University of Newcastle alumni celebrate winning Good Design Australia 2022 Award of the Year.

September 16th, 2022, Newcastle: Design + Industry (D+I) electronics engineers and University of Newcastle (UoN) alumni Mitchell Bright and Hugo Denham Wells are celebrating their involvement in the design and development of AdvanCell’s Isotope Generator, 2022’s Good Design Award.

The Isotope Lead²¹² Generator is a worlds-first alpha isotope generator which addresses the greatest unmet need in targeted alpha therapy – the reliable and scalable supply of isotope.

The Good Design Awards attract new and innovative design projects from around the world, celebrating the very best in all areas of design, architecture, engineering, research, fashion and social impact. Each year more than 1000 entries are judged for design and engineering excellence across a broad range of industry sectors.

AdvanCell are a Sydney-based radiopharmaceutical company that have developed a platform technology capable of producing scalable, local isotopes every day. Their platform has the ability to manufacture clinical doses of a high-value isotope, Lead²¹² for use in targeted radionuclides therapy. Their method is touted as a game-changer for prostate and several other cancer treatments. By enabling a scalable, local isotope production capability, the Generator will be able to fast track the delivery of these cutting-edge cancer treatments.

In order to take their technology to the market, AdvanCell engaged D+I, Australia’s leading product development consultancy. AdvanCell were able to leverage D+Is full-service capabilities which include Industrial design, Mechanical Engineering and Electronics thus providing AdvanCell with a turnkey product development service.

D+I Newcastle’s Lead Electronics Engineer, Mitchell Bright commented, “it’s been a huge honour to work on a project this impactful. Furthermore, it’s incredible to be able to say that we achieved the product outcome in under 12 months.”

Working alongside Mitchell in the project was 2019 UoN Faculty Medal winner Hugo Denham Wells.

Dr Brandon Gien, CEO of Good Design Australia and Chair of the Awards says, “Great design is all about solving meaningful problems that will have a profound impact on our lives and that’s exactly what this product does.”

“AdvanCell’s Generator is a revolutionary product that is going to have a remarkable impact on the lives of many people. The attention to detail in the design of the device is exemplary, the use of materials and thoughtfulness about the experience of the user are a real highlight as is the use of recycled materials to create the actual isotopes. Two other astounding features include the fact that this product replaces a machine the size of a small bedroom and it negates the requirement to source radioactive elements from Russia, thus securing supply of this precious resource,” Dr. Gien went on to say.

“AdvanCell will change the game for people in the medical industry, victims of cancer and quite frankly, the world. Despite dedicated efforts of researchers in the field, this level of breakthrough is rare and deserves recognition for its massive contribution to the medical industry and more specifically, towards the progression of cancer treatment,” said Dr. Gien

AdvanCell’s Isotope Lead²¹² Generator is currently being used in CSIRO research facilities in Queensland where it is currently producing clinical doses of Lead²¹².