FLOW STUDIES OF CELL CULTURE BIOREACTORS. The proposed research program consists of a number of stages, amongst which is the study of flows within mixed flasks, the study of a small-scale Taylor-Couette vessel, and the development of a three-dimensional Holographic Particle Image Velocimetry flow measurement system. A successful project will be a valuable contribution to the development of cell and tissue scale up systems. In the long term, such systems will potentially provide the means of grow ....FLOW STUDIES OF CELL CULTURE BIOREACTORS. The proposed research program consists of a number of stages, amongst which is the study of flows within mixed flasks, the study of a small-scale Taylor-Couette vessel, and the development of a three-dimensional Holographic Particle Image Velocimetry flow measurement system. A successful project will be a valuable contribution to the development of cell and tissue scale up systems. In the long term, such systems will potentially provide the means of growing cell and tissue in quantities suitable for implantation or use in other therapeutic applications that are currently deemed impossible.Read moreRead less
Numerical investigation of signal mechanotransduction of bone cells - application to bone remodeling. The understanding of signal mechanotransduction of bone cells is directly related to mechanical activation of bone remodeling processes, i.e., resorption and formation of bone tissue. Understanding of bone remodeling is essential for the development of new bone implants, the prognosis of osteosporosis, and studies related to changes in microgravity (e.g. space flight) to name a few key applicati ....Numerical investigation of signal mechanotransduction of bone cells - application to bone remodeling. The understanding of signal mechanotransduction of bone cells is directly related to mechanical activation of bone remodeling processes, i.e., resorption and formation of bone tissue. Understanding of bone remodeling is essential for the development of new bone implants, the prognosis of osteosporosis, and studies related to changes in microgravity (e.g. space flight) to name a few key applications. This research proposal closely aligns with one of the major national research priorities, i.e., promoting and maintaining good health (ageing well, ageing productively). The research project is aimed to understand how mechanically induced loading may activate remodeling of bone.
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Final frontier in computational modelling of movement. This project aims to create the computational models and methods needed to advance current understanding of musculoskeletal function during movement. Humans must maintain their capacity to move in order to maintain quality-of-life. Predictive modelling is potentially the most powerful approach for understanding musculoskeletal function during movement. Current computational methods are too slow and unreliable to deliver predictive simulation ....Final frontier in computational modelling of movement. This project aims to create the computational models and methods needed to advance current understanding of musculoskeletal function during movement. Humans must maintain their capacity to move in order to maintain quality-of-life. Predictive modelling is potentially the most powerful approach for understanding musculoskeletal function during movement. Current computational methods are too slow and unreliable to deliver predictive simulations of movement using realistic models of muscle and joint anatomy. This project expects to create the next generation of methods and algorithms needed to enable predictive modelling of movement. Predictive simulations will provide new insights into how muscles stabilise and control movements of the spine, pelvis and lower limbs during daily activities such as walking.Read moreRead less
Bone regulation - cell interactions to disease. Many bone disorders such as osteoporosis, Paget's disease and chancer related bone diseases are directly related to disruption of communication pathways between bone cells leading to imbalances in bone remodeling. Although these disorders are common and cause considerable suffering, in most cases little is known about the mechanisms responsible for dysfunctional remodeling. Understanding the communication network between bone cells and their inter ....Bone regulation - cell interactions to disease. Many bone disorders such as osteoporosis, Paget's disease and chancer related bone diseases are directly related to disruption of communication pathways between bone cells leading to imbalances in bone remodeling. Although these disorders are common and cause considerable suffering, in most cases little is known about the mechanisms responsible for dysfunctional remodeling. Understanding the communication network between bone cells and their interaction with drugs is essential in order to develop new therapies and to effectively design novel biological compatible bone implants. This research proposal closely aligns with national research priority two, i.e., promoting and maintaining good health (ageing well, ageing productively).Read moreRead less
Tissue Engineering of Human Heart Valve Grown In Vitro. Tissue engineering (TE) of heart valves is a new approach to cultivate a functional heart valve from human autologous cells. This innovative study aims to develop the technology to transplant cells onto a 3D biocompatible valve scaffold that is capable of mimicking native valve. The work proposed is a ground breaking study that will encompass development of a new biomaterial, manufacture of scaffolds using the Fused Deposition Modelling ra ....Tissue Engineering of Human Heart Valve Grown In Vitro. Tissue engineering (TE) of heart valves is a new approach to cultivate a functional heart valve from human autologous cells. This innovative study aims to develop the technology to transplant cells onto a 3D biocompatible valve scaffold that is capable of mimicking native valve. The work proposed is a ground breaking study that will encompass development of a new biomaterial, manufacture of scaffolds using the Fused Deposition Modelling rapid prototyping process, hemodynamic optimisation and in vitro cell culture. This will advance our knowledge in cellular and scaffold technologies and may ultimately lead to the development of a TE heart valve.Read moreRead less
