Dr Kath Giles, OncoRes Medical – announced the first-ever follow-on investment of $1M from UWA into one of its spinouts.
• John Van Der Wielen, Orthocell – highlighted that the company is now manufacturing in Perth and exporting to nine countries, which has seen its valuation rise rapidly to $320M with bold aspirations of continued growth into the future.
• Prof Donna Geddes, UWA – spoke of UWA’s 30-year partnership with Medela to advance breast pump technology, and the impressive outcomes achieved: 260+ publications and $30M in research funding.
• Dr Maud Eijkenboom, Lixa – spoke of the company’s mission to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR) with a platform approach for global health impact, especially in low socio-economic countries.
• Dr Matthew Piggott, UWA – discussed how his career in science was inspired by his upbringing in regional WA and his father’s Parkinson’s diagnosis, leading to MDMA-inspired drug discovery and a 2024 licence agreement with Emyria, a WA-based, ASX-listed mental health company.
• Emma Paterson, UWA PhD student – introduced her team’s novel manufacturing tech for high-purity drug production, first conceived in the search for dark matter. This project underlines the importance of fundamental blue-sky research in health innovation.

It was wonderful to end the night with an address from Dr Diane Smith-Gander AO, UWA Chancellor, who emphasised the importance of resilience in the long journey of health innovation and the University’s key role in translating its research into realities that support our society. She also issued a call to action for the audience to take inspiration from Minister Dawson to proudly – and loudly- share Western Australian success stories across the country and the world. Something that we love to do here at the WA Life Sciences Innovation Hub!

It was great to celebrate with such a diverse mix of people – researchers, founders, clinicians, students, industry leaders and policymakers – a reminder of just how many different stakeholders connect with our universities. WALSIH is proud to partner with a university that has a long and proud history of supporting health innovation, and look forward to what the next 20 years of UWA (and WA!) health innovation brings.