UNSW biomedical engineer, Associate Professor Matthew A Brodie, opens in a new window has developed a new app, which is helping tens of thousands of individuals combat difficulties in walking. With the help of research fellow and Director of Parkinson’s NSW, Martin Ostrowski, the two have focused their efforts on assisting those suffering from health concerns that impact their ability to walk. These include but are not limited to Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, stroke, heart failure, kidney disease, dementia and sleep issues. The “Walking Tall” app has been translated into multiple languages and made freely available for the worldwide community to use via the App Store, opens in a new window and Google Play, opens in a new window – with the aim of providing some immediate relief for people suffering from gait impairments.
One foot in front of the other
There are more than 320 million people worldwide with treatable motor impairment. These health concerns are issues in their own right, but they can also lead to reduced physical exercise. “We wanted to create technology that could help people walk because insufficient physical exercise is a major risk factor for a number of conditions,” says Associate Professor Brodie.
“This is what’s inspired me to create research that one day could potentially help over 100-million people walk with confidence.”
The Walking Tall app, which initially received trial funding from the Michael J Fox Foundation, and Shake It Up Foundation Australia, opens in a new window, works by delivering a simple metronomic beat across three different walking speeds that have been designed to trigger movement. Further developments were made in partnership with the ARC Research Hub for Connected Sensors for Health (Connected Sensors Hub), and with the software team at UNSW’s Tyree Institute of Health Engineering. With every-day use of the app, individuals can not only learn to walk better but walk for longer, reduce falls and improve overall mobility.
“It’s giving hope to people through something that actually works now – and when we add new elements, it will be even more powerful,” says A/Prof. Brodie.
On 14 November, members of our Hub convened in Sydney for the 2024 Annual Meeting. The event provided a vibrant platform for networking, bringing together our Hub members in person to learn about the ongoing projects. While it is impossible to capture all our discussions here, we will use this article to provide a peek into the day that emerged.
The day was graced with three guest speakers sharing their industry insights and scientific expertise. Ms Emma Hossack, from the Medical Software Industry Association, spoke about complex health connectivity and gave us a glimpse into that environment, which will lead to an improved ecosystem in future.
Professor Ray H. Baughman from the University of Texas at Dallas, gave us talk on the application of carbon nanotubes yarns for health uses. Carbon nanotube (CNT) yarns are useful for many applications including electrical energy storage, mechanical energy harvesting and strain sensing that requires no electrical energy input.
Dr Atsushi Otake from Keio University, Japan, focused on his contribution of diamond microelectrode for biomedical applications. Since 2021, he has been a member of Prof. Yasuaki Einaga’s group at Keio University, focusing on environmental and biomedical applications of diamond electrodes. His contributions are globally recognised in the field of diamond electrochemistry.
Project highlights across our research themes
A highlight of the meeting was the presentations from 15 research and industry partners, showcasing their work across our research themes, including Santevation, Vlepis, Nutromics, nthalmic, and NeuRA (Neuroscience Research Australia), among others. These presentations ignited a renewed excitement for ongoing research and emphasised the importance of working together to drive innovation.
Security, privacy and regulation: talks and Q&A
The meeting also included invaluable insights from regulatory and industry experts. Our speakers Tracey Duffy, First Assistant Secretary, Medical Devices & Product Quality Division, Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), Dr Katja Beitat, Group Executive, Health Incubators & Programs, Cicada Innovations, and Minta Chen, Head of Regulatory Affairs and Quality Assurance, Annalise.ai presented on the intricacies of developing wearable devices and software.
They highlighted the critical importance of identifying challenges early when dealing with security, privacy and regulation emphasising the necessity of engaging with stakeholders to foster meaningful innovations that can transform healthcare.
Poster session wrap-up
As the day progressed, we celebrated the dedication of our early career researchers through a series of poster presentations. Participants showcased their work in 1-minute thesis-style and our industry judges had the challenging task of selecting outstanding contributions.
Congratulations to our winners: 🥇 An Trương, 🥈 Essam Dief, and 🥉 Steven Phu. Their exceptional research stood out among many impressive submissions.
