Prof Dexter Irvine Senior Research Advisor (BA Hons, PhD) Expand Professor Dexter Irvine’s original training was in experimental psychology, but as a graduate student he moved into the field of auditory neuroscience. After post-doctoral training at the University of Western Australia and the University of California at Irvine, he joined what is now the Sub-Faculty of Biomedical and Psychological Sciences at Monash University. His research has been focused on neural mechanisms of hearing and sound localization at various levels of the auditory pathway and on auditory system plasticity. He is currently an Emeritus Professor at Monash University and has a part-time appointment at the Bionics Institute. Professor Irvine has published a monograph on auditory brainstem processing, a co-edited book on auditory spectral processing, and approximately 120 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters. He has received continuous funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council since 1986, and is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia. E: [email protected] Research projects Understanding the hearing brain Recent publications Irvine, D. R. F. 2018. Auditory perceptual learning and changes in the conceptualization of auditory cortex. Hearing Research. 366: 3-16. doi: 10.1016/j.heares.2018.03.011. Full Text Irvine, D. R. F. 2018. Plasticity in the auditory system. Hearing Research. 362: 61-73. doi: 10.1016/j.heares.2017.10.011. Full Text Irvine, Dexter R. F. 2016. The Origins and Early Development of Australasian Auditory Neuroscience. Acoustics Australia: 1-8. Full Text Fallon, J. B., S. Irving, S. S. Pannu, A. C. Tooker, A. K. Wise, R. K. Shepherd, and D. R. Irvine. 2016. Second spatial derivative analysis of cortical surface potentials recorded in cat primary auditory cortex using thin film surface arrays: Comparisons with multi-unit data. Journal of Neuroscience Methods. 267: 14-20. Full Text Peterson, A. J., D. R. Irvine, and P. Heil. 2014. A model of synaptic vesicle-pool depletion and replenishment can account for the interspike interval distributions and nonrenewal properties of spontaneous spike trains of auditory-nerve fibers. The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience. 34(45): 15097-109. doi: 1523/JNEUROSCI.0903-14.2014. Full Text Fallon, J. B., R. K. Shepherd, D. A. Nayagam, A. K. Wise, L. F. Heffer, T. G. Landry, and D. R. Irvine. 2014. Effects of deafness and cochlear implant use on temporal response characteristics in cat primary auditory cortex. Hearing Research. 315: 1-9. Full Text Fallon, J. B., R. K. Shepherd, and D. R. Irvine. 2014. Effects of chronic cochlear electrical stimulation after an extended period of profound deafness on primary auditory cortex organization in cats. European Journal of Neuroscience. 39(5): 811-20. Full Text Heil, P., H. Neubauer, and D. R. Irvine. 2011. An improved model for the rate-level functions of auditory-nerve fibers. Journal of Neuroscience. 31(43): 15424-37. doi: 1523/JNEUROSCI.1638-11.2011. Full Text Eramudugolla, R., A. Boyce, D. R. Irvine, and J. B. Mattingley. 2010. Effects of prismatic adaptation on spatial gradients in unilateral neglect: A comparison of visual and auditory target detection with central attentional load. Neuropsychologia. 48(9): 2681-92. Fallon, J. B., R. K. Shepherd, M. Brown, and D. R. Irvine. 2009. Effects of neonatal partial deafness and chronic intracochlear electrical stimulation on auditory and electrical response characteristics in primary auditory cortex. Hearing Research. 257(1-2): 93-105. doi: 1016/j.heares.2009.08.006. Full Text
Prof Hugh McDermott Chief Technology Officer (BAppSc (Hons) (Electronics), PhD) Expand Professor Hugh McDermott is the Chief Technology Officer of the Bionics Institute and Chief Science Officer of a start-up company, Deep Brain Stimulation Technologies Pty Ltd. He also holds honorary appointments as a Professorial Fellow at The University of Melbourne in the Departments of Medical Bionics and Audiology & Speech Pathology. In 2006, Hugh was appointed to the newly created Chair of Auditory Communication and Signal Processing at the University of Melbourne as full professor. He held that position until he joined the Bionics Institute as Deputy Director in 2010. Hugh was appointed CTO in December 2017. In recognition of his world-renowned research in signal processing, electronic design, and perception, Hugh is an elected Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America (ASA), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), and the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences (AAHMS). In 2009, he was the first recipient of the Callier Prize in Communication Disorders, an award from the University of Texas, USA, for leadership “that has fostered scientific advances and significant developments in the diagnosis and treatment of communication disorders”. Hugh is an inventor on over 25 patent families. Several of his inventions have been successfully implemented in commercial products available worldwide, including: The Speak/ACE sound-processing scheme for cochlear implants which is the highly successful basis of all CI systems manufactured and sold by the Australian company Cochlear Ltd for over 20 years. Cochlear Ltd continues to dominate the world market for cochlear implants. A frequency-compression scheme for acoustic hearing aids – SoundRecover – which improves the perception of high-frequency sounds and thereby increases speech intelligibility. SoundRecover is available in almost all instruments sold by the world’s largest manufacturer of hearing aids, Phonak AG (a subsidiary of Sonova), based in Switzerland. Phonak sells over 1 million hearing instruments in approximately 100 countries each year. Electronic circuit designs for cochlear implants and other neurostimulators. As a PhD student, Hugh completed all aspects of the design and layout of a custom receiver-stimulator chip that implemented several unique technical features. Innovations arising from that development have been incorporated into the implant systems manufactured commercially by Cochlear Ltd today. Hugh has contributed to the design, development, and evaluation of neurostimulation devices, particularly cochlear implants and biomedical signal-processing systems, for over 35 years. In the past 10 years his work has extended into the fields of prosthetic vision and brain stimulation. The latter research aims to treat conditions such as movement disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, by electric stimulation of selected brain targets. Hugh has authored or co-authored over 140 peer-reviewed papers, 7 book chapters, and approximately 200 further publications. He is a named investigator on grants with funding totalling about $6m over the past 5 years. On more than 100 occasions he has been invited to present lectures to international conferences and corporate workshops. He also regularly presents public seminars and participates in workshops with community groups. E: [email protected] Research projects Adaptive Deep Brain Stimulation Device (ASTUTE system) Improved positioning for DBS (ADEPT device) Pre-clinical validation (ERNA signal) Improved diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (BiRD device) Recent publications McDermott, H. J., and N. C. Sinclair. 2020. Feedback control for deep brain stimulation for motor disorders. Healthcare Technology Letters. 7(3): 72-75. doi: 10.1049/htl.2019.0119. Thevathasan, W., N. C. Sinclair, K. J. Bulluss, and H. J. McDermott. 2020. Tailoring Subthalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson's Disease Using Evoked Resonant Neural Activity. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 14(71). doi: 3389/fnhum.2020.00071. Full Text Villalobos, J., H. J. McDermott, P. McNeill, A. Golod, V. Rathi, S. Bauquier, and J. B. Fallon. 2020. Slim electrodes for improved targeting in deep brain stimulation. Journal of Neural Engineering. 17: 026008. doi: 1088/1741-2552/ab7a51. Sinclair, N. C., J. B. Fallon, K. Bulluss, W. Thevathasan, and H. J. McDermott. 2019. On the neural basis of deep brain stimulation evoked resonant activity. Biomedical Physics & Engineering Express. 5: 057001. doi: https://doi.org/10.1088/2057-1976/ab366e Sinclair, N. C., H. J. McDermott, J. B. Fallon, T. Perera, P. Brown, K. J. Bulluss, and W. Thevathasan. 2019. Deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease modulates high-frequency evoked and spontaneous neural activity. Neurobiology of disease. 130: 104522. doi: 1016/j.nbd.2019.104522. Lee, W. L., N. C. Sinclair, M. Jones, J. L. Tan, E. L. Proud, R. Peppard, H. J. McDermott, and T. Perera. 2019. Objective evaluation of bradykinesia in Parkinson's disease using an inexpensive marker-less motion tracking system. Physiological Measurement. 40(1): 014004. doi: 1088/1361-6579/aafef2. Brochier, T., C. McKay, and H. McDermott. 2018. Encoding speech in cochlear implants using simultaneous amplitude and rate modulation. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 144(4): 2042-2051. doi: 1121/1.5055989. Full Text Sinclair, N. C., H. J. McDermott, K. J. Bulluss, J. B. Fallon, T. Perera, S. S. Xu, P. Brown, and W. Thevathasan. 2018. Subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation evokes resonant neural activity. Annals of neurology. 83(5): 1027-1031. doi: 10.1002/ana.25234. Full Text Brochier, T., C. McKay, and H. McDermott. 2018. Rate modulation detection thresholds for cochlear implant users. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 143(2): 1214 - 1222. doi: 10.1121/1.5025048. Full Text Brochier, T., H. J. McDermott, and C. M. McKay. 2017. The effect of presentation level and stimulation rate on speech perception and modulation detection for cochlear implant users. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 141(6): 4097. doi: 10.1121/1.4983658. Full Text Further information Click here to read Hugh's story.
Prof Peter Seligman Research Engineer/Senior Research Advisor (BEng, PhD, DEng) Expand Peter Seligman is an honorary Professor of the University of Melbourne, a biomedical engineer at the Bionics Institute, and an associate of the Melbourne Energy Institute. Peter was a key member of the team that developed the Melbourne/Cochlear multiple-channel cochlear implant. He worked in the field for 30 years and was particularly responsible for the development and improvement of speech processors. In 1979 he designed the first portable Speech Processor for the University of Melbourne device. He joined Cochlear Ltd (Nucleus) in 1983 and was instrumental in speech processor miniaturisation and improvement, including the development of custom microchips to implement new speech processing strategies. He holds 21 patents. His special interest was the development of smaller behind-the-ear speech processors and totally implanted cochlear implants. In 2009 Peter retired from Cochlear Ltd. In that year he was awarded a Doctor of Engineering (honoris causa). He presently spends one day per week mentoring at the Bionics Institute. In 2018 Peter received the inaugural "Bionics Institute award for Excellence in Medical Device Innovation" for his significant contribution to the development of Cochlear Implants. E: [email protected] Research projects Epilepsy Bionic eye Implant to delay blindness Recent publications Sikder, M. K. U., M. N. Shivdasani, J. B. Fallon, P. Seligman, K. Ganesan, J. Villalobos, S. Prawer, and D. J. Garrett. 2019. Electrically conducting diamond films grown on platinum foil for neural stimulation, Journal of Neural Engineering: [epub ahead of print]. Shepherd RK, Seligman PM, Shivdasani, M. Auditory and visual neural prostheses. In: Shepherd RK, Neurobionics: The Biomedical Engineering of Neural Prostheses. John Wiley & Sons. Hoboken, New Jersey, 2016, p189-212. Newbold, C., S. Mergen, R. Richardson, P. Seligman, R. Millard, R. Cowan and R. Shepherd (2014). Impedance changes in chronically implanted and stimulated cochlear implant electrodes. Cochlear Implants International, 15(4): 191-199. See other publications by Peter Seligman in PubMed Further information Click here to read Peter's story.
