The mechanics of being human. This project will lead to far more detailed understanding of skull mechanics in our own lineage. Results will be of great interest to international scholars in both evolutionary and biomedical fields and help to establish a primary position for Australia in the rapidly expanding area of computer simulation of biological structure. Further development on our own established protocols for automated transfer of CT scan data into finite element models, which have alread ....The mechanics of being human. This project will lead to far more detailed understanding of skull mechanics in our own lineage. Results will be of great interest to international scholars in both evolutionary and biomedical fields and help to establish a primary position for Australia in the rapidly expanding area of computer simulation of biological structure. Further development on our own established protocols for automated transfer of CT scan data into finite element models, which have already improved speed, accuracy and realism, will take finite element analysis to a point at which it can be more readily applied to evolutionary, biomedical and safety design questions.Read moreRead less
Robust Data-Driven Control for Safety-Critical Systems. This project aims to develop new approaches to controlling robotic and cyber-physical systems in safety-critical applications. This project expects to generate new knowledge in how to harness the power of machine learning for robot control, while guaranteeing safety and stability at all times. The outcomes of this project will be new algorithms and a deeper understanding of the interplay of data, learning, and models, as well as experimenta ....Robust Data-Driven Control for Safety-Critical Systems. This project aims to develop new approaches to controlling robotic and cyber-physical systems in safety-critical applications. This project expects to generate new knowledge in how to harness the power of machine learning for robot control, while guaranteeing safety and stability at all times. The outcomes of this project will be new algorithms and a deeper understanding of the interplay of data, learning, and models, as well as experimental validation on a surgical robot and a bipedal walking robot. This project will provide significant benefits by dramatically increasing the range of applications in which the power of machine learning can be safely applied to advance the capabilities and uptake of robotics.Read moreRead less
Control and learning for enhancing capabilities of quantum sensors. This project aims to develop new theories and algorithms to enhance capabilities in engineering quantum sensors from the perspective of systems and control. The project is significant because it is anticipated to advance key knowledge and provide systematic methods to enable achievement of high-precision sensing for wide applications, e.g., early disease detection, medical research, discovery of ore deposits and groundwater moni ....Control and learning for enhancing capabilities of quantum sensors. This project aims to develop new theories and algorithms to enhance capabilities in engineering quantum sensors from the perspective of systems and control. The project is significant because it is anticipated to advance key knowledge and provide systematic methods to enable achievement of high-precision sensing for wide applications, e.g., early disease detection, medical research, discovery of ore deposits and groundwater monitoring. The intended outcomes are fundamental theories, effective control and learning algorithms for achieving highly-sensitive sensors. These outcomes should make important contributions to and deliver new knowledge and skills for Australia's sensing industries, which could benefit Australia's economic growth.Read moreRead less
Pushing AR Toward Better Outcomes In Breast And Prostate Cancers
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$998,754.00
Summary
Breast and prostate cancers kill >6000 Australians each year. These cancers are strikingly similar, both driven by hormone receptors that have ‘gone bad’. Current therapies aim to eradicate the receptors. While often effective, therapeutic resistance is common and results in fatal disease. We aim to develop new, less toxic treatments that switch receptor behaviour from good to bad, without destroying them. This should improve quality of life, while preventing drug resistance and loss of lives ....Breast and prostate cancers kill >6000 Australians each year. These cancers are strikingly similar, both driven by hormone receptors that have ‘gone bad’. Current therapies aim to eradicate the receptors. While often effective, therapeutic resistance is common and results in fatal disease. We aim to develop new, less toxic treatments that switch receptor behaviour from good to bad, without destroying them. This should improve quality of life, while preventing drug resistance and loss of lives.Read moreRead less
Why Is The Bone Marrow A “hot-spot” For Myeloma Plasma Cell Metastasis: Are There Gremlins In The System?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$651,979.00
Summary
Most cancer patients die because their cancer spreads from a primary site to other tissues in the body. Once escaping the primary site, 70% of all tumours will spread to bone. This raises the question, why is bone a preferred destination for cancer cells? We provide evidence that Gremlin1, made by non-cancer cells within bone, is a key protein that supports cancer growth. This study will examine whether inhibiting Gremlin1 is a potential therapy to inhibit cancer spreading to bone.
Bioinks for the 3D printing of cells made from off-the-shelf components. This project aims to develop a simple method for creating complex, multiple-cell-type three-dimensional (3D) cell cultures for in-vitro cell based assays. Using 3D printing technology, this project will develop a versatile polymer system, made from entirely commercially available components, that gels upon printing and has functionality to assist cells in adhering, growing and migrating. The 3D printing of multiple cell typ ....Bioinks for the 3D printing of cells made from off-the-shelf components. This project aims to develop a simple method for creating complex, multiple-cell-type three-dimensional (3D) cell cultures for in-vitro cell based assays. Using 3D printing technology, this project will develop a versatile polymer system, made from entirely commercially available components, that gels upon printing and has functionality to assist cells in adhering, growing and migrating. The 3D printing of multiple cell types will provide biological scientists with more realistic in-vitro cell assays to those found in-vivo. Applications of the research are in cell biology, studying diseases and developing new drugs.Read moreRead less
Ketamine Therapy Among Patients With Treatment-resistant Depression: A Randomised, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$2,069,382.00
Summary
In the last decade, there have been reports of powerful antidepressant effects after a single injection of anaesthetic ketamine, with dramatic (though shortlasting) effects within 24 hours. This will be the first controlled study to test whether a course of repeated ketamine treatments, given over 4 weeks, is effective and safe in treating depression.
Distributed Estimation, Control and Optimisation for Networked Systems. This project aims to study large scale networked systems in major infrastructures including power networks, transportation networks, internet of things, and other cyber-physical systems. This project is expected to develop new methodology and algorithms for distributed estimation, control and optimisation of these systems. Distributed solutions are essential because traditional techniques which were designed for small system ....Distributed Estimation, Control and Optimisation for Networked Systems. This project aims to study large scale networked systems in major infrastructures including power networks, transportation networks, internet of things, and other cyber-physical systems. This project is expected to develop new methodology and algorithms for distributed estimation, control and optimisation of these systems. Distributed solutions are essential because traditional techniques which were designed for small systems are not suitable for efficient operations of large scale systems. Application examples include distributed state estimation for power networks, control of multi-agent systems and optimal scheduling of transportation networks. The outcomes of this project are vital to the understanding and management of these systems. Read moreRead less
Establishment of Therapeutically Relevant Animal Models and Markers for Crohn's Disease. Crohn's disease is a devastating life long disease, affecting 0.5% of the world population. There is urgent economic and social need to develop new and better drugs to treat the symptoms and underlying cause of this debilitating disease. Social benefits include the improved quality of life of sufferers that positively impacts society. Economic benefit includes income derived from commercialisation of rese ....Establishment of Therapeutically Relevant Animal Models and Markers for Crohn's Disease. Crohn's disease is a devastating life long disease, affecting 0.5% of the world population. There is urgent economic and social need to develop new and better drugs to treat the symptoms and underlying cause of this debilitating disease. Social benefits include the improved quality of life of sufferers that positively impacts society. Economic benefit includes income derived from commercialisation of research outcomes and the contribution this project makes to high value employment in the biotechnology sector.Read moreRead less
Minimally invasive monitoring of sleep for disease management. Sleep, diet and exercise are the three pillars of wellbeing with poor sleep associated with medical issues such as obesity and congestive heart failure. This project will advance sleep analysis by researching new ways of monitoring that are highly accurate and convenient, enabling physicians to improve the monitoring of significant health issues.