Image credit: Smileyscope, breakthroughvictoria.com Every year, World Children's Day falls on 20 November. It’s a day dedicated to fostering global unity, raising awareness about children's issues and enhancing their welfare. With this global initiative in mind, we highlight some local innovations that Breakthrough Victoria has recently invested in: Image credit: Navi Medical Technologies Navi Medical Technologies is a Melbourne-based startup dedicated to revolutionising medic/al care for critically ill newborns and children. Currently, nearly half of life-saving procedures involving central venous catheters for these young patients result in misplacements, a potentially life-threatening outcome. Clinicians rely on post-procedure x-rays to confirm catheter locations, leading to delays and complications. Navi’s technology is non-invasive and goes onto the end of an existing catheter, showing in real-time whether its placement is correct. It is currently undergoing a second clinical trial at the Royal Women's Hospital in Melbourne and it promises to transform paediatric care. In addition to Breakthrough Victoria’s investment, Navi has received state government support via the Technology Adoption and Innovation Program, Victorian Medical Research Acceleration Fund,AMMC MedTech Manufacturing Capability Program) and through LaunchVic’s capability building programs. Image credit: Smileyscope Smileyscope is a Victorian company pioneering virtual reality technology designed to alleviate pain, stress, and anxiety during common medical procedures like blood tests, vaccinations and imaging. By transporting patients into soothing virtual environments, Smileyscope replaces the anxiety of medical settings with serene landscapes, including underwater worlds teeming with colourful fish. This virtual reality experience has proven to reduce a child's pain by up to 60% and decrease the need for restraint during needle procedures by 48%. Moreover, Smileyscope's lightweight headsets cater to children as young as four years old. Smileyscope’s technology is the first virtual reality device that has been approved for pain relief. It has also received awards (including a Good Design Award and the Victorian Premier’s Design Award), and investment through the Victorian Government’s Alice Anderson Fund, which is delivered by LaunchVic to increase investment in women-led startups. About Breakthrough Victoria Above: Grant Dooley, CEO, Breakthrough Victoria, and Evelyn Chan and Paul Leong, Co-founders, Smileyscope with Jerome Wielens, Breakthrough Victoria and the Smileyscope team. Breakthrough Victoria invests in innovation, ideas and entrepreneurs to bring breakthrough technologies to market that will help transform people’s lives. Breakthrough Victoria has five priority sectors for investment: health and life sciences, advanced manufacturing, digital technologies, agrifood and clean economy. Head to breakthroughvictoria.com to learn more. Why do we mark International Days and National Weeks? The United Nations has marked specific days and weeks of the year as advocacy tools to create awareness about issues, as well as achievements of humanity. The DIF team showcase events and stories of Victorian innovators and changemakers who use digital technologies to make a difference. These days or weeks provide an opportunity to build an inclusive and prosperous digital economy. Safer Internet Day falls on Tuesday, 6 February 2024. This global initiative raises awareness of online safety issues. Let us know if you are hosting an event or want to share a story on how you are creating safe online spaces as a tech company or volunteering your time to help your community.
