Rapid point-of-care detection of genomic variations for personalised medicine. Selecting treatment based on a person’s genetic profile can improve drug safety and efficacy, but the application is hampered by the inconvenience, slow result turnaround and high cost of current lab-based tests. Full implementation of personalised medicine in clinical practice requires a point-of-care testing system. This project aims to overcome the challenges involved in developing such a system by validating novel ....Rapid point-of-care detection of genomic variations for personalised medicine. Selecting treatment based on a person’s genetic profile can improve drug safety and efficacy, but the application is hampered by the inconvenience, slow result turnaround and high cost of current lab-based tests. Full implementation of personalised medicine in clinical practice requires a point-of-care testing system. This project aims to overcome the challenges involved in developing such a system by validating novel rapid genotyping methods and developing ultrasensitive real-time DNA detection that will be integrated on a single chip platform to facilitate a small, low cost and reliable test device. The technology will be readily adaptable to areas where prompt access to genomic information is valuable, such as disease diagnosis and risk prediction.Read moreRead less
A novel platform-technology for long-term subcutaneous neurophysiology. This project aims to develop a novel miniature device for subcutaneous and tetherless brain sensing. It addresses the lack of a device solution for brain-sensing that combines ultra-long-term reliable sensing capability and small dimensions for minimally-invasive procedures. We achieve this through our novel electrode architecture that significantly enhances the quality and reliability of recorded brain signals. We introduce ....A novel platform-technology for long-term subcutaneous neurophysiology. This project aims to develop a novel miniature device for subcutaneous and tetherless brain sensing. It addresses the lack of a device solution for brain-sensing that combines ultra-long-term reliable sensing capability and small dimensions for minimally-invasive procedures. We achieve this through our novel electrode architecture that significantly enhances the quality and reliability of recorded brain signals. We introduce a platform technology designed for subscalp anatomy with future use in various brain-machine interfacing applications relying on reliable, long-term and easy-to-implant systems. This project's device manufacturing, training, and intellectual property are expected to strengthen Australia's position in bioelectronics.Read moreRead less
Diamond glass: An all-carbon technology for neural networks and biosensing. This project aims to use plasma deposition to synthesise diamond glass with the highest purity and the most diamond-like character so that it meets the strict requirements for emerging device applications. The extreme properties of diamond glass arise from the diamond-like bonding of the majority of its atoms. This amorphous, wide bandgap semiconductor is also the hardest known glass. The maximum diamond-like content pos ....Diamond glass: An all-carbon technology for neural networks and biosensing. This project aims to use plasma deposition to synthesise diamond glass with the highest purity and the most diamond-like character so that it meets the strict requirements for emerging device applications. The extreme properties of diamond glass arise from the diamond-like bonding of the majority of its atoms. This amorphous, wide bandgap semiconductor is also the hardest known glass. The maximum diamond-like content possible in diamond glass coatings is unknown, so determining its ultimate performance is difficult. Expected applications include medical diagnostics, non-volatile memories and programmable chips.Read moreRead less
Acoustics of the Didjeridu. We shall undertake a comprehensive experimental and theoretical study of the acoustics of the didjeridu-lips-vocal tract system. There is very little published technical literature on the dynamic acoustics of this important and uniquely Australian instrument, whose operation is surprisingly complex. A combination of stroboscopic measurements of lip motion, acoustic and vocal tract impedance measurements, MRI imaging of the vocal tract and computer modeling will be use ....Acoustics of the Didjeridu. We shall undertake a comprehensive experimental and theoretical study of the acoustics of the didjeridu-lips-vocal tract system. There is very little published technical literature on the dynamic acoustics of this important and uniquely Australian instrument, whose operation is surprisingly complex. A combination of stroboscopic measurements of lip motion, acoustic and vocal tract impedance measurements, MRI imaging of the vocal tract and computer modeling will be used to synthesize all components of the acoustic system into one quantitative model. The expected outcome will be an understanding of this instrument of unparalleled detail.Read moreRead less
DNA Directed Nanofabrication - A novel, universal, highly parallel bottom-up assembly approach. This proposal aims to provide a nanofabrication method that has the potential to strongly impact every aspect of science - from fundamental research to commercial applications by providing a universal, simple low-cost tool to build nanostructures to order. The basic properties of these structures will be studied prior to their integration into new applications. We will be providing a solution to a b ....DNA Directed Nanofabrication - A novel, universal, highly parallel bottom-up assembly approach. This proposal aims to provide a nanofabrication method that has the potential to strongly impact every aspect of science - from fundamental research to commercial applications by providing a universal, simple low-cost tool to build nanostructures to order. The basic properties of these structures will be studied prior to their integration into new applications. We will be providing a solution to a bottleneck that currently limits the scientific advancement and commercial exploitation of nanotechnology. Our proposal describes a 'Nanoassembly' technique, considered by the ARC as Frontier Technologies for Building and Transforming Australian Industries (ARC priority area 3). Read moreRead less
Unravelling structure-function relationships in high mobility donor-acceptor co-polymers. This project seeks to understand the high-performance of a new generation of semiconducting plastics. This research will enable the development of low-cost printed electronics such as flexible displays and sensors.
