Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology AIBN

🥼 ⚗️ 🧪 An absolute pleasure to welcome delegates from the Association of Biosafety for Australia & New Zealand - ABSANZ conference to the AIBN this morning! This year's ABSANZ conference is happening right here in Brisbane - the perfect opportunity for guests to pop over and take a gander at the biosafety protocols we have around our nanofabrication, mRNA, organoid, human imaging and cyclotron facilities. As always, a big thanks to our safety and infrastructure team Sophie O'Neill, Luke Matthew, Heather Pegg, Colette Godfrey, Colm Cahill, Simon Nevin, Gary Carloss and Kyra Cottrell for providing the ideal conditions for our researchers to carry out their work. A big thanks also to Hannah Leeson, Hannah Tompkins, Damion Stimson, and Aiman Al-Najjar for showing our new friends around today!

💉🧫🦠🤧 Vaccines, proteins, antibodies, hormones, allergens... what do these things have in common? They are are all biologics, made up of complex molecules that can do things that small molecule therapeutics can't. Biologics can interact in a highly specific way with targets in the body such as immune cells, large proteins, genomic DNA, and even entire tissues. Take for example, the complexity of a monocolonal antibody (mAb) - often used in cancer treatment - in comparison to a molecule of aspirin, which is only is 1/1000th the size of an mAb. They can also be tailored to the task at hand, which provides a much better chance of targeting the problem, such as a cancer cell, a pathogen or a poorly functioning gene, while ideally leaving healthy cells alone. Leading to more effective therapeutics while reducing the potential side effects. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gXZQ7Y3H

🎥 Watch: Associate Professor Joy Wolfram, PhD talks about her research using extracellular vesicles (EVs) to reduce heart inflammation and tissue damage following surgery. Joy is an AIBN group leader who is jointly affiliated with our friends at the School of Chemical Engineering UQ, and specialises in the field of EVs – the tiny internal packages our body uses for communication. 17% of open heart surgery patients have life threatening complications, while 40% of open heart surgery patients require prolonged medication after heart surgery. "A major reason for open heart surgery complications is inflammation and tissue damage." Joy said "My research programme develops next generation medicines by leveraging naturally occurring molecular packages termed extracellular vesicles." The goal is to take extracellular vesicles from healthy donors and engineer them as a new paradigm of therapeutics for open heart surgery complications. Joy is one of two UQ researchers to secure a Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellowship. The two UQ projects are among 66 initiatives funded Australia-wide this year by the Heart Foundation, totalling $13.7 million and made possible through the generosity of donors in Australia. Learn more about Joy's work with the Heart Foundation here https://lnkd.in/gXmBcFhS

For many, the art of screen printing brings to mind Campbells’ Soup, or the likeness of Marylin Munroe – designs straight from the pop art pantheon.     For AIBN and School of Chemical Engineering UQ joint appointment Dr Miaoqiang Lyu, screen printing means making batteries.      “The devices we have in our homes, in our pockets, or on our bodies are getting thinner, smaller, and more flexible,” Dr Lyu says.  “But there is a bottleneck: these devices need batteries that are also thin and flexible while still being powerful enough to work.    “That is where our research comes in. Batteries that can be printed on demand, to fit whatever device you need.”     In a paper spearheaded by now-graduated UQ PhD candidate Caroline (Shiwei) Tao, Dr Lyu helps to outline a first-of-its-kind formula that could help screen print better zinc batteries.    Dr Lyu says it could point to a new generation of flexible batteries that are stronger, replicatable and – crucially - rechargeable.    Click through to read about this research, which was led by Caroline (Shiwei) Tao’s as the final paper of her PhD thesis at the UQ School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering: https://lnkd.in/g282wSe3 It also features Professor Lianzhou Wang, as well as Associate Professor Ruth Knibbe and Julio Ramirez from the School of Mechanical and Mining Engineering, Dr Heather Shewan from UQ’s School of Chemical Engineering, and Professor Ian Gentle from UQ’s School of Chemistry & Molecular Biosciences.

