Victoria’s Consular Corps visit Monash, scientists showcase latest innovations

Monash University

The world-leading Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS), located in Parkville, has welcomed representatives from Consular Corps Melbourne, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Victoria State Office, mRNA Victoria and the Victorian State Government, to meet with MIPS scientists and learn about some of the Institute’s key areas of research.

Image: Victorian Consular Corps tours the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences

The visit was an opportunity, initiated by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Victoria State Office, to showcase MIPS to international partners as a leading player in Victoria’s pharmaceutical ecosystem and was part of a full-day biotechnology and medical technology outreach tour to promote international collaboration and investment.

During their visit to MIPS, the delegation visited labs specialising in mRNA research, neuromedicines, global health projects, including Inhaled Oxytocin and the Monash Quality of Medicines Initiative, and the newly established MedChem Australia.

The projects represent scientific innovation right across the drug discovery pipeline, from identifying promising drug targets, to clinical trials, to addressing health inequity in low-and middle-income countries by improving medicines quality.

MIPS houses more than 450 researchers and graduate students across five major themes of activity in Pharmaceutical Sciences – Drug Discovery Biology, Medicinal Chemistry, Drug Candidate Optimisation, Drug Delivery, Disposition and Dynamics, and Medicine Use and Safety. Therapeutically, MIPS strengths lie in neuroscience and mental ill-health, cardiovascular and metabolic disorders, and global health.

MIPS is committed to research translation and industry engagement, with recent successes including Monash spinouts Cincera, Septerna, Ankere, Phrenix Therapeutics and Inosi, in addition to significant ongoing relationships with local and international companies including Takeda, Servier, CSL, Starpharma, PureTech and Polyactiva.

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