Advanced Signal Processing for Radiation Spectroscopy. Southern Innovation develops and markets world-leading pulse processing technologies for the rapid, accurate detection and measurement of radiation. The underlying real-time signal processing challenge relates to isolating often overlapping pulses, determining when each pulse arrived and the energy of each pulse. Recent advances in the computational power of digital signal processing boards makes it timely to develop innovative pulse process ....Advanced Signal Processing for Radiation Spectroscopy. Southern Innovation develops and markets world-leading pulse processing technologies for the rapid, accurate detection and measurement of radiation. The underlying real-time signal processing challenge relates to isolating often overlapping pulses, determining when each pulse arrived and the energy of each pulse. Recent advances in the computational power of digital signal processing boards makes it timely to develop innovative pulse processing algorithms based on optimal filtering of stochastic processes. It is expected that these algorithms will have widespread impact, both commercially for minerals exploration, materials analysis, medical imaging and security screening, and scientifically for improving the performance of synchrotrons and other equipment.Read moreRead less
Faster, cheaper, better: mathematical advances for improved design and scheduling of robotic instrumentation. This project extends previous research addressing mathematical challenges in the optimal design and scheduling of robotic instrumentation. The Partner Organisation manufactures instruments for cancer diagnostics, and designs instruments that need to produce rapid, high-quality results, at a reasonable cost in a competitive market. It is intended that powerful new scheduling algorithms wi ....Faster, cheaper, better: mathematical advances for improved design and scheduling of robotic instrumentation. This project extends previous research addressing mathematical challenges in the optimal design and scheduling of robotic instrumentation. The Partner Organisation manufactures instruments for cancer diagnostics, and designs instruments that need to produce rapid, high-quality results, at a reasonable cost in a competitive market. It is intended that powerful new scheduling algorithms will be devised to handle their complex problem, which is more challenging than standard problems. The developed methodologies aim to reduce the product development cycle and boost the competitiveness of Australian manufacturers. In addition, new theoretical and algorithmic contributions aim to enable improved scheduling in other application areas.Read moreRead less
Combined optical and electrical stimulation of auditory neurons. The bionic ear, which has now helped to improve the hearing of over 200,000 people worldwide, is a great example of Australian innovation success. This project aims to develop the fundamental technology that will underpin the next generation of these devices using a combination of infrared light and electrical signals to stimulate auditory nerves.
The development and testing of a device to enhance the application of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation. This project aims to develop and evaluate a new device designed to substantially enhance the use of transcranial magnetic stimulation, a technology, which is increasingly being applied in the treatment of disorders such as depression, as well as in the study of normal and abnormal brain function.
Unlocking the potential of quantitative x-ray micro-tomography. This project aims to build on two new ideas in data acquisition and 3D image reconstruction to bring 3D X-ray microscopy or computed tomography (CT) into advanced research use as well as common industrial applications. In the past 10 years, CT has improved our understanding in areas ranging from the evolution of life and osteoporosis to composite material failure and oil recovery. However, the full potential of CT remains unrealised ....Unlocking the potential of quantitative x-ray micro-tomography. This project aims to build on two new ideas in data acquisition and 3D image reconstruction to bring 3D X-ray microscopy or computed tomography (CT) into advanced research use as well as common industrial applications. In the past 10 years, CT has improved our understanding in areas ranging from the evolution of life and osteoporosis to composite material failure and oil recovery. However, the full potential of CT remains unrealised because crucial features in structure and composition are overlooked by simplistic algorithms. Users cannot directly capture quantities of interest such as key compositional variation or defects, and workflows are poorly adapted for large-scale use in industrial fabrication or phenomics. This project aims to address these shortcomings using advanced mathematics and algorithms.Read moreRead less
Increasing the efficacy of laboratory x-ray sources for imaging. X-ray laboratory sources are used extensively for imaging: from the humble dental and medical x-ray to sophisticated 3D non-destructive testing methods; from the microscopic to large mechanical parts. This project will pursue methods that improve the imaging capability of such equipment with direct application across the fields of materials and medical imaging.
