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
Multifunctional surfaces for implantable biomedical devices. This project aims to improve the quality of life of patients receiving biomedical implants. The project will develop new plasma processing methods to create surfaces for implants that will give control over the response of human tissues. Tissue integration with the device will be achieved where required and infection suppressed.
Bioactive Polymers for Wound Healing Applications. VitroGroR is a growth factor complex which enhances cell growth and migration, and hence has great potential for treating wounds. Tissue Therapies, which holds the rights to commercialization of VitroGroR, is seeking to develop methods of delivering VitroGroR in its active form to the wound environment. Two solutions to this problem will be developed in this project; a bioactive bandage containing a novel combination of microspheres and a hydrog ....Bioactive Polymers for Wound Healing Applications. VitroGroR is a growth factor complex which enhances cell growth and migration, and hence has great potential for treating wounds. Tissue Therapies, which holds the rights to commercialization of VitroGroR, is seeking to develop methods of delivering VitroGroR in its active form to the wound environment. Two solutions to this problem will be developed in this project; a bioactive bandage containing a novel combination of microspheres and a hydrogel matrix, and secondly an in-situ polymerisable matrix for treatment of deep wounds. The growth factor complex will be protected from aggressive proteases through encapsulation within microspheres, and the use of MMP-inhibiting comonomers.Read moreRead less
Development of a Prothrombogenic Bone Graft Substitute. The clinical demand for bone is massive and to counter this bone can be either harvested from the patient or bone substitutes are used. The success or failure of a bone substitute is determined the instant it come into contact with blood. The surfaces of traditional biomaterials induce a foreign body reaction. The aim of this project is to test the bone forming capacity of a biomaterial that is optimised to produce a natural response from ....Development of a Prothrombogenic Bone Graft Substitute. The clinical demand for bone is massive and to counter this bone can be either harvested from the patient or bone substitutes are used. The success or failure of a bone substitute is determined the instant it come into contact with blood. The surfaces of traditional biomaterials induce a foreign body reaction. The aim of this project is to test the bone forming capacity of a biomaterial that is optimised to produce a natural response from the blood. This response will lead to the formation new viable tissue and eventually bone. Such a material will cause faster bone healing, less pain from graft sites, shorter hospital stays and shorter waiting lists. Read moreRead less
Surface engineering of biomaterials for optimal bone bonding characteristics. The ideal bone-implant material is hydroxyapatite. Chemically similar to bone mineral, hydroxyapatite is capable of inducing bone ongrowth. An ideal surface coating for metal hip implants, plasma spraying has been the preferred commercial hydroxyapatite coating technique. Until recently, it was always presumed that the bioactivity of hydroxyapatite resulted from its surface chemistry. However, a recent study has shown ....Surface engineering of biomaterials for optimal bone bonding characteristics. The ideal bone-implant material is hydroxyapatite. Chemically similar to bone mineral, hydroxyapatite is capable of inducing bone ongrowth. An ideal surface coating for metal hip implants, plasma spraying has been the preferred commercial hydroxyapatite coating technique. Until recently, it was always presumed that the bioactivity of hydroxyapatite resulted from its surface chemistry. However, a recent study has shown that the bioactivity of HAp coatings strongly correlates with surface roughness on the scale of bone cells. This project will explore cell-attachment behaviour for hydroxyapatite coatings prepared by plasma spraying compared with engineered surface morphology/chemistry by microlithography and vapour coating.Read moreRead less
Bio-MEMS eye sensor for continuous monitoring of intraocular pressure. Glaucoma is a leading cause of preventable blindness, particularly prevalent in the 60+ population, caused by elevated intraocular pressure (IOP). Current treatment to monitor and prevent glaucoma-related blindness is by lowering IOP with eye-drops, laser therapy or surgery. This project directly benefits our aging population by ensuring independence and quality of life, whilst reducing long-term medical and social costs. By ....Bio-MEMS eye sensor for continuous monitoring of intraocular pressure. Glaucoma is a leading cause of preventable blindness, particularly prevalent in the 60+ population, caused by elevated intraocular pressure (IOP). Current treatment to monitor and prevent glaucoma-related blindness is by lowering IOP with eye-drops, laser therapy or surgery. This project directly benefits our aging population by ensuring independence and quality of life, whilst reducing long-term medical and social costs. By incorporating nanotechnology with ophthalmology we will provide an economic solution to long-term, reliable, home-monitoring of IOP. An implantable IOP sensor, will identify patients requiring more invasive treatment compared with those with less aggressive disease, leading to better health resource utilisation.Read moreRead less
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
Chip-scale implantable bionics for next generation therapeutic neural prostheses. Australia has an unmatched reputation as a world leader in neuroprostheses. Most notable of these is the bionic ear and, more recently, leading edge research towards a bionic eye. This project will combine the research strengths and experiences from both the hearing and visual bionics fields to address the main obstacles that prevent the number of electrical stimulation channels (equating to the number of frequenci ....Chip-scale implantable bionics for next generation therapeutic neural prostheses. Australia has an unmatched reputation as a world leader in neuroprostheses. Most notable of these is the bionic ear and, more recently, leading edge research towards a bionic eye. This project will combine the research strengths and experiences from both the hearing and visual bionics fields to address the main obstacles that prevent the number of electrical stimulation channels (equating to the number of frequencies heard by the deaf, and the number of spots of light seen by the blind) from increasing. The study will improve our understanding of the electrode-tissue interface, the life-long implantablity, and electrical circuitry that will allow future bionic devices to significantly improve their performance.Read moreRead less
Development and characterization of a technology platform to study the mechanisms of scaffold/Bone Morphogenic Proteins (BMP) augmented large segmental bone healing. This project will increase understanding of bone engineering and in doing so will lead to superior treatments for bone defects. Such a treatment would be valuable in addressing the ever-increasing problems of diminished productivity and reduced quality of life associated with bone disorders as the population ages. The multidisciplin ....Development and characterization of a technology platform to study the mechanisms of scaffold/Bone Morphogenic Proteins (BMP) augmented large segmental bone healing. This project will increase understanding of bone engineering and in doing so will lead to superior treatments for bone defects. Such a treatment would be valuable in addressing the ever-increasing problems of diminished productivity and reduced quality of life associated with bone disorders as the population ages. The multidisciplinary and international team will be valuable in establishing Australia's prominence in this field and training the next generation of young scientists and engineers. The technologies developed will be of great interest to a large number of research groups and companies worldwide and will assist with fostering international collaboration and placing Australia at the forefront of this emerging field.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.