21 APR 2024 · Today’s guest is Dr Paul Hamilton, Clinical Director of Early Phase Research at Pacific Clinical Research Network (PCRN). This episode is brought to you by SAPRO Consulting: https://www.saproconsulting.com.au/ New medicines are first studied in animals before they are tested in humans. Animal testing provides an insight into the efficacy, safety and tolerability of the new medicine. But before a new medicine can be tested on their intended patient population, the so-called "First In Human" (FIH) testing needs to take place. This is typically done in Normal Healthy Volunteers (NHVs) - i.e., a group of healthy individuals, not taking any prescription medications. Once the safety and tolerability of a new medicine has been substantiated in NHVs, only then can the medicine be tested in a patient. These types of trials are Phase 1 and 1b/2a trials, respectively, and are collectively called "Early Phase Trials". Early Phase trials are an exciting part of the clinical trials spectrum, as this is where the "Proof of Concept" is first determined. And, as Dr Paul Hamilton explains, can deliver impressive health improvements if the technology works as expected. As time progresses, new medicines become more targeted as we enter the era of "precision medicine". The drugs of tomorrow, are being tested today. The argument for participating in a clinical trial as a patient with a disease is compelling as Dr Hamilton explains in this podcast. In this episode, Dr Hamilton and I discuss: - The importance of Early Phase Clinical Trials - Why clinical trials need to be seen as a component of a patient's overall healthcare journey  - Future opportunities and challenges in the Clinical Research/Trials space in New Zealand You can find out more about Dr Hamilton and Pacific Clinical Research Network (PCRN) here: https://pcrn.co.nz/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-hamilton-0a99b36b/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/pacific-clinical-research-network/ Timestamps: 00:00 Teaser 00:22 Introduction 01:30 Pivoting from from medicine and clinical research 08:40 Paul's defining moment in clinical trials - Sofosbuvir 12:30 Danicopan 15:50 The future of medicine starts with Early Phase research 21:30 Early Phase vs. Late Phase 23:30 Setting up a new Early Phase research location 29:25 Clinical trials have a responsibility for delivering healthcare 33:00 Designing good early phase studies 37:00 The Future of Clinical Trials in New Zealand 44:25 Advice for getting into clinical research Dr Paul Hamilton | Clinical Trials are driving the Future of Medicine and Healthcare | Ep 22 innovation #podcast #newzealand #commercialization #clinicalresearchassociate #technologytransfer #biotech #science #choices #country #entrepreneur #products #clinicalresearch #biotech #clinicalpractice #chatgcp #healthcare #clinicaltrials 

14 APR 2024 · Today’s guest is Dr Brian Ward, Founder and CEO of Aroa Biosurgery, an ASX-listed, biotech company with with a ~$200 m AUD market capitalization. This episode is brought to you by https://www.saproconsulting.com.au/ Aroa Biosurgery is a New Zealand-based, ASX-listed biotech company that develops and commercializes novel products that promote wound healing and soft-tissue repair. Their proprietary products, developed from tissue taken from the fore-stomach of sheep, provide the body with structural and biological components that provide a head start in the healing process.  Biotech is a hard business. It's expensive, time-consuming and the road to success is fraught with difficulty and complexity and many biotech companies never make it to profitability. Despite this, there are a number of biotech entrepreneurs with such a fire within them that the odds seem to be in their favour.  Dr Ward's and the Aroa Biosurgery story is remarkable. From the idea, to the product, the manufacturing and commercialzation, the various challenges that have arisen have been overcome resulting in a compelling success story that would inspire any current, or aspiring, biotech entrepreneur.  In this episode, Dr Ward and I discuss: 1. The eureka moment that made Brian pivot from clinical practice to entrepreneurial endeavour 2. The science and technology that underpins their novel products 3. Brian's tips for aspiring biotech entrepreneurs - just get started, understand it will not be easy, be prepared for a "game of attrition" and surround your self with people smarter than you. You can find out more about Brian Ward and Aroabiosurgery here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-ward678/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/aroa-biosurgery-limited/ https://aroa.com/

