About Us
The Stephen Sanig Research Institute is an independent, non-profit, scientific research organisation. Based at the Australian Technology Park, the Institute’s mandate is to contribute to improved health outcomes by developing and disseminating new and effective methods of prevention, treatment and management of medical conditions for which there are currently limited patient options.
Established in 2005, the Institute is a tribute to the memory of Stephen Sanig, a boy who tragically died of meningococcal septicaemia at the age of seven. We are committed to a collaborative approach, and are actively pursuing partnerships with leading research institutions both in Australia and internationally.
The Institute’s research program is deliberately interdisciplinary, and aims to integrate insights from diverse scientific fields to identify innovative treatments for conditions for which the pharmaceutical industry has, to date, shown little interest, or for which current pharmaceutical interventions have demonstrated limited effectiveness.
Our team and supporting network integrates capabilities from diverse fields such as cell biology, immunology, biophysics, biochemistry and biotechnology. We apply our capabilities to the development of new biopharmaceuticals as well as improving the safety and efficacy of existing products and drug candidates. Our founders and supporters intended the Institute to serve as a catalyst – pioneering new research ideas, attracting talented students to careers in scientific research, and contributing to the professional development of researchers and medical practitioners.
SSRI’s current research focuses on:
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Rapid diagnostics: technologies to test for high-risk diseases (such meningococcal disease and associated septicaemia) in a clinical setting, drastically reducing the delays inherent in relying on laboratory based techniques;
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Biopharmaceutical production, with a particular focus on the production of monoclonal antibodies with improved bio-efficacy and reduced immuno-toxicity; and
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Manipulation of immune response, with a particular focus on inflammatory and auto-immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn’s disease.
Latest News
SSRI Celebrates its 15th Anniversary
This year, 2020, SSRI celebrated its 15th anniversary! Though the decade and a half seems to have flown by, over these years from our humble beginnings we have attained a range important results and achieved several landmarks. In late 2004, Dr. Mahaworasilpa and Dr. Kaseko – then at the Biophysics department of The University of New South Wales – founded the Institute with seed funding and assistance from the Stephen Sanig Foundation. Their vision for the Institute was to create [...]
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The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day.