Australia’s Largest University Establishes ‘Monash Boston Hub’ to Accelerate Global Biotech Partnerships and Licensing

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BOSTON & MELBOURNE, Australia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 2, 2025--

Monash University, Australia’s largest and a top‑50 global research institution, today announced the establishment of the Monash Boston Hub to meet surging demand from North American and European biotech and life sciences companies for Monash drug discovery, clinical trial, and commercialization of its innovations.

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Monash university is particularly well known for its work in biotechnology and life sciences, and has numerous industry and institutional partnerships in these areas. Some major drivers of this activity include the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS), which translates research discoveries into real-world impact. Significant MIPS-led commercialization and research translation projects have resulted in the creation of biotech companies, including Cincera, Septerna, Phrenix, Pacalis, Seaport Therapeutics, and others. MIPS is also a trusted global resource for optimizing promising drug candidates ready for development and commercialization, and has been the driving force behind working with partners to progress more than 40 novel drug candidates into clinical development.

Ranked among the world’s best in pharmacology, clinical trials, and drug commercialization, Monash has completed more than 160 new license deals and created more than 30 spinouts over the past five years, which together have raised nearly USD $1 billion. The Hub, located in the Cambridge Innovation Center at 245 Main Street in Cambridge, will serve as the nexus for building and managing partnerships across North America and Europe. It will have an initial staff of 5-7 development professionals, headed by Boston native Nathan Elia, Monash’s Director of Enterprise for North America and Europe.

“Monash has had successful partnerships and commercial arrangements with United States and European entities for decades, and the Monash Boston Hub marks a significant milestone by building a bigger bridge between Boston and Melbourne - two of the world’s leading centers of biotech research and innovation,” said Sharon Pickering, President of Monash University. “Our goal is to significantly increase mutually beneficial partnerships to advance health outcomes worldwide and grow R&D collaboration between Australia, the United States, and Europe.”

“Boston is an epicenter of biotech innovation, and our expanded presence here allows us to work shoulder‑to‑shoulder with partners, investors, and collaborators to accelerate the path from discovery to patient impact,” said Nathan Elia, Director of Enterprise, North America and Europe for Monash University. “Our team will accelerate licensing and co‑development deals with U.S. and European partners, expand clinical trial collaborations leveraging Australia’s fast, efficient regulatory pathways, and connect more global biotech innovators with Monash’s world‑class research talent and facilities.”

“Moderna and Monash University have multiple productive partnerships, linking world-class academic discovery with Moderna’s development engine to accelerate life-saving vaccines and therapeutics,” said Kate Jeffrey, Vice President of Immunology, Pharmacology, and Genomics at Moderna. “Moderna has established its first mRNA manufacturing facility in the southern hemisphere on the Monash University campus. It’s a powerful model for collaborative R&D that connects training, discovery, and translation.”

“Monash University is an innovation powerhouse with the world’s leading experts in lymphatic transport, which we’re proud to have behind our proprietary Glyph™ platform, a technology Seaport exclusively licensed based on Monash’s pioneering research, co-invented by Professor Christopher Porter and Jamie Simpson, Ph.D., who is now Head of Chemistry at Seaport Therapeutics, in collaboration with many of our team members,” said Daniel Bonner, Ph.D., Co-founder, Senior Vice President, Platform, at Seaport Therapeutics. “Through this collaboration, we’ve been able to translate this important science into clinical development with our pipeline of novel neuropsychiatric medicines, with potential across a broad range of applications beyond CNS and neuropsychiatry.”

“Our partnership with Monash University has helped launch several successful companies in our portfolio, including Seaport Therapeutics and Septerna, founded on science emanating from the Monash Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences,” said Vyas Ramanan, Venture Partner at Third Rock Ventures. “Monash is a proven source of discovery, and we believe it will continue to fuel breakthrough medicines for serious diseases.”

“Monash University researchers were among our closest collaborators in our early human studies,” said Samarth Kulkarni, CEO and Chairman of CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CRSP), a biopharmaceutical company focused on creating transformative gene-based medicines for serious diseases. “Coordination with their Melbourne-based team is seamless, and their expertise and professionalism are world-class.”

Although Monash researchers work in a wide range of fields, including engineering, advanced materials, and energy, the university is particularly well known for its work in biotechnology and life sciences, and has numerous industry and institutional partnerships in these areas. Some major drivers of this activity include the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS), which translates research discoveries into real-world impact. Significant MIPS-led commercialization and research translation projects have resulted in the creation of biotech companies, including Cincera, Septerna, Phrenix, Pacalis, Seaport Therapeutics, and others. MIPS is also a trusted global resource for optimizing promising drug candidates ready for development and commercialization, and has been the driving force behind working with partners to progress more than 40 novel drug candidates into clinical development.

Monash is a top destination for early and mid-stage clinical development, benefiting from Australia’s robust infrastructure, one of the fastest and most efficient regulatory pathways in the world, and its collaborative culture.

About Monash University

Change has been the driving force of Monash University’s growth and success for more than 60 years as we have strived to make a positive difference in the world, and it’s the foundation of our future as we redefine what it means to be a university. Our Impact 2030strategic plan charts the path for how we will actively contribute to addressing three key global challenges of the age – climate change, geopolitical security, and thriving communities – through excellent research and education for the benefit of national and global communities. We have skyrocketed through global university rankings and established ourselves consistently among the world's best tertiary institutions. We rank in the world’s top-50 universities in the QS World University Rankings 2026, QS Sustainability Rankings 2024, Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings 2024, and US News and World Report (USNWR) Best Global Universities Rankings 2024-25. Your journey starts here: monash.edu

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CONTACT: Media Contacts:

Bill Fallon

Keating

E:[email protected] Carthew

Media and Communications Manager, Monash University

E:[email protected]

KEYWORD: MASSACHUSETTS AUSTRALIA/OCEANIA AUSTRALIA UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA

INDUSTRY KEYWORD: SCIENCE BIOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH PHARMACEUTICAL HEALTH UNIVERSITY EDUCATION CLINICAL TRIALS

SOURCE: Monash University

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PUB: 10/02/2025 07:00 AM/DISC: 10/02/2025 07:02 AM

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