Prof Robert Shepherd AM Senior Research Advisor (B.Sc, Dip. Ed, PhD) Expand Professor Robert Shepherd AM was the Director of the Bionics Institute from 2005 to 2017. In the 1980s Professor Shepherd led the preclinical team that demonstrated the safety and efficacy of Cochlear’s bionic ear and more recently his team developed a prototype bionic eye as part of an Australia-wide consortium, Bionic Vision Australia. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed papers, given 90 invited international keynote conference presentations, and received over $90M of research funding as a chief investigator. During Professor Shepherd’s tenure as Director of the Bionics Institute, he broadened its research portfolio to include retinal prostheses and neurobionics – a platform technology addressing diseases such as epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, and inflammatory bowel disease – and established a contract research organisation specialising in neural prostheses and drug delivery technologies. In 2014 he was awarded the Garnett Passe Medal at the Royal Society of Medicine, London for his contributions to otolaryngology. In 2015 he was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences and a member of Knowledge Nation 100. E: [email protected] Research projects Safe and effective cochlear implants Restoring hearing Crohn's disease Recent publications Dalrymple, A. N., M. Huynh, B. A. Nayagam, C. Lee, G. R. Weiland, A. Petrossians, J. J. Whalen Iii, J. B. Fallon, and R. K. Shepherd. 2020. Electrochemical and biological characterization of thin-film platinum-iridium alloy electrode coatings: a chronic in vivo study, Journal of Neural Engineering: [epub ahead of print]. Dalrymple, A. N., U. A. Aregueta Robles, M. Huynh, B. A. Nayagam, R. Green, L. A. Poole-Warren, J. B. Fallon, and R. K. Shepherd. 2020. Electrochemical and biological performance of chronically stimulated conductive hydrogel electrodes, Journal of Neural Engineering: [epub ahead of print]. Payne, Sophie C., Jack Alexandrovics, Ross Thomas, Robert K. Shepherd, John B. Furness, and James B. Fallon. 2020. Transmural impedance detects graded changes of inflammation in experimental colitis, Royal Society Open Science, 7(2): 191819. Fried, S. I., and M. N. Shivdasani. 2020. Selective activation of the visual cortex, Nature biomedical engineering: [epub ahead of print]. Dalrymple, A. N., M. Huynh, U. A. Aregueta Robles, J. B. Marroquin, C. Lee, A. Petrossians, J. J. Whalen, D. Li, H. C. Parkington, J. S. Forsythe, R. Green, L. A. Poole-Warren, R. K. Shepherd, and J. B. Fallon. 2019. Electrochemical and mechanical performance of reduced graphene oxide, conductive hydrogel, and electrodeposited Pt-Ir coated electrodes: an active in vitro study, Journal of Neural Engineering: [epub ahead of print]. Pinyon, J. L., G. von Jonquieres, E. N. Crawford, M. Duxbury, A. Al Abed, N. H. Lovell, M. Klugmann, A. K. Wise, J. B. Fallon, R. K. Shepherd, C. S. Birman, W. Lai, D. McAlpine, C. McMahon, P. M. Carter, Y. L. Enke, J. F. Patrick, A. G. M. Schilder, C. Marie, D. Scherman, and G. D. Housley. 2019. Neurotrophin gene augmentation by electrotransfer to improve cochlear implant hearing outcomes, Hearing Research, 380: 137-49. Payne, S. C., J. B. Furness, O. Burns, A. Sedo, T. Hyakumura, R. K. Shepherd, and J. B. Fallon. 2019. Anti-inflammatory Effects of Abdominal Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Experimental Intestinal Inflammation. Frontiers in Neuroscience. 13(418). doi: 3389/fnins.2019.00418. Payne, S. C., O. Burns, M. J. Stebbing, R. Thomas, A. C. de Silva, A. Sedo, F. Wiessenborn, T. Hyakumura, M. Huynh, C. N. May, R. A. Williams, J. Furness, J. Fallon, and R. Shepherd. 2019. Vagus nerve stimulation to treat inflammatory bowel disease: a chronic, preclinical safety study in sheep. Bioelectronics in Medicine. 1(4): 235-250. doi: https://doi.org/10.2217/bem-2018-0011 Ma, Y., A. K. Wise, R. K. Shepherd, and R. T. Richardson. 2019. New molecular therapies for the treatment of hearing loss. Pharmacology & therapeutics: pii: S0163- 7528(0119)30077-30074. doi: 1016/j.pharmthera.2019.05.003. Dalrymple, A. N., M. Huynh, U. A. Aregueta Robles, J. B. Marroquin, C. Lee, A. Petrossians, J. J. Whalen, D. Li, H. C. Parkington, J. S. Forsythe, R. Green, L. A. Poole- Warren, R. K. Shepherd, and J. B. Fallon. 2019. Electrochemical and mechanical performance of reduced graphene oxide, conductive hydrogel, and electrodeposited Pt-Ir coated electrodes: an active in vitro study. Journal of Neural Engineering. 17(1): 016015. doi: 1088/1741-2552/ab5163. Shepherd, R. K., J. Villalobos, O. Burns, and D. Nayagam. 2018. The development of neural stimulators: a review of preclinical safety and efficacy studies. Journal of Neural Engineering: [epub ahead of print]. doi: 1088/1741-2552/aac43c.
A/Prof James Fallon Research Director (BSc, BEng (Hons), PhD Monash University) Expand A/Prof James Fallon completed a Bachelor of Science (Physiology, 1997), a Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical and Computer Science, with honours, 1998) and a PhD in Biomedical Engineering (2002) from Monash University. He then undertook post-doctoral research at the Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute in Sydney. In 2004 James joined the (then) Bionic Ear Institute to work as a Research Fellow in the Auditory Neuroscience research program, and was the Lions International Hearing Research Fellow from 2008 to 2010. In 2016 he became a Principal Research Fellow and was appointed Research Director of the Bionics Institute in 2017 and head of the Medical Bionics Department, University of Melbourne in 2019. James’ research strength is chronic stimulation and electrophysiology in pre-clinical models. Over his time at the Institute he has become a recognised world-leader in the use of neuroanatomical, electrophysiological, and behavioural techniques to examine the functional changes that occur as a result of chronic electrical stimulation. He is particularly known for his work examining the changes in the central auditory pathway as a result of long-term deafness and cochlear implant use, and has extended his research to include visual prostheses. More recently, he is also using his unique skillset in projects aimed at improving outcomes with deep brain stimulation, particularly for Parkinson’s disease, and the development of a neuromodulation device to treat inflammatory bowel disease. James has authored 82 peer-reviewed scientific papers and eight book chapters, in addition to authoring over 200 conference presentations at national and international conferences, including 22 as an invited speaker. He has been the principal investigator on more than $1.6M of research funding and co-chief investigator on an additional $8M including grants from the U.S. National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Defence, U.S. Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency, the National Health and Medical Research Council and the Australian Research Council. He continues to work closely with industry through research links with Cochlear Ltd and has undertaken over $5M of commercial research. In addition to research activities, James has also supervised 60 research higher degree students (including 13 PhD candidates), has lectured in the Masters of Clinical Audiology, The University of Melbourne, the Masters of Biomedical Engineering, Monash University and the Masters of Biomedical Engineering, La Trobe University, and has been actively involved in the Bio21 Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program. E: [email protected] Research projects Crohn's disease Urinary incontinence Understanding the hearing brain Safe and effective cochlear implants Restoring hearing Optogenetics Pre-clinical validation (ERNA signal) Adaptive Deep Brain Stimulation Device (ASTUTE system) Improved positioning for DBS (ADEPT device) Diabetes Student projects Hearing but not listening: Using behavioural training in preclinical studies to test the ability to listen to complex sounds Reversible silencing of the cochlear Understanding how the brain processes combined electrical and acoustic stimulation Understanding changes in auditory processing from noise-induced hearing loss Optogenetics for precise neural stimulation Improving objectivity and accuracy of neuroimaging analysis for deep brain stimulation Optimised closed-loop bioelectrical control over bladder function Central Representation of Electroacoustic Stimuli Nanostructured conformal multi-electrode arrays with antifouling properties for next-generation bionics devices Recent publications Richardson, R. T., M. R. Ibbotson, A. C. Thompson, A. K. Wise, and J. B. Fallon. 2020. Optical stimulation of neural tissue. Healthcare Technology Letters. 7(3): 58-65. doi: 1049/htl.2019.0114. Full Text Payne, S. C., G. Ward, R. J. MacIsaac, T. Hyakumura, J. B. Fallon, and J. Villalobos. 2020. Differential effects of vagus nerve stimulation strategies on glycemia and pancreatic secretions. Physiological reports. 8(11): e14479. doi: 14814/phy2.14479. Full Text Dalrymple, A. N., M. Huynh, B. A. Nayagam, C. Lee, G. R. Weiland, A. Petrossians, J. J. Whalen Iii, J. B. Fallon, and R. K. Shepherd. 2020. Electrochemical and biological characterization of thin-film platinum-iridium alloy electrode coatings: a chronic in vivo study. Journal of Neural Engineering: [epub ahead of print]. doi: 1088/1741-2552/ab933d. Dalrymple, A. N., U. A. Robles, M. Huynh, B. A. Nayagam, R. A. Green, L. A. Poole-Warren, J. B. Fallon, and R. K. Shepherd. 2020. Electrochemical and biological performance of chronically stimulated conductive hydrogel electrodes. Journal of Neural Engineering. 17(2): 026018. doi: 1088/1741-2552/ab7cfc. Villalobos, J., H. J. McDermott, P. McNeill, A. Golod, V. Rathi, S. Bauquier, and J. B. Fallon. 2020. Slim electrodes for improved targeting in deep brain stimulation. Journal of Neural Engineering. 17: 026008. doi: 1088/1741-2552/ab7a51 Payne, S. C., J. Alexandrovics, R. Thomas, R. K. Shepherd, J. Furness, and J. B. Fallon. 2020. Transmural impedance detects graded changes of inflammation in experimental colitis. Royal Society Open Science. 7(2): 191819. doi: 10.1098/rsos.191819. Full Text. Hart, W., R. Richardson, T. Kameneva, A. Thompson, A. K. Wise, J. B. Fallon, P. R. Stoddart, and K. Needham. 2020. Combined optogenetic and electrical stimulation of auditory neurons increases effective stimulation frequency - An in vitro study. Journal of Neural Engineering. 17(1): 016069. doi: 1088/1741-2552/ab6a68. Dalrymple, A. N., M. Huynh, U. A. Aregueta Robles, J. B. Marroquin, C. Lee, A. Petrossians, J. J. Whalen, D. Li, H. C. Parkington, J. S. Forsythe, R. Green, L. A. Poole-Warren, R. K. Shepherd, and J. B. Fallon. 2019. Electrochemical and mechanical performance of reduced graphene oxide, conductive hydrogel, and electrodeposited Pt-Ir coated electrodes: an active in vitro study. Journal of Neural Engineering. 17(1): 016015. doi: 1088/1741-2552/ab5163. Sinclair, N. C., J. B. Fallon, K. Bulluss, W. Thevathasan, and H. J. McDermott. 2019. On the neural basis of deep brain stimulation evoked resonant activity. Biomedical Physics & Engineering Express. 5: 057001. doi: https://doi.org/10.1088/2057-1976/ab366e Sinclair, N. C., H. J. McDermott, J. B. Fallon, T. Perera, P. Brown, K. J. Bulluss, and W. Thevathasan. 2019. Deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease modulates high-frequency evoked and spontaneous neural activity. Neurobiology of disease. 130: 104522. doi: 1016/j.nbd.2019.104522. Sikder, M. K. U., M. N. Shivdasani, J. B. Fallon, P. Seligman, K. Ganesan, J. Villalobos, S. Prawer, and D. J. Garrett. 2019. Electrically conducting diamond films grown on platinum foil for neural stimulation. Journal of Neural Engineering. 16(6): 066002. doi: 1088/1741-2552/ab2e79. Further information Click here to read James's story.