Developing a Hemodynamic Model for Improving Clinical Treatment of Vascular Diseases. Stroke caused by vascular diseases is the second greatest single killer, which is taking away thousands of lives and costing billions every year in Australia. Improving the existing clinical treatments of these diseases is thus of utmost urgency. This project is targeted to developing a reliable Hemodynamic model through comprehensive experimental validation approach. It will not only foster a more in-depth res ....Developing a Hemodynamic Model for Improving Clinical Treatment of Vascular Diseases. Stroke caused by vascular diseases is the second greatest single killer, which is taking away thousands of lives and costing billions every year in Australia. Improving the existing clinical treatments of these diseases is thus of utmost urgency. This project is targeted to developing a reliable Hemodynamic model through comprehensive experimental validation approach. It will not only foster a more in-depth research of vascular diseases but also provide a virtual forecasting tool for physicians or surgeons to develop guidance on diagnosis and therapeutic planning of clinical treatment, which brings great socio-economic benefit to the health of the Australian community.Read moreRead less
Multi-scale modeling of transport through deformable porous materials. Understanding solute transport through porous materials is essential because it provides a technical basis for answering many important questions in society today-how can humans avoid 'brittle bones', how to design durable infrastructure, how to safely store wastes (e.g. hazardous and municipal). Solution of each of these problems requires innovation in model development, new method of analysis, and insightful interpretation ....Multi-scale modeling of transport through deformable porous materials. Understanding solute transport through porous materials is essential because it provides a technical basis for answering many important questions in society today-how can humans avoid 'brittle bones', how to design durable infrastructure, how to safely store wastes (e.g. hazardous and municipal). Solution of each of these problems requires innovation in model development, new method of analysis, and insightful interpretation of results. While theoretical developments of this project are general, in the sense that they are not restricted to particular engineering disciplines, the four chosen applications closely align with two major research priorities namely An Environmental Sustainable Australia and Promoting and Maintaining Good Health.Read moreRead less
Measurement and Prediction of Vulnerable Plaque Formation and Rupture. The major health problem of atherosclerosis, leading to large numbers of deaths from heart attacks and strokes worldwide, will be studied by a multidisciplinary team. Better understanding of how the disease evolves and its earlier detection will arise from this project, which will use synchrotron imaging and supercomputer prediction.
Predictive models to study neuromuscular control of walking in older people. This project aims to address a major challenge in human motion simulation: to deliver computationally-efficient predictive simulations of movement biomechanics. It plans to bring together the latest developments in computational modelling, medical imaging and nonlinear optimal control theory to advance current understanding of how individual lower-limb muscles stabilise and control body movement during locomotion in hea ....Predictive models to study neuromuscular control of walking in older people. This project aims to address a major challenge in human motion simulation: to deliver computationally-efficient predictive simulations of movement biomechanics. It plans to bring together the latest developments in computational modelling, medical imaging and nonlinear optimal control theory to advance current understanding of how individual lower-limb muscles stabilise and control body movement during locomotion in healthy young and older adults. New knowledge of how age-related changes in muscle mechanical properties affect the neuromuscular control of walking may assist in the design of more targeted exercise-based therapies aimed at maintaining independent function and improving the quality of life for older adults.Read moreRead less
Microfluidic technology to help understand physical damage to brain cells. Understanding the organisation, structure and mechanisms of the human brain and nervous system remains one of the biggest challenges of science. This project aims to develop a new cell culture platform to form defined molecular networks of brain cells and to monitor changes throughout the network in response to a small localised injury within the network. This innovative platform will be used to help understand changes wi ....Microfluidic technology to help understand physical damage to brain cells. Understanding the organisation, structure and mechanisms of the human brain and nervous system remains one of the biggest challenges of science. This project aims to develop a new cell culture platform to form defined molecular networks of brain cells and to monitor changes throughout the network in response to a small localised injury within the network. This innovative platform will be used to help understand changes within cells in response to physical damage to networks of brain cells. This is one of the major causes of death and disability in developed nations, and is identified as a risk factor for a range of neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and motor neuron disease.Read moreRead less