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Professor Gordon Wallace (left) and PhD student Charles Mire demonstr... |
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Dr Joselito Razal and Professor Gordon Wallace from the Intelligent P... |
A new era in medical bionics unfolds
Significant inroads into the development of the latest materials for “smarter” medical bionic devices were announced at a special demonstration held at the University of Wollongong’s Innovation Campus today (Wednesday 29 July).
One of the major demonstrations showed how organic conducting polymers can now be used to guide the growth of nerve and muscle cells in a single aligned direction -- giving greater control for the re-connection of damaged nerves or muscles.
Researchers at the Intelligent Polymer Research Institute (IPRI) in conjunction with research partners at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES)* are behind the latest findings.
The Director of IPRI and Executive Director of ACES, Professor Gordon Wallace, said they were on the cusp of a whole new era in medical bionics – it’s another giant step, for example, on the path to aid those people afflicted with spinal injuries.
Professor Wallace said researchers had also discovered how different composites of organic conductors can sustain muscle cell growth and differentiation.
“These findings, about to be published in a number of high profile scientific journals, have significant implications for the realisation of conduits for nerve and muscle repair,” he said.
Professor Wallace said they provide real possibilities to help bridge the electronic chasm faced currently when using synthetic medical bionic tissue engineering, for applications such as implants for peripheral nerve, spinal cord or muscle regeneration.
“Directional nerve growth is essential if we are to successfully engineer new neuro regenerative scaffolds in bionic devices. We are now using a new organic conducting polymer as the basis of a material platform which shows we can stimulate and direct nerve growth,” Professor Wallace said.
“Muscle cells also grow better with electrical stimulation. We are designing and controlling these organic polymer materials to help control the growth and differentiation of muscle cells into muscle fibres. This is the first step in helping us to provide muscle tissue for implantation in the long term.
“We are driven by the need to realise real clinical benefits from our exploratory research programs,” he said.
Professor Wallace said turning research into real world applications would be greatly helped by the eventual development of new techniques and “machinery” such as the Bio Printer, a prototype developed as part of an international collaborative project led by IPRI. The Bio Printer will be able to print 3D structures using multiple links which could lead to more rapid fabrication of experimental structures for bionic devices.
IPRI’s printing approaches will be refined and scaled up in the coming 12 months with the completion of the Australian Institute for Innovative Materials ‘Processing and Devices’ Facility at the Innovation Campus.
As well as providing the opportunity to develop new materials, Professor Wallace believes the new facility will allow IPRI to develop further collaborative linkages and inspire the next generation of bright young scientists to take up a career in this exciting field.
An educational DVD Titled “Nanostructures as Electromaterials” has been developed to share the type of research being undertaken in the area of medical bionics and to assist explaining the potential impacts this research might have on the lives of people suffering from nerve and spinal cord damage. It uses animation and simple terms to explain how scientists are using nanostructured materials (based on conducting polymers) to address the important medical challenges of spinal cord regeneration, a new improved cochlear implant and muscle tissue transplantation.
In addition to this new educational resource, IPRI, in conjunction with the Faculty of Science at University of Wollongong and the Wollongong Science Centre are currently running the “Bionics for 2020 Competition” which is aimed at engaging students in the future of science.
[*ACEs is the ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science. Focused on understanding the impact of nanoscience on electromaterials the centre is providing a platform for the use of this knowledge in areas as seemingly diverse as energy conversion, energy storage and medical bionics.]