Virtual testing of orthopaedic devices as part of the design and development process: strategies to account for patient and surgical variability. Novel computational tools will be developed through this project to help account for patient and surgical variability in the design of orthopaedic implants, such as hip and knee replacements and spinal products. These tools will reduce the design time, give greater insight in implant performance and ultimately lead to safer implants with improved longe ....Virtual testing of orthopaedic devices as part of the design and development process: strategies to account for patient and surgical variability. Novel computational tools will be developed through this project to help account for patient and surgical variability in the design of orthopaedic implants, such as hip and knee replacements and spinal products. These tools will reduce the design time, give greater insight in implant performance and ultimately lead to safer implants with improved longevity.Read moreRead less
Development of a novel flex sensor for use on catheters in medical pressure diagnostic tools. This research project will lead to a significant improvement on the technologies currently available to diagnostic tests of swallowing dysfunctions in children. The proposed technology is much needed and will enable future development of more direct and targeted interventions to assist with feeding based on these measurement techniques. In addition, the knowledge and expertise learned from this project ....Development of a novel flex sensor for use on catheters in medical pressure diagnostic tools. This research project will lead to a significant improvement on the technologies currently available to diagnostic tests of swallowing dysfunctions in children. The proposed technology is much needed and will enable future development of more direct and targeted interventions to assist with feeding based on these measurement techniques. In addition, the knowledge and expertise learned from this project as applied to such a miniature medical device comprises sufficient generic know-how to be useful in developing other biomedical devices. These developments will have a tangible technological impact in a way that will help the Australian biomedical industry be more competitive in the global market.Read moreRead less
Advanced Intramedullary Nailing Systems. The proposed project is aimed at developing advanced orthopaedic implants (intramedullary nails and associated locking screws) commonly used for bone fracture repair. These new generation metallic implants will be developed using a comprehensive research approach centred on physico-chemical and mechanical properties investigations. A new generation of intramedullary nailing systems with superior design and mechanical properties (small diameter and high st ....Advanced Intramedullary Nailing Systems. The proposed project is aimed at developing advanced orthopaedic implants (intramedullary nails and associated locking screws) commonly used for bone fracture repair. These new generation metallic implants will be developed using a comprehensive research approach centred on physico-chemical and mechanical properties investigations. A new generation of intramedullary nailing systems with superior design and mechanical properties (small diameter and high strength) and improved bone fixation is the key expected outcome. The knowledge generated in the project is expected to lead to the growth of the Industry Partner (Austofix). Training of a world class researcher in the multidisciplinary field of biomaterials will be an additional outcome.Read moreRead less
Development of an implantable device to monitor lactate levels in blood: Monitoring the Performance of Australian athletes using Biosensor Technology. Sport is a critical area for social and economic investments. Novel medical monitoring systems using implantable biosensors will ensure optimal training programs for Australian athletes and maintain international competitiveness. Here we are developing a biosensor for real-time monitoring of lactate levels in athletes using frontier porous semicon ....Development of an implantable device to monitor lactate levels in blood: Monitoring the Performance of Australian athletes using Biosensor Technology. Sport is a critical area for social and economic investments. Novel medical monitoring systems using implantable biosensors will ensure optimal training programs for Australian athletes and maintain international competitiveness. Here we are developing a biosensor for real-time monitoring of lactate levels in athletes using frontier porous semiconductor technology and smart telemetry protocols to transfer the readings to a remote base unit. These highly innovative devices and the materials that they are made from have enormous commercial potential in biomedical engineering. There is a strong potential for Australia to have an important stake in this area by combining expertise in engineering, chemistry and nanostructured materials.Read moreRead less
