HSSA's Value Add
HSSA leverages subject-matter expertise, agile project management and diverse trusted partnerships to complement research and development activities in a wholly collaborative approach to deliver enhanced project outcomes. As a Division of DMTC Ltd, HSSA’s view on collaboration is not as a check-box exercise – rather, HSSA views collaboration as an ethos borne out in practice throughout the entire project lifecycle. HSSA has played multi-faceted roles within the projects led and managed under its portfolio, supporting project teams and technologies to ensure successful outcomes.
Guiding Development
In a project partnered with the University of Western Australia and Monash University to generate optimised pharmaceutical compounds capable of inhibiting multiple bacterial pathogens of interest to Defence, HSSA enabled the research team to roadmap the continued development of this technology, through working with the team to guide development of a Target Product Profile (TPP). TPPs are used to effectively outline the desired characteristics of a product, commonly containing parameters such as intended use, target populations and other desired attributes of products, including safety and efficacy-related characteristics. HSSA facilitated the creation of a TPP for the novel pharmaceutical product being developed in this project, by engaging Biointelect – a commercialisation advisory firm – to conduct team workshops, investigate the current market, and align these findings with the project’s overall goals. The resulting TPP is now used to benchmark progress and development of the technology against a robust evidence-base of market competitors and user-requirements. This has allowed for a direct, strategic pathway for technology development, ensuring each decision made continues to be effective and advantageous as the project team aims for industrial engagement.
Managing Challenges
HSSA has been at the forefront of problem solving, in a project partnered with the Australian Rickettsial Reference Laboratory, the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, and Deakin University to develop a novel vaccine against Q Fever, a disease of relevance to Australian military and civilian personnel. When the project met with an unexpected technical issue in the production of a key component of the vaccine material – resulting in delayed progress and putting key milestones at risk – HSSA utilised both deep subject-matter expertise from within the division, as well as broad connectivity throughout the sector, bringing together experts from across the country to facilitate a workshop to troubleshoot this specific technical barrier. This workshop produced a base of specialist advice for the team to employ, as well as establishing a community of practice that the team could engage with as the project continued. Not only was the technical issue overcome and the vaccine material produced effectively, with the project progressing to undertake studies utilising the vaccine material, this trouble-shooting activity has created a series of opportunities for engagement with the potential to result in further collaborative activity off-shoots.
Enhancing Commercial Outcomes
A collaboration with Sementis Ltd, Monash University, the Australian National University, and the University of South Australia worked to enhance the ability of the existing Sementis Copenhagen Vector (SCV) vaccine manufacturing technology to pivot, scale and rapidly deploy in response to emerging health and biosecurity challenges. HSSA supported the transition of the technology into its next phase of development, increasing the core value proposition of the SCV platform technology and de-risking the development of new vaccines. The outcomes of this project augmented the existing SCV platform technology to enable Sementis to deliver a quicker and more consistent product development offering for prospective commercialisation partners. In addition, the project advanced the technology to the stage that it was able to meet the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI)/World Health Organisation (WHO) 16-week target for new vaccine candidate development, opening new markets for the technology, including global pandemic preparedness and defence. These opportunities are actively being pursued by the project team, with ongoing support and guidance from HSSA.
Amplifying Ability
As part of the national response to the COVID-19 pandemic, HSSA prepared, organised and administered a clinical trial on behalf of Defence, utilising HSSA’s network of industrial and academic organisation partners. While external conditions resulted in the trial not reaching its final endpoint, the HSSA-led response to the request from government revealed that the capability existed in Australia and could be mobilised rapidly, if needed. Australia’s Chief Defence Scientist, Professor Tanya Monro AC, said of the trial: “The multi-entity partnership was underpinned by the professional approach by DMTC in rapidly bringing together the relevant parts of the Australian ecosystem. The speed at which this was accomplished was truly incredible and has set a new benchmark for future responses … The DMTC-led execution of this trial has so clearly demonstrated that, through the resources available in Australia, the capability, capacity and agility exists to respond to a future pandemic emergency.” HSSA’s deep connectivity within the sector, and commitment to health security, continues to be exemplified through requests from government.