Novel antimicrobial surface coatings for Cochlear implants. The objective of this project is to develop new antimicrobial coatings for materials used to manufacture biomedical devices. Infection associated with the use of biomaterials such as biomedical implants, catheters and orthopaedic prostheses is a major barrier to the use of these devices. The coatings that the project plans to develop are based on novel antimicrobials which have been shown to prevent adhesion and colonisation of biomater ....Novel antimicrobial surface coatings for Cochlear implants. The objective of this project is to develop new antimicrobial coatings for materials used to manufacture biomedical devices. Infection associated with the use of biomaterials such as biomedical implants, catheters and orthopaedic prostheses is a major barrier to the use of these devices. The coatings that the project plans to develop are based on novel antimicrobials which have been shown to prevent adhesion and colonisation of biomaterials by bacteria in vivo. This strategy has the potential to prevent device-related infections and revolutionise the biomaterials industry.Read moreRead less
Conformal Bionics - addressing the challenges in bringing miniaturised implants to the site of therapeutic delivery. Smaller, more sophisticated, lifetime-implantable bionic devices capable of being placed at the site of therapeutic delivery will facilitate new or improved opportunities for treatment of disease. Three critical areas of research aim to be explored in pursuit of this goal will be addressed within this study: introduction of new fabrication materials that enable devices to conform ....Conformal Bionics - addressing the challenges in bringing miniaturised implants to the site of therapeutic delivery. Smaller, more sophisticated, lifetime-implantable bionic devices capable of being placed at the site of therapeutic delivery will facilitate new or improved opportunities for treatment of disease. Three critical areas of research aim to be explored in pursuit of this goal will be addressed within this study: introduction of new fabrication materials that enable devices to conform to the anatomy of the targeted site of therapeutic delivery; improved means of addressing the data and energy transfer needs of devices implanted in confined spaces; and innovation of novel sensors for testing and monitoring of atmospheric conditions within the implant to anticipate and safely manage issues relating to a breach of hermetic encapsulation barriers.Read moreRead less
Novel antimicrobial surface coatings for biomedical applications. There are currently no effective biomaterial coatings to reduce device related infections. Such materials are needed to address the high rates of infection that can occur. The melimine technology proposed here has the potential to significantly reduce rates of infection, reduce health care costs and advantage the Australian biomaterials industry.
Ultra-low fouling active surfaces. This project aims to develop chemistries and fabrication approaches through innovative materials evaluation to develop ultra-low fouling active electrode surfaces. Development of ultra-low fouling surfaces will have significant impact in a range of applications where system or device failure is attributed to fouling. The growing field of bionics, where implantable electronic devices interface directly with the nervous system, is one such device. The expected ou ....Ultra-low fouling active surfaces. This project aims to develop chemistries and fabrication approaches through innovative materials evaluation to develop ultra-low fouling active electrode surfaces. Development of ultra-low fouling surfaces will have significant impact in a range of applications where system or device failure is attributed to fouling. The growing field of bionics, where implantable electronic devices interface directly with the nervous system, is one such device. The expected outcomes will be an understanding of the material requirements that lead to the elimination of protein and cell accumulation at surfaces that degrades the performance and lifetime of these implants. The findings will benefit any application where fouling is a problem.Read moreRead less
Biological determinants of the safety and stability of neuroprosthetic stimulation electrodes. Performance of cochlear implants and the quality of sound perceived by patients is strongly related to electrode impedance. Electrode impedance fluctuates relative to the implant electrical activity, but the mechanisms which cause this are not clear. This project aims to investigate the role of protein adsorption in electrode performance, including impedance and material dissolution. To enable these in ....Biological determinants of the safety and stability of neuroprosthetic stimulation electrodes. Performance of cochlear implants and the quality of sound perceived by patients is strongly related to electrode impedance. Electrode impedance fluctuates relative to the implant electrical activity, but the mechanisms which cause this are not clear. This project aims to investigate the role of protein adsorption in electrode performance, including impedance and material dissolution. To enable these investigations a new biomimetic analogue of the perilymph (cochlea fluid) is intended to be developed. Additionally, the project aims to investigate two strategies to minimise impedance changes: small pulse electrode cleaning and antifouling coatings. Understanding and control of factors influencing electrode stability aim to facilitate next-generation implant designs.Read moreRead less
Improved effectiveness of cochlear implants through new simultaneous stimulation techniques. Cochlear implants have brought the gift of hearing to 250,000 people worldwide and are an excellent example of Australian innovation. This project will examine an improved "high fidelity" stimulation strategy with the objective of defining a safe stimulus range for clinical use and providing a commercial advantage for Cochlear Ltd.
Feedthrough technologies for polymeric encapsulated active implants. The project will address the scientific challenges of signal transfer between tissue and novel active implantable medical devices, with major implications for cochlear implant manufacture. This will lead to improvements in the quality of life of the hearing-impaired, and will make an important contribution to the development of other sensory implants.
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE100100055
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$400,000.00
Summary
State-of-the-art upgrade to multi-transmit multi-receive technology for research dedicated 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. Projects requiring the proposed infrastructure are aligned with two National Research Priorities. The research will lead to new methods for imaging and detecting soft tissue changes, identifying developmental, cognitive and degenerative disorders, and pharmacological research. The understanding of the basis of physiological, cognitive and biochemical proces ....State-of-the-art upgrade to multi-transmit multi-receive technology for research dedicated 3 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. Projects requiring the proposed infrastructure are aligned with two National Research Priorities. The research will lead to new methods for imaging and detecting soft tissue changes, identifying developmental, cognitive and degenerative disorders, and pharmacological research. The understanding of the basis of physiological, cognitive and biochemical processes which will be facilitated by the new equipment will contribute to the priority area Promoting and Maintaining Good Health and will underpin an array of subsequent medical research. The new equipment will extend capabilities and training in signal analysis, biomedical engineering and biomedicine, contributing to the priority area Frontier technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries.Read moreRead less