A/Prof Rachael Richardson Principal Research Fellow (BSc (Hons), PhD) Expand A/Prof Rachael Richardson is a Senior Research Fellow at the Bionics Institute, and Associate Professor in the Medical Bionics Department, University of Melbourne. She has a background in molecular biology (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute) and hearing science (Bionics Institute). The main goal of Rachael’s research is to develop innovative strategies to improve the spatio-temporal precision of cochlear implants. A fundamental limitation of cochlear implants is the spread of electrical current which means that nerves in one part of the cochlea can be activated by more than one electrode. Rachael is working on using light to activate the hearing nerve as light can be focused for more precise activation. The main goal is to determine whether light stimulation alone or in combination with electrical stimulation can significantly improve the precision of nerve activation in the cochlea and whether this will result in a meaningful difference to the way people hear sound. Another major research focus is protecting and restoring hearing. Rachael is employing gene therapy and nano-technology-inspired drug delivery techniques to introduce therapeutics into the cochlea for hair cell regeneration or nerve survival and repair. These techniques have the potential to improve the outcomes achieved with cochlear implantation or even restore hearing by repopulating the damaged sensory region of the cochlea with new cells. Rachael is interested in drug delivery techniques, pharmacokinetics and functional assessment in order to help drug discoveries for hearing protection and restoration move towards clinical translation. A/Prof Richardson has authored 47 peer-reviewed scientific papers, 3 book chapters and numerous conference presentations, including 10 as invited speaker. She has been the principal investigator on 11 major Australian and international project grants including NHMRC, and co-investigator on a further 4 major project grants, including the US Department of Defense, totaling over 4.2 million dollars. She also works closely with industry on contract research projects. Rachael collaborates with research leaders and clinicians from University of Washington, Swinburne University, University of Melbourne and University of Wollongong. Rachael has been the primary or co-supervisor of 8 PhD/ Masters students, 4 honours students, 5 undergraduate research opportunity program students/interns and 2 advanced medical science students. Many of these students have won multiple awards and recognition for their research. Rachael is currently accepting new students. E: [email protected] Research projects Optogenetics Restoring hearing Student projects Optogenetics for precise neural stimulation Reversible silencing of the cochlear Investigating the body's response, including inflammation and fouling, to implanted materials and devices and its effect on their efficacy Recent publications Richardson, R. T., M. R. Ibbotson, A. C. Thompson, A. K. Wise, and J. B. Fallon. 2020. Optical stimulation of neural tissue. Healthcare Technology Letters. 7(3): 58-65. doi: 1049/htl.2019.0114. Full Text Hart, W., R. Richardson, T. Kameneva, A. Thompson, A. K. Wise, J. B. Fallon, P. R. Stoddart, and K. Needham. 2020. Combined optogenetic and electrical stimulation of auditory neurons increases effective stimulation frequency - An in vitro study. Journal of Neural Engineering. 17(1): 016069. doi: 1088/1741-2552/ab6a68. Ma, Y., C. Cortez-Jugo, J. Li, Z. Lin, R. T. Richardson, Y. Han, J. Zhou, M. Bjornmalm, O. M. Feeney, Q. Z. Zhong, C. J. H. Porter, A. K. Wise, and F. Caruso. 2019. Engineering Biocoatings To Prolong Drug Release from Supraparticles. Biomacromolecules. 20(9): 3425-3434. doi: 1021/acs.biomac.9b00710. Ma, Y., A. K. Wise, R. K. Shepherd, and R. T. Richardson. 2019. New molecular therapies for the treatment of hearing loss. Pharmacology & therapeutics: pii: S0163-7528(0119)30077-30074. doi: 1016/j.pharmthera.2019.05.003. Full Text Richardson, R. T., Q. Y. Hu, F. Shi, T. Nguyen, J. B. Fallon, B. O. Flynn, and A. K. Wise. 2019. Pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of neurotrophin 3 after intracochlear delivery. Journal of controlled release : official journal of the Controlled Release Society. 299: 53-63. doi: 1016/j.jconrel.2019.02.018. Ma, Y., M. Björnmalm, A. K. Wise, C. Cortez-Jugo, E. Revalor, Y. Ju, O. M. Feeney, R. T. Richardson, E. Hanssen, R. K. Shepherd, C. J. H. Porter, and F. Caruso. 2018. Gel-Mediated Electrospray Assembly of Silica Supraparticles for Sustained Drug Delivery. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. 10(37): 31019-31031. doi: 1021/acsami.8b10415. Full Text Richardson, R. T., A. C. Thompson, A. K. Wise, and K. Needham. 2017. Challenges for the application of optical stimulation in the cochlea for the study and treatment of hearing loss. Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy. 17(2): 213-223. doi: 10.1080/14712598.2017.1271870. Full Text Wise, A. K., B. O. Flynn, P. J. Atkinson, J. B. Fallon, M. Nicholson, and R. Richardson. 2015. Regeneration of cochlear hair cells with Atoh1 gene therapy after noise-induced hearing loss Journal of Regenerative Medicine. 4(1): doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/2325-9620.1000121. Full Text Richardson, R. T., and P. J. Atkinson. 2015. Atoh1 gene therapy in the cochlea for hair cell regeneration. Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy. 15(3): 417-30. Newbold, C., S. Mergen, R. Richardson, P. Seligman, R. Millard, R. Cowan, and R. Shepherd. 2014. Impedance changes in chronically implanted and stimulated cochlear implant electrodes. Cochlear Implants International. 15(4): 191-9. See more publications by Rachael Richardson in PubMed and Google Scholar Further information Click here to read Rachael's story.
A/Prof Wesley Thevathasan Lions International Neurobionics Research Fellow/Neurologist (MBBS Melb FRACP DPhil Oxf) Expand I am a clinical and academic neurologist specialising in Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS). After initial neurology training in Melbourne, I completed fellowships in movement disorders/DBS at Oxford and Queen Square. I then worked as consultant neurologist to the DBS service at Oxford and completed a PhD investigating the mechanisms of DBS in Parkinson’s disease. Since returning to Melbourne, I have worked closely with Neurosurgeon Kristian Bulluss, running a busy DBS practice which spans University of Melbourne affiliated public hospitals and private practice. My research is based at the Bionics Institute, aiming to optimise subthalamic nucleus DBS for Parkinson’s disease. This led to the important discovery of “Evoked Resonance Neural Activity” (ERNA), a new biomarker with potential to deliver automated DBS programming and to trigger feedback ‘adaptive’ control. This research has been made possible by 5 NHMRC project/development grants and generous support from the Bethlehem Griffiths Research Foundation, Brain foundation, Lions International and the Colonial Foundation. Research Projects Adaptive Deep Brain Stimulation Device (ASTUTE system) Improved positioning for DBS (ADEPT device) Pre-clinical validation (ERNA signal) Recent publications Warren, A. E. L., L. J. Dalic, W. Thevathasan, A. Roten, K. J. Bulluss, and J. Archer. 2020. Targeting the centromedian thalamic nucleus for deep brain stimulation, Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry, 91(4): 339-49. Ramirez-Zamora, A., J. Giordano, A. Gunduz, J. Alcantara, N.J. Cagle, S. Cernera, P. Difuntorum, S. Eisinger, J. Gomez, S. Long, B. Parks, J.K. Wong, S. Chiu, B. Patel, W.M. Grill, H.C. Walker, S.J. Little, R. Gilron, G. Tinkhauser, W. Thevathasan, N. C. Sinclair, A. M. Lozano, T. Foltynie, A. Fasano, S. A. Sheth, K. Scangos, T. D. Sanger, J. Miller, A. C. Brumback, P. Rajasethupathy, C. McIntyre, L. Schlachter, N. Suthana, C. Kubu, L. R. Sankary, K. Herrera-Ferrá, S. Goetz, B. Cheeran, G. K. Steinke, C. Hess, L. Almeida, W. Deeb, K.D. Foote, and S.O. Michael. 2020. Proceedings of the Seventh Annual Deep Brain Stimulation Think Tank: Advances in Neurophysiology, Adaptive DBS, Virtual Reality, Neuroethics and Technology, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 14(54). Thevathasan, Wesley, Nicholas C. Sinclair, Kristian J. Bulluss, and Hugh J. McDermott. 2020. Tailoring Subthalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation for Parkinson's Disease Using Evoked Resonant Neural Activity, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 14(71): doi: 3389/fnhum.2020.00071 Warren, A. E. L., L. J. Dalic, W. Thevathasan, A. Roten, K. J. Bulluss, and J. Archer. 2020. Targeting the centromedian thalamic nucleus for deep brain stimulation, Journal of neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry. Sinclair, Nicholas Campbell, James B Fallon, Kristian Bulluss, Wesley Thevathasan, and Hugh J McDermott. 2019. On the neural basis of deep brain stimulation evoked resonant activity, Biomedical Physics & Engineering Express, 5: 057001. Sinclair, N. C., H. J. McDermott, J. B. Fallon, T. Perera, P. Brown, K. J. Bulluss, and W. Thevathasan. 2019. Deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease modulates high-frequency evoked and spontaneous neural activity, Neurobiology of disease, 130: 104522. Tan, J., W. Thevathasan, J. McGinley, P. Brown, and T. Perera. 2019. An Instrumented Pull Test to Characterize Postural Responses. Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE(146): e59309. doi: 3791/59309. Sinclair, N. C., H. J. McDermott, J. B. Fallon, T. Perera, P. Brown, K. J. Bulluss, and W. Thevathasan. 2019. Deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease modulates high- frequency evoked and spontaneous neural activity. Neurobiology of disease. 130: 104522. doi: 1016/j.nbd.2019.104522. Sinclair, N. C., J. B. Fallon, K. Bulluss, W. Thevathasan, and H. J. McDermott. 2019. On the neural basis of deep brain stimulation evoked resonant activity. Biomedical Physics & Engineering Express. 5: 057001. doi: https://doi.org/10.1088/2057-1976/ab366e. Thevathasan, W., and E. Moro. 2018. What is the therapeutic mechanism of pedunculopontine nucleus stimulation in Parkinson’s disease? Neurobiology of disease: doi: 1016/j.nbd.2018.06.014. Further information Click here to read A/Prof Thevathasan's story.
