Ex vivo production of neutrophils. Relentless infections frequently occur in patients receiving intensive chemotherapy treatment. Chemotherapy is toxic to the bone marrow where blood cells are produced. A low white blood cell count and in particular a low neutrophil count is linked with infection in these patients. Unlike red cells and platelets, neutrophils are difficult to collect from blood donors and hence are not routinely available. In this project, we will develop a practical, cost effic ....Ex vivo production of neutrophils. Relentless infections frequently occur in patients receiving intensive chemotherapy treatment. Chemotherapy is toxic to the bone marrow where blood cells are produced. A low white blood cell count and in particular a low neutrophil count is linked with infection in these patients. Unlike red cells and platelets, neutrophils are difficult to collect from blood donors and hence are not routinely available. In this project, we will develop a practical, cost efficient process for the production of neutrophils from cord blood. Transfusion of these neutrophils should reduce the chance of patients suffering serious infection, allow them to recover faster from their chemotherapy, and reduce the need for admission to intensive care.Read moreRead less
EX VIVO PRODUCTION OF MATURE RED BLOOD CELLS FOR TRANSFUSION. This project aims to establish a practical, cost efficient biotechnology platform for the expansion and maturation of blood stem cells to produce blood transfusion products. Red blood cell production will be used as the prototype model. It is envisaged that blood bioreactors will initially supplement and ultimately replace the current blood donor based process, thus overcoming the on-going donor recruitment, retention and safety issue ....EX VIVO PRODUCTION OF MATURE RED BLOOD CELLS FOR TRANSFUSION. This project aims to establish a practical, cost efficient biotechnology platform for the expansion and maturation of blood stem cells to produce blood transfusion products. Red blood cell production will be used as the prototype model. It is envisaged that blood bioreactors will initially supplement and ultimately replace the current blood donor based process, thus overcoming the on-going donor recruitment, retention and safety issues associated with collection of single units of blood. This project is focused on providing solutions to two key technical and economical challenges: (a) achieving full maturation of red blood cells and (b) achieving at least a 100-fold intensification of the expansion and maturation process through perfusion.Read moreRead less
Manipulation of Biological Particles Using Dielectrophoresis. Dielectrophoretic manipulation and separation of particles has numerous biological and medical applications, e.g. identification and characterisation of individual cells, purification of cell subpopulations from mixture suspensions, etc. This research project aims to develop a high-efficiency and low-cost DEP device for bio-particle manipulation. It will contribute significantly to the advancements in the field of biological Micro-Ele ....Manipulation of Biological Particles Using Dielectrophoresis. Dielectrophoretic manipulation and separation of particles has numerous biological and medical applications, e.g. identification and characterisation of individual cells, purification of cell subpopulations from mixture suspensions, etc. This research project aims to develop a high-efficiency and low-cost DEP device for bio-particle manipulation. It will contribute significantly to the advancements in the field of biological Micro-Electrical-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS) and nanotechnology. Industry will benefit from the expertise on micro/nano-structures and micro/nano-manufacturing achieved by this project.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
Improving immune response to vaccines by selective targeting of epithelial regions with the Nanopatch. Vaccination protects us from infections like measles and flu. In principle, it could protect us from all diseases, even from skin cancer and arthritis. In practice, however, vaccines to diseases like cancer have largely proved ineffective. One problem is that we don't really understand how the body's immune system responds to vaccination. Our aim, therefore, is to investigate changes in the imm ....Improving immune response to vaccines by selective targeting of epithelial regions with the Nanopatch. Vaccination protects us from infections like measles and flu. In principle, it could protect us from all diseases, even from skin cancer and arthritis. In practice, however, vaccines to diseases like cancer have largely proved ineffective. One problem is that we don't really understand how the body's immune system responds to vaccination. Our aim, therefore, is to investigate changes in the immune system when a vaccine enters the skin, as might happen by injection. Experimenting with laboratory mice and a special vaccine-injecting Nanopatch that is attached to each mouse's ear, we are starting to understand how a vaccine affects the immune cells in the skin. In the future we plan to apply this knowledge to improve vaccination in people.Read moreRead less