7 APR 2024 · Today’s guest is Madhu Vyas, Theranostics Site Leader at Mercy Radiology, and Programme Lead at Unitec.  This episode is brought to you by SAPRO Consulting PTY Ltd https://www.saproconsulting.com.au/ Nuclear Medicine, Molecular Imaging and Radiochemistry sound like terms pulled straight from a science fiction novel. Yet the use of radioactive materials for the purposes of diagnosing and treating disease - collectively referred to as theranostics (therapy + diagnostics) - are commonly place and an exciting field of discovery and development. But with so many different radioactive materials to choose from, each with their own characteristics, how do researchers and physicians choose the right one? And how is the radiation targeted to the desired organ or diseased tissue without damaging normal tissue? In this episode, Madhu and I discuss: 1. The origins of nuclear medicine, molecular imaging and "theranostics" 2. How radioactive material is targeted to different tissues within a patient for the purposes of either diagnosis or therapy 3. What we can expect for the future of an area of medicine that is now hitting it's stride Madhu Vyas' passion for this field is palpable. When not working as the Theranostics Site Leader at Mercy Radiology, he is teaching the next generation of Medical Imaging technicians and also completing a PhD. Clearly, Madhu has discovered a way to wring more than 24 hours out of a single day! You can find out more about Madhu, Mercy Radiology & Unitec: https://www.linkedin.com/in/150880/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/mercy-radiology/ https://radiology.co.nz/ https://www.linkedin.com/school/unitecnz/ https://www.unitec.ac.nz/ #newzealand #radiochemistry #radiation #radiationtherapy #theranostics #nuclear #nuclearimaging #molecularimaging #theranos #innovation #podcast #commercialization #science #entrepreneurship #innovation

1 APR 2024 · Today’s guest is Will Charles, the Executive Director of Investment at UniServices. This episode is brought to you by SAPRO Consulting PTY Ltd https://www.saproconsulting.com.au/ UUniversities are a great place to get higher education, but they're also places where new ideas, concepts and technologies first take root. But how do new ideas make their way from the academic setting to the commercial setting? UniServices is wholly owned by the University of Auckland and is a not-for-profit, stand-alone company that provides support to researchers by helping them secure the funding and connections that can help them make a positive impact. Will Charles (great surname) has built an amazing career over time, tacking on new skills to make him a force in the world of commercialization of science and ensuring that University Intellectual Property simply doesn't gather dust on a shelf. In this episode, Will and I discuss: - What Technology Transfer is - How UniServices supports acadmics and entrepreneurs alike - 3. Will's recommendations for budding entrepreneurs - top tip: Get in early, make mistakes in a low-risk environment (i.e., while at university). You can find out more about Will and UniServices here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/will-charles-b4005a5/ https://www.uniservices.co.nz/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/auckland-uniservices-limited/ #newzealand #technologytransfer #innovation #podcast #commercialization #science #entrepreneurship #innovation

23 MAR 2024 · Today’s guest is Dr Rohit Katial, a Research Physician involved in Early Phase Clinical Trials in New Zealand. This episode is brought to you by SAPRO Consulting PTY Ltd https://www.saproconsulting.com.au/ Unfortunately, in New Zealand our access to modern medicines is well behind our OECD peers, and it typically takes 10 years before a new medicine is funded by https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=pharmac&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3AugcPost%3A7177135003066150912 after being approved by https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=medsafe&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3AugcPost%3A7177135003066150912. Thus, Clinical Research is starting to do more and more of the heavy lifting to fill the gap between need and https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=access&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3AugcPost%3A7177135003066150912. An interesting component of https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=clinicalresearch&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3AugcPost%3A7177135003066150912 is Early Phase trials - which range from https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=firstinhuman&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3AugcPost%3A7177135003066150912 trials, to the initial studies in patients i.e., single ascending dose or multiple-ascending dose studies, aptly shortened to SAD or MAD trials. New Zealand is increasingly becoming an attractive place to conduct Early Phase research, by virtue of our diverse & young population, less onerous regulatory requirements and skilled workforce.  Despite this, early phase https://www.linkedin.com/feed/hashtag/?keywords=clinicalresearch&highlightedUpdateUrns=urn%3Ali%3AugcPost%3A7177135003066150912 is not an obvious career choice for those studying or participating in medicine. This is a challenge that will need to be addressed if we are to make the most of the opportunity that is before us. In this episode, Dr https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohit-katial/ and I discuss: 1. His journey from mainstream medicine to early phase clinical research 2. the core skillset that is needed to be proficient as an early phase clinical trials investigator 3. Some of the exciting trials Rohit has been a part of....hint: gene editing You can find out more about Rohit and New Zealand Clinical Research here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohit-katial/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/nzcr-christchurch/ https://www.nzcr.co.nz/ #newzealand #clinicalresearch #innovation #podcast #clinicalresearchassociate #principalinvestigator #clinicaltrials #CRISPr #geneediting

