Diversity will be key to Centre of Excellence success: DeVore

Multi-disciplinary research will be crucial to the success of the Centre for Stem Cell and Tissue Repair, its new chief operating officer told a Melbourne stem cell conference yesterday.

Dr Dianna DeVore told the conference that diverse fields of research at the multi-nodal centre would allow its scientists to learn from the experience of others and progress towards common goals.

The centre will be developing both adult and embryonic stem cell approaches and will encompass immunology, tissue engineering, proteomics and bioinformatics in the development of applications, she said.

"Everyone has been focused on human stem cells. There's a lot that can be learned from animal models," DeVore said. "We're looking at many different programs."

DeVore said the centre was a major opportunity for Australia, with global importance. At the conference, she outlined some of the strategies and challenges faced by the centre in the lead-up to its official launch in October.

Commercialisation of technologies will be a key aspect of the new centre, according to DeVore. "The reality of this is that we need to be commercially successful to bring [stem cells] to the marketplace," she said.

She said one commercial model would be to develop cells for therapy, not just by selecting and driving cells down a particular developmental path, but also producing large numbers of pure cells for use. Another research focus would be the creation of disease models for a variety of research purposes.

"We have the opportunity to capture the amazing flexibility of these cells and use them to our advantage," DeVore said.

But the centre's primary asset, she said, would be a strong portfolio of intellectual property. "Having a good base in IP means we'll be part of major advances in this area," she said.

The centre is aiming to have a pipeline of products ranging from new cell lines and reagents for research, and tools for drug discovery and diagnostics, to the ultimate goals of cell and tissue therapies for disease.

A commercial vehicle, CellComm, has been set up to hold IP, progress deal flows, and reinvest funds back into the centre.

"We're very much looking at getting sources of funding so that we will become self-sustaining over the long run," DeVore said. The centre's main objective, according to DeVore, would be to ensure that it generated the maximum financial and investment benefits to Australia.