BioWorld International Correspondent

MELBOURNE, Australia - In March 2007, Australia's first synchrotron should come on stream, ending the need for the country's scientists to go abroad begging for beam time whenever they have a protein structure to solve or a tumor cell to study.

Unusual for such a significant, prestigious and expensive project, the new machine largely has been funded not by the national government, but by the State of Victoria.

The spending was sanctioned as part of Victoria's ambitions to become a world leader in biotechnology. The state is far from being alone in holding that ambition, but putting A$157 million (US$119.8 million) - or three-quarters of the capital cost - into ensuring the synchrotron would be built in Melbourne is a sign of the seriousness of its intent.

The investment in the synchrotron is the largest sum a state government has ever spent on any aspect of R&D infrastructure. In addition, the state has put money into a number of other high-profile projects in support of its biotech strategy.

Those include Bio21, a purpose-built cross-discipline translational research center that opened recently at Melbourne University; the Australian Stem Cell Center, located at Monash University; and the Victorian AgriBiosciences Research Center at La Trobe University.

John Brumby, Victoria's minister for innovation, told BioWorld International the state's goal is for its biotechnology sector to be in the top five worldwide by 2010. "At present, Ernst and Young ranks us at 10 or 11 in the world. The target of being in the top five is ambitious but achievable," he said.

Brumby said the state already has achieved the top five status in some areas, including stem cell research, assisted reproduction technologies and some aspects of vaccines development, most notably flu and human papillomavirus vaccines.

The ambition is not limited to health care, but extends to agricultural biotechnology. While Victoria accounts for 5 percent of Australia's landmass, it is responsible for a much higher proportion of its agricultural output. "There are huge advantages of GM [crops]. You can produce the same amount of product with significantly less pesticide use and fewer inputs," Brumby said.

Victoria's ambitions have put it on a collision course with the central government on stem cell research. The state is lobbying for human therapeutic cloning to be legalized in the face of a recent government decision not to liberalize existing law.

Ironically, on genetically modified crops, the boot is on the other foot, with GM canola having received central government approval, and Victoria and two other states enforcing a moratorium on it being planted.

Brumby was keen to note that the moratorium - which runs until 2008 - is on the commercial planting of GM canola and has no effect on any aspect of GM crop research.

There is a "long history" behind how the ban came into place, Brumby said, openly admitting that it was at odds with Victoria's biotech ambitions. He added, "Through 2007 we will see a more sensible debate on these matters." The implication is that he will work to get the ban lifted.

Over the next few years, there will be a whole range of other GM products that offer more obvious human health and other benefits than the first generation of GM crops. That will shift public perceptions, Brumby said.

"The history of GM shows that where it benefits human health the general public has been very supportive."

Among the GM crops under development in Victoria are rye grass with non-allergenic pollen, grass that is resistant to frost, preventing it from going brown in winter, and drought- and salinity-resistant wheat.

Brumby noted, "Increasing salinity and drought are the biggest threats to agriculture in Australia."

Unfortunately, he added, the debate on GM crops is seldom undertaken in a rational or informed [way]. "I still get letters from people talking about tomatoes turning into killer fish."