The former University of Queensland researcher heads biopharmaceutical group Alchemia, a company based at Brisbane's Eight Mile Plains with a business development office in Redwood City, California.

Dr Ramsdale paints a positive outlook for the future provided the venture capital continues to flow. "I think the future at the moment looks pretty bright and there is a lot of activity in the state," she said.

"We are being spurred on by the addition of new venture capital but the hurdle we will always find is access to larger amounts of funding as a biotechnology company develops."

She said the attitude of investors was starting to change but success was not guaranteed.

A synthetic chemist, Dr Ramsdale bridged the gap between academia and the corporate world as joint founder of Alchemia in 1995 when it was basically run by two people.

Today it boasts 50 staff, having attracted more than $23 million in investment.

The company synthetically manufactures carbohydrates which have the potential to improve the effectiveness of a whole range of therapeutic drugs. It has applied its technology to programs developing new anti-cancer and antibiotic drugs and the manufacture of carbohydrate-based nutraceuticals and therapeutics.

Dr Ramsdale completed her postgraduate work at Bond University from 1988 to 1990. She worked as a researcher and later principal investigator and commercial manager at the University of Queensland from 1991 to 1998.

In 1998, the Australian Technology Group gave Alchemia $2 million to continue its work.

The firm hired laboratory space from the CSIRO, at Long Pocket in Brisbane's inner west, and set up an office in Dr Ramsdale's spare room. Her home served as the company's storage and distribution centre.

"This is a long-term, high-risk, high-reward venture," she said.

Ernst & Young corporate finance director Graeme Browning, responsible for the annual Young Entrepreneur Awards in the state, said Ramsdale had international companies knocking her door down.