A/Prof Chris Williams Principal Research Fellow (MScHons, PhD) Expand A/Prof Chris William’s research is currently focussed on the development of an epilepsy monitoring device. This minimally-invasive implant will be capable of monitoring the brain’s electrical activity over extended periods of time and greatly assist clinicians with diagnosis and drug therapy management. Chris was awarded the Hamilton prize from the New Zealand Royal Society for Brain Rescue Research undertaken at the Liggins Institute. He has contributed to over 90 primary scientific papers and has had 18 patents awarded. His track record includes many years of innovative research and a number of vitally important inventions resulting in medical products currently in use or undergoing clinical trials. These include: A non-invasive brain rescue monitor (BRM™) for ICU monitoring for cerebral injuries and seizures. The monitor picks up normal and abnormal function on each side of a baby’s brain, revealing not only when injury occurs, but where. The initial concept of prolonged mild cerebral hypothermia (CoolCap™) as a neuronal rescue therapy for the developing brain. This work ultimately led to the successful development of an FDA approved cerebral cooling cap for infants suffering from asphyxial encephalopathies. Discovery of the tripeptide fragment of IGF-1 (Glypromate™) that can rescue injured neurons. This is the lead compound for a pharmaceutical company. This drug has completed phase II trials safely as a rescue therapy for those with brain injuries and an analog is in phase Ill trials with the US army for head injuries. Co-inventor of choroid plexus cell capsule (Neurotrophincell™) based neurorestorative therapy that is currently under assessment for an IND (application to conduct a clinical trial in the USA) for stroke and Huntington’s. E: [email protected] Research projects Epilepsy Bionic eye Implant to delay blindness Stroke Recent publications Abbott, Carla J., David A. X. Nayagam, Chi D. Luu, Stephanie B. Epp, Richard A. Williams, Cesar M. Salinas-LaRosa, Joel Villalobos, Ceara McGowan, Mohit N. Shivdasani, Owen Burns, Jason Leavens, Jonathan Yeoh, Alice A. Brandli, Patrick C. Thien, Jenny Zhou, Helen Feng, Chris E. Williams, Robert K. Shepherd, and Penelope J. Allen. 2018. Safety Studies for a 44-Channel Suprachoroidal Retinal Prosthesis: A Chronic Passive Study. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. 59(3): 1410-1424. doi: 10.1167/iovs.17-23086. Full Text Benovitski, Y. B., A. Lai, C. C. McGowan, O. Burns, V. Maxim, D. A. X. Nayagam, R. Millard, G. D. Rathbone, M. A. le Chevoir, R. A. Williams, D. B. Grayden, C. N. May, M. Murphy, W. J. D’Souza, M. J. Cook, and C. E. Williams. 2017. Ring and peg electrodes for minimally-Invasive and long-term sub-scalp EEG recordings. Epilepsy Research. 135: 29-37. doi: 10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2017.06.003. Benovitski, Y. B., A. Lai, C. C. McGowan, O. Burns, V. Maxim, D. A. X. Nayagam, R. Millard, G. D. Rathbone, M. A. le Chevoir, R. A. Williams, D. B. Grayden, C. N. May, M. Murphy, W. J. D’Souza, M. J. Cook, and C. E. Williams. 2017. Ring and peg electrodes for minimally-Invasive and long-term sub-scalp EEG recordings. Epilepsy Research. 135: 29-37. doi: 10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2017.06.003. Leung, R. T., D. A. Nayagam, R. A. Williams, P. J. Allen, C. M. Salinas-La Rosa, C. D. Luu, M. N. Shivdasani, L. N. Ayton, M. Basa, J. Yeoh, A. L. Saunders, R. K. Shepherd & C. E. Williams (2015). Safety and efficacy of explanting or replacing suprachoroidal electrode arrays in a feline model. Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology 43(3): 247-258. Villalobos, J., J. B. Fallon, D. A. X. Nayagam, M. N. Shivdasani, C. D. Luu, P. J. Allen, R. K. Shepherd and C. E. Williams (2014). Cortical activation following chronic passive implantation of a wide-field suprachoroidal retinal prosthesis. Journal of Neural Engineering, 11(4): 046017. Saunders, A. L., C. E. Williams, W. Herlot, R. J. Briggs, J. Yeoh, D. A. X. Nayagam, M. McCombe, J. Villalobos, O. Burns, C. D. Luu, L. Ayton, M. McPhedran, N. L. Opie, C. McGowan, R. Shepherd, R. Guymer and P. J. Allen (2014). Development of a surgical procedure for implantation of a prototype suprachoroidal retinal prosthesis. Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology, 42: 665-674. Nayagam, D. A., R. A. Williams, P. J. Allen, M. N. Shivdasani, C. D. Luu, C. M. Salinas-LaRosa, S. Finch, L. N. Ayton, A. L. Saunders, M. McPhedran, C. McGowan, J. Villalobos, J. B. Fallon, A. K. Wise, J. Yeoh, J. Xu, H. Feng, R. Millard, M. McWade, P. C. Thien, C. E. Williams and R. K. Shepherd (2014). Chronic electrical stimulation with a suprachoroidal retinal prosthesis: a preclinical safety and efficacy study. PLoS ONE, 9(5): e97182. Leung, R. T., D. A. X. Nayagam, R. A. Williams, P. J. Allen, C. M. Salina-La Rosa, C. D. Luu, M. N. Shivdasani, L. N. Ayton, M. Basa, J. Yeoh, A. L. Saunders, R. K. Shepherd and C. E. Williams (in press). Safety and efficacy of explanting or replacing suprachoroidal electrode arrays in a feline model. Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology. Dumm, G., J. B. Fallon, C. E. Williams and M. N. Shivdasani (2014). Virtual electrodes by current steering in retinal prostheses. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 55(12): 8077-8085. Cicione, R., J. B. Fallon, G. D. Rathbone, C. E. Williams and M. N. Shivdasani (2014). Spatiotemporal interactions in the visual cortex following paired electrical stimulation of the retina. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, 55(12): 7726-7738.
A/Prof Andrew Wise Principal Research Fellow (BSc (Hons), PhD) Expand A/Prof Wise graduated from Monash University (PhD) in 2002 where he studied neurophysiology of the sensorimotor system. He was a post-doctoral research Fellow at the Bionic Ear Institute (2001-2003). He moved to Bristol UK where he took up post-doctoral position (2003-2006) before returning to Melbourne in 2006 to continue research at the Bionics Institute. A/Prof Wise’s research focuses on understanding hearing impairment and developing therapeutic technology to treat it. In particular, he has been investigating the protective and regenerative effects of neurotrophins; a class of growth factors that can protect the inner ear sensory cells from degeneration. His current research projects use nanoengineering techniques to produce drug delivery particles that can deliver growth factors to the inner ear to treat hearing impairment. A/Prof Wise also has a research interest in cochlear implants and the development of new technologies to improve implant performance. The delivery of therapeutic drugs could one day be used to improve cochlear implant performance by protecting residual sensory cells. Furthermore, with the invention of optogenetic technology, it is now possible to modify auditory neurons so that they can be activated by light, in addition to electrical stimulation from a contemporary cochlear implant. This new way of activating the auditory neurons could lead to significant improvements in a future bionic ear device, for instance, by improving the understanding of speech in noisy environments. E: [email protected] Research projects Restoring hearing Optogenetics Understanding the hearing brain Safe and effective cochlear implants Student projects Testing nano-engineered drug delivery systems to treat hearing loss Developing a drug therapy for hearing loss Drug delivery to treat hearing loss Understanding changes in auditory processing from noise-induced hearing loss Optogenetics for precise neural stimulation Recent publications Richardson, R. T., M. R. Ibbotson, A. C. Thompson, A. K. Wise, and J. B. Fallon. 2020. Optical stimulation of neural tissue. Healthcare Technology Letters. 7(3): 58-65. doi: 1049/htl.2019.0114. Full Text Hart, W., R. Richardson, T. Kameneva, A. Thompson, A. K. Wise, J. B. Fallon, P. R. Stoddart, and K. Needham. 2020. Combined optogenetic and electrical stimulation of auditory neurons increases effective stimulation frequency - An in vitro study. Journal of Neural Engineering. 17(1): 016069. doi: 1088/1741-2552/ab6a68. Ma, Y., C. Cortez-Jugo, J. Li, Z. Lin, R. T. Richardson, Y. Han, J. Zhou, M. Bjornmalm, O. M. Feeney, Q. Z. Zhong, C. J. H. Porter, A. K. Wise, and F. Caruso. 2019. Engineering Biocoatings To Prolong Drug Release from Supraparticles. Biomacromolecules. 20(9): 3425-3434. doi: 1021/acs.biomac.9b00710. Hart, W. L., T. Kameneva, A. K. Wise, and P. R. Stoddart. 2019. Biological Considerations of Optical Interfaces for Neuromodulation. Advanced Optical Materials: 1900385. doi: 1002/adom.201900385. Pinyon, J. L., G. von Jonquieres, E. N. Crawford, M. Duxbury, A. Al Abed, N. H. Lovell, M. Klugmann, A. K. Wise, J. B. Fallon, R. K. Shepherd, C. S. Birman, W. Lai, D. McAlpine, C. McMahon, P. M. Carter, Y. L. Enke, J. F. Patrick, A. G. M. Schilder, C. Marie, D. Scherman, and G. D. Housley. 2019. Neurotrophin gene augmentation by electrotransfer to improve cochlear implant hearing outcomes. Hearing Research. 380: 137-149. doi: 1016/j.heares.2019.06.002. Ma, Y., A. K. Wise, R. K. Shepherd, and R. T. Richardson. 2019. New molecular therapies for the treatment of hearing loss. Pharmacology & therapeutics: pii: S0163-7528(0119)30077-30074. doi: 1016/j.pharmthera.2019.05.003. Full Text Richardson, R. T., Q. Y. Hu, F. Shi, T. Nguyen, J. B. Fallon, B. O. Flynn, and A. K. Wise. 2019. Pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of neurotrophin 3 after intracochlear delivery. Journal of controlled release : official journal of the Controlled Release Society. 299: 53-63. doi: 1016/j.jconrel.2019.02.018. Shepherd, R. K., P. Carter, Y. L. Enke, A. K. Wise, and J. B. Fallon. 2018. Chronic intracochlear electrical stimulation at high charge densities results in platinum dissolution but not neural loss or functional changes in vivo. Journal of Neural Engineering. 16(2): 026009. doi: 1088/1741-2552/aaf66b. Full Text Ma, Y., M. Björnmalm, A. K. Wise, C. Cortez-Jugo, E. Revalor, Y. Ju, O. M. Feeney, R. T. Richardson, E. Hanssen, R. K. Shepherd, C. J. H. Porter, and F. Caruso. 2018. Gel-Mediated Electrospray Assembly of Silica Supraparticles for Sustained Drug Delivery. ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. 10(37): 31019-31031. doi: 1021/acsami.8b10415. Full Text Palmer, J. C., M. S. Lord, J. L. Pinyon, A. K. Wise, N. H. Lovell, P. M. Carter, Y. L. Enke, G. D. Housley, and R. A. Green. 2018. Comparing perilymph proteomes across species. Laryngoscope. 128(1): E47-e52. doi: 10.1002/lary.26885. Full Text See more publications by Andrew Wise in PubMed and Google Scholar Further information Click here to read Andrew's story.
