Gene therapy to enhance auditory prosthesis performance for cochlear implants. The cochlear implant is the most effective neural prosthesis, restoring hearing to the deaf. The research aims to develop a new type of implant compatible with delivery of therapeutic genes to the cells lining the cochlea. Gene therapy DNA constructs will be developed that will enhance neural survival and growth, improving cochlear implant performance. The research will provide advances in understanding how to tran ....Gene therapy to enhance auditory prosthesis performance for cochlear implants. The cochlear implant is the most effective neural prosthesis, restoring hearing to the deaf. The research aims to develop a new type of implant compatible with delivery of therapeutic genes to the cells lining the cochlea. Gene therapy DNA constructs will be developed that will enhance neural survival and growth, improving cochlear implant performance. The research will provide advances in understanding how to transfer genes into cochlear tissue, as well as development of gene cassettes for effective neural repair. The work will advance the field of bionics, an area where Australia is establishing international preeminence.Read moreRead less
Enhancing the independence of the severely disabled: Improving the detection rates of an EEG based brain computer interface (BCI). Severe disability costs the Australian economy and society billions of dollars each year and the population of severely disabled is steadily increasing. Also, disability results in impairments that can traumatically alter a person's life. The outcomes of this project will result in substantial national benefits by (i) optimising technology that will greatly improve t ....Enhancing the independence of the severely disabled: Improving the detection rates of an EEG based brain computer interface (BCI). Severe disability costs the Australian economy and society billions of dollars each year and the population of severely disabled is steadily increasing. Also, disability results in impairments that can traumatically alter a person's life. The outcomes of this project will result in substantial national benefits by (i) optimising technology that will greatly improve the life of the disabled by enhancing their ability to control their environment, (ii) situating Australia in the forefront of disability technology research and development, and (iii) enhancing the development of knowledge in research training students in the biomedical area. Read moreRead less
Understanding and exploiting bacterial sulfatases. Bacterial sulfatases participate in environmental nutrient cycling and are implicated in bacterial pathogenesis mechanisms. These enzymes catalyze the hydrolysis of sulfate esters and possess an unusual posttranslational active-site modification where a cysteine residue is oxidized to formylglycine. We will study the mechanism of these enzymes in detail and design inhibitors that exploit the reactivity of this aminoacid. This work has significan ....Understanding and exploiting bacterial sulfatases. Bacterial sulfatases participate in environmental nutrient cycling and are implicated in bacterial pathogenesis mechanisms. These enzymes catalyze the hydrolysis of sulfate esters and possess an unusual posttranslational active-site modification where a cysteine residue is oxidized to formylglycine. We will study the mechanism of these enzymes in detail and design inhibitors that exploit the reactivity of this aminoacid. This work has significance because of application to areas that include the treatment of cancer and bacterial infections. Additionally, we will clone novel carbohydrate sulfatases from the heparin-degrading bacterium Flavobacterium heparinum. These sulfatases will have use in biotechnology for characterization of sulfated glycoconjugates.Read moreRead less
Multi-modal, Multi-dimensional Virtual Microscopy for Diagnostic Quantitative Pathology. This project will contribute to the development of a new generation of virtual microscopy (VM) systems that provide new and innovative features capable of significantly increasing the adoption of digital imaging technology throughout the field of pathology. These systems have the potential to significantly enhance the efficiency and efficacy of not only primary diagnostic workflows, but also aspects of profi ....Multi-modal, Multi-dimensional Virtual Microscopy for Diagnostic Quantitative Pathology. This project will contribute to the development of a new generation of virtual microscopy (VM) systems that provide new and innovative features capable of significantly increasing the adoption of digital imaging technology throughout the field of pathology. These systems have the potential to significantly enhance the efficiency and efficacy of not only primary diagnostic workflows, but also aspects of proficiency testing and continuing education vital for a vibrant, well regulated discipline. In addition, the project will contribute to our knowledge of the pathology assessed in the screening and diagnosis of cancers such as cervical, lung and bladder cancers.Read moreRead less
New Imaging Instrumentation and Algorithms for the Simultaneous Measurement of Multiple Radio-labelled Probes in vivo. Medical imaging plays an increasingly important role in basic biological research and health care. This project will lead to new imaging technologies that allow the simultaneous measurement of more than one biological process at a time in living subjects, providing new insights into disabling diseases, such as cancer and mental illness. An immediate benefit will be to strengthen ....New Imaging Instrumentation and Algorithms for the Simultaneous Measurement of Multiple Radio-labelled Probes in vivo. Medical imaging plays an increasingly important role in basic biological research and health care. This project will lead to new imaging technologies that allow the simultaneous measurement of more than one biological process at a time in living subjects, providing new insights into disabling diseases, such as cancer and mental illness. An immediate benefit will be to strengthen the expertise in biomedical engineering and instrumentation development in Australia, where we have international leadership. The technologies developed will provide advanced tools for making fundamental biological discoveries and translating them into biotechnological or clinical applications.Read moreRead less
