Spring Edition 2017 BIONIC CONNECTIONS From a bionic ear to a bionic era Bionic Connections | Spring 2017 6 Bionic Connections | Spring 2017 5 3D printing is now being used for almost anything you can think of across many industries. What makes the 3D printers at the Bionics Institute so incredible is that they have been completely customised by our engineers, to create any tools or components needed for projects the team may be working on. The unique 3D printers are used for creating small, customised and one-off tools for our researchers and clinicians. They’re also used to help develop our new electrodes. Through an iterative process, designs can be printed and assessed, with changes made and then printed again, greatly reducing the turnaround time compared to traditional methods. The 3D printer works by “slicing” a computer aided design (CAD) concept into layers. These layers are sent from the computer to the 3D printer, which then builds the part layer by layer. The printing process can take as little as 10 minutes and is also surprisingly quiet as the product is created layer by layer using our custom-mixed resins. Purchasing new equipment often comes as a result of donations from Trusts and Foundations as well as from generous donations from the wider community. Funding like this is critical to provide equipment needed for all projects now and in the future to allow our pioneering technology to continue. Our R&D designer, Ross Thomas, says working with the 3D printers streamlines our research. “It’s really exciting working with the customised printers at the Institute. The future potential for 3D printing in medical research is limitless and I am always in awe watching it quickly turn my CAD design into a tangible item used in surgery or the lab.” If you wish to know more about how to support the Bionics Institute by funding a project or equipment, please contact 9667 7500. Manufacturing practical items for the lab has never been so easy thanks to cutting-edge 3D printing technology and the creativity of our innovative engineers. For editorial enquiries or to receive our eNewsletter, please email [email protected] or reception at (03) 9667 7500. Articles and photographs in this publication are the sole property of the Bionics Institute of Australia and may not be reproduced without written permission. Copyright ©2017. Proudly supported by www.mmprintworks.com.au m&m printworks DESIGN • PRINT Action on Hearing Loss Colonial Foundation The Garnett Passe and Rodney Williams Memorial Foundation Gillespie Family Foundation Harold Mitchell Foundation The Harry Secomb Foundation Hilton White Estate Nell & Hermon Slade Trust Percy Baxter Charitable Trust Prescott Family Foundation The Robert C Bulley Charitable Fund Rotary Club of Eltham Victorian Lions Foundation Inc Mr Philip Anderson Mr Baillieu Myer AC Mrs Meg Bentley Mr Philip Binns Mrs D.C Bourke Mr & Mrs A & R Bradey Mr Roy Bridges Miss Joy Buckland Mrs J M Cassell Ms Siew Cleeland Mr Michael Cohn Mr & Mrs Wes & Jane Dunn Dr & Mrs Frank Elsworth Mr Tom Evans Mr Peter Faulkner Ms Val Gallahawk Mr & Mrs A Gardner Mrs Inez Glanger Mr Peter Gover Mr Bill Henderson Mr Peter Horwood Mr Ivor Johnson Mr Robert Klupacs Mr & Mrs David and Bindy Koadlow Mr Jayant Krishnan Mr & Mrs J & Y Lewis Ms Elizabeth Lithgow Rotary Club of Moreland Mr and Mrs G Moriarty Dr Alice Murkies Mrs Pam O’Connell Mrs Jennie Price Mrs Floss Proctor Mrs Margaret Rafferty Mr & Mrs Michael Robinson AO Mr & Mrs A & N Robinson Mr & Mrs Campbell & Judy Sinclair Dr John Smith Mr and Mrs Robert & Beverley Squire Mr John Stanhope Dr Wes Thevathasan Mr & Mrs Peter & Deryn Thomas Mrs Katrina Tull Mr Stephen Wargula Miss B M Webb Mr Ian Young Donor list The Institute would like to thank the following individuals, organisations, trusts and foundations that have contributed over $200 since February 2017. This issue PAGE 1 Engineering new possibilities with 3D printers PAGE 2 Message from our CEO In the news PAGE 3 PhD success with new vision Cochlear implant recipient flying high PAGE 4 What do people see through bionic eyes? International support for Australian-first research PAGE 5 Can progressive hearing loss be prevented? Harold Mitchell Foundation supporting our researchers PAGE 6 Hearing Awareness Week – Hearing Health Expo 2017 Support our open garden event Donor list www.bionicsinstitute.org Can progressive hearing loss be prevented? Laboratory experiments here at the Bionics Institute have shown promising results. Dr Andrew Wise has demonstrated that nanoparticles loaded with nerve survival factors – called neurotrophins – can be released into the inner ear to help prevent the degeneration of auditory neurons following deafness. Hearing loss can occur when the sensory cells inside the cochlea – which convert sound waves into signals and convey them to the brain – do not function properly as a result of a congenital abnormality or acquired trauma (for instance, due to exposure to loud noises). While drugs that can protect and regenerate inner ear sensory cells have been identified, there