Biotron Limited was incorporated in 1999 to fund, manage, develop and commercialize the research outcomes of several programs at the John Curtin School of Medical Research (JCSMR) at the Australian National University (ANU). The company's head office is located in Sydney, while its operations are located in research facilities in the Innovations Building at the ANU, Canberra as well as St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney.

Biotron is currently focused on commercial development of its two principal biomedical research programs, Virion and C-Test.

Virion is an antiviral platform technology developing small molecule therapeutics to target several significant viral diseases including HIV-1, Hepatitis C, SARS Coronavirus and Dengue.

C-Test is a series of cancer diagnostic tests based on analysis of expression profile of small carbohydrate molecules to identify new biomarkers in human blood.

Both products have enormous commercial potential, addressing unmet medical needs with very large potential markets.

In addition to these principal platform technologies, Biotron has several Tier 2 technologies in earlier phases of development. These projects involve applying Biotron's expertise in the field of ion channels to develop therapeutics that target a range of diseases including cardiovascular disease.

Biotron's model is to take products such as Virion and C-Test through preclinical development into early-stage proof-of-concept clinical trials before entering into alliances with international biotechnology or pharmaceutical companies for late-stage clinical development and marketing of products. Income received from such alliances will be committed to further the commercial development of existing and new Tier 2 projects.

Part of Vpu's function has been linked to its ion channel-forming properties. Biotron has developed in vitro screening assays to find compounds that block this ion channel activity. Through these assays, Biotron has identified a range of antiviral compounds that are able to inhibit virus budding and HIV-1 replication in vitro. Similar assays are being developed for other viruses, including Hepatitis C, Dengue and SARS.