BUILDING ON TRUST AND COLLABORATION TO ROADMAP NEXT PHASE OF AUSTRALIA’S VACCINE SUCCESS Conference returns to lead charge in strengthening the entire life cycle of vaccine development
With
Leah Goodman
Chief Executive Officer
Biointelect
SEGMENT
Filmed in Sydney | September 2026
Trust, collaboration and a stronger vaccine ecosystem were the focus of the second Australian Vaccine Value Chain Conference, held in Sydney, September 2026 and hosted by life science consultancy Biointelect. More than 200 leaders from government, industry, academia, research, investment and the immunisation community attended, joined by international representatives including the International Vaccine Institute and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations.
The conference took place amid falling global immunisation rates, rising misinformation, shrinking funding and a resurgence of measles. In Australia, childhood immunisation rates have fallen by between 2.3 and 4.3 percentage points at standard age milestones each year since 2020. Discussions covered research funding, regional health security, sovereign manufacturing, data and capacity building, vaccine access, uptake resistance and pandemic preparedness. Delegates noted progress through the new Australian Centre for Disease Control and the updated National Immunisation Strategy, but experts say further action is needed.
In an interview with the Australian Health Journal, Biointelect CEO Leah Goodman said the mood had shifted since the inaugural 2024 conference, when nervousness was evident. This year, she said, attendees were “feeling that they had a role to play in the shaping of the Australian ecosystem.” She pointed to the first six companies announced in the Biointelect Venturer incubator, funded through the Medical Research Future Fund, as a sign of progress.
Goodman also stressed the importance of international cooperation, stating that “no country can build a resilient vaccine ecosystem alone.” A white paper will capture the discussions and set priorities for the next two years.
Source: Adapted from Biointelect media release (September 2026) and transcript
-
Physiotherapist, exercise physiologist support for management of osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is commonly managed medically and typically with treatment. Exercise is also essential in the management of osteoporosis but tends to be under-utilised due to lack of knowledge and unfounded concerns about the risk of injury. In fact, optimal care of people with low bone mass, osteoporosis and/or increased risk of falling can and should include targeted exercise to help prevent osteoporotic fracture.
In early 2024, Healthy Bones Australia released a summary of the principles of osteogenic loading and fall prevention, the translation of those principles into clinical practice, evidence-based recommendations for exercise prescription, and special considerations, along with links to several relevant resources for people with or at risk of osteoporosis, falls and fractures.
-
Imperatives for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer
Professor Clare Scott, a pioneering clinician scientist at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne, also serves as a medical oncologist at Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, the Royal Melbourne Hospital, and the Royal Women’s Hospital.
Her comprehensive training in medical oncology has fuelled her specialisation in gynaecological cancer, combining rigorous research with clinical trials to improve patient outcomes. With over a decade of involvement in ANZGOG, Australia’s foremost gynaecologic cancer research organisation, she is deeply committed to advancing research and saving lives.
-
The role of genomic screening in transforming public health
Dr Jane Tiller is a lawyer, genetic counsellor and public health researcher. She is Ethical, Legal & Social Adviser in Public Health Genomics at Monash University, and a National Health and Medical Research Council Investigator Grant holder. Jane is passionate about the use of genomics to prevent disease, and in delivering equitable access to preventive genetic information at the population level. She is co-lead of DNA Screen, a world-first study piloting the offer of preventive DNA screening to the Australian adult population. DNA Screen has tested over 10,000 young people for genetic high risk of medically actionable conditions such as cancer and heart disease, finding about 2% of participants had genetic high risk. Jane is leading efforts to secure Commonwealth Government funding to expand the DNA Screen program, with the eventual goal of the development of a public health population screening program for disease prevention based on high genetic risk.