Dr Yuri Benovitski Research Engineer (BEng, PhD) Expand Yuri completed a Bachelor of Electronic Engineering with honours (RMIT University, 2010) and a PhD in Biomedical Engineering (La Trobe University and Bionics Institute, 2014). As part of a PhD project, he developed an automated system that evaluates performance of electrical neural stimulation devices. It was used to show, for the first time, that combining acoustic and electric hearing results in better sound discrimination. As more people with residual hearing receive cochlear implants, this will provide a better understanding of how electric and acoustic sound perception combines. Following his PhD he completed an internship at Monash Biomedical Imaging (sponsored by Melbourne Bioinformatics, formerly VLSCI) where he helped analyse and visualise MRI data of 100 Huntington disease patients. This was achieved using a hybrid supercomputer (MASSIVE) and 80 displays 320 degrees 3D virtual reality environment (CAVE2). Back at the Bionics Institute, he is developing a minimally invasive, long-term, EEG monitoring implant. This is part of a multidisciplinary team effort in collaboration with St. Vincent’s Hospital, and University of Melbourne. Yuri is a key member of this project developing hardware and software prototypes, collecting and analysing data and working closely with neurosurgeons, neurologists, and epilepsy patients. E: [email protected] Research projects Epilepsy Student projects Artificial neural networks for versatile applications Recent publications Benovitski, Y. B., A. Lai, C. C. McGowan, O. Burns, V. Maxim, D. A. X. Nayagam, R. Millard, G. D. Rathbone, M. A. le Chevoir, R. A. Williams, D. B. Grayden, C. N. May, M. Murphy, W. J. D’Souza, M. J. Cook, and C. E. Williams. 2017. Ring and peg electrodes for minimally-Invasive and long-term sub-scalp EEG recordings. Epilepsy Research. 135: 29-37. doi: 10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2017.06.003. Benovitski, Y. B., P. J. Blamey, G. D. Rathbone and J. B. Fallon (2014). Behavioral frequency discrimination ability of partially deafened cats using cochlear implants. Hearing Research, 315: 61-66. Benovitski, Y. B., P.; Rathbone, G.; Fallon, J. (2014). An automated psychoacoustic testing apparatus for use in cats. Hearing Research, 309: 1-7. See publications by Yuri Benovitski in PubMed
Dr Niliksha Gunewardene Research Fellow (B.BMed, PostGradDipMSc, PhD) Expand Dr Niliksha Gunewardene is a Research Fellow at the Bionics Institute. Niliksha completed her BSc and MSc at the University of Auckland, New Zealand (2010). She subsequently completed a PhD at the University of Melbourne (2014) and then accepted a Research Fellow position at the Harvard Medical School based at the Massachusetts Eye and Infirmary (2014-2018). Dr Gunewardene has a background in molecular biology, auditory neuroscience and stem cell biology. The overall objective of Dr Gunewardene’s research is to develop therapies to regenerate the sensory hair cells and neurons in the inner ear after hearing loss. In particular, she is interested in identifying key molecular pathways that drive hearing loss and regeneration. Dr Gunewardene has significant expertise in gene therapy, drug therapies, stem cells and organoid techniques. More recently, she has been exploring the application of nanotherapeutics for regenerating the sensory neurons of the inner ear. Niliksha’s work has been published in high ranking peer reviewed journals and book chapters. She also has a provisional US patent focused on her discovery of a novel molecular pathway that drives regeneration in the cochlea. Dr Gunewardene’s research has been presented at both national and international conferences worldwide. She has also been invited to present her research over two consecutive years (2019 and 2020) at the prestigious Association for Research in Otolaryngology Meeting held in the US. Niliksha has been in the hearing research field for over 10 years and is committed to achieving her research objective of obtaining a treatment for hearing loss. She has established strong collaborations with several senior researchers in both academia (Harvard University and University of Melbourne) and industry (Akouos Inc.). In addition, she has supervised Research Assistants, Masters and PhD students at the University of Melbourne and Harvard University. Dr Gunewardene is also an advocate for women in science and has been active at supporting students and junior scientists navigate their career pathways. E: [email protected] Dr Gunewardene is currently accepting students for her projects (see list below): Research projects Restoring hearing Student projects Testing nano-engineered drug delivery systems to treat hearing loss Developing a drug therapy for hearing loss Recent publications Gunewardene N, Crombie DE, Dottori M, Nayagam BA. Innervation of cochlear hair cells by human induced pluripotent stem cell derived neurons in vitro. Stem Cells Int 2016, http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/1781202 Needham, K., T. Hyakumura, N. Gunewardene, M. Dottori and B. A. Nayagam (2014). Electrophysiological properties of neurosensory progenitors derived from human embryonic stem cells. Stem Cell Research, 12(1): 241-249. Gunewardene, N., N. Van Bergen, D. Crombie, K. Needham, M. Dottori and B. A. Nayagam (2014). Directing human induced pluripotent stem cells into a neurosensory lineage for auditory neuron replacement. BioResearch Open Access 3(4): 162-175.
Dr Tomoko Hyakumara Research Fellow (PhD) Expand Tomoko was awarded her PhD from the Department of Audiology at the University of Melbourne in 2017, where she focused on the development and regeneration of the auditory nerve: much of her research was carried out at the Institute. Tomoko has experience in histology, microdissection and explant culture work in vitro and is applying her skills across multiple projects including the development of devices for Parkinson’s disease and inflammatory bowel disease. Her current areas of focus are projects relating to diabetes and Crohn's disease. E: [email protected] Research projects Diabetes Crohn's disease Recent publications Payne, S. C., G. Ward, R. J. MacIsaac, T. Hyakumura, J. B. Fallon, and J. Villalobos. 2020. Differential effects of vagus nerve stimulation strategies on glycemia and pancreatic secretions, Physiological reports, 8(11): e14479. Hyakumura, T., S. McDougall, S. Finch, K. Needham, M. Dottori, and B. A. Nayagam. 2019. Organotypic Cocultures of Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Derived-Neurons with Mammalian Inner Ear Hair Cells and Cochlear Nucleus Slices, Stem Cells International, 2019: 419493. Payne, S. C., J. B. Furness, O. Burns, A. Sedo, T. Hyakumura, R. K. Shepherd, and J. B. Fallon. 2019. Anti-inflammatory Effects of Abdominal Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Experimental Intestinal Inflammation. Frontiers in Neuroscience. 13(418). doi: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00418. Payne, S. C., O. Burns, M. J. Stebbing, R. Thomas, A. C. de Silva, A. Sedo, F. Wiessenborn, T. Hyakumura, M. Huynh, C. N. May, R. A. Williams, J. Furness, J. Fallon, and R. Shepherd. 2019. Vagus nerve stimulation to treat inflammatory bowel disease: a chronic, preclinical safety study in sheep. Bioelectronics in Medicine. 1(4): 235-250. doi: https://doi.org/10.2217/bem-2018-0011 Hyakumura, T., S. McDougall, S. Finch, K. Needham, M. Dottori, and B. A. Nayagam. 2019. Organotypic Cocultures of Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Derived-Neurons with Mammalian Inner Ear Hair Cells and Cochlear Nucleus Slices. Stem Cells International. 2019: 8419493. doi: 10.1155/2019/8419493.
Dr Mikhail Korneev Senior Engineering Project Manager (MScPhys, PhD) Expand Mikhail completed a Master of Science in Physics (Moscow Engineering Physics Institute, 2001) and a PhD in Biophysics (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, 2006). As part of a PhD project he developed an optical trapping based single-molecule technique to address fundamental problems of processivity and force generation of Eg5 motor proteins of the kinesin family that are involved in mitotic spindle formation. It was shown in optical trapping experiments that full-length Eg5 moves processively and stepwise along microtubule bundles. The study provides insight into the native tetramer and also provides essential input for a quantitative model for mitotic spindle assembly and function. Following his PhD, Mikhail started his industrial career at R&D department in a semiconductor industry at ASML, and continued for ten years in a hearing aid component industry at Sonion. Mikhail is an accomplished Product Development Engineer with substantial experience serving in strategically important roles to inspire cross-functional teams and create innovative new products. He has substantial experience in R&D, LEAN product development, risk assessment and FMEA, and complex project management, where he consistently has delivered product solutions. He is a committed leader with experience interfacing with senior management and working in international, multi-cultural settings, providing technical direction and applying a pragmatic approach to opportunities and challenges. At the Bionics Institute, Mikhail is a Senior Engineering Project Manager and is responsible for development and delivery of the EarGenie™ medical device, an innovative system for personalised management of hearing impairment for life-long benefits. E: [email protected] Research Projects Infant hearing
Dr Kiaran Lawson Software Development Engineer (BEng (Hons), BSc, PhD) Expand Kiaran comes from a multidisciplinary background with undergraduate degrees in physics and mechatronic engineering. He was also recently awarded his PhD in bio-inspired robotics, where he investigated modelling fruitfly behaviours for autonomous flight applications. He is passionate about developing software, especially in research environments, and as a part of the Deep Brain Stimulation team at the Bionics Institute, he focuses on assisting development of the user interface and stimulation hardware interfacing in ADEPT software. E: [email protected] Research projects Improved positioning for DBS (ADEPT device)
Dr Darren Mao Development Engineer (BBioMed (UoM), MEng (UoM),PhD (UoM)) Expand Dr Darren Mao was recently awarded his PhD (co-supervised by the Bionics Institute and the Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Melbourne). Dr Mao is now working full time in the Translational Hearing Research team led by Professor Colette McKay. Dr Mao’s area of focus for his PhD was developing an objective measure of hearing, by recording responses from individuals’ brains using electrodes placed on their scalp Dr Mao and the team at Bionics Institute have developed a novel method that can automatically set the electrical levels for cochlear implants with the push of a button. Not only can this help the programming of hearing devices in infants, but will also facilitate routine implant adjustment procedures in adults, saving clinicians time and effort. This work has seen translation to a patent, and it is Dr Mao’s hope that one day, this technology will be implemented into a clinical device that benefits cochlear implant recipients. E: [email protected] “The Bionics Institute has multi-disciplinary expertise along with a great collaborative atmosphere. This allows and promotes engineers, clinicians, researchers and even commercial development experts to exchange their knowledge, an environment that I find myself very excited to be in.” – Dr Darren Mao Research projects Infant hearing Programming cochlear implants Student Projects RMIT PhD Scholarship in multi-sensor, multimodal machine learning for hearing assessment Recent publications Mao, D., H. Innes-Brown, M. A. Petoe, Y. T. Wong, and C. M. McKay. 2019. Fully objective hearing threshold estimation in cochlear implant users using phase-locking value growth functions. Hearing Research. 377: 24-33. doi: 1016/j.heares.2019.02.013. Peng, F., C. M. McKay, D. Mao, W. Hou, and H. Innes-Brown. 2018. Auditory Brainstem Representation of the Voice Pitch Contours in the Resolved and Unresolved Components of Mandarin Tones. Frontiers in Neuroscience. 12(820). doi: 3389/fnins.2018.00820. Full Text Mao, D., H. Innes-Brown, M. A. Petoe, Y. T. Wong, and C. M. McKay. 2018. Cortical auditory evoked potential time-frequency growth functions for fully objective hearing threshold estimation. Hearing Research. 370: 74-83. doi: 1016/j.heares.2018.09.006. Further information Click here to read Darren's story.
