What will the benefits be for patients? What challenges are researchers working to overcome?

The Melbourne School of Engineering at the University of Melbourne, invites you to learn more about what the future of the bionic eye holds at the School’s upcoming Dean’s lecture ‘From Technology to Sight – Looking into the future of the bionic eye’. This free public lecture will be presented by Professor Anthony Burkitt, Director of Bionic Vision Australia.

6.00–7:00 pm Tuesday 28 May 2013
Lecture Theatre A, The Elisabeth Murdoch Building (134)
Spencer Road, The University of Melbourne

Register online

The Dean’s Lecture Series is a demonstration of the Melbourne School of Engineering’s strong commitment to society, through a dynamic exchange of knowledge and ideas.

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Professor Anthony Burkitt
Research Director of Bionic Vision Australia (BVA) and Professor of Engineering at the University of Melbourne.

Tissue material is soon to be produced using 3D printing at a biofabrications research unit at Melbourne’s St Vincent’s Hospital in collaboration with The University of Wollongong’s Centre for Electromaterials Science.

The biofabrication unit scientists have already begun animal trials to reproduce skin, cartilage, arteries and heart valves.

Biomaterials fabrication, a combination of nanomaterials science, high-speed data communications and additive manufacturing, could use a patient’s own cells to create made to fit, functioning replacement organs.

The technology allows objects to be created using computer software and a 3D printer which builds the object up layer by layer. Living cells can be printed using bio-ink to build tissue and organs.

The technology has previously been used to make buildings.

The research team behind the project hope that the process could eventually do away with the need for organ transplants: “It’s possible to print devices and structures that can be implanted in human bodies and these devices can have cells grown on them so that bodily functions can be replicated on these very tiny devices”.

“In the future, these sorts of devices will be able to recreate parts of people’s joints and bones, conceivably, in the future, even organs,” he said

The Australian technique incorporates living cells into the layered printing process, with a 95 per cent survival rate for the cells. It is anticipated that the new tissues will be cleared for human use in three to five years. Recreating more complex, complete organs is not expected for a decade.

It is hoped that the technology to print out individualised body organs will potentially increase average life span.

A discovery by Melbourne’s Walter and Eliza Hall Institute researchers has defied the conventional belief that p53’s primary role in the fight against cancer was to regulate cell survival and cell division.

They have found that the protein may have far more complex weaponry to suppress tumours which is to become the basis for future research.

The p53 protein’s functions are normally stimulated by potentially cancer-causing events, such as DNA damage from ultraviolet radiation (a cause of skin cancer), or the over-activity of cancer-causing genes.

Dr Ana Janic, Ms Liz Valente and Professor Andreas Strasser from the Molecular Genetics of Cancer division at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute have been dissecting the processes that are controlled by p53, to discover how this protein can suppress cancer development.

Dr Janic said many scientists believed that the most important processes activated by p53 to prevent cancer formation were stopping cells with DNA damage from dividing until the DNA could be repaired – and making cells die if they had sustained irreparable genetic damage.

“Changes that make damaged cells become long-lived and divide uncontrollably are key features of cancer formation. Because p53 can control cell survival and cell division, it was assumed that these two processes constituted the critical functions that p53 used to prevent cancer.

“The purpose of our research was to examine whether this assumption was correct.” Dr Janic said.

Ms Valente said the team compared cells that lacked p53 with cells in which p53 could not regulate cell survival and cell division.

“In the past 20 years it has become clear which proteins are activated by p53 to block cell division and promote cell death

“We were able to remove all of these proteins, called p21, Puma and Noxa, from cells. This completely disabled the ability of p53 to stop cell division and trigger cell death.

“But to our surprise, p53 could still prevent cancer formation, even without being able to make cells die or stop dividing after DNA damage,” Ms Valente said.

Professor Strasser said the team’s discovery had upended the understanding of how p53 functions: “When p53’s cancer-suppressing function was first discovered, it was important to understand how this protein functioned. Many scientists had concluded that regulation of cell death and division were the key roles of p53,” he said.

“Our findings have re-opened the question of how p53 functions.

“My suspicion is that it is not one protein but several with very many critical functions that work together to prevent cancer formation by coordinating the proper repair of damaged DNA, rather than stopping cells from dividing or killing them.