In this form, red mud is not much use to anyone.     But adding the right type of bacteria can help detoxify this mining sludge, and allow researchers like Dr Rosemary Gillane, Fernanda Soto Montandon, and Luke J Webster to extract valuable rare earth fragments.      “Basically, we can use certain proteins to extract critical metals from red mud so they can be reused in sustainable technologies,” says Luke.     “If we can show that it can be done on an industrial scale, it’s a huge win for mining companies and sustainability.”    Working across the ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, the ARC Training Centre in Critical Resources for the Future, UQ’s School of Civil Engineering, and the newly established UQ Biosustainability Hub, this team led by Dr Denys Villa Gomez is using biohydrometallurgy to unlock new value in mining waste while improving environmental outcomes.  Click through to read more about this research: https://lnkd.in/ggbqNMYe  

🔬🧪🍃 From new materials, to sustainable fuels, future foods, chemicals and medicines – if it’s advanced manufacturing you want, you’ll certainly find it in the AIBN labs. Our researchers were thrilled this week to show off their work at the frontier of nanofabrication, synthetic biology, and biopackaging when we were visited by a cohort from the Department of State Growth (Tas) and Tasmania’s leading manufacturing names. The Tasmanian government arranges these ‘insights into excellence’ tours as part of its Advanced Manufacturing Action Plan to introduce the state’s major industry players to the latest technology and processes happening across Australia. Our guests got a peek behind the AIBN curtain during their tour, checking in with Zaw Htoo (Ethan) Aung at ANFF Queensland, visiting Professor Esteban M. at IDEA Bio - Integrated Design Environment for Advanced biomanufacturing and synthetic biology labs, and learning all about Doctor Nasim Amiralian’s work across sustainable, biodegradable nanocellulose packaging solutions. A big thank you to Alicia Martin and Vikram Taggella from State Growth for dropping by, and for bringing along Charl Cilliers from AQ1 Systems, Rick Walters from CPT Engineering, Jason Suter from Currawong Engineering, Graeme Elphinstone of ELPHINSTONE ENGINEERING LIMITED, @Philip Harris of Harbro Engineering, Danny Patmore from Jayben Group, @Jay Patey of Pigeon Whole Bakers, Tarrant Hayes of PT Motorsport, Jan Callanan from Tasmanian Botanics, and Carly Palmer of Van Diemens Land Creamery. 

🌩‘Immuno-storm chip’ technology developed by Professor Matt Trau, Dr Alain Wuethrich and Junrong Li has been used in new research into the effects long COVID inflammation has on the heart. The research, led by The University of Queensland’s Associate Professor Kirsty Short and the AIBN’s Courtney Vedelago used the chip to find elevated levels of cytokines (proteins which help control inflammation in the body), in the blood of long COVID patients which could explain why many experience ongoing cardiovascular issues. Associate Professor Kirsty Short said the team set out to investigate the cause of persistent chest pain and heart palpitations commonly reported by many long COVID sufferers. “We discovered elevated levels of cytokines, proteins which help control inflammation in the body, in the blood samples of people at about 18 months post-infection with SARS-CoV-2,” Dr Short said. “Lab studies showed these trace-level cytokines had a direct effect on the functionality of cardiomyocytes, the cells of the heart responsible for its pump function.” Read more about this research here https://lnkd.in/gv3ASeTj Created at AIBN, the ‘immuno-storm chip’ which was used in this latest research, is designed to determine which patients are at risk of a potentially lethal ‘cytokine storm’ - an uncontrolled immune response which damages the body’s tissues. Unfortunately, it’s very difficult to predict who will develop a cytokine storm. Until recently, they were thought to arise very suddenly. However the ‘immune-storm chip’ uses a tiny array of gold pillars and attached antibodies that stick to specific cytokines present in a blood sample, to detects a faint but distinctive pattern of cytokines several days before the full-blown ‘storm’. This new research using the chip offers some important insights into long COVID, and hopefully offers opportunities to improve the diagnosis, treatment and understanding of long COVID, and highlights the role of the immune storm chip in providing critical medical information. The research into long COVID inflammation also involved Jane Sinclair from the School of Chemistry & Molecular Biosciences, and Dr Feargal Ryan from the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute. The research was a collaboration involving UQ’s AIBN, SCMB, School of Mathematics and Physics, UQ Institute for Molecular Bioscience and Faculty of Medicine as well as the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Flinders University, the University of Adelaide, The Australian National University, Mater Health Services North Queensland, Mater Research Institute  and QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. Read more about the ‘immuno-storm chip’ technology here https://lnkd.in/gfKjzUzU

