Researchers win prestigious Golden Ticket for obesity and diabetes work
Researchers A/Prof Garron Dodd (DAP) and Prof Akhter Hossain (Florey) have received funding boost to further their work in Europe.
Image: A/Prof Garron Dodd & Prof Akhter Hossain
With their project as one of only four globally to receive this significant boost, the two researchers are now preparing to take up a golden opportunity at one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies in Europe.
Just as a fictional golden ticket opened Willie Wonka’s chocolate factory gates to Charlie Bucket, a prestigious Novo Nordisk Golden Ticket is opening doors to Associate Professor Garron Dodd (Head of Laboratory in the Dept of Anatomy & Physiology) and Florey Professor Akhter Hossain.
The pair were awarded the ticket earlier this year, in recognition of their work on a new drug to treat diabetes and obesity.
Image: A/Prof Garron Dodd [second from left] at the Golden Ticket Award Ceremony earlier this year
Associate Professor Dodd, Head of the Metabolic Neuroscience Research Laboratory in DAP, said the Golden Ticket provided the resources they need to advance their work.
This unique opportunity confirms that our approach to tackling diabetes and obesity is on the right track. Securing a Golden Ticket is further validation of our strong business case. We're getting more than access to world-leading lab space: we’re getting an entrepreneurial base for our work and entry to the ecosystem network of other biotech start-up firms.
They are working on a promising weight loss and glycaemic control that targets the hypothalamus.
Professor Hossain, Head of The Florey's Insulin Peptides Laboratory, said the award set up opportunities for the team to forge global partnerships.
“With access to Novo Nordisk’s world-class facilities and expert guidance, we are in a strong position to move our compounds closer to clinical use," Professor Hossain said.
The Novo Nordisk Golden Ticket campaign addresses challenges in diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic conditions and this year just 4 Golden Tickets were handed out globally.
The initiative gives life science start-ups a boost by providing mentorship and collaboration opportunities plus one year’s membership to BioLabs, an international network of co-working spaces for life science startups - with key sites in Heidelberg, Germany and Paris.