“Further research to decipher how these processes are integrated will be an important step towards understanding the tumour-suppressing function of p53 function. This knowledge, in turn, may then be exploited to develop improved cancer therapies,” Professor Strasser said.

The research was supported by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (US), Cancer Council Victoria, the Lady Tata Memorial Trust, the Beatriu de Pinós Fellowship (European Union/Spain), and the Victorian Government.

Building Global Bridges is an initiative of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Centre (MLSC) which seeks to promote collaboration and idea exchange between life sciences companies around the world.

It is also designed to stimulate the development of new products or processes intended for commercialisation.

The Victorian State Government is contributing A$1 million to the initiative and matched-funding grants of between A$100,000 and A$500,000 are available for eligible Victorian life sciences companies.”

Victoria’s Minister for Technology, Gordon Rich-Phillips, said applications were now open for local life sciences companies to collaborate with Massachusetts life sciences companies.

Building Global Bridges will enable Victorian and Massachusetts company partners from biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, diagnostics and bioinformatics to submit project applications.

“The new initiative is expected to accelerate late-stage life sciences R&D projects being undertaken by a Victorian company in collaboration with a Massachusetts company.

Building Global Bridges will benefit the Victorian life sciences industry by providing greater opportunities to develop products, processes and services.

The initiative is a key component of Victoria’s Technology Plan for the Future – Biotechnology – a A$55 million plan to support Victoria’s life science industry and drive greater use of biotechnology across other industries.”

Through the MLSC, Massachusetts is investing in the growth of the state’s life sciences super cluster. These investments are being made under the Massachusetts Life Sciences Initiative, passed by the Massachusetts State Legislature and signed into law by its Governor Deval Patrick in 2008.

President and CEO of MLSC, Dr Susan Windham-Bannister, said no single country or region alone could solve the challenge of developing the next generation of drugs and medical devices: “The breakthroughs of tomorrow will only be possible through collaboration like that which we are fostering between Massachusetts and Victoria,” Dr Windham-Bannister said.

The announcement comes as part of a Victorian life sciences mission to the BIO2013 International Convention in Chicago, led by Minister Rich-Phillips. The convention is the largest global event for the biotechnology industry, offering key networking and partnering opportunities and providing insights into major industry trends.

For further information about the Building Global Bridges initiative, visit the Business Victoria website or email.

Human trials of the new vaccine will begin next year using a genetically-modified strain of the malaria parasite to protect people at risk from malaria infection.

It has been developed by a team of researchers led by Dr Krystal Evans, Professor Louis Schofield and Professor Alan Cowman from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute’s Infection and Immunity division, and Professor James McCarthy from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research.

Malaria kills about 700,000 people a year, mostly children aged under five and pregnant women. Despite the urgent need for a malaria vaccine, no effective vaccine currently exists.

Half the world’s population is said to be at risk of contracting malaria, with the disease concentrated in tropical and subtropical regions – including many of Australia’s near neighbours.

The new vaccine targets the blood stage of malaria infection – which is responsible for headache, fever, shivering and joint pain.

Dr Evans said that the vaccine’s design was based on years of research which had identified critical molecules in the malaria parasite that could be recognised by the immune system.

The manufacture and trial of the vaccine is being supported by an Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Development Grant. This will allow the manufacture of the vaccine in sufficient quantities and standards for human trials.

Dr Evans said if the trials were successful, the vaccine could be modified to match regional and species variants of the malaria parasite.

Professor Schofield said The NHMRC Development Grant scheme had allowed researchers to develop vaccine research projects from the laboratory through to clinical trials – a stage of research that was difficult to fund.

“We are also grateful for the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which provided seed funding that was vital for the early stages of the project,” he said.

Screen shot from the bionic eye app

What will you see with a bionic eye? This is a question we often get asked at Bionic Vision Australia (BVA). And it’s not an easy one to answer, because each patient’s experience will, inevitably, be as unique and individual as they are.

Nevertheless, we do our best to explain that vision with a bionic eye will allow patients to navigate safely in their immediate environment, improving their mobility and independence. Further, with a greater number of electrodes, we hope patients will be able to recognise faces and read large print.

That usually answers the question, but a description like this doesn’t really do justice to what people will actually experience.

Enter Matias Maturana, one of BVA’s vision processing engineers and mobile application development extraordinaire. Matias came up with a simple app that simulates the sort of vision a bionic eye might provide. (Emphasis is on the word might, because until patients are using a real bionic eye, it’s difficult to be sure. Even then, it might not always be clear what the experience is like for them.)

