Six Australian biomed startups share A$13.5m in CUREator+ funding round
Key Insights
Six Australian biomedical and health tech startups will share A$13.5 million from the second investment round of the MRFF-backed CUREator+ commercialisation program.
Aleris Therapeutics (search), Frontier Inflammasome Therapeutics (search) and Luma Bio (search) each received A$2.5 million, spanning inflammatory disease, oncology and targeted cancer imaging.
Navier Medical (search) received A$2.13 million for its AI-enabled Navier Heart platform, which analyses routine CT scans to predict and prevent heart attacks.
Six Australian startups in biomedical and health tech will share A$13.5 million to advance technologies spanning artificial intelligence, cancer and cardiovascular care. The funding comes through the second investment round of CUREator+, a commercialisation programme backed by Australia's Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF).
The companies are developing products for inflammatory disease, oncology, cardiovascular disease, neurological disorders and AI-enabled digital health. CUREator+, run by Brandon BioCatalyst (search) in partnership with ANDHealth, provides non-dilutive funding, meaning companies receive capital without giving up an ownership stake, alongside commercialisation support and access to industry networks.
Dr Amanda Vrselja, CUREator programme head, said: "By combining milestone-based funding with experienced commercialisation support, we're enabling founders to build investable companies capable of delivering global healthcare impact from Australian innovation."
Funding allocations across therapeutic areas
Three of the startups — Aleris Therapeutics (search), Frontier Inflammasome Therapeutics (search) and Luma Bio (search) — will each receive A$2.5 million.
Aleris Therapeutics (search) is developing a novel therapy for inflammatory diseases, while Frontier Inflammasome Therapeutics (search) is working on first-in-class therapies targeting inflammatory conditions. Luma Bio (search) is developing peptide-based radiopharmaceuticals for targeted cancer imaging and treatment. Radiopharmaceuticals are medicines containing radioactive substances that can be used to identify or treat diseased tissue.
AI-enabled cardiac risk detection
Navier Medical (search) has been awarded A$2.13 million to develop AI-enabled cardiac CT risk markers aimed at improving the prediction and prevention of heart attacks. Its Navier Heart platform analyses routine computed tomography (CT) scans to identify blood vessels that may signal increased cardiovascular risk.
Sander Bangma, chief executive of Navier Medical (search), said: "Preventing heart attacks starts with seeing the disease earlier. Our Navier Heart platform turns routine CT scans into a powerful tool for early detection and personalised treatment of cardiovascular disease, by revealing the high-risk vessels hiding in plain sight."
The company plans to use the programme to support a prospective clinical trial, further develop the platform and prepare for commercialisation.
Neurological and digital health platforms
Neurotologix (search) will receive A$1.95 million to commercialise a platform designed to provide objective assessments of vertigo and dizziness.
WeGuide (search) has been awarded A$1.95 million for an AI-powered platform aimed at speeding up the development and commercialisation of digital biomarkers. Digital biomarkers are measurements collected through technologies such as wearables that can provide information about a person's health or disease. WeGuide's platform combines wearable, clinical and patient-generated health data to support their development.
The six recipients span three Australian states: Aleris Therapeutics (search) (Victoria), Frontier Inflammasome Therapeutics (search) (Queensland), Luma Bio (search) (Victoria), Navier Medical (search) (Western Australia), Neurotologix (search) (Western Australia) and WeGuide (search) (Victoria).