Research

The focus of the current research is on the development of microvalves and micropumps for biomedical application. These devices are of greater interest when it comes to nanolitre drug delivery in biomedical applications. The manipulation of the fluid flow at nanolitre scale is a fundamental function that has a wide range of applications such as parallel mixing of photo-lithographically defined nanolitre volumes, flow control in pneumatically driven microfluidic systems, lab-on-chip applications, precision manufacturing, drug delivery and miniaturisation of chemical and bioanalysis.

Contact person: Dr Said Al-Sarawi

We spent one-third of our lives asleep. How we sleep matters. Poor sleep not only causes daytime sleepiness but also leads to cardiovascular disease in the long term.

Using the latest advances in signal processing and machine learning technologies, we engineer computerized tools for diagnosing sleep problems. We work with various data sources ranging from clinical polysomnography to consumer wearables. Together with a network of leading clinical researchers locally and globally, we test our technologies and help improve our understanding of sleep disorders and treatment outcomes.

Contact person: A/Prof Mathias Baumert

Speech is essential for human communication. Not only what we say is important but also how we say it. Bioacoustic features of speech production carry information that can be exploited to augment the diagnostic capabilities of psychiatrists. We develop speech processing algorithms for clinical applications to obtain novel biomarkers of mental health that will assist in diagnosing and monitoring depression and schizophrenia.

Contact person: A/Prof Mathias Baumert

Brain-computer interfaces allow a person to control their environment via thoughts. They have several clinical applications, including the rehabilitation of motor function after stroke. We develop non-invasive BCI applications using electroencephalography. This includes signal processing, data machine learning, and hardware development.

Contact person: A/Prof Mathias Baumert

The THz part of the electromagnetic spectrum lying between the millimetre wave and infrared band has a significant importance to the biological sciences because complementary information to traditional spectroscopic measurement. This raises the application of this band in a wide range of sensing and sensor applications, more specifically in biomedical domain. As part of this research, we explore using this frequency band for identification chemical properties of materials, biohazards, spectroscopy imaging, etc.

Contact person: Prof Derek Abbott

“In 2020–21, an estimated 571,000 Australians aged 18 and over (2.9% of the adult population) had CHD, based on self-reported data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2020–21 National Health Survey (ABS 2022b). The prevalence of CHD increases rapidly with age, affecting around 1 in 9 (11%) adults aged 75 and over” (AIHW 2022). Atherosclerosis, as one of the primary causes of CVD, refers to the thickening of vascular walls due to deposition of fatty materials wherein it can lead to impeded or completely occluded blood flow. Obstruction of coronary arteries, referred to as coronary heart disease (CHD), is estimated to become the single leading health problem by 2020. Occurrence and further development of CHD is associated with a number of biological and environmental factors such as an individual’s genetic predisposition, lifestyle, climate conditions, exercise habits and emotions to name a few. In this project we investigate the design and development of a new class of stent that has integrated sensors and can be adjusted wirelessly.

Contact person: Dr Said Al-Sarawi

With the advancement in device miniaturisation and integration, collecting of sensory information is becoming very critical for improved healthcare. In this project we look at a number of aspects related to wearable sensors and communication in terms of improving the sensitivity of these sensors, dynamic range, size, power, area, data communication, etc. I most of these applications the interest is to have as many sensors as possible that can communicate wireless without the need for an integrated power source. So in this project we look at sensors design, energy harvesting, smart RFID systems and systems security of these devices.

Contact person: Dr Said Al-Sarawi

Most heart attacks are caused by high-risk plaques in coronary arteries. A significant unmet need in cardiology is to reliably detect high-risk plaques before they are life-threatening. This project will generate unique insights into plaque pathogenesis over time to see how plaques become high-risk and cause heart attacks. It will deliver a world-first capability to longitudinally track in vivo molecular and microstructural changes in plaques as they transition into life-threatening forms, as opposed to previously only be able to observe single time point histological images ex vivo. This deeper understanding of plaque development will pave the way for the development of reliable clinical solutions to detect high-risk plaques and ensure better patient outcomes.

Collaborators: Royal Adelaide Hospital-Cardiology, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI), and School of Biomedicine (University of Adelaide), Monash University, Baker Institute, The University of Stuttgart (Germany)

Funding status: NHMRC Ideas Grant (2021-24)

Contact person: Dr Jiawen Li

More than 20 million people worldwide experience acute coronary syndrome (e.g., heart attack) each year. Our 3D-printed imaging catheter holds promise in improving health outcomes by accurately identifying high-risk patients before they experience life-threatening symptoms and helping cardiologists determine the most efficient treatment. With the support of these grants, we will develop the novel imaging catheter and incorporate it into standard clinical procedures, so as to help clinicians optimise prognostic and therapeutic decision making at the individual patient level. At completion of the project, we will deliver a device that is ready for subsequent commercialisation and wide adoption to improve clinical outcomes.

Project collaborators: Royal Adelaide Hospital-Cardiology, SAHMRI, and School of Biomedicine (University of Adelaide), Monash University, Baker Institute, The University of Stuttgart (Germany)

Funding status: The Hospital Research Foundation Translational Grant (2021-23), National Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellowship Grant (2022-25), NHMRC Investigator Grant (2022-26)

Contact person: Dr Jiawen Li