A clinical trial has commenced to test the effectiveness of a low-dose regimen of the anti-malarial drug Chloroquine to prevent coronavirus illness.
The clinical trial is being funded by Defence and managed by the national Medical Countermeasures Initiative led by DMTC Limited. Experts with experience in clinical trials from DMTC are working alongside personnel at the trial site, the ADF Malaria and Infectious Diseases Institute.
The trial will focus on military healthcare and civilian healthcare workers at the frontline of the national response to COVID-19.
Chloroquine is a well-known drug that is already used around the world for the prevention and treatment of malaria as well as the treatment of some inflammatory and connective tissue diseases.
DMTC CEO Dr Mark Hodge urged caution in the race to provide answers to combating COVID-19.
“Clinical trials are essential to establish global benchmarks and ultimately to prove whether this drug, at these prescribed dose amounts, can prevent infection,” Dr Hodge said.
“Novel medications can take a long time to get through all the tests and approvals that are needed to confirm safety, quality and effectiveness. Re-purposing of an existing drug with a known safety profile has potential benefits in regard to expediting conclusive results.”
Because its safety profile is well understood, the trial can be undertaken rapidly to the high standards required by Australian and international pharmaceutical regulators. (more…)
Capability Improvement Award – Winner: Sustainment of Emergent Materials team
This collaborative team (working under the auspices of DMTC Project Team 5.77) has worked extensively on the development of laser additive deposition (LAD) technology for the past 10 years and has achieved significant outcomes for commercial and Defence customers.
Smiles all-round for members of the team awarded the DMTC Capability Improvement Award for 2020
For defence customers, innovative approaches to, and adoption of new technologies for, sustainment of fleets is crucial, especially in light of the cost pressures associated with life cycle support on military platforms. Through this project and previous enabling research, DMTC has been an integral partner in helping to generate a sovereign industrial capability in Australia in laser repair technology. RUAG Australia has shown repeatedly that repairing components, rather than replacing them, enables Defence to achieve the desired structural performance rates and fleet availability results at a fraction of the cost, and in fractions of the time.
“RUAG Australia continues to be a top performer in innovation in Australia. Working together with DMTC has directly proven that this passionate pursuit of innovation and collaborative research and development ensures solid benefits for all stakeholders,” Neil Matthews, Chief Technical Advisor & Senior Manager Additive Technologies, RUAG Australia said.
This project has not only demonstrated the successful geometrical restoration of actual aircraft components, but also the viability of LAD technology for repair of Defence-grade materials. Researchers from RUAG, Swinburne and RMIT developed and supported the establishment of state-of-the-art sustainment and repair laser cladding facility at RUAG which is now fully operational through the funding of the Defence Capability and Technology Demonstrator (CTD) Program. The work carried out by research partners, RMIT and Swinburne, ensured that the restored Defence components meet certification, operational and design requirements.
Writing for the Australian Financial Review, DMTC CEO Dr Mark Hodge discussed the importance of getting the macro, national policy settings right as an enabler of successful innovation and technology development activities in Australia’s defence and national security sectors.
DMTC’s 2020 Annual Conference will be held on 11-12 March at The Realm Hotel in Canberra.
Our Annual Conference and Awards Dinner has become a key event for the DMTC community, providing the opportunity to highlight the relevance of our work in the context of developing sovereign industrial capabilities within the defence industry sector.
The 2020 conference is expected to feature keynote presentations from prominent Defence and industry guest speakers, and include outlines of the technological challenges and priorities across the defence and national security sectors.
More details will be available here as they are released.
The Fine Print
Numbers are strictly limited and will be managed on an invite-only basis, with preference given to DMTC project team members and partner representatives. Some presentations may include DMTC-in-confidence technical details. For both of these reasons a public call for registrations will not be made, however expressions of interest in attending can be submitted and may result in you receiving an invitation to attend.
Support from our sponsors
DMTC gratefully acknowledges the support we have received from a number of organisations in making the 2020 Annual Conference a reality.
Contacts
For enquiries about registration or sponsorships please contact the DMTC Head Office on (03) 9214 4447 or send an email to information@dmtc.com.au.
For enquiries from media outlets or organisations please contact Harry Baxter on 0401 516 734.
