Month: June 2024

“The ARC Industry Fellowships and the Industrial Transformation Research Program have together revolutionised how we, as university researchers, can engage with industry. It is catalysing the development of some exciting technologies that are helping people.” – Professor Madhu Bhaskaran

At the ARC Research Hub for Connected Sensors for Health (the Hub), we’re tapping further into our collective, collaborative efforts of academia and industry, working side-by-side to advance Australia’s medical devices and technologies industry. Two priorities we seek to achieve are to drive problem-solving solutions for industry and train a highly skill workforce; a new example of the significance of leveraging and expanding our partnerships has been in the recent funding round of the Australian Research Council (ARC) Industry Fellowships Program.

With three of our partners, Hub investigators received one Industry Laureate Fellowship and two Early Career Industry Fellowships. This is the second round of the Industry Fellowships Program, which aims to facilitate the transition of academic researchers into industry careers and industry-based researchers into university settings.

 

A focus on increasing two-way mobility to address industry challenges and opportunities

The program focuses on increasing two-way mobility and skill-building in research collaboration, translation, and commercialisation and driving research collaboration, translation, and commercialisation outcomes across various industry settings.

Our awarded fellowships are a testament to the tangible outcomes of the partnership between academia and industry. The two Early Career Industry Fellowships out of 50 funded grants, and our Industry Laureate, one of only eight funded grants across the entire country. This success demonstrates the magnitude of the impact the collaborations between Universities and industry in the Hub is having.

“The success of the work we are doing in the Connected Sensors Hub really strengthened my interactions with our industry partner which I feel led directly to them supporting me to apply for the Industry Laureate.” – Scientia Professor Justin Gooding

Scientia Professor Justin Gooding, in collaboration with industry Partner Nutromics, was awarded the prestigious Industry Laureate. Their project is focused on a groundbreaking biosensing technology that can continuously monitor multiple biomarkers. This technology has the potential to revolutionise environmental monitoring, food processing, biosecurity, infection detection, and more. The use of electrochemical biosensors that employ DNA binding molecules has recently made it possible to achieve this goal. Working together to solve surface chemistry challenges will allow continuous sensing to be commercialised for the target market of wearable biochemical sensors. Nutromics will also develop a facility for other companies to commercialise DNA sensors for different applications so as to make Australia a world leader in wearable sensors.

The two Early Career Industry Fellowships were awarded to Postdoctoral Fellows Drs Shanmuga Sundar Dhanabalan and Md Ataur Rahman at RMIT under the leadership of Professors Madhu Bhaskaran and Sharath Sriram, with our Industry Partners Vlepis and nthalmic.

Dr Md Ataur Rahman’s project with Vlepis is focused on cyber-secure, battery-free, and wireless wearable patch technology. The aim is to investigate wearables’ technological and manufacturing challenges and integrate prominent high-frequency electrical, optical, and chemical signals on a single tiny patch. The project is expected to benefit national security and defence, agriculture, manufacturing, and human and animal health sectors with remote area accessibility.

Dr Shanmuga Sundar’s project, along with nthalmic and Sleeptite, focused on innovative materials and manufacturing for flexible pressure sensing systems. The project aimed to develop a flexible pressure sensing system using soft electronics technology with high sensitivity, fast response time, and high stability through advanced design and materials technology. The project is expected to generate new knowledge in soft electronics and sensors using innovative materials and an efficient manufacturing approach.

The three industry partners involved in these awarded grants are all within 10 years of inception. It’s exciting to see new companies play a crucial role in driving growth and thinking of innovation as a joint venture, furthering the focus of two-way mobility.

 

Our industry partners

Nutromics‘ story began in 2017 in Melbourne, Victoria, with a vision: to create a world with zero preventable deaths due to a lack of continuous diagnostic monitoring. Co-founders Peter Vranes and Hitesh Mehta met when they were searching for an enabling technology that would help them move towards a proactive healthcare system. They realised the key to unlocking this future was real-time, continuous diagnostic monitoring.

