The new home of Doherty Clinical Trials - coming soon

Did you know that although the Doherty Clinical Trials unit is currently based in East Melbourne, work is already underway in our new facility at the Australian Institute of Infectious Disease (AIID)?

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This world class facility - expected to be complete by 2027, will bring together Australia’s greatest scientific and medical research minds to provide a rapid, coordinated response to current and future pandemics and infectious diseases.

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Representing a significant investment by the Victorian State Government, the AIID has been specifically designed to foster collaboration and innovation between Foundation Partners – the University of Melbourne, Doherty Institute and Burnet Institute – as well as industry partners, and an alliance of Victorian infectious disease organisations, including Doherty Clinical Trials.

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The AIID will focus on genomics, diagnostics, therapeutics, vaccine research, clinical trials and data and public health research to inform decision making. These focus areas will be supported and enabled by high-tech facilities within the new building, including the new Doherty Clinical Trials unit, designed to accelerate the development of new medicines and vaccines for key partners and industry clients, through high-quality and ethical clinical research.

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Additional capabilities include:

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• Robotic biobanking, allowing remote treatment and storage of biomedical samples from large clinical trials, enabling more efficient and safer storage and     retrieval than traditional methods.
• One of the largest high-containment PC3 (Physical Containment level 3) laboratory facilities in the Southern Hemisphere, enabling identification, isolation and characterisation of new viruses and other infectious disease agents.
• A combination of specialist and flexible PC2 (Physical Containment level 2) laboratories, allowing the development of new vaccine technologies such as mRNA.
• Industry engagement spaces to create an innovation-focused entrepreneurial environment that supports the translation of promising discoveries into the successful commercialisation of medical products and services to deliver patient benefit.
• Convergence zones, enabling collaboration between the Foundation Partner organisations.
• Purpose designed spaces to support public health research including dry laboratories, interview rooms and spaces for community engagement and co-design work.

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When plans were initially revealed in 2023, University of Melbourne Vice Chancellor Professor Duncan Maskell said:

“It will be an iconic addition to the world-leading Melbourne Biomedical Precinct and will equip us with the facilities and resources we need to get ahead of the next pandemic.”

Doherty Institute Director, Professor Sharon Lewin said the concept design will see the AIID project gain momentum and will inspire people who will be working in the facility.

“The AIID will allow for expansion of activities across all aspects of the Doherty Institute’s work, as well as strengthen partnerships with Foundation Partners to tackle the challenges in infectious diseases now and into the future.”

Burnet Institute Deputy Director Professor Margaret Hellard said this is an exciting phase in the project, bringing to life the vision of a new state-of-the-art facility and the new home for Burnet Institute.

“The relocation of Burnet Institute to the Melbourne Biomedical Precinct as a Foundation Partner of the AIID is an exciting opportunity that will strengthen collaborations across laboratory-based research and public and global health, and build our capacity to respond to significant global health challenges.”

Doherty Clinical Trials CEO Andrew Brockway said this presents an exciting step forward in AIID's development.

“Doherty Clinical Trials is looking forward to moving to AIID to further realise our potential as a world class facility within the heart of Australia’s Biomedical Precinct and work alongside our partner networks to drive advancements in a range of therapeutic areas."

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To find out more about the AIID, visit https://aiid.edu.au/ and to see the latest update regarding the appointment of AIID’s early works contractor, click here.