The 2024 Annual Meeting was a success, filled with inspiration, collaboration, and shared vision for the future. Thank you to everyone who participated and contributed to the spirit of partnership that defines our Hub. We look forward to another year of progress and success as we continue our journey together.
Chief Investigators Scientia Professor Justin Gooding and Professor Kim Delbaere were elected Fellows of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences’ (AAHMS) in 2024 for their significant and continuing research in their field.
Academy President Professor Louise Baur said: “Our new Fellows have a truly exceptional body of work, with each of them considered international leaders in their respective fields.”
“Our Fellowship represents the breadth and diversity of Australia’s health and medical expertise, allowing us to draw on independent, expert and evidence-based advice to drive change and improve health for all.”
Scientia Professor Justin Gooding FAA, FTSE, FAHMS
Justin is one of a small number of researchers who are members of all three STEM based learned academies: the Australian Academy of Science, the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and the Academy of Health and Medical Sciences.
On his achievement, he said: “It is very humbling and somewhat overwhelming. I feel it is testament to the ability of my team to do research that spans basic science to commercialising devices that provide tangible benefits to people and biomedical researchers.”
Prof. Gooding’s current project is a smart patch being commercialised by a company in Melbourne with support from his team. The smart patch goes on a patient’s arm, allowing doctors to detect drug levels continuously and in real time, ensuring drug levels are right for the patient and not the average person. He describes it as “the most exciting, game changing technology that will come in our lifetime”.
Professor Kim Delbaere FAHMS
Throughout her career, Professor Kim Delbaere has made major contributions to identifying risk factors for falls and sub-optimal ageing. With a background in physiotherapy, she has dedicated her research to falls prevention, exercise interventions and the use of innovative health technology.
Her vision is to empower older Australians to understand and navigate better health trajectories through self-management. In addition to her research, she uses advocacy and commercialisation strategies to broaden the impact of her work.
“I am truly honoured to have been elected by my peers for this fellowship. My work has always been about translating research into real-world solutions that improve the lives of older adults,” Prof. Delbaere said.
“By working closely with consumers, healthcare professionals and policymakers, we are making evidence-based falls prevention strategies accessible and empowering older Australians to live more confidently and independently.”
We caught up with Hub Chief Investigator Professor Dewei Chu at the Nanoionic Materials Group lab, based at UNSW Sydney, to learn about his group’s ongoing research.
Professor Chu is a recipient of the prestigious ARC Mid-Career Industry Fellowship. The fellowship enables Chu in partnership with industry to utilise his expertise and skills to address industry-specific challenges in powering IoT devices.
Chu’s research group consists of 36 members, including 26 students, and 10 postdocs. The lab, located at UNSW Hilmer Building, has been established for 9 years. Within the Hub Chu is currently collaborating with industry partners Australian Advanced Materials and Tiger Pharm supporting our mission to build an end-to-end ecosystem integrating sensor science, design, manufacturing and commercialisation capabilities.
The Nanoionic Materials Group
The Nanoionic Materials Group focuses on designing, synthesising, and printing nano (small) materials made of metal oxides and sulfides. These materials, such as self-powered batteries and supercapacitors, are used in wearable electronics and energy storage and conversion. The group’s ongoing research feeds into the Hub’s research themes: Biophysical Sensors (theme 1) and Energy and Data Management Solutions (theme 3).
What’s the group working on currently?
The increasing development of electronic devices like wearable sensors and flexible batteries has led to the exploration of high-quality, high-performance, and stable transparent and bendable materials for electrodes. Metal nanowire (NW) networks, have emerged as a promising option due to their electrical properties, flexibility, and abundance. Copper, in particular, stands out for being both effective and cost-efficient. However, some challenges remain, such as ensuring the stability and conductivity of copper nanowires. In a new study, aimed at providing guidance for designing strong metal nanowires for use in flexible and wearable applications, published in the Chemical Engineering Journal, Chu and his team developed, Cu@Ag core–shell NWs using a method called galvanic etching. This process enables the control of the structure of the silver coating by adjusting the amount of silver used. It showed an improved ability to withstand heat, keeping their conductivity even after being heated for several days.