Imaging of properties of coherent elastic light scattering from turbid biological media. Imaging with coherent, elastically-scattered light for visualisation of thick-tissue morphology in vivo, or of cells buried deep in a turbid medium, remains a major challenge. We adopt an alternative approach of imaging of properties of light scattering based on regarding cellular tissue as a spatially-varying refractive-index continuum which encodes scattered light. We propose new methodologies to infer t ....Imaging of properties of coherent elastic light scattering from turbid biological media. Imaging with coherent, elastically-scattered light for visualisation of thick-tissue morphology in vivo, or of cells buried deep in a turbid medium, remains a major challenge. We adopt an alternative approach of imaging of properties of light scattering based on regarding cellular tissue as a spatially-varying refractive-index continuum which encodes scattered light. We propose new methodologies to infer tissue state and morphology indirectly based on phase delay, speckle, and angle-resolved scattering. We will break new ground in correlating the structure and function of in situ epithelial tissue and cells to light scattering enabling, e.g., the detection of mitosis and apoptosis in cells buried in thick, turbid media, and of cancers and precancers in vivo.Read moreRead less
Techniques for probing biological media with holographic angular scattering spectroscopy. Huge effort in the biological and medical sciences is spent in using simple software to laboriously mark, count and measure cells and structures in microscope images of samples. We could replace this incredibly inefficient process in many instances with single-shot size-map images of unstained samples. If depth selectivity can be added, we could perform non-invasive measurements on animals, making a huge re ....Techniques for probing biological media with holographic angular scattering spectroscopy. Huge effort in the biological and medical sciences is spent in using simple software to laboriously mark, count and measure cells and structures in microscope images of samples. We could replace this incredibly inefficient process in many instances with single-shot size-map images of unstained samples. If depth selectivity can be added, we could perform non-invasive measurements on animals, making a huge reduction in their usage. We could assess thick tissues enabling early noninvasive diagnosis of malignancy in tumours in situ or muscle characterization for meat quality or muscular dystrophy. These benefits impact on research, animal ethics, and on health, and have commercial potential in life and medical sciences, and the meat industry.Read moreRead less
Advances in optical coherence tomography. We propose to continue our research into the biomedical imaging technique of optical coherence tomography by making substantial new advances in the key areas of ultra-broad bandwidth operation, coincident confocal gate scanning, and dispersion compensation. These advances are aimed at improving resolution to the 1-5 micron range, which should allow a breakthrough to sub-cellular in vivo imaging, making visible sample histology in situ, which is currentl ....Advances in optical coherence tomography. We propose to continue our research into the biomedical imaging technique of optical coherence tomography by making substantial new advances in the key areas of ultra-broad bandwidth operation, coincident confocal gate scanning, and dispersion compensation. These advances are aimed at improving resolution to the 1-5 micron range, which should allow a breakthrough to sub-cellular in vivo imaging, making visible sample histology in situ, which is currently not possible. We also plan to make advances in the key area of scanning delay line technology by employing acousto-optics in OCT for the first time. Acousto-optics conveys advantages in no-moving-parts, scan-speed and accuracy.Read moreRead less
Fibre Optic Dosimeters for Medical and Environmental Applications. We will develop fibre optic dosimeters for environmental monitoring and radiation therapy. A novel approach using refractive index gradients will be used to capture scintillator light while rejecting noise. New knowledge will be gained of the mechanisms of radiation damage in scintillators and glasses. The small, flexible, accurate fibre optic dosimeters will be equivalent in absorbing characteristics to human tissue, making them ....Fibre Optic Dosimeters for Medical and Environmental Applications. We will develop fibre optic dosimeters for environmental monitoring and radiation therapy. A novel approach using refractive index gradients will be used to capture scintillator light while rejecting noise. New knowledge will be gained of the mechanisms of radiation damage in scintillators and glasses. The small, flexible, accurate fibre optic dosimeters will be equivalent in absorbing characteristics to human tissue, making them superior to all currently available dosimeters. Fibre optic dosimeters will enable new adaptive radiotherapy techniques and provide quality assurance of dose delivery in radiotherapy. Their multiplexing capability will lead to applications in monitoring of workplaces and aerospace environments.Read moreRead less
Optical coherence elastography - High-resolution medical imaging of tissue mechanical properties. This project brings together an international, multi-disciplinary team to develop innovative, high-resolution techniques to identify diseased tissue. Success will result in a new medical imaging technique allowing clinicians to quantify the mechanical properties of tissue, effectively creating a high-resolution image of what the tissue 'feels' like. This may help them to more accurately identify can ....Optical coherence elastography - High-resolution medical imaging of tissue mechanical properties. This project brings together an international, multi-disciplinary team to develop innovative, high-resolution techniques to identify diseased tissue. Success will result in a new medical imaging technique allowing clinicians to quantify the mechanical properties of tissue, effectively creating a high-resolution image of what the tissue 'feels' like. This may help them to more accurately identify cancerous tissue during surgery and reduce rates of recurrence. It could aid in tissue engineering and regeneration and will provide a new database of tissue mechanical properties. The project will position Australia as a leader in this newly developing medical imaging technology, with significant potential for commercialisation.Read moreRead less