New centre set to trigger Australia\'s medical technology revolution
Researchers will use nano devices and nanoparticles to develop vaccines and improve drug delivery and disease detection
A A$26m (US$24m) research centre designed to develop new vaccines and improve drug delivery and disease detection has opened in Melbourne, Australia.
The Centre of Excellence in Convergent Bio-Nano Science and Technology is based at Monash University’s Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (MIPS).
Funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC), the centre will be involved in a rapidly emerging field that is revolutionising therapy in a wide range of diseases. Bio-nano science brings together biological research with various fields of nanotechnology.
Adopting a technical approach to biology, scientists at the centre will use nano devices and nanoparticles to improve human health in four key areas: new vaccine development, drug delivery systems, imaging technologies and disease detection.
Professor Tom Davis, Director of the Centre, said bio-nano science is a relatively new field, but one with extraordinary potential.
'Nano scale entities with dimensions thousands of times smaller than the width of a human hair are the essence of all living systems. If we are to better understand, treat and diagnose diseases we need technologies with nanoscale precision,' he said.
'We have the opportunity to trigger a biotech and medical technology revolution in Australia. By bringing together some of the country’s leading researchers and combining this with cutting edge technology, the Centre will help turn this vision into a reality.'
Researchers at the Centre will work with industry partners to translate research, potentially resulting in new diagnostics, drugs and vaccines for a range of conditions including HIV, cancer and malaria.
Last year the Australian government approved A$285m over seven years to fund the ARC Centres of Excellence. In total, the Centres will collaborate with 106 partner organisations from 44 countries and receive more than A$390m in cash and support from participating organisations.
Collaborating and partner organisations of the Centre include the University of Melbourne, the University of New South Wales, the University of Queensland, the University of South Australia, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Imperial College London, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre, Sungkyunkwan University, the University of Nottingham, the University College Dublin, the University of California Santa Barbara, the University of Warwick and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
