The Bench 2 Breakthrough Podcast

In this episode of Bench to Breakthrough, Accelagen CEO Greg Plunkett welcomes Silvio Tiziani, CEO of the Centre for Commercialisation of Regenerative Medicine (CCRM Australia), for an in-depth discussion on the future of regenerative medicine and advanced therapies in Australia. The conversation explores how cell and gene therapies are transforming patient outcomes, while highlighting the critical role that commercialization planning, manufacturing infrastructure, and ecosystem coordination play in bringing scientific discoveries to market. Silvio shares insights from the successful Canadian CCRM model and explains how Australia can strengthen its regenerative medicine sector through greater collaboration, workforce development, and strategic investment. The episode also examines Australia's evolving position in the global life sciences landscape and the opportunities available to attract talent, capital, and innovation. Before the main discussion, Greg reviews proposed changes to Australia's R&D Tax Incentive program and their potential impact on emerging biotech companies and investors.“The Bench 2 Breakthrough Podcast” is the official podcast of Accelagen, created to share real-world insights from the clinical and regulatory front lines of biotech and pharmaceutical development. Hosted by Accelagen founder and CEO Greg Plunkett alongside co-host Rosa Plunkett, the podcast explores global, regional, and local industry news, emerging challenges, and new opportunities shaping the CRO landscape. Each episode blends practical experience with thoughtful discussion, featuring expert guests and perspectives that help sponsors navigate development pathways more efficiently. From early discovery to clinical execution, Bench 2 Breakthrough is about turning scientific progress into meaningful outcomes for patients.Accelagen is a Melbourne-based, award-winning Contract Research Organisation (CRO) specializing in end-to-end clinical trials, regulatory affairs, and biometrics for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Founded in 2010, it supports Phase I-IV trials and offers strategic guidance for drug and medical device development. We believe the future of human health needs a fresh, future-focused approach. We challenge existing conventions to deliver commercially savvy and patient-centric outcomes for leading biopharmaceutical and medical device companies in the fast-growing global trials market across Australia, North America, Asia Pacific, and Europe.

In this episode, Greg sits down with Rebecca Asher to unpack how biostatistics has evolved into a critical driver of clinical trial success. What was once a back-end function is now shaping studies from the very beginning, influencing everything from endpoints to overall design. They explore how modern trials, decentralized data collection, and new regulatory expectations are changing the way sponsors need to think about data. Rebecca shares practical insight on avoiding common pitfalls, especially around missing data and overcomplicating analysis. If you want to understand how to design trials that actually deliver meaningful results, this conversation is well worth your time.“The Bench 2 Breakthrough Podcast” is the official podcast of Accelagen, created to share real-world insights from the clinical and regulatory front lines of biotech and pharmaceutical development. Hosted by Accelagen founder and CEO Greg Plunkett alongside co-host Rosa Plunkett, the podcast explores global, regional, and local industry news, emerging challenges, and new opportunities shaping the CRO landscape. Each episode blends practical experience with thoughtful discussion, featuring expert guests and perspectives that help sponsors navigate development pathways more efficiently. From early discovery to clinical execution, Bench 2 Breakthrough is about turning scientific progress into meaningful outcomes for patients.Accelagen is a Melbourne-based, award-winning Contract Research Organisation (CRO) specializing in end-to-end clinical trials, regulatory affairs, and biometrics for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Founded in 2010, it supports Phase I-IV trials and offers strategic guidance for drug and medical device development. We believe the future of human health needs a fresh, future-focused approach. We challenge existing conventions to deliver commercially savvy and patient-centric outcomes for leading biopharmaceutical and medical device companies in the fast-growing global trials market across Australia, North America, Asia Pacific, and Europe.

In the main portion of our second episode of "The Bench 2 Breakthrough" podcast, Greg Plunkett speaks with ophthalmologist and drug developer, Houman Hemmati, MD, PhD, about the biggest unmet needs and emerging opportunities across the ophthalmology space. Dr. Hemmati highlights areas such as ocular rosacea, autoimmune-related dry eye, glaucoma neuroprotection, inherited retinal diseases, and AMD, emphasizing that many current therapies still fall short in durability, efficacy, safety, or patient convenience. He also explains why retinal drug development remains especially challenging, from difficult regulatory endpoints and long trial timelines to the high costs of GLP tox, GMP manufacturing, and clinical execution. The conversation also explores the practical realities of treatment delivery, including why long-acting intravitreal therapies may remain more viable than topical options for many retinal indications. Throughout the discussion, Dr. Hemmati blends clinical, regulatory, and entrepreneurial perspectives while also sharing insight into the programs he is actively advancing to address these persistent gaps in eye care.“The Bench 2 Breakthrough Podcast” is the official podcast of Accelagen, created to share real-world insights from the clinical and regulatory front lines of biotech and pharmaceutical development. Hosted by Accelagen founder and CEO Greg Plunkett alongside co-host Rosa Plunkett, the podcast explores global, regional, and local industry news, emerging challenges, and new opportunities shaping the CRO landscape. Each episode blends practical experience with thoughtful discussion, featuring expert guests and perspectives that help sponsors navigate development pathways more efficiently. From early discovery to clinical execution, Bench 2 Breakthrough is about turning scientific progress into meaningful outcomes for patients.Accelagen is a Melbourne-based, award-winning Contract Research Organisation (CRO) specializing in end-to-end clinical trials, regulatory affairs, and biometrics for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Founded in 2010, it supports Phase I-IV trials and offers strategic guidance for drug and medical device development. We believe the future of human health needs a fresh, future-focused approach. We challenge existing conventions to deliver commercially savvy and patient-centric outcomes for leading biopharmaceutical and medical device companies in the fast-growing global trials market across Australia, North America, Asia Pacific, and Europe.

The inaugural episode of “The Bench 2 Breakthrough Podcast” introduces Acceligen and the vision behind the podcast, hosted by founder and CEO Greg Plunkett alongside co-host Rosa Plunkett. They outline the podcast’s purpose as a platform to share CRO-focused news, industry insights, and practical perspectives on global clinical and regulatory development heading into 2026. The episode explores current challenges facing biotech and pharma, including funding constraints, regulatory delays at the FDA, and workforce impacts in Australia, while highlighting Australia’s efficiency as a pathway to early clinical development. Greg and Rosa also reflect on Acceligen’s 15-year journey, emphasizing patient-centric thinking, agility, and close partnership with biotech clients. The episode closes by inviting listener feedback and previewing future discussions on emerging technologies, regulatory change, and real-world problem solving in drug development.“The Bench 2 Breakthrough Podcast” is the official podcast of Acceligen, created to share real-world insights from the clinical and regulatory front lines of biotech and pharmaceutical development. Hosted by Acceligen founder and CEO Greg Plunkett alongside co-host Rosa Plunkett, the podcast explores global, regional, and local industry news, emerging challenges, and new opportunities shaping the CRO landscape. Each episode blends practical experience with thoughtful discussion, featuring expert guests and perspectives that help sponsors navigate development pathways more efficiently. From early discovery to clinical execution, Bench 2 Breakthrough is about turning scientific progress into meaningful outcomes for patients.Accelagen is a Melbourne-based, award-winning Contract Research Organisation (CRO) specializing in end-to-end clinical trials, regulatory affairs, and biometrics for pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Founded in 2010, it supports Phase I-IV trials and offers strategic guidance for drug and medical device development. We believe the future of human health needs a fresh, future-focused approach. We challenge existing conventions to deliver commercially savvy and patient-centric outcomes for leading biopharmaceutical and medical device companies in the fast-growing global trials market across Australia, North America, Asia Pacific, and Europe.