Vlepis, based in Sydney, NSW, started in 2018 under the leadership of co-founder Bill Dimopoulos and has since been actively building collaborations with industry and universities. Vlepis offers state-of-the-art sensor technologies and consulting advisory services that assist in developing and delivering smart physiological data.

nthalmic, also based in Sydney, NSW, was founded in 2019 by founder and Chairman Ravi C Bakaraju and includes a team of scientists, engineers, and clinicians. It is already making significant strides in delivering eye care products. In the last two years, nthalmic has filed 24 provisional patent applications in the ophthalmic technology.

The synergy between these collaborations is an example of how the Hub is uniquely placed to bring together academia and industry, fostering an environment for innovation and groundbreaking research. As we celebrate the achievements enabled by this collaboration, we look forward to even more groundbreaking research that will be transformative in advancing Australia’s global competitiveness.

If you’re interested to learn more about the Hub or want to work with us, reach out to us here.

We are really delighted to announce the establishment of our Hub’s inaugural Advisory Board. Consisting of distinguished leaders from both industry and academia, the Advisory Board will play a pivotal role in guiding the Hub to maximise the outcome and positive impact.

The Advisory Board, including Sue MacLeman, Katja Beitat, Toby Hodgson, and John Rogers, will be chaired by Sue MacLeman. Their brief biographies are provided below. Please join us in welcoming the Advisory Board and thanking them for devoting their precious time towards our Hub.

“I am delighted to be working with such an experienced advisory board as we support the work the Hub for Connected Sensors for Health.” – Sue MacLeman

Inaugural members of the Advisory Board include:

Sue MacLeman, Advisor and Non-Executive Director MTP sector | Hub Advisory Board Chair
Sue graduated with a BPharm from the University of Queensland. In addition to pharmacy qualifications, Sue has completed a Master of Marketing degree from Melbourne University, a Master of Law degree from Deakin University and is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technology & Engineering and a Fellow/Graduate of AICD.
Sue was the inaugural CEO/MD of MTPConnect (2016-2018) and then Chair (2018-2023). She has been a Board member of several public and private entities globally, including her current appointments as Non-Executive Director of Planet Innovation Holdings Ltd, Rhythm Biosciences Ltd, HOS Ltd T/A Smartways Logistics, Vital Vector Manufacturing Facility Pty Ltd, ATSE, and Omico. Sue is also active on government, academic, and commercial advisory committees.

Katja Beitat, PhD, Head of HealthTech, Cicada Innovations | Hub Advisory Board Member
Katja is the Head of Health Tech at Cicada Innovations, a Sydney-based deep tech incubator that for over 24 years, has supported innovators, researchers and founders in making an impact and building successful global companies. Katja’s areas at Cicada covers therapeutics and pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, medical devices and software as a medical device. As an experienced health executive with a background as both a researcher and successful founder of a digital health company, she brings deep sector and commercialisation expertise to support researchers, clinicians and innovators to make a global impact with their research and innovation projects.

Toby Hodgson, PhD, Digital Health Senior Manager, Medical Technology Association of Australia | Hub Advisory Board member
Toby Hodgson is a digital health professional with extensive experience in both the public and private healthcare sectors. He has worked in both research and industry, giving him a well-rounded understanding of the healthcare IT/digital health industry.
Toby is currently at MTAA, the national MedTech association ensuring that the benefits of modern, innovative, and reliable medical technology are delivered effectively to the Australian community. As Senior Manager, Digital Health he is helping drive the digital health agenda across the groups, committees, and organisations of the MedTech sector.