is not yet any safe and effective method for delivering these drugs to the inner ear. Recent nanoengineering advances have made it possible to create particle- based delivery systems that can store large doses of a drug and slowly release them over time. Led by Dr Andrew Wise, our researchers used cutting-edge techniques to incorporate therapeutic drugs into a nanoengineered delivery system. The system released drugs at therapeutic levels over extended time periods, protecting sensory nerve cells from dying. Encouraged by these results, we are now investigating how this novel drug delivery system can be used to treat other forms of deafness. Ultimately, our goal is to develop the first clinical treatment for hearing loss. Dr Andrew Wise Harold Mitchell Foundation supporting our researchers We are very grateful to the Harold Mitchell Foundation, which has awarded 2017 Harold Mitchell Health Travel Fellowships to three of our young researchers. Nick Sinclair and Joel Villalobos are both members of our team working on improved deep brain stimulation (DBS) treatments for movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. Each received a fellowship, enabling them to attend the OptoDBS conference and visit the Wyss Centre for Bio and Neuroengineering in Geneva this year. Nick is an engineer and has recently commenced a PhD project investigating the effects of DBS on brain electrical activity and movement disorder symptoms. The fellowship allowed him to present at the International Neuromodulation Society (INS) in Edinburgh this year and to visit the Movement Disorders Group at Oxford University. It also allowed Joel to visit the laboratories of Politecnico di Torino and Institut de Neurosciences Grenoble. Xin Zhou is a PhD student at the Bionics Institute who also received a fellowship. Xin is using brain imaging to reveal differences in the language areas of cochlear implant users who have different levels of speech understanding. The fellowship will allow her to present at the International Symposium on Auditory and Audiology Research (ISAAR) in Denmark, as well as visit a number of laboratories including the Hearing System Lab in the Technical University of Denmark and Dr Scholkmann’s lab in Zurich. We would like to thank the Harold Mitchell Foundation for its generous support of our researchers developing better treatments for movement and hearing disorders. Dr Joel Villalobos Our fundraisers and ambassadors are fundamental to supporting our research at the Bionics Institute. If you would like to get involved or share your story with us, contact us today. DONATE You can donate to a specific theme of research: TAKE ACTION Get involved by raising awareness about bionics research through your club, school or workplace or host an event to raise funds for bionics research Be a part of the great advances happening in medical bionics right now VISION or give to our general appeal via our website www.bionicsinstitute.org HEARING NEUROBIONICS Engineering new possibilities with 3D printers Hearing Awareness Week – Hearing Health Expo 2017 It was great to participate in the Deafness Foundation’s Hearing Health Expo at Abbotsford Convent in Melbourne on Sunday 20 August. The expo brought together representatives from organisations that work with hard of hearing Victorians, and have a common interest in preventing hearing loss. The event marked the beginning of Hearing Awareness Week, which raises awareness of the needs of the one in six people who are deaf, hearing impaired or have a chronic ear disorder. It was also an opportunity to explain the risks of hearing loss to all Australians who may be exposed to long-term excessive noise, often in the workplace. Victoria’s Parliamentary Secretary for Medical Research, Frank McGuire MP, stopped by our stand to say hello after he officially launched Hearing Awareness Week. Frank is a long-time admirer of Bionics Institute founder, Professor Graeme Clark, whose work has had a profound impact for deaf people around the world. Support our open garden event Each year, cochlear implant recipient Suzanne de Pelsenaire hosts an Open Garden event to raise money and awareness for the Bionics Institute. Suzanne welcomes people from far and wide into her garden to raise much-needed funding for research. This year’s event will help support our newly-opened infant hearing laboratory, known as the BABILab. This is the fifth year Suzanne has opened her beautiful garden as a fundraising event and the Institute sincerely thanks her for her ongoing efforts and generosity. “I am now celebrating nine years since I myself received the gift of hearing again with a cochlear implant, which has transformed my life. My gratitude is boundless for these wonderful researchers and this marvellous technology,” Suzanne said. The two-day event will run from 28-29 October, with a donation on entry that goes directly to research at the Bionics Institute. If you wish to receive more information about the event, please visit our website or call 03 9667 7500. Ross Thomas works with 3D printers in the lab