Success Stories
In business as in research, there is rarely ever an "overnight success": success comes more often than not after years of hard work, applied intelligence, and believing passionately in the value of one's idea or product.
But when that success does come, it can result in global impact with innovative products that revolutionise treatment of diseases, create unimagined new markets or make industries more efficient and profitable.
Here is one example of what can be achieved when brilliant researchers bring their exciting new ideas to the commercialisation professionals at Otago Innovation:
MitoQ
An innovative Parkinson's disease-fighting drug invented at Otago University and developed by NZ pharmaceutical firm Antipodean Biotechnology is a prime example of the kind of novel science Otago Innovation wants to translate into products that significantly benefit health and society.
Dubbed "MitoQ", the compound was invented by top medicinal chemist Professor Robin Smith and former Otago colleague and world-renowned mitochondria expert Dr Mike Murphy to slow the progression of Parkinson's. Together, they combined their respective areas of expertise to tackle this and other neurodegenerative diseases.
Currently untreatable, Parkinson's develops when the nerve cells in the part of the brain that produce dopamine begin to die, leading to a lack of coordination and other difficulties such as tremors, still muscles and joints. Existing therapies only relieve symptoms, but if MitoQ proves effective, it will be the first to actually slow the progression of the disease.
Recent research increasingly linked the death of dopamine-producing nerve cells to damage caused when the mitochondria - the energy source or "batteries" of cells - fail to properly metabolise food and oxygen.
MitoQ works in two ways: it has a targeting component or "truck" (TPP, or Triphenyl phosphonium), that delivers the drug straight through the cell wall to the mitochondria, and an antioxidant component that prevents oxidative damage and nerve cell death.
The antioxidant part was modeled on a naturally occurring antioxidant found in the body, Coenzyme Q. But laboratory tests showed that MitoQ is 1000 times more effective in preventing cell damage. In addition, MitoQ can accumulate and recycle in the mitochondria, extending its therapeutic effect.
If further drug trials are successful, MitoQ could potentially make a huge difference to the lives of millions of Parkinson's suffers and those affected by other neurodegenerative diseases.
The University of Otago and Otago Innovation recognized the market potential of this compound early in the process, and ensured that the intellectual property was protected. Antipodean Biotechnology was engaged as the commercial partner to further develop the research in New Zealand.
Antipodean, under Dr Ken Taylor's leadership, has progressed the project to a point where Otago Innovation confidently transferred the intellectual property to the new company charged with international development, Antipodean Pharmaceuticals Inc.