Shining a light on women in the healthtech industry Do you know a woman who is making inroads to the healthtech industry? Nominations for the BioMelbourne Network Women in Leadership Awards are now open and closing soon. These awards recognise and champion women, at different stages of their careers, who have made outstanding contributions to advancing the biotechnology, medical technology, and pharmaceutical sector, and inspire more women to pursue leadership roles. If you know or work alongside an incredible woman who works in or supports the health industry – including biotechnology, medical technology, pharmaceuticals and other health innovation areas – as an executive, manager, R&D practitioner, supplier, or service provider, why not consider nominating her? Awardees will be profiled on the BioMelbourne Network website and through other promotional activities associated with the Awards. In addition to boosting the profile of women in leadership roles in our sector, awardees will also be offered speaking opportunities at BioMelbourne Network events. Nominations for the 2023 Awards close on 15 February and will be presented in April/May 2023. Find out more here >> Victorian digital health changemakers recognised in 2022 Dr Emma Ball2022 Distinguished Leadership Award Dr Emma Ball is Head of Illumina for Startups Australia, a local expansion of the global company creation and growth engine of US genomics company, Illumina (NASDAQ: ILMN). Emma is responsible for supporting founders and building the ecosystem of entrepreneurs and investors to create, launch and grow genomics and omics start-ups in Australia. As part of the role, Emma is Entrepreneur in Residence for The Advanced Genomics Collaboration (TAGC), a partnership between Illumina and the University of Melbourne. The TAGC aims to improve patient outcomes by increasing genomics innovation and its translation and adoption into the health system. Prior to joining Illumina, Emma was at biotherapeutics and vaccines company, CSL Limited (ASX: CSL) for 15 years, most recently as Global Head of Search & Evaluation and Director Strategy & Business Development. Previous roles at CSL include corporate strategy, commercial development, R&D program management and alliance management. Before CSL, Emma worked in project management in small biotech businesses, both ASX-listed (Prima Biomed, now Immutep) and private (Prostate Diagnostics). Beyond her role at Illumina, Emma is Non-Executive Director at Startup Shakeup Ltd. She is a mentor for Industry Mentoring Network in STEM (IMNIS) and a member of Springboard Enterprises (SBE) Australia’s Life Sciences Council, the AusBiotech Victorian state committee, and several angel investor groups. Emma trained as a molecular biologist and gained her PhD in medicine (research) from the University of Melbourne, followed by postdoctoral studies in oncology and endocrinology at Monash University. She holds an MBA from RMIT University and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) and the Wade Institute’s Venture Capital Catalyst program. George Kenley2022 Inspiring Leadership Award George Kenley studied at the University of Melbourne and completed degrees in Geomatic Engineering, Planning and Design, and Property and Construction. She then joined top tier construction company, Lend Lease, and spent 10 years working across iconic projects including the Royal Children’s Hospital in Parkville, the new Bendigo Hospital, and the new Monash Children’s Hospital. Shifting her focus from the construction of hospitals and large-scale healthcare infrastructure, George co-founded Seer in 2017. Seer is reimagining how and where people undergo long-term brain, heart, and respiratory monitoring for faster paths to diagnoses and better patient outcomes. Seer’s solutions include an at-home epilepsy monitoring system and wearable medical devices, mobile apps for tracking and forecasting seizures, and cloud technology that translates big data into useful medical insights. George has a deep understanding of the constraints in the health sector and was eager to influence transformative change. Her organisational and project management expertise contributed to Seer’s successful launch and rapid growth. As Chief Operations Officer, George is responsible for maintaining Seer’s execution and alignment with its overall business strategy. She has played a key role in expanding the number of Seer Medical clinics around Australia and contributed to Seer gaining regulatory approval for its award-winning, patented technology. Associate Professor Lauren Ayton2022 Emerging Leadership Award Associate Professor Lauren Ayton has been passionate about vision loss since her older brother lost his sight due to a brain injury when she was a child. Lauren trained as an optometrist and has worked in a range of clinical environments, including Africa and Sri Lanka. She completed her PhD in 2009 in paediatric optometry, followed by postdoctoral research on traumatic brain injury. In 2010, Lauren joined the Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA), where she became Clinical Team Leader of the Bionic Vision Australia program, a large consortium developing a vision prosthesis, or ‘bionic eye’, to help restore useful vision in people living with blindness. A research collaboration with Harvard University led to a 2017 offer to become Director of Clinical and Regulatory Affairs at Bionic Eye Technologies, a New York-based start-up. This experience