Development of a multivariate physiologic state space analysis framework for characterising functional properties of the cardiovascular system. Pathologies of the cardiovascular system arising from heart diseases make a major contribution to morbidity and mortality in the Australian community. This project will provide new diagnostic modalities based on advanced noninvasive bioinstrumentation, signal processing and model-based analytical methods to identify early signs of developing disease or t ....Development of a multivariate physiologic state space analysis framework for characterising functional properties of the cardiovascular system. Pathologies of the cardiovascular system arising from heart diseases make a major contribution to morbidity and mortality in the Australian community. This project will provide new diagnostic modalities based on advanced noninvasive bioinstrumentation, signal processing and model-based analytical methods to identify early signs of developing disease or the acute exacerbation of existing disease. The impact of these new technologies on the early diagnosis and improved triaging of patients in emergency departments is potentially profound and could result in improved healthcare outcomes for the patients and reduced admissions to hospital as well as the development of a substantial international market.Read moreRead less
Development and evaluation of a remote monitoring system and its application to cardiac rehabilitation and occupational health. This project further develops and evaluates a system developed by the Industry Partner which permits real-time remote monitoring of a person's cardiac activity, position and velocity via GPS, and selected aspects of motion and posture using accelerometry. The study has three aims: to enhance the system's capacity for remote monitoring of human motion and physiology; to ....Development and evaluation of a remote monitoring system and its application to cardiac rehabilitation and occupational health. This project further develops and evaluates a system developed by the Industry Partner which permits real-time remote monitoring of a person's cardiac activity, position and velocity via GPS, and selected aspects of motion and posture using accelerometry. The study has three aims: to enhance the system's capacity for remote monitoring of human motion and physiology; to test its ability to support cardiac rehabilitation for those unable to access hospital-based programs; and to evaluate its application to the monitoring of workloads in physically demanding tasks associated with cardiovascular ill-health and musculoskeletal injury.Read moreRead less
Development of improved technologies for high throughput screening of potential disease susceptibility genes. This research is aimed at developing more efficient strategies to identify genes involved in common, human disorders. We aim to develop cost-effective, high throughput approaches for DNA extraction and preparation, accurately determining DNA concentration and quality and for undertaking extensive polymorphism genotyping and analysis. The suitability of equipment, analysis packages and so ....Development of improved technologies for high throughput screening of potential disease susceptibility genes. This research is aimed at developing more efficient strategies to identify genes involved in common, human disorders. We aim to develop cost-effective, high throughput approaches for DNA extraction and preparation, accurately determining DNA concentration and quality and for undertaking extensive polymorphism genotyping and analysis. The suitability of equipment, analysis packages and software, will be assessed and better technologies and packages developed. The study involves collaboration between a research centre with considerable expertise in molecular genetics and Corbett Research, a leader in the field of molecular equipment production. The development of better gene screening technologies has both molecular and commercial significance.Read moreRead less
Scaffolds for bone tissue regeneration and use in orthopaedic applications. Damaged joints do not repair spontaneously, often leading to arthritis. Bone defects resulting from congenital defects or disease processes are challenging to regenerate and represent a major financial burden to our health system. Bone graft treatments are widely used but have considerable drawbacks. This created a need for scaffolds to provide temporary support for new bone. However they lack the combined physical/biolo ....Scaffolds for bone tissue regeneration and use in orthopaedic applications. Damaged joints do not repair spontaneously, often leading to arthritis. Bone defects resulting from congenital defects or disease processes are challenging to regenerate and represent a major financial burden to our health system. Bone graft treatments are widely used but have considerable drawbacks. This created a need for scaffolds to provide temporary support for new bone. However they lack the combined physical/biological properties necessary for bone repair. We developed new scaffolds with improved mechanical/biological properties to mimic bone which will lead to new treatments for bone damage.Read moreRead less
Development and characterization of a technology platform to study the mechanisms of scaffold/Bone Morphogenic Proteins (BMP) augmented large segmental bone healing. This project will increase understanding of bone engineering and in doing so will lead to superior treatments for bone defects. Such a treatment would be valuable in addressing the ever-increasing problems of diminished productivity and reduced quality of life associated with bone disorders as the population ages. The multidisciplin ....Development and characterization of a technology platform to study the mechanisms of scaffold/Bone Morphogenic Proteins (BMP) augmented large segmental bone healing. This project will increase understanding of bone engineering and in doing so will lead to superior treatments for bone defects. Such a treatment would be valuable in addressing the ever-increasing problems of diminished productivity and reduced quality of life associated with bone disorders as the population ages. The multidisciplinary and international team will be valuable in establishing Australia's prominence in this field and training the next generation of young scientists and engineers. The technologies developed will be of great interest to a large number of research groups and companies worldwide and will assist with fostering international collaboration and placing Australia at the forefront of this emerging field.Read moreRead less
