 
Commercialising insulin-like growth factors.
Insulin-like Growth Factors (IGF-I and IGF-II) are small, highly-related proteins which stimulate
the growth and differentiation of a wide variety of cell types. Professor John Wallace from the School
of Molecular and Biomedical Science, is an expert on IGFs, which are produced by the liver and circulate
in the blood. Their bioavailability and activity are regulated by a family of 6 IGF binding proteins
(IGFBP1-6). In addition IGFs are also secreted and act locally in tissues.
For nearly two decades Professor Wallace has worked on IGFs and their roles in growth and cancer,
and on enzymes important in diabetes and obesity. He is the co-inventor of two patents. In 1986, in
collaboration with Dr FJ Ballard and his colleagues in CSIRO, Professor
Wallace and his students discovered des(1-3) Insulin-like Growth Factor-I (Patent 1), which is about
ten times more potent than the naturally occuring IGF-I. Having revealed the cause of the increased
potency, the researchers then invented a number of even more potent analogues that are the subject of
the second patent.
In 1988 GroPep Pty Ltd, a biopharmaceutical company,
was formed to commercialise the IGF intellectual property developed through the research collaboration
between the University of Adelaide and CSIRO. GroPep subsequently became the commercial arm
of the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Tissue Growth and Repair, which was one of Australia's
first CRCs. By 2000 GroPep listed successfully on the Australian Stock Exchange. Its major
income flow, which has enabled it to expand to nearly 100 employees, is still dependent on sales of
an analogue, "LONG™R IGF-I",
described in Professor Wallace's second patent. Today, GroPep continues to develop novel factors
that increase cell growth, as well as manufactures and commercialises them globally in three sectors
of the pharmaceutical industry.
Professor Wallace's research group at the University of Adelaide continues to work on IGFs and IGFBPs.
There is increasing evidence that IGFs and IGFBPs play a key role in cancer and it is generally accepted
that this role is in tumour growth, not initiation. Consistent with this, high levels of circulating
IGFs have been associated with a number of cancers, particularly breast, prostate and colon. Professor
Wallace's group has successfully modified the IGFBP-2 molecule in order to develop a potential novel
cancer treatment. The modified IGFBP-2 lacks essential sites that allow release of bioavailable IGFs,
thereby sequestering the IGFs and starving the tumour cells of IGFs protective effects. A patent specification
has been filed to protect this invention. The on-going research aims to optimise this novel modified
binding protein and provide proof of efficacy in disease models of colon and breast cancer.
Professor Wallace's work and impact on the development of South Australia's biotechnology industry
was recently recognised with him being chosen as one of three finalists for the inaugural 2005 Premier's
Science Excellence Award for "Excellence in Research for Commercial Outcomes."
For more information contact Professor
John Wallace.
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