A New Era in Biosecurity: Perth Biotech Companies Lead the Charge
Two biotechnology companies based in Perth are stepping up to the challenge of Australia’s future biosecurity needs. By combining advanced molecular diagnostics with automated large-scale testing, they aim to detect and manage infectious disease threats before they escalate out of control.
Avicena Systems and Syngenis Laboratories have joined forces to develop rapid-response pathogen detection systems that can identify dangerous biological threats across agriculture, livestock, food supply chains, and human health settings. This collaboration is timely given the potential economic and social impacts of outbreaks, which can disrupt trade, damage exports, and cost economies billions.
Avicena Systems, a standout junior biotech company, was founded by Dr Paul Watt, Paul Ostergaard, and Tony Fitzgerald. The company has created a groundbreaking molecular testing machine capable of quickly identifying dangerous pathogens. According to Tom Hanly, managing director of Syngenis Laboratories, “Syngenis is helping Avicena build a sovereign capability that can support faster, smarter and more adaptable biosecurity responses.”
At the heart of this initiative is Avicena’s “Sentinel” platform, an automated molecular testing system that uses Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification technology (LAMP). This highly sensitive technology offers PCR-level accuracy, allowing for the detection of minute amounts of genetic material from viruses or bacteria, but at much faster speeds than conventional laboratory systems.
Using robotics and automation, Avicena claims its largest Sentinel machines can process up to 100,000 samples per day, returning results in under 30 minutes. Such throughput could be crucial during pandemics, livestock disease outbreaks, or border screening emergencies where speed is essential to containment.
Meanwhile, Syngenis brings expertise in DNA and RNA assay design and oligonucleotide synthesis. Since its launch in 2020, the company has been supporting researchers and industry groups in developing next-generation diagnostic tools and precision therapeutics. These technologies are increasingly seen as vital to the future of medicine and rapid pathogen detection.
Oligonucleotide therapeutics, short lab-made genetic sequences of RNA, work directly at a cellular level, enabling scientists to selectively switch off harmful genes or precisely target disease-causing pathways. The success of mRNA vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic has spurred global investment in RNA-based medicine, opening new avenues for treatments targeting cancer, neurological disorders, and inherited genetic illnesses.
By uniting Avicena and Syngenis, a sovereign Australian capability is formed, reducing reliance on offshore diagnostic development and manufacturing during crises. This partnership addresses a vulnerability exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tom Hanly, managing director of Syngenis Laboratories, stated, “By combining Syngenis’s molecular design and oligonucleotide capabilities with Avicena’s scalable diagnostic platform, we are helping Avicena build a sovereign capability to enable faster, smarter and more adaptable biosecurity responses.”
Australia’s biosecurity system faces unique challenges as an island nation reliant on agricultural exports, livestock industries, and busy international freight and passenger networks. The risks are significant, with a major foot-and-mouth disease outbreak estimated to cost up to $80 billion over a decade. Additionally, the Lumpy Skin Disease Virus, now present in Indonesian cattle populations, poses a threat to Australia’s beef sector, potentially causing over $7 billion in losses if it reaches Australian shores.
The combined technology of Avicena and Syngenis could significantly improve how quickly authorities respond to emerging pathogens, enabling new diagnostic tests to be rapidly designed, manufactured, and deployed as new biological threats emerge.
Dr Paul Watt, co-founder, chief scientist, and executive chairman of Avicena Systems, said, “Avicena’s Sentinel platform is designed to deliver rapid molecular testing at scale, and by working with Syngenis we are strengthening the assay development capability needed to respond to new and emerging threats.”
The technology has broad applications across airports, seaports, quarantine facilities, hospitals, defence sites, livestock monitoring programs, and remote surveillance operations where high-volume testing may be required quickly and continuously.
Notably, the companies are not limiting their focus to Australia. Avicena has already begun expanding into the United Kingdom, Europe, and the Middle East as governments worldwide prioritise decentralised, scalable, and automated molecular testing systems.
Recent outbreaks of Ebola, hantavirus, norovirus, diphtheria, and tuberculosis have highlighted the need for improved detection systems. The global biosecurity approach is shifting from reactive crisis management to proactive surveillance, rapid detection, and early intervention.
The timing of this partnership is ideal for Syngenis, which is preparing for an ASX listing later this year as it looks to scale up its AI-driven platform, clinical manufacturing capabilities, and next-generation biotechnology ambitions.
If Avicena and Syngenis can successfully execute their vision, they may not only build another diagnostic platform but also position Australia at the forefront of the next generation of global biosecurity infrastructure. In a world where the next outbreak may only be a plane flight away, the ability to identify and contain threats before it’s too late could prove invaluable.
