Developing novel aerosol inhalers for pulmonary drug delivery from the fundamental understanding of powder dispersion mechanisms. The project seeks to understand how powder aerosol inhalers can be significantly improved. The outcome will provide therapeutic benefits to the Australian community for better treatment of respiratory diseases and facilitate environmentally friendly technology since these inhalers do not require any harmful organic solvents to operate.
Smartdrops - Shaping the future of particle technology. The aim of this project is to develop a particle engineering technology, based on microfluidics, that results in micro-droplets with controlled geometry and morphology. These Smartdrops will be used to target respiratory macrophages for the delivery of inflammatory suppressants, since their dimensions can be controlled to optimise lung deposition and macrophage recognition. The project aims to develop an aerosol inhaler and a series of phys ....Smartdrops - Shaping the future of particle technology. The aim of this project is to develop a particle engineering technology, based on microfluidics, that results in micro-droplets with controlled geometry and morphology. These Smartdrops will be used to target respiratory macrophages for the delivery of inflammatory suppressants, since their dimensions can be controlled to optimise lung deposition and macrophage recognition. The project aims to develop an aerosol inhaler and a series of physico-chemical and in vitro characterisation tools that will be used to study Smartdrop formation, aerosol properties and their interactions with cells. The outcome of this project is intended to be the development of a technology for treating chronic lung inflammation which could also be utilised for a number of other commercial applications.Read moreRead less
The role of electrostatic charge in airway deposition of aerosols. This project aims to unravel the importance of electrostatic charge in controlling deposition of aerosols in the respiratory tract. The expected outcome is a validated mathematical model for accurately predicting deposition behaviour of charged aerosol particles in human airways. Findings may ultimately be used to underpin novel prevention measures to reduce lung deposition of inhaled hazardous airborne particles to significantly ....The role of electrostatic charge in airway deposition of aerosols. This project aims to unravel the importance of electrostatic charge in controlling deposition of aerosols in the respiratory tract. The expected outcome is a validated mathematical model for accurately predicting deposition behaviour of charged aerosol particles in human airways. Findings may ultimately be used to underpin novel prevention measures to reduce lung deposition of inhaled hazardous airborne particles to significantly reduce health risks and costs. They may also be used to enable the development of new inhalation technologies based on electrostatic charge to improve aerosol drug delivery to the lungs of patients with respiratory diseases.Read moreRead less
Production of nano-composite particles for inhalational delivery of combination drugs. The project seeks to create a new particle engineering process for pharmaceuticals. The successful outcome will i) enhance substantially the competitiveness of Australia’s research in functional nanomaterials and advanced biomaterials, and ii) benefit the Australian pharmaceutical industry in developing proprietary pharmaceutical formulations.
Novel nano-composite particles for controlled-release drugs via inhalation. This project will explore a novel nano-medicine technology using nanocrystals in liposomes to design new composite particles to enable optimal release of antibiotics delivered by inhalation. Respiratory infection caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria is a major health problem worldwide. Controlled-release products using liposomes simplify dose regimen and enhance bacterial killing. Currently, aerosolised liposomes are l ....Novel nano-composite particles for controlled-release drugs via inhalation. This project will explore a novel nano-medicine technology using nanocrystals in liposomes to design new composite particles to enable optimal release of antibiotics delivered by inhalation. Respiratory infection caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria is a major health problem worldwide. Controlled-release products using liposomes simplify dose regimen and enhance bacterial killing. Currently, aerosolised liposomes are limited to liquid forms with limited control over release and stability. The project will provide new technology on manufacturing composite powders of antibiotics that may ultimately lead to the development of effective new treatments against drug-resistant bacteria.Read moreRead less
Engineering better sprays for leaf coating: from drop impact to retention. This proposal aims to understand the performance of a unique rheological modifier that can enable an order of magnitude increase in coating efficiency for aerosol sprays while not affecting the quality of droplet formation during spraying. The effect occurs via a dispersed network of fibrous particles in water, providing a weak but useful ability to coat surfaces by responsively adjusting its structure. The material is ex ....Engineering better sprays for leaf coating: from drop impact to retention. This proposal aims to understand the performance of a unique rheological modifier that can enable an order of magnitude increase in coating efficiency for aerosol sprays while not affecting the quality of droplet formation during spraying. The effect occurs via a dispersed network of fibrous particles in water, providing a weak but useful ability to coat surfaces by responsively adjusting its structure. The material is expected to enable a broad array of applications, from agricultural treatments to nasal sprays, by exhibiting responsive behaviour at concentrations much lower than conventional modifiers require. The project will study the responsiveness of the system in single droplet, spray, and coating form as well as an active delivery system.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160100715