increased Lauren’s interest in research translation, innovation, and commercialisation. She forged strong relationships with US partners In 2019, a Driving Research Momentum Fellowship saw Lauren return to the University of Melbourne. She now holds a joint position between the Departments of Surgery (Ophthalmology) and Optometry and Vision Sciences, and CERA, which is based at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital. Lauren’s research focuses on the progression of inherited retinal diseases (IRDs), the most common cause of legal blindness in working-aged Australians. She runs projects across a wide spectrum, including imaging and functional studies of people with IRDs, clinical trials of emerging treatments and low vision devices, and qualitative studies investigating the quality of life of people with IRDs. Lauren also leads the SPARK Melbourne research accelerator and is active in Victoria’s innovation ecosystem. She is a passionate science communicator, and can be heard on 3RRR’s Sunday science show, Einstein A Go-Go. Discover more leaders on the Women in Leadership Awards Honour Roll. BioMelbourne Network is the peak body in the Victorian healthtech industry, driving engagement and growth in research, innovation, commercialisation and manufacturing through local and international networks. Since 2001, they have been actively fostering and growing an innovative, globally competitive sector and transforming their Network as well as the broader Victorian ecosystem. To connect with BioMelbourne Network and the Victorian ecosystem, sign up to your free account at www.wilam.com
"Melbourne proved to be the perfect launching pad for an innovative health model like ours." Esme Naidoo, General Manager, XRHealth XRHealth, a health technology company and the global leader in extended reality telehealth platform development, has collaborated with Invest Victoria to establish its Asia Pacific headquarters and fulfilment centre in Melbourne. The Story Founded in Israel in 2016, XRHealth expanded into the US, setting up a global headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts whilst retaining its research and development centre in Tel-Aviv, Israel. XRhealth is the first FDA and TGA registered virtual reality (VR) medical device company and is the only VR health provider working in the telehealth space across physio, rehab, pain, cognitive and mental health care streams. Using proprietary VR and augmented reality (AR) technology originating from flight simulation technology, XRHealth’s offers a cutting-edge telehealth and remote monitoring service. The service collects and analyses data through artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing algorithms to allows clinicians to develop unique treatment plans and monitor patient progress, delivering a unique, remote healthcare model. XRHealth VR Telehealth and Remote Monitoring Service After starting up in Israel and successfully expanding into the USA, the company wanted to grow in the APAC region and began searching for the right geo-strategy and industry and government partners. Once XRHealth decided to enter the Australian market, they needed to find a location from which to base themselves. They wanted to establish an entirely new model and scale locally, which required highly skilled staff that they could train to deliver the virtual sessions. They also needed to educate local consumers on the benefits of their new model. Invest Victoria was involved early in XRHealth’s Australian market entry journey, consulting on their strategic decision to base themselves in Melbourne and scale their service nationwide. Hear from Esme Naidoo on their investment journey - click to play video Esme Naidoo, General Manager XRHealth said “fundamental to Melbourne’s appeal was its world class heath care system, large diverse population and its high consumer take up rate of technology.” Melbourne has a unique community of global health professionals that XRHealth could take advantage of. The city features one of the world’s leading biomedical precincts, delivering outstanding patient care, cutting edge research, discoveries and training to some of the country’s brightest minds. A powerful acceleration of XRHealth’s launch came in the form of a partnership with Bupa, Australia’s largest health insurer, that offered customers the opportunity to participate in a trial of the company’s technology for physiotherapy services. The success of the trial, which included unique data driven feedback received by clinicians during sessions to measure treatment outcomes, convinced Bupa to extend their partnership with XRHealth, further developing their local network. The scaling of their local customer base from Melbourne, has prepared XRHealth for a bright future in Australia. How we helped Invest Victoria assisted XRHealth at the inception stage of the project, providing information on the local property market and connecting them with high-level clinicians, capable of taking on the therapeutic and technological aspects of the model. XRHealth consulted extensively Invest Victoria in the set up and launch of their Melbourne base. Looking to the future With Australia’s healthcare sector set to triple over the next decade, XRHealth’s investment in its Melbourne base and operations sets them up for growth, not only in the local market but for the entire APAC region. Originally published by Invest VictoriaFind our more about investment opportunities in Digital Health.