Smart magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents: from early detection to assessment of drug delivery mechanisms. 'Smart' contrast agents will be developed for enhancing the performance of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of diseases such as cancer by designing them to be triggered by biochemical markers for disease. This has the potential to aid in early detection which can lead to lower mortality rates and consequently a lower burden on the health system.
Traceable theranostics: tools for visualising drug delivery and therapeutic benefit in vivo. Forty-three thousand people died from cancer in Australia in 2010. The aim of this project is to advance the concept of 'personalised-therapy' through the development of novel imaging devices based on polymers that can 'switch-on' and deliver drugs in specific tissues, allowing more sensitive and earlier detection and monitoring of diseases and therapies.