Session 2C: From sequence to dose: Can Australia turn the microbiome into manufacturable medicines?
Tracks
Track 3
| Wednesday, October 21, 2026 |
| 2:15 PM - 3:00 PM |
| Discovery & Advanced Therapeutics Breakout Room |
Details
The human gut microbiome represents one of the most promising and underutilised frontiers in therapeutic development. Metagenomic sequencing has characterised the bacteria associated with health and their loss in disease, with the first approvals of live biotherapeutic products (LBPs) for recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection establishing clinical proof of concept. Yet for every promising sequence, the path to a manufacturable, approvable product remains one of the sectors most demanding translational challenges.
With a strong research base, growing biobanking infrastructure, sequencing and commercial fermentation capability now established in Brisbane, Australia is well placed to lead microbiome therapeutic development. The panel will debate where that capability creates genuine competitive advantage and where Australia risks ceding ground to overseas competitors
Speaker
Prof. Gene Tyson
Director, Centre For Microbiome Research
Queensland University of Technology
Chair
Ms Cathy Smith
General Manager Sacco System Australia, and Microbiome Business Unit Director Indo-Pacific
Sacco System Australia
Panellist
Ms Charlotte Vivian
AHMB Coordinator
Queensland University of Technology
Panellist
