OxyLo, a spinout company co-founded by UNSW Science Professor Kristopher Kilian and former UNSW Postdoctoral Researcher Dr Tom Molley, has received $US1.4 million for a novel approach to treating cancer.
UNSW Sydney spinout company OxyLo has received funding from the United States' National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop its innovative technology HypoxyCaps.
The grant, which is part of the NIH's Fast Track Small Business Innovation and Research program, will enable OxyLo to improve its manufacturing quality, safety and clinical readiness.
Professor Kristopher Kilian, OxyLo Chief Scientific Advisor and Co-Founder, said it was rewarding to see his work translated into new tools and treatments for people with cancer.
"It's an amazing success story. What began as a technology used in labs as a life science reagent, we're now exploring as a tool to starve tumours from the inside out," he said.
"We're super excited because it could give hope to people who don't have any other therapeutic option."
OxyLo CEO and Co-founder Dr Tom Molley did his PhD at UNSW, and that work eventually led to the company's creation. He said the NIH grant provided a fantastic runway for his dream of making better cancer treatment a reality.
"What excites me most is that this technology is such a versatile platform," he said.
UNSW Pro Vice-Chancellor Industry and Innovation, Professor Stephen Rodda, said the University was proud to have supported OxyLo, and that the results demonstrated the positive impacts of research translation.
"What started as a PhD project now has the potential to transform the landscape of oncology research. Recognition of the quality of this work, through the awarding of this highly competitive grant, underscores UNSW's commitment to generating bold ideas that have real-world impact on the global stage."
What are HypoxyCaps?
Developed at UNSW, HypoxyCaps are microscopic implants that look like tiny beads. Dr Molley said the device acted like a miniature black hole, sucking out the oxygen and glucose that fuels a cancer.
The device is in the preclinical phase. The researchers said that when injected into inoperable tumours it would starve them of oxygen and glucose, making them an easier target for treatments like chemotherapy.
Prof. Kilian said there was a great need for this technology.
"There is a real unmet need in cancer treatment for patients who have an inoperable tumour. Probably every family will have someone they know with a cancer that's too dangerous to surgically remove," he said.
"But if you inject these tiny little particles into the centre of the tumour, it'll starve it from the inside out."
A pipeline of possibilities
The HypoxyCaps are cheaper than conventional oxygen-controlling technology and are already being used as a research tool in 18 labs around the world (including in the US, Australia and Europe).
The NIH funding allows OxyLo researchers to increase their manufacturing output, ensuring greater quality between batches.
Prof. Kilian said this would be critical for translating the technology from the lab to patients.
"We now have the ability to put a bunch of enzymes together in these implants in really high concentration, which can enable us to do a lot of exciting science that just wasn't possible before. It's like having a bunch of Lego pieces - we get to build up entirely new tools or therapeutic approaches from the bottom up, with scope for making a real impact in people's lives."
It's an amazing success story. What began as a technology used in labs as a life science reagent, we're now exploring as a tool to starve tumours from the inside out.
