Rare isotopes as tracers of prosthesis debris. The incidence of knee replacement surgery in Australia is 30,000 per year. Limited by wear debris, the lifespan of knee implants is only 10-15 years and can be much shorter. Due to increasing life expectancy, many patients need several surgical procedures. As a multi-disciplinary team of materials-, isotope-tracing- and medical-experts, we aim to understand and monitor wear debris in prostheses. Knee replacement surgery alone imposes a high burden o ....Rare isotopes as tracers of prosthesis debris. The incidence of knee replacement surgery in Australia is 30,000 per year. Limited by wear debris, the lifespan of knee implants is only 10-15 years and can be much shorter. Due to increasing life expectancy, many patients need several surgical procedures. As a multi-disciplinary team of materials-, isotope-tracing- and medical-experts, we aim to understand and monitor wear debris in prostheses. Knee replacement surgery alone imposes a high burden of annually half a billion dollars on the Australian health budget. Controlling and reducing wear debris in prosthesis joints would reduce these costs and improve patients' quality of life.Read moreRead less
Novel Motion Correction Technologies for Simultaneous Positron Emission Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging. The recent development of the world's first prototype combined MR-PET scanner for human use has prompted immense interest. MR-PET is likely to revolutionize clinical diagnosis and basic research, by providing exquisite structural images co-registered with simultaneous functional PET images. We will exploit the as yet unexplored potential for motion information derived from the MR sy ....Novel Motion Correction Technologies for Simultaneous Positron Emission Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging. The recent development of the world's first prototype combined MR-PET scanner for human use has prompted immense interest. MR-PET is likely to revolutionize clinical diagnosis and basic research, by providing exquisite structural images co-registered with simultaneous functional PET images. We will exploit the as yet unexplored potential for motion information derived from the MR system to be used to correct the simultaneously acquired PET data for patient motion. This research is an excellent opportunity for Australian researchers to make important contributions to an emerging technology with high economic potential, and will strengthen Australia's international position in engineering and biomedical systems development.Read moreRead less
Nonlinear Time Series Analysis in Cardiac Physiology. We will develop innovative mathematically-based diagnostics with potentially significant savings in mortality and quality of life for affected individuals and health care costs to the community.
Cardiac diseases kill more Australians than any other disease group. According to the National Heart Foundation the prevalence to heart conditions increased by 18% over the last decade.
Medical practitioners are in need of reliable diagnostic too ....Nonlinear Time Series Analysis in Cardiac Physiology. We will develop innovative mathematically-based diagnostics with potentially significant savings in mortality and quality of life for affected individuals and health care costs to the community.
Cardiac diseases kill more Australians than any other disease group. According to the National Heart Foundation the prevalence to heart conditions increased by 18% over the last decade.
Medical practitioners are in need of reliable diagnostic tools to decide whether a person in front of them is at high risk from developing sudden cardiac death, and whether they should be fitted with an implant that could save their life.Read moreRead less
Development of Novel Two-dimensional Techniques for Magnetic Resonance In-vivo Spectroscopy. Body chemistry alters with functionality, pain, ageing and disease. These changes can be recorded by magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy (MRS) in vivo in a whole body MR scanner. When changes in chemistry can be recorded rapidly, and the individual species assigned, it will be possible to make a definitive diagnosis and in some cases allow the tailoring of treatment on an individual basis. This is curre ....Development of Novel Two-dimensional Techniques for Magnetic Resonance In-vivo Spectroscopy. Body chemistry alters with functionality, pain, ageing and disease. These changes can be recorded by magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy (MRS) in vivo in a whole body MR scanner. When changes in chemistry can be recorded rapidly, and the individual species assigned, it will be possible to make a definitive diagnosis and in some cases allow the tailoring of treatment on an individual basis. This is currently hampered by our inability to separate the composite resonances in a one dimensional MR spectrum. Research will allow two dimensional MRS to be implemented and provide detailed chemical information on human organs in vivo. Read moreRead less
Material boundaries in ultrasonics: New methods and in vitro studies in biomedical phantoms. Ultrasound is an indispensable part of healthcare worldwide. The next wave of applications will see ultrasound pulses used to closely probe suspected disease sites and to directly manipulate bioactive agents. For safe and effective use of such techniques it is essential to know the ultrasound field at the disease site. This project will develop simulation methods to achieve the fast, accurate and case-sp ....Material boundaries in ultrasonics: New methods and in vitro studies in biomedical phantoms. Ultrasound is an indispensable part of healthcare worldwide. The next wave of applications will see ultrasound pulses used to closely probe suspected disease sites and to directly manipulate bioactive agents. For safe and effective use of such techniques it is essential to know the ultrasound field at the disease site. This project will develop simulation methods to achieve the fast, accurate and case-specific results required. Community healthcare will benefit, through better diagnostic capabilities and customized treatment. Australia is well placed to profit further from this research, in view of the growing worldwide demand for more sophisticated, knowledge-based techniques in medicine.Read moreRead less
