Proteomics International Laboratories Ltd (ASX: PIQ) has confirmed plans for a $2 million expansion of the WA Proteomics Facility to accelerate the development of precision diagnostic tests in partnership with The University of Western Australia (UWA) and Bioplatforms Australia.
The WA Proteomics Facility is a Public Private Partnership between Proteomics International, UWA and Bioplatforms Australia, which is jointly managed by Proteomics International and UWA, and combines their respective expertise to explore biological protein markers that affect medicine, agriculture, and the environment.
The partners will co-invest $2 million over the next three years to increase capacity and throughput at the cutting-edge facility with new equipment for automated sample handling and analytical quantitation, coupled with the development of advanced data processing tools.
Under the management agreement, Bioplatforms Australia (through the Commonwealth Government National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS)) will contribute $1.7m to the Facility for capital and operational purposes, of which half the funds will be paid to Proteomics International to expand its laboratory capacity. Proteomics International and UWA will each invest a further $150,000 in cash.
Proteomics International managing director Dr Richard Lipscombe said the company is building on its recent successes in diagnostics development to create a state-of-the-art high-throughput analysis pipeline to address more real-world challenges in clinical and agricultural diagnostics.
There are clinical samples sitting in biobanks and sample repositories all over Australia that can be used to help combat chronic diseases. Similarly, analysing seeds in national and international seed stores could help make breeding decisions that boost the world’s agricultural output,” he said.
“All these biological samples are a precious and limited resource. By analysing them faster and at greater scale we can accelerate the development of new precision diagnostic tests that could improve patient care or transform agriculture production.”
The expanded facility is expected to be fully-operational in 2023.