ARC Training Centre for Joint Biomechanics

🌍🚀 We were thrilled to welcome Dr. Anna-Maria Liphardt, Senior Scientist and Group Leader in Rheumatology and Immunology at Universitätsklinikum Erlangen and FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, to QUT and the ARC Training Centre for Joint Biomechanics. Her seminar, “Rocket Science – Musculoskeletal Adaptation to Space Flight,” provided captivating insights into the effects of space conditions on the human musculoskeletal system. Dr. Liphardt’s research highlights included: 🦴 How immobilisation, microgravity, and inactivity drive significant changes in bone and muscle. 💪 Notable gaps in understanding the impact on articular cartilage and connective tissue, with implications for long-term space missions. 🏋️ The importance of personalised medicine and tailored exercise routines for preserving bone and joint health, both for astronauts and people managing musculoskeletal health challenges on Earth. 🌠 Reflecting on the famous words of Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders, “We came all this way to explore the moon, and the most important thing is that we discovered the Earth,” Dr. Liphardt underscored how insights from space exploration can advance our understanding of health and improve quality of life here on Earth. #SpaceFlight #MusculoskeletalHealth #SpaceAdaptation #Biomechanics #Research #Innovation QUASR Australian Research Council

🌍✨ Celebrating Diversity through Food! ✨🌏 Today, our team came together for a wonderful International Food Lunch, sharing dishes from across the globe. From Austria’s classic Apple Strudel and Eiernockerl, Australia’s sweet Lamingtons, France’s fresh Nicoise Salad, Italy’s hearty flavors, the Philippines’ delicious Mango Sticky Rice, and Brazil’s irresistible cheese balls — each dish brought a taste of home and the joy of connection. A big thank you to everyone who shared a piece of their culture today! 🍽️ #TeamCulture #InternationalFood #TasteTheWorld #TeamBonding QUASR Australian Research Council

Yesterday, we had the pleasure of hosting Professor Ralph Mueller from ETH Zurich for an insightful session on the latest in mechanobiology and bone biomechanics. Our day was filled with research presentations, discussions, and brainstorming on the field's future! 👏 Highlights from the morning presentations included discussing mechanobiology and bone projects at ITTC-JB; the power of the parathyroid hormone for bone formation; estimation of bone mineral density using micro-CT; and a registration pipeline for tracking LER in rabbit models. We explored some big questions in the field: 💡 Where is bone biomechanics and mechanobiology headed? 💡 How can advanced imaging modalities drive the next wave of research? 💡 Are we bridging the gap between biologists, clinicians, and engineers? The afternoon included a rich discussion with Professor Mueller, who shared his insights on the challenges in mechanobiology and potential solutions. Special thanks to Professor Mueller for his expertise and engaging discussions—this was a great step toward answering the big questions in bone research! 🦴 🔬 François Bruyer-Montéléone Corinna Modiz Amine Lagzouli Natalia Mühl Castoldi Ralph Mueller Peter Pivonka Maxence Lavaill #Biomechanics #BiomedicalResearch #Mechanobiology #ResearchCollaboration ETH Zürich QUASR Australian Research Council

October Team Meeting Recap! 🎉 Firstly, a big thank you to François Bruyer-Montéléone and Yung-Sheng (Eric) Su for their fantastic work as HDR and PD reps this year, organising engaging social events and bringing fresh ideas for training and development. 🙌 We also had an insightful presentation from Natalia Mühl Castoldi, a Post-doc fellow, on 'The Power of Parathyroid Hormone (PTH) and Mechanics in Bone Formation.' She highlighted the gap in understanding the interaction between mechanical loading and PTH, with the objective of investigating their effects on cortical bone within the context of Frost's mechanostat model. We're lucky to have her expertise in the team! 🔬🦴 Let’s keep building on this momentum! 🚀 #TeamMeeting #Biomechanics #Innovation #PTH #ThankYou QUASR Australian Research Council

What an incredible few days at the Australian Orthopaedic Association (AOA) Brisbane ASM meeting! A huge thank you to the event organizers for delivering a fantastic conference. Congratulations to all our team members who presented on Monday and Wednesday—your hard work shined through! Kristine Italia, Luke Gilliland, Asma Salhi, PhD, Jashint Maharaj and Ashish Gupta Well done! We were thrilled to engage in conversations about INSIGHT, our new AI data analytics tool transforming clinical decision-making, and REFLECT, our AI-powered pre-operative planning software. Whether you caught one of our presentations or had a chat with our team, we’d love to continue the conversation. If you're interested in learning how Akunah can enhance your practice, drive value-based healthcare, or support post-market surveillance, feel free to connect with us. Request a Demo: https://lnkd.in/g_rCj79b #ValueBasedHealthcare #AOA2024 #AIAnalytics #PreOperativePlanning #MedicalDeviceCompanies #PostMarketSurveillance #TheWayForward

🌟 WELCOME to the Centre - Simon Heinrich 🌟 We are excited to introduce Simon Heinrich, a doctoral candidate from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität (FAU) Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany. Simon holds a B.Eng. from OTH Regensburg and an M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from FAU. Since 2021, he has been conducting his research at the Institute of Applied Dynamics at FAU within the CRC EmpkinS. His work centres on data-guided optimal control simulations of hand movements in the context of inflammatory arthritis. During his research stay at QUT, he will explore with Dr. Maxence Lavaill a novel yet powerful muscle-path modelling approach that could improve the investigation of complex structures like the hand and shoulder. CRC EmpkinS - Empathokinaesthetic Sensor Technology #Welcome #Biomechanics #Research #PhD #AppliedDynamics QUASR Australian Research Council

