Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE0775684
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$230,000.00
Summary
The polymer pharmaceutical/drug characterization and processing facility. The Australian population is ageing, and this is leading to ever increasing burdens upon our health system. In addition new understanding of disease states has lead to a demand for improved materials for drug delivery and for tissue regeneration. This proposal will lead to novel biomaterials designed to meet these demands. Polymers are seen as essential elements for construction of such biomedical devices due to the myriad ....The polymer pharmaceutical/drug characterization and processing facility. The Australian population is ageing, and this is leading to ever increasing burdens upon our health system. In addition new understanding of disease states has lead to a demand for improved materials for drug delivery and for tissue regeneration. This proposal will lead to novel biomaterials designed to meet these demands. Polymers are seen as essential elements for construction of such biomedical devices due to the myriad forms in which they can be made, and the large number of different materials to choose from. This proposal will lead to the formation of the PolyPharma network which will produce polymeric biomaterials to benefit our health industries.Read moreRead less
NOVEL TRI-BLOCK CO-POLYMERS FOR CONTROLED RELEASE OF PROTEINS FOR OSTEOGENESIS. This research is being driven by the need for a scaffold for orthopaedic reconstruction that provides controlled release of growth factors to enable rapid healing. None of the current systems possess the required combination of properties to enable new tissue to regenerate rapidly. The aim of this project is to design a system for sustained drug release using block copolymer micelles to encapsulate growth factors and ....NOVEL TRI-BLOCK CO-POLYMERS FOR CONTROLED RELEASE OF PROTEINS FOR OSTEOGENESIS. This research is being driven by the need for a scaffold for orthopaedic reconstruction that provides controlled release of growth factors to enable rapid healing. None of the current systems possess the required combination of properties to enable new tissue to regenerate rapidly. The aim of this project is to design a system for sustained drug release using block copolymer micelles to encapsulate growth factors and then polymerising the micelles in a biodegradable polymer scaffold. This would enable local delivery of osteogenic growth factors to a bone defect.Read moreRead less
An Integrated Biotechnological Process for Production of Lactic Acid from Carbohydrate-Waste Streams by Rhizopus sp. Lactic acid is the most widely occurring multifunctional organic acid. It has enormous applications in food and food-related industries, and great potential use for production of biodegradable and biocompatible polylactate polymers. The aim of this research is to develop an innovative biotechnological process, incorporating simultaneous saccharification and fermentation, which int ....An Integrated Biotechnological Process for Production of Lactic Acid from Carbohydrate-Waste Streams by Rhizopus sp. Lactic acid is the most widely occurring multifunctional organic acid. It has enormous applications in food and food-related industries, and great potential use for production of biodegradable and biocompatible polylactate polymers. The aim of this research is to develop an innovative biotechnological process, incorporating simultaneous saccharification and fermentation, which integrates the production of lactic acid with the treatment of high strength food industry ?effluent? streams - carbohydrate waste streams. The proposed SSF process will cultivate an identified fungal Rhizopus sp strain on the waste streams, as production substrates, leading to an environmentally friendly and economically sustainable new technology for the food industry.Read moreRead less
Biomimetic hydrogels. Hydrogels are promising materials to repair and regenerate damaged tissues, but their weak mechanical properties limit their applications. This project aims to develop hydrogels with better mechanical properties by mimicking the way natural tissues, such as cartilage, work. Specifically, we aim to develop a new class of hydrogels by adding molecular polymer brushes to traditional materials. We will design the hydrogels with long-term stability and render them suitable as vi ....Biomimetic hydrogels. Hydrogels are promising materials to repair and regenerate damaged tissues, but their weak mechanical properties limit their applications. This project aims to develop hydrogels with better mechanical properties by mimicking the way natural tissues, such as cartilage, work. Specifically, we aim to develop a new class of hydrogels by adding molecular polymer brushes to traditional materials. We will design the hydrogels with long-term stability and render them suitable as viable hosts for chondrocytes. Through this project, we will grow fundamental knowledge in polymer chemistry and tissue engineering, and pave the way for new technologies to repair damaged joints and tissues.Read moreRead less