Pitch for Health Funds Leading Medical Innovation

Congratulations to our winners of the inaugural St Vincent’s Discovery and Innovation Pitch for Health, A/Prof Venessa Chin and Dr Darren Korbie, as well as Professor Kazuo Suzuki who received research funding through the program. 

Each team has been awarded up to $100,000 in grant funding to advance their groundbreaking medical projects along the translational research pipeline.

Launched in August 2024, the philanthropically funded research grants program supports innovative medical research, fosters entrepreneurship across the St Vincent’s Healthcare Precinct, and improves patient outcomes.

As part of the Discovery and Innovation Program which calls St Vincent’s AMR home, Pitch for Health ensures St Vincent’s stays at the forefront of medical innovation, driving ‘bench to bedside’ research-driven care and is open to all partners of the St Vincent’s Sydney Health Innovation Precinct. Following a rigorous selection process by a Scientific Review panel of medical research and industry experts, six finalists were chosen.

From this group, A/Prof Venessa Chin and her research team won first place with their innovative lung cancer test, Precision dX, receiving a $91,000 grant. Their Xenium platform combines pathology and genetic testing into one simple test, requiring one biopsy slice instead of 20, reducing the need for extra samples and repeat procedures. This new method cuts the time for results from three weeks to just six days, speeding up treatment and improving patient outcomes.

Runner up, Dr Darren Korbie and his team, who developed a new test to detect and treat breast cancer recurrence early, secured an $87,000 grant. As current tests work for only 57% of patients, their goal is to create Australia’s first breast cancer DNA test that can detect recurrence in 90% of patients, leading to better outcomes.

To sustain and expand this initiative, $4.5 million in philanthropic support is needed over the next three years. To date, $1.5 million has been secured, including a generous leadership gift from Paula and Andrew Liveris AO and the Liveris family, who also funded the creation of the Paula Liveris Innovation Hub.

Thank you also to generous donations from Will and Jane Vicars, Dr Mark Nelson and Louise Nelson and Mr John Sample which have made the program possible.

For further information, please contact Christopher Lewis – christopher.m.lewis@svha.org.au.