The Centre for Agriculture and the Bioeconomy are celebrating the success of two research projects led by Centre researchers:
Australia’s first Green Biopharm
Protein-based medicines, vaccines and therapeutics are one of the fastest growing sectors of the pharmaceutical market. This project aims to develop advanced methods for making these products using an amazing Australian native plant, which has the rare capacity to understand instructions from externally applied DNA.
Chief investigator Dr Julia Bally (pictured, at centre), from the QUT Centre of Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, said QUT researchers had been developing this technology for a number of years and now was the time to put this expertise to work.
The team includes Dr Julia Bally, Professor Peter Waterhouse, Professor Martin Sillence, Dr Melody de Laat, Dr Zach Le Blanc, Dr Kathi Holt and partners from International Animal Health Products (IAHP) and Cytiva.
Fully sustainable polymer construction materials from hydrothermal treatment of agricultural waste
Chief investigator Dr Laleh Moghaddam (pictured, top left), from the QUT Centre of Agriculture and the Bioeconomy, said a growing demand for sustainable, bio-based materials has made replacements for petrochemical-based resins and composite materials urgently needed.
“Our aim is to harness thermochemical conversion technologies to convert Australia’s abundant biomass waste at a commercial scale into resins, adhesives, and coatings equivalent to fossil-fuel counterparts with the current chemical components facing greater regulation due to environmental concerns and their potential detrimental effects on human health,” Dr Moghaddam said.
The team comprises chief investigators: Dr Moghaddam and Professor Leonie Barner from the QUT Centre for a Waste-free World, Dr Michael O’Shea, Dr Marguerite Renouf (QUT) and Professor Peter Halley (University of Queensland) and partner investigator Dr William Rowlands (Licella Holdings Limited).