BIOTech Futures Finals at the University of Sydney! 🎉 It was a privilege to listen to some incredible presentations, including: 🌊 'Towards a Sustainable Ocean Future' by Dr. Lucy Buxton 🤖 'The Journey of Building Two Global AI Tech Companies' by Dr. Don Perugini The students had the opportunity to participate in the 'Handheld Centrifuge' workshop and compete in the science fair poster competition. Both of our teams presented amazing projects: 💡 Earnshaw State College: Statavac is an innovative device designed to remove volatile marine debris like Styrofoam and microplastics from beaches using static electricity and a low-powered vacuum pump. Affordable and eco-friendly, this small-scale solution aims to bridge the gap between DIY solutions and high-end industrial products, with future plans for scaling up and potentially making the design open-source. 💻 Queensland Academy for Science Mathematics and Technology (SMT): Serum Switch is a user-friendly database designed to simplify the transition from Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS) to more ethical alternatives by providing researchers with comprehensive data on cost, availability, and success rates. The platform offers detailed product information and financial support, aiming to make the shift towards serum-free media easier and more widespread. 👏 Huge congratulations to both of our teams from Earnshaw State College and Queensland Academy for Science Mathematics and Technology (SMT) for their amazing efforts and presentations! 🏆And a special mention to Queensland Academy for Science Mathematics and Technology (SMT) for being named Overall Runner-Up! 🏆 These students are shaping the future of science and tech—exciting times ahead! 🚀 #STEM #BIOTechFutures #Innovation #MedicalTechnology QUASR Australian Research Council

An inspiring morning at the BIOTech Futures Finals at Sydney Uni! The event began with an Acknowledgement of Country by Dr. Jiao-Jiao Li, followed by opening remarks from Prof. Hala Zreiqat AM. We then had a warm welcome address from Provost and Deputy VC, Prof. Annamarie Jagose, before diving into a powerful keynote by Prof. Matthew L. Becker (Duke University) on 'How new materials and additive manufacturing are changing medicine,' offering insightful perspectives on the future of medical innovation. Quote of the day: 'If you aren't uncomfortable, you will never grow, because that's where the best innovations come from.' - Prof. Becker. Incredible to hear that fewer than 133 3D-printed parts are FDA-approved for human implants—most of them metal. Why is scaling additive manufacturing in medicine so challenging? According to Prof. Becker: 1. We're all different—designs fit the average, but we need patient-specific solutions. 2. Optimal materials still don't exist. 3. No validated design rules. 4. Industry tolerance for risk remains low. Yet the opportunities are vast. Prof. Becker urged us to 'fail fast' and learn quickly—biotech heart stents, for example, can be perfected through rapid iterations. Exciting to think about how AI can accelerate biomechanically validated prototypes! 💡 --- Best of luck to our teams competing today, from Earnshaw State College and Queensland Academy for Science Mathematics and Technology (SMT) #BIOTechFutures #Innovation #AdditiveManufacturing #Medtech QUASR Australian Research Council

🌟 BIOTech Futures Challenge Queensland Symposium 🌟 We're thrilled to have successfully hosted the BIOTech Futures Queensland Challenge, a flagship event that connects and inspires the next generation of STEM leaders by engaging high school students across Queensland. One of our Training Centre's core missions is to create a full circle of study, fostering young minds in science and technology. This year's challenge featured: ✅ 45 brilliant students tackling cutting-edge biotech projects; ✅ 14 teams; ✅ 12 schools, including both metro and regional participants: Earnshaw State College; Chancellor State College; Mansfield State High School; Queensland Academy for Science Mathematics and Technology (SMT); Brisbane Girls Grammar School; Emerald State High School; Assisi Catholic College; Rochedale State High School; MOUNT GRAVATT STATE HIGH SCHOOL; Mango Hill State Secondary College; Corinda State High School; and Wavell State High School! Congratulations to all of our participants and our winners: 🏅 Overall Winner: Earnshaw State College 🏅 Overall Runner-Up: Queensland Academy for Science, Mathematics and Technology (QASMT) 🏅 Best Presentation: Mt Gravatt State High School 🏅 Best Poster and Short Answer Question: Earnshaw State College Our overall winner and runner-up teams will now have to opportunity to compete at the National BIOTech Futures Competition in Sydney later this month - good luck to those teams!! Finally, a massive thank you to everyone who made this event possible: 👏 Distinguished Professor Christopher Barner-Kowollik for opening the event; 👏 Professor Yuantong Gu for your continued support and symposium challenge overview; 👏 Our esteemed judges: Professor Shaun Gregory, Dr Naomi Paxton, Dr Marco Branni; 👏 The dedicated mentors who guided the students through their projects; 👏 Sameel Deoji, our outstanding Symposium MC; 👏 and all of our behind-the-scenes staff: Rosalee Armitage; Luke Hipwood; Simone Long; Devakar Epari; and Maggie-May Hornigold. Together, we are shaping the future of biotechnology! 🚀 Hala Zreiqat #BIOTechFutures #STEMEducation #FutureScientists #Biotechnology #HighSchoolEngagement #InnovationInEducation #Queensland QUASR Australian Research Council

👏 Congratulations to Centre PhD candidate, Mr Morgan Windsor on an insightful and expertly delivered PhD defence seminar! Thesis title: 𝐇𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐋𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐃𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐨𝐭 𝐀𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐮𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐲 Read more below from his supervisor Prof. Michael Milford on how Morgan's research is changing the way we think about surgical robotic performance and failure prediction. 👏 Well done! #PhDjourney #thesis #medicalrobotics #robots #shoulder #orthopaedics Australian Research Council QUASR