Dr Jonathon Miegel Software Development Engineer (BEng, MBiomedEng, PhD) Expand Jonathon has industry experience designing and developing biomedical devices, with an academic focus on translational research and software driven solutions for improving medical device usability. Jonathon works as part of the Deep Brain Stimulation team, assisting with the development of their academic and clinical technologies. E: [email protected] Research projects Improved positioning for DBS (ADEPT device)
Dr David Nayagam Senior Research Fellow (BSc/BE(ElecEng)(Hons), PhD) Expand David Nayagam is a Senior Research Fellow and Team Leader at the Bionics Institute applying a focussed market-driven approach to address unmet patient needs. David works closely with surgeons, engineers, pathologists, statisticians, clinicians and a range of scientific experts to develop novel implantable medical devices and biomaterials for a range of clinical indications. After graduating from the University of Melbourne with a double degree in electrical engineering and neuroscience, he completed a PhD using electrophysiology and computer-aided histology to study the auditory brainstem. His seminal studies uncovered new mechanisms and circuits, including fast inhibitory pathways which play an important role in sound processing. This work was published in leading neuroscience journals and was supervised by A/Prof Tony Paolini, Dr Janine Clarey, Prof Tony Burkitt and Prof Graeme Clark. Subsequently, David was recruited by the Australian Research Council’s Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science (ACES), supervised by Prof Graeme Clark and Prof Gordon Wallace, where he established the Institute’s Eric Bauer laboratory within St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne. During this time he led a team of polymer-chemists, pathologists, engineers and scientists to investigate the biocompatibility of chronically-implanted novel polymer biomaterials. Importantly, his team performed a detailed biocompatibility implant study of novel carbon nanotube structures embedded in a flexible polymer substrate. This work was published in high ranking nanomaterials journal. As part of his contribution to ACES, David also designed a hi-fidelity thin-film cochlear implant electrode prototype which was further developed and commercialised by the company ‘NeuroNexus’. In 2009, David commenced working on a world’s first suprachoroidal retinal prosthesis (‘Bionic Eye’) as part of the Institute’s involvement in the federally funded Bionic Vision Australia (BVA) consortia (led by Prof Rob Shepherd). David played multiple roles within the Bionic Eye project ranging from: design concepts and prototype iteration; to intricate feasibility and efficacy studies; to clinical device development; manufacturing handover; and surgical development studies. He was primarily responsible for leading a large multi-disciplinary team to perform pre-clinical safety studies of the bionic eye electrodes and implantable stimulator for both our first and second generation devices (for which he is a co-inventor). The Bionic Eye results have been published in a many scientific journals and have featured in numerous media stories around the world. The Bionic Eye is currently undergoing commercialisation by our industry partner, Bionic Vision Technologies, with the aim of restoring sight to patients with hereditary eye disease such as retinitis pigmentosa. David’s current role is to ensure implant functionality and safety during our ongoing clinical trials and assist with associated psychophysics studies. From 2014, David has been the team leader for the ‘Minimally-Invasive Retinal-degeneration Arrestor’ (MIRA) project, which is a therapeutic eye implant developed in collaboration with clinical partners at the Centre for Eye Research Australia. With support from Bionic Vision Technologies (BVT) alongside an NHMRC ‘Excellence Award’-winning Development Grant, the team are working towards a first-in-human trial of this clinically promising innovation which aims to maintain eyesight in patients with degenerative vision loss. David is involved in several other projects including leading histopathology safety studies for the Institute’s EpiMinder device (led by A/Prof Chris Williams) as well as stem cell therapies for the restoration of the auditory nerve following deafness, led by his wife, A/Prof Bryony Nayagam (University of Melbourne). David has also provided contract research consultancy for Cochlear P/L, Monash Vision Group and other commercial entities. In addition to scientific research, David was an astronaut candidate with the European Space Agency (ESA; 2008-09 intake). After successfully completing a year of exhaustive aptitude, psychological, medical and fitness screening tests, held in several European cities, he was one of 22 finalists interviewed for the position of European Astronaut from an international pool of 8,413 qualified applicants. With final decisions influenced by national investment agreements, David was unsuccessful at this last stage. Following the experience, he was invited by Senator Kim Carr to join Australia’s first Space Council, to explore and define a vision for the Australian civil space industry. The Space Industry Innovation Council provided high-level ministerial advice during the development of the nation’s inaugural Space Policy; this formed the policy foundation for the Australian Space Agency. David is an editor of the top-ranked journal, ‘Trends in Neuroscience’, and a moderator of the most popular online scientific forum ‘/r/science’ (reddit.com; 24.5 million subscribers). His other activities have included student supervision, membership of hospital ethics committee, public and scientific presentations of research outcomes, and peer-review. Since 2015, David has been the ‘science commentator’ for the ABC 774 radio show ‘Evenings’ where he discusses a range of scientific topics and interviews eminent scientists (including a Nobel Prize winner). Outside of work, David is a hang glider pilot, PADI rescue diver, lead guitarist (in a tragically under-appreciated Melbourne band), enjoys photography and has pursued independent travel to over 50 countries plus remote off-road touring with his wife and kids within Australia. He speaks conversational Spanish and basic Russian. David holds honorary clinical and research appointments at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital and the University of Melbourne Department of Pathology. E: [email protected] Research projects Implant to delay blindness Recent Publications Shivdasani, M. N., M. Evans, O. Burns, J. Yeoh, P. J. Allen, D. Nayagam, J. Villalobos, C. J. Abbott, C. D. Luu, N. L. Opie, A. Sabu, A. L. Saunders, M. McPhedran, L. Cardamone, C. McGowan, V. Maxim, R. A. Williams, K. Fox, R. Cicione, D. J. Garrett, A. Ahnood, K. Ganesan, H. Meffin, A. N. Burkitt, S. Prawer, C. E. Williams, and R. K. Shepherd. 2020. In vivo feasibility of epiretinal stimulation using ultrananocrystalline diamond electrodes. Journal of Neural Engineering: [epub ahead of print]. doi: 10.1088/1741-2552/aba560. Thien, P. C., R. Millard, S. B. Epp, and D. A. X. Nayagam. 2018. A Flexible Wireless System for Preclinical Evaluation of Retinal Prosthesis. Sensors and Materials. 30(2): 269 - 286. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.18494/SAM.2018.1651. Full Text Shepherd, R. K., J. Villalobos, O. Burns, and D. Nayagam. 2018. The development of neural stimulators: a review of preclinical safety and efficacy studies. Journal of Neural Engineering. 15(4): 041004. doi: 10.1088/1741-2552/aac43c. Full Text Abbott, C. J., D. A. X. Nayagam, C. D. Luu, S. B. Epp, R. A. Williams, C. M. Salinas-LaRosa, J. Villalobos, C. McGowan, M. N. Shivdasani, O. Burns, J. Leavens, J. Yeoh, A. A. Brandli, P. C. Thien, J. Zhou, H. Feng, C. E. Williams, R. K. Shepherd, and P. J. Allen. 2018. Safety Studies for a 44-Channel Suprachoroidal Retinal Prosthesis: A Chronic Passive Study. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. 59(3): 1410-1424. doi: 10.1167/iovs.17-23086. Full Text Apollo, N. V., J. Jiang, W. Cheung, S. Baquier, A. Lai, A. Mirebedini, J. Foroughi, G. G. Wallace, M. N. Shivdasani, S. Prawer, S. Chen, R. Williams, M. J. Cook, D. A. X. Nayagam, and D. J. Garrett. 2017. Development and Characterization of a Sucrose Microneedle Neural Electrode Delivery System. Advanced Biosystems: 1700187. doi: 10.1002/adbi.201700187. Full Text Benovitski, Y. B., A. Lai, C. C. McGowan, O. Burns, V. Maxim, D. A. X. Nayagam, R. Millard, G. D. Rathbone, M. A. le Chevoir, R. A. Williams, D. B. Grayden, C. N. May, M. Murphy, W. J. D'Souza, M. J. Cook, and C. E. Williams. 2017. Ring and peg electrodes for minimally-Invasive and long-term sub-scalp EEG recordings. Epilepsy Research. 135: 29-37. doi: 10.1016/j.eplepsyres.2017.06.003. Full Text Garrett, D. J., A. L. Saunders, C. McGowan, J. Specks, K. Ganesan, H. Meffin, R. A. Williams, and D. A. Nayagam. 2016. In vivo biocompatibility of boron doped and nitrogen included conductive-diamond for use in medical implants. Journal of biomedical materials research. Part B, Applied biomaterials. 104(1): 19-26. doi: 10.1002/jbm.b.33331. Full Text Fox, K., H. Meffin, O. Burns, C. J. Abbott, P. J. Allen, N. L. Opie, C. McGowan, J. Yeoh, A. Ahnood, C. D. Luu, R. Cicione, A. L. Saunders, M. McPhedran, L. Cardamone, J. Villalobos, D. J. Garrett, D. A. Nayagam, N. V. Apollo, K. Ganesan, M. N. Shivdasani, A. Stacey, M. Escudie, S. Lichter, R. K. Shepherd, and S. Prawer. 2016. Development of a Magnetic Attachment Method for Bionic Eye Applications. Artificial Organs. 40(3): E12-24. doi: 10.1111/aor.12582. Ahnood, A., K. E. Fox, N. V. Apollo, A. Lohrmann, D. J. Garrett, D. A. Nayagam, T. Karle, A. Stacey, K. M. Abberton, W. A. Morrison, A. Blakers, and S. Prawer. 2016. Diamond encapsulated photovoltaics for transdermal power delivery. Biosensors and Bioelectronics. 77: 589-597. doi: 10.1016/j.bios.2015.10.022. Full Text Spencer, M. J., D. A. Nayagam, J. C. Clarey, A. G. Paolini, H. Meffin, A. N. Burkitt, and D. B. Grayden. 2015. Broadband Onset Inhibition Can Suppress Spectral Splatter in the Auditory Brainstem. PLoS ONE. 10(5): e0126500. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0126500. Full Text Further information Click here to read David's story.
