Multimodal biomedical imaging probes: development of advanced polymer nanocomposite devices for oncology. Despite significant research being directed toward cancer treatment, 7.6 million people died world wide in 2007. Early detection and treatment is widely recognised as being effective in significantly reducing mortality rates. Biomedical imaging techniques are routinely used for detection and staging of many cancers. However, greater sensitivity is required so that these techniques can be app ....Multimodal biomedical imaging probes: development of advanced polymer nanocomposite devices for oncology. Despite significant research being directed toward cancer treatment, 7.6 million people died world wide in 2007. Early detection and treatment is widely recognised as being effective in significantly reducing mortality rates. Biomedical imaging techniques are routinely used for detection and staging of many cancers. However, greater sensitivity is required so that these techniques can be applied to very early detection of tumours. To overcome this short-coming the next generation of imaging probes will be developed, which will require fundamental investigations in polymer and nanomaterials science to maximise imaging sensitivity and extend probe functionality. Successful outcomes will lead to significant benefits to healthcare in Australia.Read moreRead less
Community-level selection: Empirical tests in a microbial system. Given the profile of the question of community-level selection as a long-running controversy, the main benefit of the proposed work, which will critically test the idea in an empirical system, will be to increase recognition of Australia's position as a research nation in evolutionary biology. In exploring mechanisms of floc formation, a key component of wastewater treatment, the work will establish important foundations for impro ....Community-level selection: Empirical tests in a microbial system. Given the profile of the question of community-level selection as a long-running controversy, the main benefit of the proposed work, which will critically test the idea in an empirical system, will be to increase recognition of Australia's position as a research nation in evolutionary biology. In exploring mechanisms of floc formation, a key component of wastewater treatment, the work will establish important foundations for improving the efficiency of wastewater treatment. Improvement in performance of only a few percent will bring important economic savings. This is evidenced by recent commitment of >$US 230 billion to improving the efficiency of wastewater treatment in Germany, Italy and Spain over 5 years.Read moreRead less
Dendrimers: multidimensional sensors. The threat of terrorism is presented to us on a daily basis. Although there is often talk of dirty bombs, and biological and nuclear terrorism, the most easily sourced weapon of the terrorist is still the conventional explosive. As such the ability to detect trace amounts of compounds such as TNT or Semtex is required. This means that there is a real need for a portable detection system with the ability to reliably sense a specific explosive, selectively at ....Dendrimers: multidimensional sensors. The threat of terrorism is presented to us on a daily basis. Although there is often talk of dirty bombs, and biological and nuclear terrorism, the most easily sourced weapon of the terrorist is still the conventional explosive. As such the ability to detect trace amounts of compounds such as TNT or Semtex is required. This means that there is a real need for a portable detection system with the ability to reliably sense a specific explosive, selectively at low concentrations. This project concerns the development of new sensors that have potential to increase the nation's security.Read moreRead less
Information support tools for the trauma patient pathway. Processes such as critical supply chain management, disaster management, and trauma patient pathways need people, resources, and information to be smoothly transferred between jurisdictions, but problems can occur at each handover. This project focuses on the prehospital to hospital patient pathway and aims to develop technologies, devices, and displays to support more effective handover of patients between jurisdictions. The project will ....Information support tools for the trauma patient pathway. Processes such as critical supply chain management, disaster management, and trauma patient pathways need people, resources, and information to be smoothly transferred between jurisdictions, but problems can occur at each handover. This project focuses on the prehospital to hospital patient pathway and aims to develop technologies, devices, and displays to support more effective handover of patients between jurisdictions. The project will conduct field research, design activities, and simulation-based evaluation of prototypes with healthcare professionals. Expected outcomes are designs, technologies, and guidelines that will generalise to other multi-jurisdictional processes. Benefits are safer and more efficient handover processes.Read moreRead less
Calibration Free Coulometric Sensors Based on Polymeric Thin Layer Films. The world faces enormous environmental and clinical challenges that require accurate data from remote deployable and disposable sensors. Many key parameters important to global warming (carbon dioxide cycle) and clinical diagnostics (blood electrolytes) may be assessed with a polymeric membrane sensing technology, but the measurement principle is not sufficiently robust for remote sensing applications. This research will m ....Calibration Free Coulometric Sensors Based on Polymeric Thin Layer Films. The world faces enormous environmental and clinical challenges that require accurate data from remote deployable and disposable sensors. Many key parameters important to global warming (carbon dioxide cycle) and clinical diagnostics (blood electrolytes) may be assessed with a polymeric membrane sensing technology, but the measurement principle is not sufficiently robust for remote sensing applications. This research will make this possible by adapting calibration free measurement principles (coulometry, or charge counting) to this class of sensors, where a thin layer of sample solution will be depleted by instrumental control. This forms the scientific basis for successfully tackling the measurement challenges of the future.Read moreRead less
Trails of migration out of Africa in harmful mutations of the First Peoples. This project aims to study harmful mutations specific to Indigenous populations. The process of migration out of Africa has left its footprints in the mutations present in world populations. By investigating these unique signatures, this project aims to characterise the harmful mutations specific to Aboriginal Australians using the whole genome sequences of the First Peoples. The expected outcomes will benefit future ....Trails of migration out of Africa in harmful mutations of the First Peoples. This project aims to study harmful mutations specific to Indigenous populations. The process of migration out of Africa has left its footprints in the mutations present in world populations. By investigating these unique signatures, this project aims to characterise the harmful mutations specific to Aboriginal Australians using the whole genome sequences of the First Peoples. The expected outcomes will benefit future Aboriginal health research to better understand the mutations associated with various genetic diseases.Read moreRead less