Posted: 4 September 2024
Debuting at number four on Apple Podcasts Australia in the Life Sciences category, the Phase III podcast is now sharing its second deep-dive series on the sector. The NUKED series explores the growth in radiopharmaceuticals and the curve of opportunity emerging in nuclear medicine – happening right now, in Australia and around the world.
The radiopharmaceuticals sector is on a knife point. The scope of what nuclear medicine can do to make a positive impact in healthcare is growing. But the radioisotopes that biotechs need to make those therapies are in very, very short supply. Major clinical trials are hitting pause because of shortages of critical nuclear isotopes, and the world’s biggest pharmaceutical companies are buying up biotechs that have locked in both the science and the supply chain.
“There will be some very successful winners, and many, many losers as companies fight for the nuclear resources they so desperately need to make their therapies work. In this series, we are getting right under the hood to investigate,” said Phase III Podcast Producer, Charis Palmer.
Phase III’s second series, NUKED, unites some of the brightest brains and key players in Australia’s radiopharmaceutical industry to analyse why this sector is exciting both investors and clinicians; how biotechs are fighting to lock in supplies of nuclear material; and whether Australia has a shot at becoming a nuclear power.
“Australia could be a key player in radiopharmaceuticals – from mining nuclear waste for base materials to delivering life-changing cancer therapies. The underlying message from our latest series NUKED is that nuclear supplies are getting tight, but there may be enormous upside for investors who can cut through in this fascinating new field,” said Phase III Podcast host, Rachel Williamson.
The first episode of series 2 is now live, exploring the shifting landscape of radiopharmaceuticals – NUKED.
“Radiopharmaceuticals fundamentally change how we need to think about delivering treatments and diagnostics, and perceptions on what a biotech company should look like too. The ‘just in time’ nature of a treatment that has a nuclear half life of minutes or days means most of these substances must be made on site in a hospital. And the lack of both raw nuclear materials and actual isotopes means biotechs can’t just make a cool product. They have to own the whole supply chain if they want to protect their product and patients from shortages,” said Ms Palmer.
Interviewees across Phase III series 2 NUKED (in order of appearance):
- Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre chief radiopharmaceutical scientist Dr Mohammad Haskali
- HB Biotechnology co-founder and managing director Dr Charlie Williams
- GlyTherix chief executive officer Dr Brad Walsh
- Telix Pharmaceuticals chief executive officer Dr Christian Behrenbruch
- Clarity Pharmaceuticals chief executive officer Dr Alan Taylor
- Radiopharm Theranostics executive chairman Paul Hopper
- entX managing director Bryn Jones
- Cyclowest head of production Dr Jacquie Cawthray
- FB Rice senior associate Dr Brittany Ashton
- FB Rice senior associate Dr David Herman
- Cyclotek innovation and partnerships Samuel Graf
Phase III is paced at one 30-minute episode per week, with an occasional hiatus so its founders can earn a crust and nurture their loved ones (which include small humans). Like the audience they serve, Williamson and Palmer have embraced the risk of establishing a new media entity, currently homed on Buzzsprout and backed by opt-in subscriber contributions.