Dr Sophie Payne Research Fellow (BSc (Hons), PhD (Neuroscience)) Expand Prior to joining the Bionics Institute, Sophie completed her PhD at the University of Western Australia (2009-2013), where she investigated long-term effects of injury in the visual system. In 2012, Sophie started her first post doctorate position with Professor Janet Keast at the University of Melbourne (2013-2015) and assessed the regeneration and repair of the peripheral nervous system. Sophie started working at the Bionics Institute in 2015 and has specialised in the use of medical devices in the autonomic nervous system to treat disease. She was a lead researcher in preclinical safety and efficacy studies that have led to the translation of new technology that electrically stimulates the vagus nerve for the treatment of Crohn’s disease. Recently, Sophie’s interests have expanded to investigate the use of vagus nerve stimulation technology in treating type 2 diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. Sophie is also working on developing technology that detects and diagnose disease. Specifically, she is working on developing new technology to detect intestinal inflammation during an endoscopic examination, and novel signal processing technology that decodes neural signals to predict and diagnose disease flare-ups as a first step in developing closed loop technology. Sophie has imparted her knowledge and passion for her research through mentorship programs for recent graduates, and presentations to non-scientific community groups. To gain more insight through the eyes of the patient, and to facilitate patient engagement, Sophie is a member of Crohn’s and Colitis Australia and the Diabetes Australia Society. She was a mentor for Year 11 students in the ‘Mentoring the Next Generation of Women in STEMM’ program and is on the Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery steering committee, which promotes excellence in clinical research, and facilitates an annual symposium. E: [email protected] Research projects Crohn's disease Diabetes Urinary incontinence Student Projects Optimised closed-loop bioelectrical control over bladder function Recent publications 2020. Differential effects of vagus nerve stimulation strategies on glycemia and pancreatic secretions. Physiological reports. 8(11): e14479. doi: 10.14814/phy2.14479. Full Text Payne, S. C., J. Alexandrovics, R. Thomas, R. K. Shepherd, J. Furness, and J. B. Fallon. 2020. Transmural impedance detects graded changes of inflammation in experimental colitis. Royal Society Open Science. 7(2): 191819. doi: 1098/rsos.191819. Full Text Payne, S. C., J. B. Furness, O. Burns, A. Sedo, T. Hyakumura, R. K. Shepherd, and J. B. Fallon. 2019. Anti-inflammatory Effects of Abdominal Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Experimental Intestinal Inflammation. Frontiers in Neuroscience. 13(418). doi: 3389/fnins.2019.00418. Full Text Payne, S. C., O. Burns, M. J. Stebbing, R. Thomas, A. C. de Silva, A. Sedo, F. Wiessenborn, T. Hyakumura, M. Huynh, C. N. May, R. A. Williams, J. Furness, J. Fallon, and R. Shepherd. 2019. Vagus nerve stimulation to treat inflammatory bowel disease: a chronic, preclinical safety study in sheep. Bioelectronics in Medicine. 1(4): 235-250. doi: https://doi.org/10.2217/bem-2018-0011. Payne, S. C., J. B. Furness, and M. J. Stebbing. 2018. Bioelectric neuromodulation for gastrointestinal disorders: effectiveness and mechanisms. Nature reviews. Gastroenterology & hepatology. 16(2): 89-105. doi: 10.1038/s41575-018-0078-6. Full Text O'Sullivan-Greene, E., T. Kameneva, D. Trevaks, A. Shafton, S. C. Payne, R. McAllen, J. B. Furness, and D. B. Grayden. 2018. Modeling experimental recordings of vagal afferent signaling of intestinal inflammation for neuromodulation. Journal of Neural Engineering. 15(5): 056032. doi: 10.1088/1741-2552/aad96d. Full Text Payne, S. C., R. K. Shepherd, A. Sedo, J. B. Fallon, and J. B. Furness. 2018. An objective in vivo diagnostic method for inflammatory bowel disease. Royal Society Open Science. 5(3): 180107. doi: 10.1098/rsos.180107. Full Text Payne, S. C., P. J. Belleville, and J. R. Keast. 2015. Regeneration of sensory but not motor axons following visceral nerve injury. Experimental Neurology. 266: 127-142. doi: 1016/j.expneurol.2015.02.026. Wong, A. W., K. P. Yeung J, S. C. Payne, J. R. Keast, and P. B. Osborne. 2015. Neurite outgrowth in normal and injured primary sensory neurons reveals different regulation by nerve growth factor (NGF) and artemin. Molecular and Cellular Neurosciences. 65: 125-134. doi: 1016/j.mcn.2015.03.004. Forrest, S. L., S. C. Payne, J. R. Keast, and P. B. Osborne. 2015. Peripheral injury of pelvic visceral sensory nerves alters GFRalpha (GDNF family receptor alpha) localization in sensory and autonomic pathways of the sacral spinal cord. Frontiers in Neuroanatomy. 9: 43. doi: 3389/fnana.2015.00043. Full Text Further information Click here to read Sophie's story.
Dr Thushara Perera Research Fellow (Electronics/Software) (BEng (Electronics, Hons), MEng (Biomedical, PhD) Expand With expertise in electronic engineering and software development, Dr Thushara Perera develops clinical tools to help optimise and guide treatments for those afflicted with chronic neurological disorders. Much of Thushara’s work is focussed on developing precise instruments to quantify and track patient health. Movement disorder symptoms such as tremor, rigidity, postural instability, and bradykinesia worsen over time and can fluctuate from day-to-day. A clinic visit only allows us to take a snapshot of the patient condition and makes it difficult to determine the best course of treatment. Additionally, clinical trials seeking to establish new therapies often lack monitoring tools to determine efficacy. Thushara is bridging the gap with his healthcare technology which could lead to in-home symptom assessments, similar to monitoring your blood pressure or glucose levels. This technology is currently being used in clinics across Melbourne to trial new therapies for Parkinson’s disease and Multiple Sclerosis. At the Bionics Institute, his instruments are used to inform the development of a next generation deep brain stimulator that can automatically adjust therapy to suit patient needs. Thushara has also contributed to the Bionic Vision project, developing the Institute’s bionic eye software platform allowing clinicians to send information to the retinal implant. He was part of the team that designed, manufactured and implanted a state-of-the-art bionic eye in Australia’s first human clinical trial. Witnessing the first bionic eye being successfully switched on and restoring rudimentary vision to a blind participant was one of the most memorable moments in Thushara’s career thus far. Prior to joining the Bionics Institute, Thushara completed his PhD at La Trobe University investigating a novel technique to monitor depth of anaesthesia in young children. He also worked part time as a Biomedical Engineer at the Royal Children’s Hospital redesigning a unique audiometer to test the hearing of children who have developmental problems. E: [email protected] Research projects Improved positioning for DBS (ADEPT device) Adaptive Deep Brain Stimulation Device (ASTUTE system) Improved diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (BiRD device) Students projects Improving objectivity and accuracy of neuroimaging analysis for deep brain stimulation Recent publications Noffs, G., F. M. C. Boonstra, T. Perera, S. C. Kolbe, J. Stankovich, H. Butzkueven, A. Evans, A. P. Vogel, and A. van der Walt. 2020. Acoustic Speech Analytics Are Predictive of Cerebellar Dysfunction in Multiple Sclerosis. Cerebellum. doi: 1007/s12311-020-01151-5. Boonstra, F. M. C., A. Evans, G. Noffs, T. Perera, V. Jokubaitis, J. Stankovich, A. P. Vogel, B. A. Moffat, H. Butzkueven, S. C. Kolbe, and A. van der Walt. 2020. OnabotulinumtoxinA treatment for MS-tremor modifies fMRI tremor response in central sensory-motor integration areas. Multiple sclerosis and related disorders. 40: 101984. doi: 1016/j.msard.2020.101984. Sinclair, N. C., H. J. McDermott, J. B. Fallon, T. Perera, P. Brown, K. J. Bulluss, and W. Thevathasan. 2019. Deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease modulates high-frequency evoked and spontaneous neural activity. Neurobiology of disease. 130: 104522. doi: 1016/j.nbd.2019.104522. Tan, J., W. Thevathasan, J. McGinley, P. Brown, and T. Perera. 2019. An Instrumented Pull Test to Characterize Postural Responses. Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE(146): e59309. doi: 3791/59309. Full Text Boonstra, F. M., G. Noffs, T. Perera, V. G. Jokubaitis, A. P. Vogel, B. A. Moffat, H. Butzkueven, A. Evans, A. van der Walt, and S. C. Kolbe. 2019. Functional neuroplasticity in response to cerebello-thalamic injury underpins the clinical presentation of tremor in multiple sclerosis. Multiple Sclerosis Journal. 26(6): 696–705. doi: 1177/1352458519837706. Lee, W. L., N. C. Sinclair, M. Jones, J. L. Tan, E. L. Proud, R. Peppard, H. J. McDermott, and T. Perera. 2019. Objective evaluation of bradykinesia in Parkinson's disease using an inexpensive marker-less motion tracking system. Physiological Measurement. 40(1): 014004. doi: 10.1088/1361-6579/aafef2. Full Text Horn, A., N. Li, T. A. Dembek, A. Kappel, C. Boulay, S. Ewert, A. Tietze, A. Husch, T. Perera, W. J. Neumann, M. Reisert, H. Si, R. Oostenveld, C. Rorden, F. C. Yeh, Q. Fang, T. M. Herrington, J. Vorwerk, and A. A. Kuhn. 2018. Lead-DBS v2: Towards a comprehensive pipeline for deep brain stimulation imaging. Neuroimage: [epub ahead of print]. doi: 1016/j.neuroimage.2018.08.068. Noffs, G., T. Perera, S. C. Kolbe, C. J. Shanahan, F. M. C. Boonstra, A. Evans, H. Butzkueven, A. van der Walt, and A. P. Vogel. 2018. What speech can tell us: A systematic review of dysarthria characteristics in Multiple Sclerosis. Autoimmunity reviews. 17(12): 1202-1209. doi: 10.1016/j.autrev.2018.06.010. Full Text Perera, T., W. L. Lee, S. A. C. Yohanandan, A. L. Nguyen, B. Cruse, F. M. C. Boonstra, G. Noffs, A. P. Vogel, S. C. Kolbe, H. Butzkueven, A. Evans, and A. van der Walt. 2018. Validation of a Precision Tremor Measurement System for Multiple Sclerosis. Journal of Neuroscience Methods. 1(311): 377-384. doi: https://10.1016/j.jneumeth.2018.09.022. Perera, T., J. L. Tan, M. H. Cole, S. A. C. Yohanandan, P. Silberstein, R. Cook, R. Peppard, T. Aziz, T. Coyne, P. Brown, P. A. Silburn, and W. Thevathasan. 2018. Balance control systems in Parkinson's disease and the impact of pedunculopontine area stimulation. Brain. 141(10): 3009-3022. doi: 10.1093/brain/awy216. Full Text Further information Click here to read Thushara's story.
