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
Efficient and tailored supercontinuum generation using dispersion management. Imagine a laser beam, but not with just one colour, but containing all colours. The light beam thus looks white, somewhat like a search light, except that it is much brighter. We now know how to generate such bright white beams of light, but it is expensive, requiring a small specialized laboratory full of equipment. Through a better understanding, we will make it easier and cheaper to generate these light beams. All k ....Efficient and tailored supercontinuum generation using dispersion management. Imagine a laser beam, but not with just one colour, but containing all colours. The light beam thus looks white, somewhat like a search light, except that it is much brighter. We now know how to generate such bright white beams of light, but it is expensive, requiring a small specialized laboratory full of equipment. Through a better understanding, we will make it easier and cheaper to generate these light beams. All kinds of applications that have been known for years, such as medical imaging and chemical analysis, then suddenly become practical. We anticipate that in the future these bright white light beams will be used on a routine basis in Australian hospitals and industry. Read moreRead less
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
Quantification of the Remineralisation of Enamel. This project has three specific aims:
1. To quantify the ultrastructure and mechanisms of remineralisation of enamel using scanning and transmission electron microscopy.
2. To determine the mechanical properties of remineralised tissue and compare with those of sound enamel.
3. To develop an in-vivo optical fibre probe for monitoring and quantifying the changes of mineralised carious tissue during remineralisation.
This project will enable ....Quantification of the Remineralisation of Enamel. This project has three specific aims:
1. To quantify the ultrastructure and mechanisms of remineralisation of enamel using scanning and transmission electron microscopy.
2. To determine the mechanical properties of remineralised tissue and compare with those of sound enamel.
3. To develop an in-vivo optical fibre probe for monitoring and quantifying the changes of mineralised carious tissue during remineralisation.
This project will enable patients prone to orthodontic induced root resorption to be identified and also to assist with validating repair of enamel tooth structure in a non-surgical manner. It is anticipated to result in the development of a novel fibre optic instrument with applications beyond dentistry.
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The photonic immunochip: retrieving individual Enzyme-linked Immuno Sorbent Assay (ELISA) array-units using optical waveguide multicolour fluorescence. Improving the sensitivity and availability of in-vitro immuno-diagnostic tests is a critical goal towards developing real time efficient tools for the detection of infectious diseases, cancers, allergies and auto-immune diseases. The goal is to increase the sensitivity of these tests by reducing background noise that has been a feature of the com ....The photonic immunochip: retrieving individual Enzyme-linked Immuno Sorbent Assay (ELISA) array-units using optical waveguide multicolour fluorescence. Improving the sensitivity and availability of in-vitro immuno-diagnostic tests is a critical goal towards developing real time efficient tools for the detection of infectious diseases, cancers, allergies and auto-immune diseases. The goal is to increase the sensitivity of these tests by reducing background noise that has been a feature of the commonly used ELISA technology. This will be achieved by developing a novel optical integrated waveguide array supporting a large range of distributed tests, including several based on a novel multi-colour detection scheme. This massively parallel approach will underpin a new generation of low-cost, efficient diagnostic tests.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
Control of Protein Attachment and its Optical Detection. Protein array technologies have applications in the rapid diagnosis of disease. Biosensors can detect traces of biohazards. Before widespread implementation of these technologies can occur however, a rapid, sensitive and convenient readout method for the control and readout of attachment of proteins to antibodies is needed. I will use electric fields, combined with array imaging at surface plasmon resonance to achieve this aim. This protei ....Control of Protein Attachment and its Optical Detection. Protein array technologies have applications in the rapid diagnosis of disease. Biosensors can detect traces of biohazards. Before widespread implementation of these technologies can occur however, a rapid, sensitive and convenient readout method for the control and readout of attachment of proteins to antibodies is needed. I will use electric fields, combined with array imaging at surface plasmon resonance to achieve this aim. This protein diagnostic array technology will enable accurate and rapid diagnosis of disease, generating savings on health costs and improving public health. Manufacture in Australia will bring further economic benefits.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
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