Benign fabrication of microfluidic hydrogel for improved artificial vasculature in bone implants. We will create a benign technology for synthesising microfluidic hydrogels to generate artificial vascultures in bone implants. It is a critical step to enable the use of tissue-engineered vital organs, such as bone, heart and kidney in patients with end-stage organ failure. Thicker scaffolds will be possible, as the vasculature will provide nutrients and oxygen for cells to grow into 3D scaffolds. ....Benign fabrication of microfluidic hydrogel for improved artificial vasculature in bone implants. We will create a benign technology for synthesising microfluidic hydrogels to generate artificial vascultures in bone implants. It is a critical step to enable the use of tissue-engineered vital organs, such as bone, heart and kidney in patients with end-stage organ failure. Thicker scaffolds will be possible, as the vasculature will provide nutrients and oxygen for cells to grow into 3D scaffolds. It will promote capacity of Australia for manufacturing global biomaterial products for tissue engineering. We will also develop in-situ imaging analytical protocols for the rapid analysis of broad arrays of functional molecules, with significant bearing on BioMEMS design to develop methods for diagnosis of fatal diseases.Read moreRead less
Optimising the body's immune response with a Nanopatch that delivers biomolecules to the skin. The team is developing a new improved way to vaccinate against deadly infectious diseases such as influenza and malaria. They believe their Nanopatch technology will boost the power of seasonal influenza vaccination and could even solve vaccine shortages in an influenza pandemic. This is because the Nanopatch needs much less vaccine per person than a conventional syringe. They also predict that vaccine ....Optimising the body's immune response with a Nanopatch that delivers biomolecules to the skin. The team is developing a new improved way to vaccinate against deadly infectious diseases such as influenza and malaria. They believe their Nanopatch technology will boost the power of seasonal influenza vaccination and could even solve vaccine shortages in an influenza pandemic. This is because the Nanopatch needs much less vaccine per person than a conventional syringe. They also predict that vaccines delivered with a Nanopatch will require less refrigeration than conventional vaccines and can be safely administered by individuals without medical training, making the benefits of vaccination accessible to more people more cheaply, even in remote areas.Read moreRead less
Optical Fibre Touch Sensor for Cochlear Implants. The touch sensor will be part of a cochlear implant, which is surgically implanted to provide a sense of hearing for people who are profoundly or severely deaf. Approximately 100,000 people worldwide have received cochlear implants so far. However, the delicate internal structures of the ear can easily be damaged when the implant is inserted. By helping surgeons to preserve the inner ear, this sensor will help to further improve the hearing abili ....Optical Fibre Touch Sensor for Cochlear Implants. The touch sensor will be part of a cochlear implant, which is surgically implanted to provide a sense of hearing for people who are profoundly or severely deaf. Approximately 100,000 people worldwide have received cochlear implants so far. However, the delicate internal structures of the ear can easily be damaged when the implant is inserted. By helping surgeons to preserve the inner ear, this sensor will help to further improve the hearing ability of future patients. The 'bionic ear' was invented in Australia and this project will help to ensure the continued success of Australia's world leading implant industry.Read moreRead less
The Tissue Engineering of Tissue Regeneration: Innovative Biomaterials for Tissue Regeneration. The aim of this work is to advance the science of tissue regeneration closer towards potential clinical applications. To do this we hope to solve some problems currently preventing this type of therapy from developing further.
The significance of this work is that it will help us further understand why this phenomenon is limited in humans and most animals, but present in lower order vertebrates ....The Tissue Engineering of Tissue Regeneration: Innovative Biomaterials for Tissue Regeneration. The aim of this work is to advance the science of tissue regeneration closer towards potential clinical applications. To do this we hope to solve some problems currently preventing this type of therapy from developing further.
The significance of this work is that it will help us further understand why this phenomenon is limited in humans and most animals, but present in lower order vertebrates such as salamanders.
The expected outcome is the design of innovative biomaterials suited for effective tissue reconstruction and regeneration with widespread clinical applications.
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Optimising vascularisation of tissue engineering chambers for construction of robust tissues. We have produced a device that has commercial application in several fields of basic science, biotechnology and bioengineering. When its full potential is achieved, our innovative organ chamber will strengthen Australia's standing in the biotechnology field and enrich specific applications. The knowledge gained from understanding the growth of blood vessels will benefit several fields including chemical ....Optimising vascularisation of tissue engineering chambers for construction of robust tissues. We have produced a device that has commercial application in several fields of basic science, biotechnology and bioengineering. When its full potential is achieved, our innovative organ chamber will strengthen Australia's standing in the biotechnology field and enrich specific applications. The knowledge gained from understanding the growth of blood vessels will benefit several fields including chemical bioengineering, tissue engineering and repair, polymer chemistry, therapeutics in many areas (like cancer, heart disease, diabetes), hormone manufacture for agricultural, veterinary and medical purposes and cosmetics manufacture. The project will train several post-doctoral fellows and PhD students in this cutting edge field of researchRead moreRead less