The effect of vessel wall structures on ultrasonic flow velocity measurements. The flow velocity within a nearly cylindrical vessel is often measured using an external ultrasound transducer via the Doppler principle. Thick vessel walls may present acoustically mismatched structures. This project aims to determine how such walls redistribute the energy in an interrogating ultrasound beam, and how this in turn affects the measurement of flow velocities. This is a fundamental issue, especially imp ....The effect of vessel wall structures on ultrasonic flow velocity measurements. The flow velocity within a nearly cylindrical vessel is often measured using an external ultrasound transducer via the Doppler principle. Thick vessel walls may present acoustically mismatched structures. This project aims to determine how such walls redistribute the energy in an interrogating ultrasound beam, and how this in turn affects the measurement of flow velocities. This is a fundamental issue, especially important in vascular disease where blood flow and blood vessels are affected by wall irregularities and lesions. The new knowledge generated by this project will have practical importance and, by identifying achievable outcomes, potentially major cost savings, in medical ultrasound.Read moreRead less
Coproantigen detection tests for diagnosis of intestinal parasitic nematode infection. The aim of this project is to develop new tests for detection of hookworm and Strongyloides, two common intestinal worm infections of humans. These tests offer the potential to replace current tests, namely stool microscopy and serodiagnosis, both of whose performance is unsatisfactory due to deficiencies in sensitivity, specificity and operator convenience. The tests will rely on monoclonal antibodies to dete ....Coproantigen detection tests for diagnosis of intestinal parasitic nematode infection. The aim of this project is to develop new tests for detection of hookworm and Strongyloides, two common intestinal worm infections of humans. These tests offer the potential to replace current tests, namely stool microscopy and serodiagnosis, both of whose performance is unsatisfactory due to deficiencies in sensitivity, specificity and operator convenience. The tests will rely on monoclonal antibodies to detect parasite products in stool. Such testing technology is amenable to configuration in a robust format, suitable for large-scale manufacture. Given the worldwide prevalence of these parasites, the tests will have a market potential of international significance.Read moreRead less
Gastrointestinal parasites and their diagnosis. Gastrointestinal disease such as diarrhoea, abdominal pain and irritable bowel syndrome are common in the Australian population and there are a wide variety of causes, including potentially parasites. The parasite Dientamoeba fragilis has, until recently, been overlooked as a cause of human disease, but recent studies have confirmed its role as a pathogen. This project seeks to improve the diagnosis of this organism in faeces and this development ....Gastrointestinal parasites and their diagnosis. Gastrointestinal disease such as diarrhoea, abdominal pain and irritable bowel syndrome are common in the Australian population and there are a wide variety of causes, including potentially parasites. The parasite Dientamoeba fragilis has, until recently, been overlooked as a cause of human disease, but recent studies have confirmed its role as a pathogen. This project seeks to improve the diagnosis of this organism in faeces and this development will allow effective treatment to be used in patients thereby ameliorating disease.Read moreRead less
Liquid light: aqueous bio-sensing in microstructured polymer optical fibres. This project builds on Australia's world-leading position in the development of microstructured polymer optical fibres, and applies the unique benefits they provide to for ultra- sensitive bio-sensing. By using the microstructure to simultaneously confine light and liquid, microstructured optical fibres provide a unique platform for ultra-sensitive spectroscopy and structural studies of biomolecules in solution. The wor ....Liquid light: aqueous bio-sensing in microstructured polymer optical fibres. This project builds on Australia's world-leading position in the development of microstructured polymer optical fibres, and applies the unique benefits they provide to for ultra- sensitive bio-sensing. By using the microstructure to simultaneously confine light and liquid, microstructured optical fibres provide a unique platform for ultra-sensitive spectroscopy and structural studies of biomolecules in solution. The work has profound implications both for fundamental science and applications, particularly in medical diagnostics.Read moreRead less
Tailoring the functionality of microstructured polymer optical fibres. Australia leads the world in microstructured polymer optical fibre (mPOF) research that has attracted serious commercial interest from multinational companies. A series of ATSE funded workshops in Europe during 2004 strongly indicated that the incorporation of a range of additional functionalities within novel fibres is the right path to follow to maintain research momentum and leadership. This interdisciplinary project offer ....Tailoring the functionality of microstructured polymer optical fibres. Australia leads the world in microstructured polymer optical fibre (mPOF) research that has attracted serious commercial interest from multinational companies. A series of ATSE funded workshops in Europe during 2004 strongly indicated that the incorporation of a range of additional functionalities within novel fibres is the right path to follow to maintain research momentum and leadership. This interdisciplinary project offers a clear route to expanded collaboration in both Australia and overseas thus ensuring that the OFTC retains its research and technological edge into the future whilst helping to satisfy the demand for students trained in leading-edge photonics.Read moreRead less