South Australian Interview: Dancing with the elephants

Dr Deborah Rathjen, CEO of listed Adelaide company Bionomics, says there are plenty of positive signs that South Australia has a burgeoning biotechnology industry.

"We are receiving CV's all the time from graduates from South Australian universities, indicating that new graduates see local companies as offering them viable stable careers," Rathjen says. In turn, the three universities in Adelaide are very well regarded in the industry.

SA start-ups have also had a huge success in winning Biotechnology Innovation Fund (BIF) grants applications, she says. "A broad range of biotechnology companies have received BIF grants, including environmental technologies such as salt tolerant wheat crop.

"It is a great sign because it means there is a growing interest in biotechnology.

"The State government has been very supportive of the biotechnology industry," she said.

The government poured $6.3 million into establishing Bionomics' research facility in the Thebarton Biotechnology Precinct, which was handed over to the company in March this year. Bionomics has the option to lease back or buy the land from the SA government.

The new facility can hold up to 130 people but it currently houses only 45 Bionomics employees, plus another 15 at co-tenant TGR Biosciences.

"There is a lot of room to grow and we will, as a part of our five-year plan," says Rathjen.

Bionomics has recently undergone enormous expansion and changes in management. "Analysts were blown away with our level of achievement over the last four months," she says.

Bionomics has just tied up two solid partnerships with overseas companies. Hybrigen, a US proteomics company, has signed collaborative agreements to work on breast cancer genes and angiogenesis targets. Genmab, a European company focused on human antibodies, is collaborating to produce angiogenesis antibodies and taking them to market.

"Now we are dancing with the elephants," she says. Her plan is to get the major pharmaceutical companies, such as GlaxoSmithKline, on board, and so far "we are on track with everything," she says.

With over $3.3 million in Federal government money flowing in through an R&D Start grant and a BIF grant, and more than 137 genes discovered, Bionomics is in discussion with overseas companies for licensing genes for diagnostic applications and with others to develop small drugs from gene discoveries.

The company's appointment this year of high-profile board members Chris Henney and George Morstyn were strong suggestions that it plans to get a foothold in the US, which Rathjen confirmed. But she added that the company would keep its Adelaide base.

Rathjen is originally from Adelaide, and moved to Sydney to do her PhD. After that, she worked at CSIRO, then moved into the commercial sector, researching antibodies for Peptech, where she racked up a substantial patent portfolio before being headhunted by Bionomics.

Moving back to Adelaide was a culture shock at first, Rathjen says, but she loves it now.

"It's great fun being a CEO," she says. "I spent four months of last year overseas meeting others in the industry and I love working with such high-energy people."

Among them are scientific advisory board members Prof Grant Sutherland, formerly of the Adelaide Women's and Children's Hospital, and recent Prof Ashley Dunn, associate director of the Melbourne branch of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research.

Rathjen says that since Sutherland retired from the hospital, he spends more time than ever before advising Bionomics and working on his epilepsy and breast cancer genetic research after he recently resigned from his academic position.

The company has also expanded its management team, which now includes chief scientist Dr Tom Gonda, Dr Gabriel Kremmidiotis as head of bioinformatics, Dr Andy Dunbar as head of proteomics, Dr Rolf Brandt as head of cell biology and Dr David Callen as head of cytogenetics.