The Bionic Eye app uses the camera on your mobile or tablet device to show in ‘phosphenes’ or ‘spots of light’ what a person with a bionic eye might see. It’s helping us out a lot with answering this question at events and in meetings. Also, just for fun, the app lets you take photos using bionic vision.

How to download

1. Search for “Bionic Eye” in the Play Store on your Android mobile or tablet device
2. Download the Bionic Eye App by Vision Spiral (look for the BVA eye logo)
3. Follow the prompt to download Open CV Manager (free platform to run the app)
4. Use the ‘options’ settings in the app to switch from camera to phosphene view. You can also change the number and size of the phosphenes.

Tell us what you think! Post your bionic vision pictures to BVA’s Twitter or Facebook page, along with any feedback you might have about the app’s functionality. For the moment, the Bionic Eye App is only available on Android devices. The iOS version for iPhone and iPad is coming soon.

So get downloading, get bionic and send us your bionic vision intel from BIO 2013!

Bionic Vision Australiais developing a retinal implant, or bionic eye, capable of restoring a sense of vision to people with blindness caused by degenerative retinal conditions. The first patient study with an early prototype is underway with three participants. Pending further funding, researchers hope to be ready for the next round of patient tests by the end of 2013.

High-Acuity device – how it works

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Veronika Gouskova
Marketing and Communications Manager, Bionic Vision Australia

Babies born with bladder exstrophy develop a split in the abdomen and pubic bone. This exposes the bladder, risking infection, renal failure and bladder cancer. Professor Cheng said surgery was needed to repair the bladder and reattach the pelvic bones, but the condition often led to lifelong complications.

To see if p63 gene causes bladder exstrophy in human, researchers led by Monash University and Monash Children’s Hospital’s Professor of Paediatric Surgery, Professor Cheng embarked on a worldwide collection of DNA from patients in Canada, Malaysia, USA, Australia, Spain, India, Bangladesh and China.

Prof Cheng and his lab members Dr Simon Wilkins and Dr Susan Zhang at Monash Institute of Medical Research worked for more than four years to analyse the DNA samples. They found three specific mutations of the p63 gene are associated with a significantly increased risk of bladder exstrophy.

Agribio, Centre for AgriBioscience

AgriBio, Centre for AgriBioscience, was officially opened this week by Premier Dr Denis Napthine.  AgriBio is a A$288 million joint venture of the Victorian Government, through its Department of Primary Industries (DPI), and La Trobe University (La Trobe) and is situated on the campus of the university at Bundoora.  AgriBio was constructed and is operating under the Partnerships Victoria policy as a public-private partnership with the Plenary Research consortium.

Professor German Spangenberg (Director AgriBio, DPI), The Hon Peter Walsh (Minister for Agriculture and Food Security), Adrienne Clarke AC (Chancellor, La Trobe University), Mr John O’Rourke (Principal, Plenary Group), Dr Denis Napthine (Premier of Victoria), Mr David Hodgett (Minister for Major Projects), Professor John Dewar (Vice Chancellor, La Trobe University)

Premier Napthine was joined by Minister Peter Walsh, Minister for Agriculture and Food Security, Minister David Hodgett, Minister for Major Projects, Vice Chancellor of La Trobe, John Dewar and co-Directors of AgriBio Professor German Spangenberg (DPI) and Professor Terry Spithill (La Trobe).

AgriBio brings together over 400 scientists who are leaders in their field in Australia’s only integrated systems biology agricultural biosciences research centre.

The Victorian Government has set a productivity growth target to double the state’s food and fibre production by the year 2030. Science at AgriBio will contribute to the target by providing the necessary innovation for farmers and food producers. Major science programs in AgriBio include plant and animal bioscience and biosecurity, which will also expand postgraduate education opportunities for La Trobe.

AgriBio is protecting Victoria’s A$10.3 billion agricultural sector through cutting-edge research and development. Leading genetic platform technologies are applied to achieve step change improvements in productivity. New approaches to plant and animal disease will enhance biosecurity preparedness, rapid detection and response to outbreaks.