Quantum transport in carbon-based materials. Carbon-based molecular materials will play an important role to frontier nanoelectronics industries. Building on our existing expertise and infrastructure for nanoscience, and employing new facilities at the Australian synchrotron, we aim to develop a unique approach to molecular-scale quantum device engineering utilising pure-carbon materials. New protocols for materials control of electronic structure at the molecular level will be developed to demo ....Quantum transport in carbon-based materials. Carbon-based molecular materials will play an important role to frontier nanoelectronics industries. Building on our existing expertise and infrastructure for nanoscience, and employing new facilities at the Australian synchrotron, we aim to develop a unique approach to molecular-scale quantum device engineering utilising pure-carbon materials. New protocols for materials control of electronic structure at the molecular level will be developed to demonstrate carbon as a quantum material, a high profile objective that will place Australia at the forefront of a new area of surface and device science. Read moreRead less
Acoustic single cell traps: Understanding the woods by examining the trees. This project aims to define the underlying physics behind the manipulation of individual cells in a microfluidic chip using acoustic forces. The technology investigated would offer biomedical researchers a unique capability: that of tracking individual cell responses. It is known for example that drug resistance and latency emerge from small sub-populations of cells, so crucial information is lost when cells are studied ....Acoustic single cell traps: Understanding the woods by examining the trees. This project aims to define the underlying physics behind the manipulation of individual cells in a microfluidic chip using acoustic forces. The technology investigated would offer biomedical researchers a unique capability: that of tracking individual cell responses. It is known for example that drug resistance and latency emerge from small sub-populations of cells, so crucial information is lost when cells are studied at a population level. To trap single cells, the acoustic wavelength excited must be reduced to the order of a cell diameter. By enabling the analysis of different responses due to subtle cell difference, information pertinent to infection pathways and drug response could be gathered.Read moreRead less
Template-Directed Growth and Assembly of Nanoscale Graphitic Carbon Structures. The various nanometre-scale forms of graphitic carbon have been strong candidates for use as novel building blocks in electronic, opto-electronic and electro-mechanical devices. However, their development has been hampered by a lack of control of the type, quality and homogeneity of structures produced by conventional methods.
This project aims to fabricate and characterise thin films of ordered, high-quality carbon ....Template-Directed Growth and Assembly of Nanoscale Graphitic Carbon Structures. The various nanometre-scale forms of graphitic carbon have been strong candidates for use as novel building blocks in electronic, opto-electronic and electro-mechanical devices. However, their development has been hampered by a lack of control of the type, quality and homogeneity of structures produced by conventional methods.
This project aims to fabricate and characterise thin films of ordered, high-quality carbon nanostructures. A novel synthesis route, involving the controlled deposition of carbon onto template substrates, is proposed. The products will be studied with near-atomic resolution to understand their formation mechanisms, and hence approach the goal of elaborating carbon-based nanodevices.
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Central Representation of Electroacoustic Stimuli. Cochlear implantation, initially only provided to profoundly deaf individuals, is now routine in people with substantial residual hearing. Although stimulation via a cochlear implant and hearing aid in the same ear has been shown to improve speech understanding, particularly in noise, and to increase the aesthetic quality of sound, almost nothing is known about the physiological mechanisms underlying these benefits. The broad aim of our project ....Central Representation of Electroacoustic Stimuli. Cochlear implantation, initially only provided to profoundly deaf individuals, is now routine in people with substantial residual hearing. Although stimulation via a cochlear implant and hearing aid in the same ear has been shown to improve speech understanding, particularly in noise, and to increase the aesthetic quality of sound, almost nothing is known about the physiological mechanisms underlying these benefits. The broad aim of our project is to address this deficiency by measuring the patterns of neural activity evoked by speech sounds across the tonotopic axis in the inferior colliculus and auditory cortex and assess the extent to which the pattern of neural activity allows discrimination between the different speech sounds.Read moreRead less