The devices are more resistant to mechanical bending after surface modification due to the optimised NW junction. As a result, various human movements related to hand, elbow and knee can be easily detected by the sensors and Morse code, showcasing great promise for wearable sensors. They also conducted in vitro antibacterial tests to evaluate the performance of the devices. Bacterial infections are another big concern during the device operation, which may pose public health risks. A reliable antibacterial activity was achieved in the modified devices, which is attributed to the introduced Ag coating and improved stability.
As the demand for wearable devices continues to grow, Chu and his team’s diverse research holds great promise for the development of next-generation wearable devices. They continue exploring innovative concepts to engineer and create with nanomaterials.
nthalmic is a privately held, early-stage, Research & Development (R&D) organisation, on a quest to deliver solutions for ophthalmic challenges. Established in 2019 and headquartered in Sydney, developing and commercialising innovative products to address unmet needs in the rapidly emerging fields of global eye care, with a focus on myopia management and dry eye disease.
nthalmic are working towards building an innovation ‘center of excellence’ bringing together an exceptional multi-disciplinary team, which shall serve as an incubation hub to facilitate realisation of ideas to products and close the existing gap between ‘bench’ and ‘real-life’ following our 5-step mantra (I-P-P-V-C).
nthalmic teamcomprises world-class scientists and clinicians have a track record in developing ophthalmic technology solutions. All scientists and clinicians have had their research training at premier universities with some holding visiting academic and professorial positions with distinguished universities including UNSW. They have collectively published more than 150+ peer-reviewed papers.
nthalmic positions itself as an incubator and disruptor for change. The company has the capability to identify, patent, build, test, and translate ideas. They regularly review, critique, evaluate, and analyse the latest research, conference posters, and abstracts to identify research trends and guide their priorities. With the expertise to swiftly move ideas along the product development pipeline, their engineers develop innovative hardware and software platforms to test ideas. Additionally, the clinicians boast 20 years of experience in developing and implementing clinical trials. nthalmic also houses in-house clinical trials facilities equipped with the latest clinical and biometric equipment, software systems, electronic data capturing systems, and database infrastructure operating under GCP standards.
This year, on its 5th anniversary, nthalmic acknowledges its team’s accomplishments, including:
taking six product prototypes (novel contact lenses, spectacles and optical films) into large-scale efficacy clinical trials around the world in Australia, China, India, and Spain. These trials enrolled 750+ participants across various global research institutes, major eye hospitals, universities, and optometry clinics.
Additionally, nthalmic has been granted 19 patents and has 90+ patents pending across 12+ countries for various technologies, including novel contact lenses, spectacles, and optical film designs for myopia management, as well as a novel apparatus to manage dry eye disease.
In 2024, nthalmic attained ISO 13485 certification for the design and development of non-active ophthalmic devices aimed at myopia management. This certification signifies that nthalmic has established a robust Quality Management System (QMS) ensuring the safety and efficacy of its medical devices. Compliance with ISO 13485 is a regulatory mandate for market entry in numerous global regions. Beyond regulatory adherence, their QMS facilitates continuous process improvement, risk management, and enhanced documentation practices. Looking ahead to 2025, nthalmic plans to expand its QMS scope to encompass active devices, a significant progression given the heightened risks and stringent safety requirements associated with these devices. nthalmic remains dedicated to mastering QMS implementation and proudly celebrates this pivotal certification milestone.
Meiboleyes® represents nthalmic innovative at-home medical device solution for treating meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), the leading cause of evaporative dry eye disease. The meibomian glands line both the upper and lower eyelids, producing oils to coat the eye surface and prevent tear evaporation. MGD occurs due to abnormalities in the glands causing the production of stagnant oils and resultant gland obstruction. Without healthy oils, people can experience irritation, discomfort and vision disturbances. MGD and dry eye disease poses an increased risk with age and affects up to 50% of the world population. Some of the Meiboleyes® related R&D efforts were in collaboration with the Functional Materials and Microsystems team at RMIT, partially supported by the ARC Research Hub for Connected Sensors for Health.
nthalmic aims to create a device to deliver sustained and therapeutic heating to the eyes and provide the first dry eye device with a connected mobile app. Temperature sensor integrated into the device help with maintenance and regulation of therapeutic temperature and pressure sensors help maintain a comfortable and safe position on eye. Treatment compliance is integral to treatment success. The connected mobile app helps increase compliance through actively engaging the user to stay on treatment course and collects treatment frequency to provide key statistics to aid in knowledge of treatment progress.