♥ Fantastic news from the lab of Associate Professor Joy Wolfram, PhD, who has just won funding to help patients bounce back more effectively after open-heart surgery.  Joy is one of two UQ researchers to secure a Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellowship, and plans to use her $561,600 prize to develop a new range of therapeutics that reduce heart inflammation and tissue damage following surgery.  Joy is an AIBN group leader who is jointly affiliated with our friends at the School of Chemical Engineering UQ, and specialises in the field of extracellular vesicles – the tiny internal packages our body uses for communication.   Through her Heart Foundation fellowship, she plans to take extracellular vesicles from healthy individuals and engineer them as new treatments to help those who’ve undergone open-heart surgery.  “The long-term goal of this work is to save lives and enhance quality of life for patients.” Heart Foundation CEO David Lloyd congratulated Associate Professor Wolfram and fellow School of Chemical Engineering winner Dr Mark Allenby, and thanked donors for their support in funding this vital research.  “Cardiovascular disease remains a devastating health issue, claiming the lives of one person every 18 minutes,” he said.  “Researchers play a crucial role in working to turn this statistic around. Their work helps us understand the causes, develop more effective treatments, and improve prevention strategies.  “The generosity of people in Australia over the past year has ensured we can continue to support vital cardiovascular research, including these projects.” The two UQ projects are among 66 initiatives funded Australia-wide this year by the Heart Foundation, totalling $13.7 million and made possible through the generosity of donors in Australia. 📖 You can read more about Joy’s groundbreaking work here: https://lnkd.in/gQmCgzWB  

️☀🔋⚡ Although a relatively new technology, perovskite solar cells (pero-SCs) are cheaper, easier to make, and more efficient than traditional silicon based solar cells.  And we’re now a step closer to seeing them used by households and businesses thanks to research from AIBN scholar Dr Julian Steele and his colleagues from Soochow University in China and Linköping University in Sweden.  📖 Published in Nature Portfolio, the group have established new protocols to test the stability and longevity of pero-SCs, paving the way for new testing platforms to be developed here in Australia – which will facilitate the creation and adoption of these advanced solar cells.  Read more about this project right here 👇  https://lnkd.in/gTRmWqSp  

AIBN researchers love showing visitors their work – even more so when that guest is the Queensland Chief Scientist!   We were delighted to have Professor Kerrie Wilson and her colleagues Alex Cody, Meredith Nolan, Amy Cook and Alejandra Cau Cattan in the building today for a sneak peek at our labs, where our scientists were happy to provide a rundown of the equipment they use to push the boundaries of biological, chemical, and physical sciences.   There aren’t many places in the world equipped to explore the frontiers of nanofabrication, mRNA, synthetic biology, organoids, and radiopharmacueticals, yet with a quick tour between floors our guests at the AIBN get a front row seat to each.   Massive thanks to Professor Wilson and co for dropping by to see what we’ve been up to at:     💡 The ANFF Queensland with Zaw Htoo (Ethan) Aung  🧬 The BASE Facility with Dr Seth Cheetham 🔬 IDEA Bio - Integrated Design Environment for Advanced biomanufacturing and synthetic biology labs with Professor Esteban M. 🧪 The National Biologics Facility with Dr Ben Hughes 🧫 The organoid design and production labs with Dr Hannah Leeson   ⚛ Our radiochemistry and radiopharmaceutical facilities with Professor Kristofer Thurecht and Damion Stimson 🥽 Our human Imaging capabilities with Aiman Al-Najjar