Scaling microfluidics for cell manufacture. Scaling microfluidics for cell manufacture. This project aims to scale microfluidic devices for cell manufacture. Large-scale cell manufacturing processes (cell selection, gene transfer and culture expansion) are expensive, multistep and labour-intensive processes. Lab-on-a-chip devices can automate and integrate these complex processes at microscale. This project will evaluate a prototype bioreactor. This research is expected to make cell therapies ch ....Scaling microfluidics for cell manufacture. Scaling microfluidics for cell manufacture. This project aims to scale microfluidic devices for cell manufacture. Large-scale cell manufacturing processes (cell selection, gene transfer and culture expansion) are expensive, multistep and labour-intensive processes. Lab-on-a-chip devices can automate and integrate these complex processes at microscale. This project will evaluate a prototype bioreactor. This research is expected to make cell therapies cheap enough to become standard treatment, which would benefit patients with diseases that are incurable by conventional therapies (surgery and drug treatments). It should also benefit the Australian advanced manufacturing sector, particularly biopharmaceutical and cell therapy industries.Read moreRead less
Diamond Microneedles for Minimally Invasive Blood Collection. Blood sampling is a routine procedure for medical purposes to determine the physiological and biochemical status of patients. The aim of this project is to develop a reliable microneedle array for a blood collection procedures. Micro-scale needles for low-volume perforated blood samples are highly desirable due to its minimal invasiveness and painlessness. The miniaturization of sampling platforms driven by microneedles has the poten ....Diamond Microneedles for Minimally Invasive Blood Collection. Blood sampling is a routine procedure for medical purposes to determine the physiological and biochemical status of patients. The aim of this project is to develop a reliable microneedle array for a blood collection procedures. Micro-scale needles for low-volume perforated blood samples are highly desirable due to its minimal invasiveness and painlessness. The miniaturization of sampling platforms driven by microneedles has the potential to shift disease diagnosis and monitoring closer to the point of care. Expected outcomes include the development of synthetic diamond-based microneedles for the potential to greatly benefit society through improved and affordable healthcare and the development of new high-tech industries.Read moreRead less
Nanopore sensors for multiplexed, ultra-fast gene detection. The aim of this research is to develop the application of protein nanopores for multiplex identification of DNA samples for ultrafast gene detection. This is a type of barcoding of organism DNA that allows for rapid gene identification. This technology aims to address a significant need for rapid, on-the-spot identification of organisms. Applications include rapid identification of pathogenic bacteria in infections and identification o ....Nanopore sensors for multiplexed, ultra-fast gene detection. The aim of this research is to develop the application of protein nanopores for multiplex identification of DNA samples for ultrafast gene detection. This is a type of barcoding of organism DNA that allows for rapid gene identification. This technology aims to address a significant need for rapid, on-the-spot identification of organisms. Applications include rapid identification of pathogenic bacteria in infections and identification of organisms in environmental sampling. Current methods are relative slow, require DNA amplification and specialised laboratories.
This proposal aims to fine tune the properties of the large nanopore, polyC9, with respect to size and charge, as well as to identify and characterise novel large nanopores. Read moreRead less
New high resolution radiation dose mapping of special type polymer-gel dosimeters using mini-MRI scanner of high (4.7 Tesla) magnetic field. Gel dosimeters main advantage is dose determination in 3-dimensions. Their main limitation is low spatial-resolution. We propose fabrication of special-type gels and for the first time use the 4.7 Tesla mini-scanner for dose mapping. Increased magnetic field combined with a small aperture for field dissipation will greatly improve spatial resolution down t ....New high resolution radiation dose mapping of special type polymer-gel dosimeters using mini-MRI scanner of high (4.7 Tesla) magnetic field. Gel dosimeters main advantage is dose determination in 3-dimensions. Their main limitation is low spatial-resolution. We propose fabrication of special-type gels and for the first time use the 4.7 Tesla mini-scanner for dose mapping. Increased magnetic field combined with a small aperture for field dissipation will greatly improve spatial resolution down to micrometers (micro-dosimetry). This new technique will render gel-dosimeters suitable for applications in radiotherapy, industrial and all other radiation fields. Moreover, we will employ new parameter for dose mapping, which is expected to be more sensitive to radiation than the currently used relaxation timesRead moreRead less