AgriBio is an impressive building, equipped to meet the needs of DPI and La Trobe researchers now and in the future. Covering over 30,000 m² (322,917 ft²) with PC2/QC2 and PC3/QC3 containment laboratories and glasshouses, AgriBio also has 78 controlled environment and controlled atmosphere rooms, and a Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) facility.  Working on the principle that science is progressive and ever-evolving, AgriBio’s masterplan includes a large commercial opportunity space and 3900m² (41,979 ft²) of expansion space for future needs.

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Prof German Spandenberg
- Executive Director of the Biosciences Research Division of DPI Victoria; Professor, Plant Genetics & Genomics at La Trobe University; Director AgriBio (DPI) and Chairman of the Victorian AgriBiosciences Centre.
– Chief Scientist of the Dairy Futures Cooperative Research Centre; Director and Chief Scientific Officer of the agricultural biotechnology company Phytogene Pty Ltd.

Construction is underway at The University of Melbourne’s A$1 billion Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre (VCCC) Project in the Parkville precinct.

The purpose-built facility for cancer research, treatment, care and education will provide a brand new home for the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and new cancer research and clinical services for Melbourne Health – with new education facilities for all building partners.

The development comprises a new 13-storey building bordering Flemington Road, Grattan and Elizabeth Streets. It also includes the construction of four new floors on top of the existing Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH).

The new building and the extension to RMH will be linked by covered bridges above Grattan Street allowing cancer patients, visitors and staff to move between the two buildings.

The new building features space for more than 1,200 cancer researchers.

Vice Chancellor of the University of Melbourne, Professor Glyn Davis said the translation of research discoveries into new treatments would be enhanced with cancer researchers from leading organisations working alongside cancer clinicians and their patients, maximising opportunities for collaboration and sharing of information.

The VCCC Project is jointly funded, with the Australian and Victorian governments contributing a total of A$854.6 million, with the remaining funds to come from member contributions, sale of surplus land and philanthropic donations.

But once there, I discovered (thanks to my 10 year old daughter) the wonderful world of health and wellbeing apps.  I downloaded a raft of apps to fix my poor sleeping habits, check my eye sight, manage my calorie intake, coach me into a 5K run in 10 weeks, keep tabs on new drugs on market and monitor my heart rate.  That was just in the first week. I now have an enormous collection of apps and I’m addicted to researching this space, looking for the latest on market. The way in which IT solutions are being used and the potential for this to be integrated in rehabilitation and maintenance of good health is an exciting prospect.

The changing relationship we have with our primary healthcare provider where point of care is occurring closer to home and becoming more self managed is giving rise to an extraordinary new market opportunity for health and wellness application developers. With a clear monetization model, minimal to no regulation and short lead times from conception to market, the app industry is moving into healthcare at an unprecedented rate.  And already delivering financial returns to investors as well I might add.

Melbourne is perfectly placed to grab a slice of this converging action. This state has the largest biotech and life sciences sector in Australia, currently boasting a market capitalisation of about A$24 billion. Victoria also captures the largest proportion of the National Health and Medical Research budget.  We have the largest ICT sector in Australia, and we are particularly proud of our world renowned gaming industry…  So we have the biology and the computer nous – we now need to foster a new industry based on this unfamiliar alliance.

Cheap electrochemical sensing coupled with mobile phone technology is and will continue to revolutionise diagnostics in human health. The development of simple, inexpensive sensors for medical diagnostics opens up a vast improvement in health care in remote regions of Australia and developing countries. Laboratories will become hand held mobile phones with the ability to give point-of-care diagnoses within minutes at a very low cost compared to expensive and time consuming send- away pathology kits to labs in major cities. The projections published on the expected growth of mobile phones around the world is astonishing, even in places like sub-Saharan Africa. Aid organisations are embracing this hand-held opportunity with enthusiasm as a lower cost and more effective healthcare solution for populations who need it most.

Gamification of diagnostics and therapy devices is not exactly new.  What is new are the platforms upon which gaming technology is being applied and the strong interest from pharmaceutical and medical device giants.  Most pharmaceutical companies have developed and launched apps for health practitioner and patients.  Examples are disease calculators, patient diaries and sensory testing. Some are branded and some are not. The use of game theory is an import element in the design of the device and this is where the IT game developers in Melbourne are finding a new relationship with the medical profession. One knows the unmet clinical need and the other has the tools – but getting them together is probably the hardest part.  Watch this space.

Michelle Gallaher, CEO (BioMelbourne Network)