Cochlear Implants: Identifying Current Paths through Computational Modelling of MRI Data. The Cochlear implant is an Australian invention (first prototype 1978), leading to the formation of Cochlear Ltd. to commercialise it. Cochlear Ltd. has now delivered implants to over 60,000 people in 70 nations across the world. Copycat companies have arisen overseas, but Cochlear Ltd. remains the market leader, due to their commitment to ongoing R&D. The present project involves magnetic resonance imaging ....Cochlear Implants: Identifying Current Paths through Computational Modelling of MRI Data. The Cochlear implant is an Australian invention (first prototype 1978), leading to the formation of Cochlear Ltd. to commercialise it. Cochlear Ltd. has now delivered implants to over 60,000 people in 70 nations across the world. Copycat companies have arisen overseas, but Cochlear Ltd. remains the market leader, due to their commitment to ongoing R&D. The present project involves magnetic resonance imaging and finite element analysis to study the current leakage pathways in the cranial cavity for the purpose of optimizing the design and placement of the return electrode. The obvious benefit of this is longer battery life. Better understanding of current leakage over other intracranial nerves is the other anticipated benefit.Read moreRead less
Hybrid Sensor-based Physiological Control of an Implantable Rotary Blood Pump. With over 11 million people needing heart transplants worldwide and only 3000 donor hearts, an effective alternative therapy is needed. The Ventracor Ltd. rotary blood pump is one possible approach whereby a fully implantable mechanical device assists the failing heart. The innovative steps in this research proposal will be a means to robustly and safely control the speed of the pump to meet the metabolic needs of the ....Hybrid Sensor-based Physiological Control of an Implantable Rotary Blood Pump. With over 11 million people needing heart transplants worldwide and only 3000 donor hearts, an effective alternative therapy is needed. The Ventracor Ltd. rotary blood pump is one possible approach whereby a fully implantable mechanical device assists the failing heart. The innovative steps in this research proposal will be a means to robustly and safely control the speed of the pump to meet the metabolic needs of the body. Apart from the obvious health benefits for patients, this will provide the company with a huge market advantage that will also help to bolster the Australian medical device industry.Read moreRead less
An innovative system for accurate bending of fracture fixation plates in orthopaedic surgery. Bone fractures cost the Australian healthcare system about 1 billion annually, with the costs associated with non optimal surgical outcomes due to post-operative complications being much higher. The novel system developed in this project will not only shorten surgical procedures but also result in anatomically better fitting plates which will improve the functional outcome and reduce the need for surgic ....An innovative system for accurate bending of fracture fixation plates in orthopaedic surgery. Bone fractures cost the Australian healthcare system about 1 billion annually, with the costs associated with non optimal surgical outcomes due to post-operative complications being much higher. The novel system developed in this project will not only shorten surgical procedures but also result in anatomically better fitting plates which will improve the functional outcome and reduce the need for surgical implant removal. It will further lessen degenerative changes in adjacent joints as a result of incorrect fracture alignment. It can be expected that these improvements in surgical techniques will translate into reduced healthcare expenditure and ensure patient's quality of life.Read moreRead less
Monitoring, Calibration and Control of a Micro Assembly Process with Machine Vision Systems. A machine vision system will be developed and applied to monitor, calibrate, and control a novel surgical product assembly process of microscale. The machine vision system will benchmark the volumetric information of the needles, calibrate the position of the components, and control the assembly procedures. The successful implementation of the system will assist the production of finer surgical product ....Monitoring, Calibration and Control of a Micro Assembly Process with Machine Vision Systems. A machine vision system will be developed and applied to monitor, calibrate, and control a novel surgical product assembly process of microscale. The machine vision system will benchmark the volumetric information of the needles, calibrate the position of the components, and control the assembly procedures. The successful implementation of the system will assist the production of finer surgical products.Read moreRead less
Design and Development of a Low-Cost Portable Biofeedback Device for use in Sleep Induction and Relaxation. This project aims to expand on existing knowledge of the various stimuli used in sleep induction such as photic, auditory and weak electromagnetic stimulation and develop a low-cost portable biofeedback prototype. This novel device will be based on adaptive or fuzzy reasoning algorithms, which would be integrated into the existing ambulatory Siesta EEG recording system, produced by Compume ....Design and Development of a Low-Cost Portable Biofeedback Device for use in Sleep Induction and Relaxation. This project aims to expand on existing knowledge of the various stimuli used in sleep induction such as photic, auditory and weak electromagnetic stimulation and develop a low-cost portable biofeedback prototype. This novel device will be based on adaptive or fuzzy reasoning algorithms, which would be integrated into the existing ambulatory Siesta EEG recording system, produced by Compumedics Ltd. The development of this novel real-time biofeedback prototype will encourage further research using this particular technology to apply it in preventative healthcare in Australian community. The outcome of this proposed bioinstrumentation prototype could possibly expand sleep market to new international level.Read moreRead less