Raman spectroscopy and imaging of natural and synthetic melanins. The national benefit of this research lies in three main areas. First, this research could lead to a non-invasive diagnostic for melanoma. Second, it could reveal stronger connections between melanin and melanoma development than previously believed and thus inspire possible methods of treatment or prevention of melanoma. Given Australia's high incidence of melanoma, these could have an enormous impact on our health care system. T ....Raman spectroscopy and imaging of natural and synthetic melanins. The national benefit of this research lies in three main areas. First, this research could lead to a non-invasive diagnostic for melanoma. Second, it could reveal stronger connections between melanin and melanoma development than previously believed and thus inspire possible methods of treatment or prevention of melanoma. Given Australia's high incidence of melanoma, these could have an enormous impact on our health care system. Third, it will increase our understanding of the melanin pigment and further establish Australia as a leader in this field. Given the links between melanin and Parkinson's Disease and immune response, this understanding could have greater impact on health care than simply melanoma.Read moreRead less
Biomedical Applications of Self-Mixing Sensors based on Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser Arrays. The Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser (VCSEL) is a new optical device of choice for high speed optical data networks. We propose that this communications technology can be used as a platform to develop a completely new family of sensors ideally suited to medical monitoring. Specifically, we will develop VCSEL based technology for measurement of heart activity and sensing of blood flow in ....Biomedical Applications of Self-Mixing Sensors based on Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser Arrays. The Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser (VCSEL) is a new optical device of choice for high speed optical data networks. We propose that this communications technology can be used as a platform to develop a completely new family of sensors ideally suited to medical monitoring. Specifically, we will develop VCSEL based technology for measurement of heart activity and sensing of blood flow in skin and tissues. This will provide novel sensors for heart monitoring and imaging, and management of skin disorders (burns and cancer).Read moreRead less
Automated pathogen detection using time-gated luminescence microscopy. A rapid and general means of in-situ pathogen identification would benefit the community by ensuring that appropriate treatments can be applied in the early stages of a disease. Patient prognosis is thereby improved and opportunities for multi-drug resistant organisms to arise are limited. Time-gated luminescence microscopy (TgM) exploits persistent luminescence to overcome autofluorescence, a serious problem in pathogen dete ....Automated pathogen detection using time-gated luminescence microscopy. A rapid and general means of in-situ pathogen identification would benefit the community by ensuring that appropriate treatments can be applied in the early stages of a disease. Patient prognosis is thereby improved and opportunities for multi-drug resistant organisms to arise are limited. Time-gated luminescence microscopy (TgM) exploits persistent luminescence to overcome autofluorescence, a serious problem in pathogen detection. Drug-resistant 'Golden Staph' (MRSA) will be used as the model organism to evaluate TgM efficacy. Ultimately however, TgM will be applied for the detection of tuberculosis, a highly contagious disease affecting the respiratory system of more than one-third of the world's population.Read moreRead less