Generation of peptidomimetic surfaces for biomaterials applications. Biomedical implants are increasingly being used for the treatment of a variety of ailments. This project will significantly contribute to the development of these bioengineered constructs, by introducing an innovative method for tailoring the nature of the surface of these materials with structures that mimic the response of biological surfaces. This technology has the potential to promote favourable interactions of cells with ....Generation of peptidomimetic surfaces for biomaterials applications. Biomedical implants are increasingly being used for the treatment of a variety of ailments. This project will significantly contribute to the development of these bioengineered constructs, by introducing an innovative method for tailoring the nature of the surface of these materials with structures that mimic the response of biological surfaces. This technology has the potential to promote favourable interactions of cells with biomedical implants, and an initial targeted application will be to use these bioengineered constructs in the treatment of preventable blindness and severe visual impairment, afflictions which affect over 180 million individuals worldwide.Read moreRead less
Graded Biomaterial for Articular Cartilage Replacement. Osteoarthritis is a major health and economical burden on the Australian community which can be addressed in part by providing a viable option for effective clinical treatment. 34% of people over the age of 50 suffer from osteoarthritis, predominantly the knee. The development of a biomaterial to enable repair of articular cartilage through minor surgical procedures will release resources at point of care. Current biomaterial options are st ....Graded Biomaterial for Articular Cartilage Replacement. Osteoarthritis is a major health and economical burden on the Australian community which can be addressed in part by providing a viable option for effective clinical treatment. 34% of people over the age of 50 suffer from osteoarthritis, predominantly the knee. The development of a biomaterial to enable repair of articular cartilage through minor surgical procedures will release resources at point of care. Current biomaterial options are still in infancy and an Australian based product would benefit the Australian economy as well as Australia's international standing within the biomaterials community.Read moreRead less
DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL BIOMATERIAL FOR BONE TISSUE ENGINEERING. Tissue engineering of bone is emerging as a viable therapy for treating large defects in load-bearing bone. We wish to develop methods for combining novel heparan sulphate molecules (known to deliver growth factors to cell surfaces and thereby cause changes in bone cell phenotype) with load-bearing, macro-porous, biodegradable mineral/polymer biomaterials. Through the study of release profiles, protein adsorption and cell responses ....DEVELOPMENT OF A NOVEL BIOMATERIAL FOR BONE TISSUE ENGINEERING. Tissue engineering of bone is emerging as a viable therapy for treating large defects in load-bearing bone. We wish to develop methods for combining novel heparan sulphate molecules (known to deliver growth factors to cell surfaces and thereby cause changes in bone cell phenotype) with load-bearing, macro-porous, biodegradable mineral/polymer biomaterials. Through the study of release profiles, protein adsorption and cell responses to these derivatised biomaterials, a novel approach to bone replacement materials can be developed.Read moreRead less
Designed Delivery - Novel Hydrogels for Drug Delivery from Precisely-Structured Networks. This project will lead to the development of new biodegradable biomaterials ideally suited to many applications in drug delivery and tissue engineering. The understanding of their properties will be built on comprehensive models for diffusion of molecules through the material. The availability of these new biomaterials will facilitate future developments in drug delivery, and will ultimately lead to improve ....Designed Delivery - Novel Hydrogels for Drug Delivery from Precisely-Structured Networks. This project will lead to the development of new biodegradable biomaterials ideally suited to many applications in drug delivery and tissue engineering. The understanding of their properties will be built on comprehensive models for diffusion of molecules through the material. The availability of these new biomaterials will facilitate future developments in drug delivery, and will ultimately lead to improved medical outcomes in many areas such as tissue and bone regeneration. The materials designed in this project will help position the Australian biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries to take advantage of the more than $100B USD market (US alone; growth ~ 10% p.a.) in drug delivery.Read moreRead less
Beyond Microarrays: Nano-Scaled Devices for High Throughput Biomolecular Sensing. Current developments in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology hold many promises in terms of revolutionising our industrial base, transforming biology, medical science and practice. This project strives to achieve some of these aims by, for the first time, building and testing nano-scaled devices with the capability to 'read' massive amounts of biological information. With the recent completion of the Human Genome proje ....Beyond Microarrays: Nano-Scaled Devices for High Throughput Biomolecular Sensing. Current developments in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology hold many promises in terms of revolutionising our industrial base, transforming biology, medical science and practice. This project strives to achieve some of these aims by, for the first time, building and testing nano-scaled devices with the capability to 'read' massive amounts of biological information. With the recent completion of the Human Genome project, major opportunities exist to provide spectacular advances in human health care (eg, via personalised medicine) provided that appropriate high-throughput biological reading devices can be developed. In developing such devices, this project also aims to substantially catalyse the Australian Nanotechnology/Biotechnology industry.Read moreRead less