John A. Rogers, Louis Simpson and Kimberly Querrey Professor, Northwestern University | Hub Advisory Board member
Professor Rogers received SM degrees in physics and chemistry in 1992 and a PhD degree in physical chemistry in 1995 from MIT. In the Fall of 2016, he moved to Northwestern University where he is Director of the recently endowed Querrey-Simpson Institute for Bioelectronics. He has co-authored nearly 900 papers and he is co-inventor on more than 100 patents. His research has been recognised by many awards, including a MacArthur Fellowship (2009), the Lemelson-MIT Prize (2011), the Smithsonian Award for American Ingenuity in the Physical Sciences (2013), the MRS Medal from the Materials Research Society (2018), the Benjamin Franklin Medal from the Franklin Institute (2019), and a Guggenheim Fellowship (2021). He is one of very few distinguished scientists being elected fellow to four academies in the USA: National Academy of Engineering, the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

We look forward to working with the Advisory Board to achieve the ambitious mission of our Hub.

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More frequently, we see technological advancements in wearables that are transforming the healthcare landscape, and our industry partner, Santevation, based in Melbourne, is at the forefront of creating technologies and products designed to restore health and improve longevity.

Collaborating with stakeholders globally in medical devices, hospitals, and universities, Santevation, under the Hub, is working with research teams across UNSW and the University of Sydney on three innovative projects involving flexible pressure sensors, wearable ultrasound devices and biocompatible materials. The projects range from sensor fabrication, characterisation, and product prototyping to sensor arrays for pressure mapping, diagnosis, and developing wearable ultrasound devices.

As technology continues to evolve, the potential for wearables and devices to improve lives is becoming increasingly promising, and Santevation is undoubtedly at the forefront of this exciting frontier. Adding to their innovation, Santevation is proud to have successfully participated in the research and development of infant skincare products under the “Baobei 1000” brand. Our dedication to providing safe and effective products for infants has been a fulfilling journey.

Advancing Infant Skincare: Santevation’s Role in Developing the “Baobei 1000” Brand

The brand name “Baobei 1000” is inspired by Professor David Barker’s DOHaD theory (Developmental Origins of Health and Disease), which emphasises the significant impact of early life environment, nutrition, psychological, and social conditions on an infant’s growth and long-term health. The first 1,000 days of life are particularly crucial in shaping the future of human health.

“Baobei 1000” prioritises safety and effectiveness, recognising that infants have a more delicate skin barrier, necessitating higher standards for ingredient safety. In its initial phase, two product series were developed: a very gentle skincare series designed for newborns aged 0-60 days and a skin protection series specifically for babies aged 0-3 years and above with eczema. Santevation, in collaboration with Huashan Hospital, affiliated with Fudan University and Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital, has empowered the “Baobei 1000” brand from multiple perspectives in China.

Medical experts provided fundamental requirements and design concepts, aiming to create segmented product lines based on the characteristics of newborn and infant skin. They conducted comparative studies on the components of natural and synthetic vernix caseosa, used safer raw materials, and employed lipid encapsulation technology to slowly release moisturising ingredients, extending hydration duration. Based on these insights, Santevation formulated solutions for the synergistic enhancement of raw materials and compound combinations. Our designs utilised a liquid crystal emulsification system and high-quality plant extract complexes to form a protective skin layer while eliminating potentially risky ingredients such as sulphates and benzene compounds, thus enhancing product safety.

Since their launch, the products have received widespread acclaim from medical experts and parents, providing relief to many babies suffering from dry, itchy skin and eczema. For instance, a 2-year-old Chinese baby who had recurrent eczema outbreaks in Canada experienced remarkable improvement after returning to China and using Baobei 1000’s “Subtraction and Addition” product combination, much to the astonishment of her mother.

Additionally, many pregnant women have shown significant interest in the 0-60 days product series. They seek not only to use it for their soon-to-be-born babies but also to benefit themselves during pregnancy, believing that safe bathing and skincare products are crucial during this period.

Santevation is honoured to contribute to this innovative project, and we remain committed to advancing safe, effective skincare solutions for infants and expectant mothers. You can find out more about Santevation and ongoing projects at: www.santevation.com.