17 MAR 2024 · Today’s guest is Shamubeel Eaqub, and economist, author and commentator.  This episode is brought to you by SAPRO Consulting PTY Ltd https://www.saproconsulting.com.au/ In this episode Shamubeel and I discuss New Zealands productivity has not kept up with our OECD peers. Reasons for this include some things we cannot change, such as the fundamental realities of our small population and remote location at the bottom of the South Pacific, but also things we can, including policy settings, institutions, incentives, long-termism, and culture.  Some very impressive companies have been built in New Zealand by some truly great minds, yet it would seem that the success of these companies has not been due to the settings, but rather in spite of them.  https://open.spotify.com/episode/2zKFT444A8FhtpnWlJx2Ci?si=6d1621a6b10e41ba You can find out more about Shamubeel here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eaqub/ #newzealand #incentives #innovation #country #commercialization #government #economy #productivity #universities #biotech #risk #shorttermism #choices #geography

10 MAR 2024 · Today’s guest is Natalia Lopez, the Co-Founder and Chief Operations Officer of Kitea Health.  This episode is brought to you by SAPRO Consulting PTY Ltd https://www.saproconsulting.com.au/ In our first episode of 2024, we are picking up where we left of in 2023 with another guest from Kitea Health - this time with Chief Operations Officer Natalia Lopez. We talk about Natalia's journey from the automotive industry to Medical technology, the importance of developing meaningful skills to bridge the gap between the science "bench-top" and the patient, and dive a little deeper into the technology that underpins Kitea's novel deveice of the monitoring of Physiological Pressure.  This was a very inspiring discussion, and we're looking forward to the day where Kitea's vision for proactive healthcare is a reality. You can find out more about Natalia Lopez and Kitea Health here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalia-lopez-a34457147/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/kitea-health/ https://www.kiteahealth.com/ #research #clinicalresearch #clinicalresearchassociate #healthcare #research #pharmaceuticals #podcast #podcasts #medicine #medicalresearch

11 DEC 2023 · This episode is brought to you by SAPRO Consulting PTY Ltd https://www.saproconsulting.com.au/ Today’s guest is Dr Simon Malpas, the Co-founder and CEO of Kitea Health. Simon is a distinguished New Zealand scientist and entrepreneur, and has co-founded three successful medical device & life science companies from his research, including Kitea Health, a Start up company transforming healthcare for people living with chronic conditions via the monitoring of physiological pressure. In this episode we discuss: - How Kitea’s technology can help us graduate from a Reactive to a Proactive model of healthcare for chronic conditions - Kitea’s plans to address the unmet clinical need in patients with hydrocephalus - Kitea’s commercialization journey to date, including their upcoming first in human clinical trial, slated for 2024. This was a super interesting discussion, with plenty of insights for budding life science entrepreneurs, and for someone with a passion for clinical research I will be watching their progress closely over the 2024. You can find out more about Simon Malpas and Kitea Health here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-malpas-65052268/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/kitea-health/ https://www.kiteahealth.com/ research #clinicalresearch #clinicalresearchassociate #healthcare #research #pharmaceuticals #podcast #podcasts #medicine #medicalresearch Subscribe for free on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/3Vet6Hn8XFMhprr2LrY3XS Get in touch in the comments below or head to: https://www.instagram.com/chat_gcppodcast/

4 DEC 2023

27 NOV 2023