[Music plays and the Coat of Arms and an image appears of a Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation badge and text appears: 2022 Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation, SpeeDx, Dr Elisa Mokany, Adjunct Professor Alison Todd]
[Image changes to show Adjunct Professor Alison Todd on the right talking to the camera, and Dr Elisa Mokany on the left listening]
Adjunct Professor Alison Todd: I’m Adjunct Professor Alison Todd.
[Image shows Elisa talking on the left while Alison listens]
Dr. Elisa Mokani: I’m Dr. Elisa Mokani.
[Image changes to show Alison and Elisa descending some stairs inside a building and walking towards the camera]
Adjunct Professor Alison Todd: And we are co-founders of SpeeDx.
[Image changes to show a close view of Alison talking to the camera]
SpeeDx tackles two major problems in modern medicine: cancer and antibiotic resistance.
[Image changes to show a view looking up at the National Innovation Centre, and then the image changes to show a researcher at work in a laboratory, and the camera zooms in on her hands]
Dr. Elisa Mokany: At SpeeDx, we conduct tests aimed at addressing unmet medical needs.
[Image changes to show Elisa talking to the camera, and then the image changes to show a close view of Elisa talking to the camera]
Therefore, these tests may target oncology or infectious diseases.
[Images move through to show test tubes in a tray, Alison, Elisa and another researcher at work, and then hands pushing a door shut on a machine in the laboratory]
And they seem to be trying to do more than just tell you about your illness. They aim to provide information to doctors and clinicians on how to treat you and get better faster.
[Images move through to show Alison and Elisa looking at test tubes in a tray, a close view of the tray, and then Elisa holding up a test tube and Alison looking at it]
Adjunct Professor Alison Todd: Our inventions have been incorporated into hundreds of commercialized products for research and clinical diagnostics.
[Images move through to show a close view of liquid being syringed up from a test tube, and a researcher working at a table in the laboratory]
Dr. Elisa Mokany: SpeeDx has developed over 45 tests and sells them in 19 countries.
[Image changes to show a close view of Alison talking to the camera]
Adjunct Professor Alison Todd: One in two men and one in three women will develop cancer during their lifetime.
[Images move through to show a medium view of Alison talking to the camera, a robotic machine filling test tubes, and five test tubes with different coloured lids next to a box of SpeeDx]
To date, approximately 4 million patients have been tested using our technology to guide them to the most appropriate treatment to maximize their chances of achieving the best outcome.
[Image changes to show a side view of Alison and Elisa walking through a building]
Dr Elisa Mokani: We are part of the Australian Research Council’s hub to combat antimicrobial resistance.
[Image changes to show Elisa talking to the camera, and then the image changes to show a close view of Alison wearing PPE while she works]
It brings together 21 groups from industry, academia and research institutions around the world to help address the growing challenge of antimicrobial resistance.
[Image changes to show Alison syringing liquid into a test tube in a tray]
Adjunct Professor Alison Todd: I’ve always loved DNA.
[Image changes to show DNA symbols on a computer screen]
I play with it as if it were molecular Legos, tricking it into revealing its deepest secrets.
[Image changes to show Alison talking to the camera]
I’m doing this in collaboration with a great team of co-inventors.
[Images move through to show Alison and Elisa and colleagues in conversation, Alison and a colleague walking towards the camera, and Elisa and a colleague walking towards the camera]
Dr. Elisa Mokany: At SpeeDx, we pride ourselves on developing the next generation of scientists.
[Image changes to show Alison and Elisa working in a laboratory, and then the image changes to show Alison pointing to information on a Smart screen]
I myself was a PhD student at Alison. Alison was brought in to invent some really cool technology that would later lead to the start of SpeeDx.
[Image changes to show Alison talking to the camera]
Adjunct Professor Alison Todd: I am very honored and honored to receive the Prime Minister’s Award for Innovation.
[Images move through to show a close view of Alison writing on a tablet, Elisa watching Alison as she writes, Elisa talking to the camera, and Elisa and Alison turning and smiling at the camera]
Dr. Elisa Mokani: What we see here are two female scientists who have developed revolutionary DNA technology. It allowed us to become entrepreneurs and build companies based on this new technology.
[Music plays and the image changes to show the Coat of Arms and the Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation badge and text appears: 2022 Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation, SpeeDx, Dr Elisa Mokany, Adjunct Professor Alison Todd]
