VivaZome is delighted that Associate Professor Riccardo Natoli from Australian National University (ANU) will be doing an Industry placement with VivaZome in the second half of this year. This placement is supported by the Bridge and BridgeTech Industry Fellowships Program, which is part of MTPConnect’s $32 million REDI initiative.   Riccardo’s application was selected from a very competitive pool of applicants, based on his experience, project goals, strength of industry partnership and potential impact.

Riccardo is the Head of the Clear Vision Research Lab, at the John Curtin School of Medical Research and ANU Medical School, with his team focused on finding novel diagnostics and treatment options for Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD), using miRNA and extracellular vesicles (EVs). AMD is the most common cause of blindness in Australia.

ANU is a project partner in VivaZome’s current CRC-P project and AMD is one of VivaZome’s key clinical targets. Riccardo’s fellowship at VivaZome will build on his existing industry interactions and experience AND assist VivaZome to accelerate its development of new EV-based therapies for retinal disease.