Lead Organisation
The ARC MedAg Hub is led and administered by La Trobe University. Based at the AgriBio Building within the La Trobe Institute for Agriculture and Food (LIAF), the ARC MedAg Hub is well placed within a state-of-the-art research and education training institute which holds a central position in the university’s research and innovation precinct and is within close proximity to several partner organisations.
La Trobe is a leader in agricultural production research with a focus on developing sustainable and innovative solutions to support local and national agricultural production. Testament to this is La Trobe’s research ranking in the top 1.2 per cent of the world’s universities (Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2019: Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities 2019) and is placed in the Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA 2018) top rated category ‘Well Above World Standard’ in the detailed and broad disciplinary levels of: Plant Biology; Crop and Pasture Production; Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences; and Biological Sciences. In addition, the ARC Engagement and Impact Assessment (2018) which assesses the benefits research brings to the world outside academia has ranked the impact for cases studies in Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences at the highest possible rating.
Partner Organisations
The ARC MedAg Hub’s partner organisations are:
Industry
Bioplatforms Australia Ltd
https://www.bioplatforms.com/
Bioplatforms Australia enables Australian life science research by investing in state-of-the-art infrastructure and associated expertise in the specialist fields of genomics, proteomics, metabolomics and bioinformatics. Bioplatforms Australia develops open data initiatives through collaborative research projects which build critical ‘omic datasets that support scientific challenges of national importance.
Cann Group Ltd
https://www.canngrouplimited.com/
With licenced research and cultivation facilities in Victoria, CANN Group’s vision is to become a leading developer and supplier of Medicinal Cannabis, and the company is working to provide 100% Australian grown Medicinal Cannabis for supply to patients in Australia.
As the recipient of Australia’s first cannabis cultivation licence, CANN Group Limited (ASX: CAN) is an industry leader, with a focus on the breeding, cultivation and manufacture of Medicinal Cannabis Products for sale and use within Australia.
Hexima
Plant Derived antifungals
https://hexima.com.au/
Hexima is a biotechnology company actively engaged in the research and development of plant-derived proteins and peptides for applications as therapeutics. Hexima conducts most of its research under contract with La Trobe University, affording access to specialist analytical equipment, tissue culture and glasshouse facilities while maintaining ownership of its intellectual propriety.
Palo Alto Research Center Inc (PARC)
https://www.parc.com/
Located in Silicon Valley, Palo Alto Research Center Inc (PARC) is a renowned Open Innovation company which brings together scientific creativity and expertise to help organisations turn opportunities into breakthroughs while reducing the time and risk attached to innovation. By aligning leading scientists, engineers and designers to form teams across a series of focus areas working on R&D, technology and IP projects, PARC facilitates innovative results in science and technology which bring improvement and solve complex challenges.
Photon Systems Instruments (PSI)
Professional Instruments for Plant Science, Biotechnology and Agriculture
http://psi.cz/
PSI specialises in the design and manufacture of high-end instrumentation for research in the biological sciences. Established in 1994 and based in the Czech Republic, PSI has recently secured a presence at La Trobe University’s Melbourne Campus Research and Development Park. This expansion further aligns PSI with their value of collaboration with researchers worldwide which is at the basis of their policy for continuous development.
SensaData
Intelligent Supply Chain Integrity
http://www.sensadata.net/
SensaData is a privately held, Australian technology development company focussed on global market opportunities. SensaData capabilities support supply chain participants to cost-effectively deliver their responsibilities to their immediate customer, and to their customer’s customer. SensaData is closely partnered with the Centre for Technology Infusion (CTI) based at La Trobe University.
Under the Tree Biopharmaceuticals Pty Ltd
https://www.uttbio.com/
UTT BioPharma, is a pharmaceutical company specialising in the research and production of botanical drugs with an interest in the cannabis genus. With a goal to streamline the development and manufacturing of cannabinoid-based medicine, UTT BioPharma’s group of experts are skilled in the process of cultivating, fractionating and purifying large quantities of raw materials in accordance with GxP standards and producing medical grade products following pharmaceutical industry guidelines.
Research
Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute
www.onjcri.org.au
The Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute is committed to making scientific discoveries that benefit patients living with cancer. The Institute, as the La Trobe School of Cancer Medicine, promotes collaborative research across a broad spectrum of cancer types and its unique position within Olivia Newton-John Cancer Centre allows researchers close interaction with patients.
The University of Melbourne
https://www.unimelb.edu.au/
Established in 1853, the University of Melbourne is a public-spirited institution that makes distinctive contributions to society in research, learning and teaching and engagement. It’s consistently ranked among the leading universities in the world, with international rankings of world universities placing it as number 1 in Australia and number 32 in the world (Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2017-2018). The ARC Research Hub for Medicinal Agriculture is partnering with The University of Melbourne through the work of Prof Ian Woodrow an expert in plant biochemistry and Dr Kathryn Mumford a chemical engineer specialising in ion exchange, solvent absorption and solvent extraction technologies.
Collaborator
Industry
SpexAI
https://www.spexai.com
Based in Germany, SpexAI® is committed to the development of smart multispectral sensors which, with the use of AI analysing plant data, accurately forecast cannabinoid levels without the need to rely on dried samples. SpexAI sees this as translating the full spectrum of plants into actionable insights for best results.