Eight researchers from across NSW have been selected to pitch their innovative therapeutics ideas at the NSW Drug Discovery Forum 2026 before expert panellists.
Covering a diversity of disease areas, this year’s cohort represent teams working on exciting pre-IP ideas honed toward translation—addressing real-world health needs.
Professor Greg Neely (The University of Sydney)
An effective therapy for cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s Disease
Dr Howard Yim (UNSW)
Microbiome-Derived Protein Therapeutics for Colorectal Cancer
Professor Mathias Francois (The University of Sydney)
Fail faster, Succeed smarter: real-time on-target validation in drug development
Dr Fiona Knapman (UNSW)
OptoSleep – A revolutionary new therapy for Obstructive Sleep Apnoea
Dr Magdalena Przybyla (Macquarie University)
On demand gene therapies for dementia
Dr Janney Wang (The University of Sydney)
Small molecule for the discovery of Niemann-Pick Type C disease
Dr Jean Bertoldo (Children’s Cancer Institute)
Targeting H3 supply in epigenetically addicted cancers
Dr Guoying Wang (Macquarie University)
Transforming Glioblastoma Treatment through Targeted Gene Delivery and Blood-Brain Barrier Modulation