The R&D efforts of the Meiboleyes project have led to the development of a functional prototype currently, which is currently undergoing a pilot study trialled within the UNSW School of Optometry’s Dry Eye Clinic. nthalmic looks forward to continually pushing the boundaries of connected health leveraging active technology and improving health outcomes in the ophthalmic field on a global scale.
There’s just one week left to submit your Expression of Interest (EOI) for Tyree IHealthE’s Innovation Catalyst Awards. Don’t miss this chance to secure up to $50,000 of personalised translation support to advance your MedTech or software innovation.
It only takes 5 minutes to submit an EOI, and it could be the key to advancing your innovation or idea.
With tailored assistance in business development, regulatory/IP strategy, team building, and technology advancement, these awards are designed to equip you with the resources and support you need to succeed. Join a community committed to advancing healthcare.
The annual Young Tall Poppy Science Awards recognise and celebrate the achievements of Australian scientists.
The Tall Poppy Campaign was created by the Australian Institute of Policy and Science (AIPS) to recognise and celebrate Australian intellectual and scientific excellence and to encourage younger Australians to follow in the footsteps of our outstanding achievers.
Dr Do, was recognised for his breakthrough biorobotic research for the treatment of cancer and cardiovascular diseases, as well as advanced wearable devices for enhanced human-machine interaction. Dr Do’s research primarily focuses on the advancements in soft robotics and biorobotics to treat some of the leading causes of death worldwide, including gastrointestinal cancers, strokes, heart failure and other medical conditions.
He developed the world’s first flexible robot that’s capable of 3D printing biomaterial directly onto organs inside a person’s body. The robot could be used by medical professionals to access hard-to-reach areas inside the body via small skin incisions or natural orifices. He also created a soft bionic device that offers safer and less infection-prone alternatives to traditional treatments for heart failure. Dr Do’s innovative smart fabrics function like muscles, helping to speed up and customise the healing process for injuries.
In the field of wearable devices for rehabilitation and human augmentation, Dr Do’s unique smart robotic textiles function like muscles and could personalise and accelerate the healing process for injuries. His internationally award-winning soft haptic systems hold promise for creating more immersive and intuitive experiences in various applications, including remote surgery, enriching digital experiences and expanding the boundaries of human-computer interaction. He described the award as a major milestone in his career and a tremendous honour.
“This recognition reflects the dedication and hard work of my team, collaborators and mentors, and highlights the importance of our biorobotic research and its potential to significantly impact healthcare and patient outcomes.”
Our Chief Investigator Hoang Phuong Phan, in the School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at UNSW Sydney, has been named one of this year’s ARC Future Fellows!
The Australian Research Council (ARC) has awarded $106.7 million in funding for 100 new projects under the 2024 Future Fellowships scheme, supporting outstanding mid-career researchers in areas of national significance.
Phan’s project focuses on three-Dimensional Micro Electromechanical Systems for Biological Sensing. It aims to create transparent, flexible, multimodal three-dimensional (3D) MicroelectroMechanical Systems that provides volumetric interfaces between electronics and 3D cell cultures. This out-of-plane platform, equipped with multiple sensing capabilities such as temperature, strain, impedance, and biopotential measurements, offers compelling opportunities to advance the fundamental understanding of biological processes in 3D organ-on-chips. Synchronising with existing made-in-Australia technologies for in vitro biological studies, the engineering solutions from this project will generate intellectual properties that will be patented and translated into practical applications, bringing significant economic benefit to our nation. Congratulations, Phan!
“The proposed 3D flexible electronics offer powerful tools to tap into fundamental intracellular and extracellular mechanisms such as organ development and diseases evolution on 3D organoids and spheroids, minimising the need for animal test.” – Chief Investigator Hoang-Phuong Phan
“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.
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.
Want to engage with us? Reach out to us here and/or subscribe to our quarterly newsletter.