Development of an endofunctional capsule for targeted delivery of biomarkers in the alimentary tract. The proposed capsule will provide a solution to the problem of accessing the small intestine for targeted delivery of biomarkers and drugs, and contribute to translational medical research to enhance our understanding of the function of the gut. Successful completion of this project will build on defined priority areas of research strength in Australia (frontier technologies, smart information u ....Development of an endofunctional capsule for targeted delivery of biomarkers in the alimentary tract. The proposed capsule will provide a solution to the problem of accessing the small intestine for targeted delivery of biomarkers and drugs, and contribute to translational medical research to enhance our understanding of the function of the gut. Successful completion of this project will build on defined priority areas of research strength in Australia (frontier technologies, smart information use) and assist in the provision of information critical to the design of novel in vivo endofunctional devices. The technologies to be developed in this project will be translatable to the development of other in vivo functional investigation and treatment devices. Read moreRead less
Combined Terahertz Imaging and Optical Coherence Tomography. This project aims to exploit the synergies between terahertz imaging and optical coherence tomography. These novel imaging modalities will be combined into a single multi-modality technique which will have application in numerous industry sectors like manufacturing, non-destructive testing, pharmaceutical and medicine. The intended outcome of the project is to create an internationally leading position for Australia in cutting-edge res ....Combined Terahertz Imaging and Optical Coherence Tomography. This project aims to exploit the synergies between terahertz imaging and optical coherence tomography. These novel imaging modalities will be combined into a single multi-modality technique which will have application in numerous industry sectors like manufacturing, non-destructive testing, pharmaceutical and medicine. The intended outcome of the project is to create an internationally leading position for Australia in cutting-edge research in optical and terahertz imaging. This innovative, fundamental research will expand Australia’s research capacity in imaging with wide ranging applications. The anticipated goal of the project is to build a prototype imaging system with industry partners ready for the next step to commercialisation. 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
Covalent Immobilisation of Growth Factors on Plasma Modified Titanium for Achieving Enhanced Bone Growth and Bonding in Implant Prosthetics. This project is aimed at improving the fixation of titanium implants by combining the surface technologies expertise of University of South Australia and Flinders University with TGR BioSciences's growth factors expertise. Plasma modified and hydroxyapatite-coated implant surfaces will be used for covalent immobilisation of growth factors via tethers with ....Covalent Immobilisation of Growth Factors on Plasma Modified Titanium for Achieving Enhanced Bone Growth and Bonding in Implant Prosthetics. This project is aimed at improving the fixation of titanium implants by combining the surface technologies expertise of University of South Australia and Flinders University with TGR BioSciences's growth factors expertise. Plasma modified and hydroxyapatite-coated implant surfaces will be used for covalent immobilisation of growth factors via tethers with tailored wettability and flexibility. This innovative strategy is expected to yield high retention of growth factor bioactivity and increased bone-implant integration for long-term implant stability. Knowledge, expertise and techniques developed will help TGR BioSciences expanding its research base and business. Training of students in the emerging field of nano-biotechnology will be another major outcome.Read moreRead less
Attachment of Growth Factors to Pure, Plasma Modified and Coated Titanium Substrates. Titanium and its alloys are routinely used as medical and dental implants. Despite coating with hydroxyapatite, a material well known to improve implant fixation, many such implants fail because of lack of strong integration with bone. This proposal aims at achieving long-term stability of titanium implants through their surface modification and subsequent attachment of growth factors. The use of latter has alr ....Attachment of Growth Factors to Pure, Plasma Modified and Coated Titanium Substrates. Titanium and its alloys are routinely used as medical and dental implants. Despite coating with hydroxyapatite, a material well known to improve implant fixation, many such implants fail because of lack of strong integration with bone. This proposal aims at achieving long-term stability of titanium implants through their surface modification and subsequent attachment of growth factors. The use of latter has already been shown to help bone-implant integration. Successful project implementation will provide titanium implant surfaces that will help achieve speedier and improved implant fixation with long-term stability. Knowledge, expertise and techniques developed will help the industry partner expanding its research base and business and generating wealth in Australia. Training of world-class research students in the emerging field of biotechnology will be another major outcome.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