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$330,000.00
Summary
Tunable plasmonics in ultra-doped transition metal oxides and chalcogenides. The project is designed to explore new classes of plasmonic materials based on low-dimensional transition metal oxide and chalcogenide nanostructures. These crystals, with stratified structures and high surface affinities to charged particles, present a new frontier in plasmonics by allowing reversible stimuli induced doping and defect embedding. The project plans to focus on achieving tunable plasmonic properties acros ....Tunable plasmonics in ultra-doped transition metal oxides and chalcogenides. The project is designed to explore new classes of plasmonic materials based on low-dimensional transition metal oxide and chalcogenide nanostructures. These crystals, with stratified structures and high surface affinities to charged particles, present a new frontier in plasmonics by allowing reversible stimuli induced doping and defect embedding. The project plans to focus on achieving tunable plasmonic properties across a broad spectrum from ultraviolet to infrared light. Targets are systems with low propagation losses or ultra-sensitivity towards environmental changes. The anticipated outcomes will serve as a base to establish the next generation plasmonic communication and sensing systems with active on-chip controllability, which could be used as the base of future telecommunications, energy harvesting and sensing systems.Read moreRead less
Magnetofection In An Oscillating Magnetic Field. The success of genetic engineering is largely dependent on the ability of transfection agents to deliver genes. Low transfection efficiency is now widely recognised as a critical bottleneck to successful gene delivery. The recent emphasis on the development of nanoscale delivery agents has led to new physics and chemistry-based techniques, which take advantage of charge interactions and energetic processes. This multidisciplinary project aims to a ....Magnetofection In An Oscillating Magnetic Field. The success of genetic engineering is largely dependent on the ability of transfection agents to deliver genes. Low transfection efficiency is now widely recognised as a critical bottleneck to successful gene delivery. The recent emphasis on the development of nanoscale delivery agents has led to new physics and chemistry-based techniques, which take advantage of charge interactions and energetic processes. This multidisciplinary project aims to address this highly significant problem by developing a novel methodology to manipulate nanoparticles under the influence of an oscillating magnetic field to achieve high transfection efficiencies in a highly relevant model of epigenetic reprogramming.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE200100119
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$424,607.00
Summary
Manipulation of non-wetting droplets for cell culture. We have recently discovered an innovative and interdisciplinary approach for manipulating non-wetting droplets called “liquid marbles” as a platform for three-dimensional cell culture. This project aims to elucidate the fundamental physics underpinning the electrostatic handling concept of this platform technology. The project is expected to deliver an inexpensive but sophisticated cell culture platform that is well-suited for high-throughpu ....Manipulation of non-wetting droplets for cell culture. We have recently discovered an innovative and interdisciplinary approach for manipulating non-wetting droplets called “liquid marbles” as a platform for three-dimensional cell culture. This project aims to elucidate the fundamental physics underpinning the electrostatic handling concept of this platform technology. The project is expected to deliver an inexpensive but sophisticated cell culture platform that is well-suited for high-throughput drug screening and preparing cells for implantation therapy. Significant benefits for end users in pharmaceutical industry, life sciences research and hospitals are expected from the project and the application of the developed technology.Read moreRead less
Establishing Design Principles Of Polymers For Intracellular Delivery . Engineered polymers have played a central role in the field of bionanotechnology by enabling targeted nanoscale cell interactions. Progress in the field of intracellular delivery is currently affected by a major bottleneck due to the absence of effective polymers that is applicable across the range of bimolecular cargoes. In essence depending on the type of cargo: DNA, RNA or protien, the polymer needs programmability. The l ....Establishing Design Principles Of Polymers For Intracellular Delivery . Engineered polymers have played a central role in the field of bionanotechnology by enabling targeted nanoscale cell interactions. Progress in the field of intracellular delivery is currently affected by a major bottleneck due to the absence of effective polymers that is applicable across the range of bimolecular cargoes. In essence depending on the type of cargo: DNA, RNA or protien, the polymer needs programmability. The limited tunability of traditional polymers agents makes them unsuitable for this particular application. The multidisciplinary project addresses this significant problem by engineering novel sequences of defined polymer based nanoscale agents to achieve efficient delivery in cells.Read moreRead less