Perth biotech duo Avicena, Syngenis forge biosecurity shield
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James Pearson
Two Perth biotech companies are positioning themselves at the forefront of Australia’s future biosecurity defense by combining cutting-edge molecular diagnostics with automated large-scale testing to tackle infectious disease threats before they get out of control.
Perth-based Avicena Systems and Syngenis Laboratories have teamed up to develop rapid-response pathogen detection systems capable of detecting hazardous biological threats in agriculture, livestock, food supply chains and human health environments.
In an age where outbreaks can close borders, cripple exports and cost economies billions of dollars, the timing of the collaboration seems apt.
Avicena Systems is not your average young biotech company. An award-winning Perth company founded by Dr Paul Watt, Paul Ostergaard and Tony Fitzgerald has created a potentially game-changing molecular testing machine that can hunt down dangerous pathogens extremely quickly.
‘Syngenis is helping Avicena build a superior capability that can support faster, smarter and more adaptable biosecurity interventions.’
Tom Hanly, general manager of Syngenis Laboratories
At the center of this effort is Avicena’s “Sentinel” platform, an automated molecular testing system built around Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification technology, better known as LAMP.
The highly sensitive technology provides polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-level accuracy, which can detect even tiny amounts of genetic material from viruses or bacteria, but at speeds that traditional laboratory systems cannot keep up with.
Using robotics and automation, Avicena says its largest Sentinel machines can process up to 100,000 samples per day and automatically return results in less than 30 minutes.
This type of production could be critical in the event of future epidemics, livestock disease outbreaks, or border sweep emergencies, where speed often determines whether authorities present a threat or have lost control of it.
Meanwhile, Syngenis brings expert expertise in DNA and RNA assay design and oligonucleotide synthesis. Since its launch in 2020, the Perth-based company has been helping researchers and industry groups in Australia and abroad develop next-generation diagnostic tools and precision treatments; These technologies are the future of medicine and are becoming increasingly central to rapid pathogen detection.
Oligonucleotide therapeutics are short, laboratory-made genetic RNA sequences designed to work directly at the cellular level, allowing scientists to selectively turn off harmful genes or precisely target disease-causing biological pathways.
The runaway success of mRNA vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a global investment frenzy in RNA-based medicine; It has opened the door to new generation treatments targeting cancer, neurological disorders, inflammatory diseases, rare conditions and inherited genetic diseases.
Bringing Avicena and Syngenis together therefore creates an independent Australian capability that reduces reliance on offshore diagnostic development and manufacturing during crises; this is a vulnerability exposed globally during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Syngenis Laboratories general manager Tom Hanly said: “By combining Syngenis’ molecular design and oligonucleotide capabilities with Avicena’s scalable diagnostic platform, we are helping Avicena build a superior capability that will enable faster, smarter and more adaptable biosecurity responses.”
Australia’s biosecurity system faces unique pressures as an island nation heavily dependent on agricultural exports, livestock industries and dense international freight and passenger networks. The risks are too great. It was estimated that a major FMD outbreak alone would cost Australia up to $80 billion over ten years.
In addition, the rapidly spreading Lumpy Skin Disease Virus has now become established in Indonesian cattle populations and appears to be another major threat to Australia’s beef industry. If the disease reaches Australian shores, it could cause more than $7 billion in damage to the local beef industry in its first year, Avicena said.
As a result, the companies believe their combined technology stacks can significantly increase the speed at which authorities detect and respond to emerging pathogens, allowing new diagnostic tests to be rapidly designed, manufactured and deployed as new biological threats emerge.
Avicena Systems co-founder, chief scientist and executive chairman, Dr. Paul Watt said: “Avicena’s Sentinel platform is designed to deliver rapid molecular testing at scale, and by working with Syngenis, we are strengthening the test development capability needed to respond to new and emerging threats.”
The technology has broad potential applications in airports, ports, quarantine facilities, hospitals, defense facilities, livestock monitoring programs and remote surveillance operations where rapid and continuous high-volume testing may be required.
Companies in particular say they are not just thinking about Australia.
Avicena has already begun expanding into the UK, Europe and the Middle East as governments around the world increasingly prioritize decentralized, scalable and automated molecular testing systems.
Recent outbreaks of Ebola, hantavirus, norovirus, diphtheria, and tuberculosis are a reminder of how quickly infectious diseases can spiral out of control when detection systems cannot stop transmission.
The global biosecurity playbook now appears to be shifting from reactive crisis management to proactive surveillance, rapid detection and early intervention; that is, it stops outbreaks before they snowball into full-scale emergencies.
If Avicena and Syngenis can bring their vision to life, the Perth duo could do much more than just create another diagnostic platform. They can help put Australia at the forefront of the next generation of global biosecurity infrastructure, where speed, scalability and rapid molecular detection become the first line of defense against future pandemics, agricultural threats and emerging infectious diseases.
And in a world where the next pandemic may be just a plane flight away, the ability to detect and contain threats before it’s too late can be invaluable.
Is your ASX-listed company doing something interesting? Contact: mattbirney@bullsnbears.com.au