Dr Matt Petoe Research Engineer (BSc, BEng (Hons), PhD) Expand Dr Matt Petoe is a biomedical engineer with a keen interest in human perception, neuroscience and clinical research. Prior to joining the Bionics Institute in November 2012 he was involved in a number of projects aimed at improving clinical outcomes in different patient groups. Working with the Mater Mothers’ Hospital and The Hear and Say Centre in Brisbane, Matt’s PhD research investigated methods of improving the auditory brainstem response test – a diagnostic test used for neonatal hearing screening and assessing neuropathic hearing loss. His work improved the speed and robustness of the test, and received recognition in awarded patents and the formation of a hearing-screening technology company. Following his PhD, he took up a Stroke Foundation Research Fellowship (Auckland City Hospital, New Zealand) and oversaw the recruitment and assessment of stroke patients receiving a novel therapy for upper limb impairment. This successful clinical trial demonstrated that ‘priming’ the brain before physiotherapy sessions promotes faster recovery of upper limb function following stroke. Bringing these prior experiences together, Matt realised an ambition to work at the Bionics Institute and develop medical device technologies. He is currently working within the Bionic Vision research team and integrated a video camera and vision processing with the 24-channel prototype bionic eye during its first clinical trial (2012-2014). He is a chief investigator on an NHMRC project grant that is currently trialling the safety and efficacy of the next generation, wide-view bionic eye. E: [email protected] Research projects Bionic eye Stroke Programming cochlear implants Recent publications Ayton, L. N., J. F. Rizzo, III, I. L. Bailey, A. Colenbrander, G. Dagnelie, D. R. Geruschat, P. C. Hessburg, C. D. McCarthy, M. A. Petoe, G. S. Rubin, P. R. Troyk, and f. t. H. I. Taskforce. 2020. Harmonization of Outcomes and Vision Endpoints in Vision Restoration Trials: Recommendations from the International HOVER Taskforce. Translational Vision Science & Technology. 9(8): 25-25. doi: 1167/tvst.9.8.25. Full Text Kvansakul, J., L. Hamilton, L. N. Ayton, C. McCarthy, and M. A. Petoe. 2020. Sensory augmentation to aid training with retinal prostheses. Journal of Neural Engineering. 17(4): 045001. doi: 1088/1741-2552/ab9e1d. Ayton, L. N., N. Barnes, G. Dagnelie, T. Fujikado, G. Goetz, R. Hornig, B. W. Jones, M. M. K. Muqit, D. L. Rathbun, K. Stingl, J. D. Weiland, and M. A. Petoe. 2019. An update on retinal prostheses. Clinical neurophysiology : official journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. 131(6): 1383-1398. doi: 10.1016/j.clinph.2019.11.029. Titchener, S. A., L. N. Ayton, C. J. Abbott, J. B. Fallon, M. N. Shivdasani, E. Caruso, P. Sivarajah, and M. A. Petoe. 2019. Head and Gaze Behavior in Retinitis Pigmentosa. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. 60(6): 2263-2273. doi: 1167/iovs.18-26121. Full Text Mao, D., H. Innes-Brown, M. A. Petoe, Y. T. Wong, and C. M. McKay. 2019. Fully objective hearing threshold estimation in cochlear implant users using phase-locking value growth functions. Hearing Research. 377: 24-33. doi: 1016/j.heares.2019.02.013. Full Text Mao, D., H. Innes-Brown, M. A. Petoe, Y. T. Wong, and C. M. McKay. 2018. Cortical auditory evoked potential time-frequency growth functions for fully objective hearing threshold estimation. Hearing Research. 370: 74-83. doi: 1016/j.heares.2018.09.006.Full Text Titchener, S. A., M. N. Shivdasani, J. B. Fallon, and M. A. Petoe. 2018. Gaze Compensation as a Technique for Improving Hand-Eye Coordination in Prosthetic Vision. Translational Vision Science & Technology. 7(1): 2. Full Text Shivdasani, M. N., N. C. Sinclair, L. N. Gillespie, M. A. Petoe, S. A. Titchener, J. B. Fallon, T. Perera, D. Pardinas-Diaz, N. M. Barnes, and P. J. Blamey. 2017. Identification of Characters and Localization of Images Using Direct Multiple-Electrode Stimulation With a Suprachoroidal Retinal Prosthesis. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. 58(10): 3962-74. Full Text Petoe, M. A., C. D. McCarthy, M. N. Shivdasani, N. C. Sinclair, A. F. Scott, L. N. Ayton, N. M. Barnes, R. H. Guymer, P. J. Allen, P. J. Blamey, and Consortium Bionic Vision Australia. 2017. Determining the Contribution of Retinotopic Discrimination to Localization Performance With a Suprachoroidal Retinal Prosthesis. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. 58(7): 3231-39. Full Text Petoe, M. A., and M. N. Shivdasani. 2016. Are long stimulus pulse durations the answer to improving spatial resolution in retinal prostheses? Annals of Translational Medicine. 4(21): 434. Full Text See more publications by Matt Petoe in PubMed and Google Scholar
Dr Maureen Shader Research Fellow (AuD (Clinical Audiology), PhD) Expand Dr Maureen Shader is a Post-doctoral Research Fellow at the Bionics Institute. She holds an AuD (Clinical Audiology, 2013) from Gallaudet University and a PhD (Hearing and Speech Science, 2019) from the University of Maryland College Park. Her PhD research investigated the impact of aging on the perception of sound and speech in adult cochlear implant users. She joined the Bionics Institute in 2019 to work in the Translational Hearing Research team. Her current project aims to address the poor outcomes of a proportion of new cochlear implant users, by developing appropriate diagnostic tests and piloting novel sound processing strategies that are matched with the individual diagnoses. E: [email protected] Research projects Improving cochlear implants Student projects Brain connectivity in cochlear implant users Exploring the effect of neural dead regions in the cochlea on hearing with a cochlear implant Improving speech understanding of cochlear implant users with neural dead regions in the cochlea
Dr Mehrnaz Shoushtarian Research Engineer/Product Development Analyst (BEng, MBEng, PhD) Expand Mehrnaz Shoushtarian graduated with a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Monash University. She has worked in both research (Monash Health, Eastern Health) and industry (Cortical Dynamics, Hearing Cooperative Research Centre). Her research has focused on measurement and processing of physiological signals using conventional and novel recording techniques and use of research outcomes for development and commercialisation of medical devices. Previously she was Principal Scientist at Cortical Dynamics Ltd, a start-up medical device company, where she was part of a small team that took a depth of anaesthesia monitor prototype through to clinical trials and regulatory approval in Australia and Europe. Her current role at the Bionics Institute involves using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in areas of hearing research such as cochlear implants and tinnitus. She also assists in performing business analysis for commercialisation of research. E: [email protected] Research projects Tinnitus Recent publications Weder, S., M. Shoushtarian, V. Olivares, X. Zhou, H. Innes-Brown, and C. McKay. 2020. Cortical fNIRS Responses Can Be Better Explained by Loudness Percept than Sound Intensity, Ear and Hearing: [epub ahead of print]. Shoushtarian, M., S. Weder, H. Innes-Brown, and C. M. McKay. 2019. Assessing hearing by measuring heartbeat: The effect of sound level. PLoS ONE. 14(2): e0212940. doi: 1371/journal.pone.0212940. Weder, S., X. Zhou, M. Shoushtarian, H. Innes-Brown, and C. McKay. 2018. Cortical Processing Related to Intensity of a Modulated Noise Stimulus-a Functional Near-Infrared Study. Journal of the Association for Research in Otolaryngology : JARO. 19(3): 273-286. doi: 1007/s10162-018-0661-0. Full Text
Dr Alex Thompson Research Fellow (BEng, BSc, PhD) Expand Dr Alex Thompson has a background in biomedical engineering and biomedical optics. He completed a BEng (Electronics and Computer Systems, 2010) and BSc (Research and Development, 2010) and a PhD in Biomedical Engineering (2014) at Swinburne University. His PhD project investigated novel optical techniques to stimulate neurons in the cochlea, with the aim of replacing conventional electrical stimulation. He then moved to the University of St Andrews to develop a wearable sensor of erythema in collaboration with the Photobiology Unit at Ninewells Hospital, Dundee. He joined the Bionics Institute in 2017 to work in the preclinical hearing team. His primary project aims to restore binaural processing by experience and training with binaural cues. He is also interested in the use of optogenetics for optical stimulation of auditory neurons. E: [email protected] Research projects Understanding the hearing brain Optogenetics Restoring hearing Student projects Hearing but not listening: Using behavioural training in preclinical studies to test the ability to listen to complex sounds Reversible silencing of the cochlear Understanding how the brain processes combined electrical and acoustic stimulation Understanding changes in auditory processing from noise-induced hearing loss Optogenetics for precise neural stimulation Recent publications Brown, William G. A., Karina Needham, James M. Begeng, Alexander C. Thompson, Bryony A. Nayagam, Tatiana Kameneva, and Paul R. Stoddart. 2020. Thermal damage threshold of neurons during infrared stimulation, Biomedical Optics Express, 11(4): 2224-34. Hart, W., R. Richardson, T. Kameneva, A. Thompson, A. K. Wise, J. B. Fallon, P. R. Stoddart, and K. Needham. 2020. Combined optogenetic and electrical stimulation of auditory neurons increases effective stimulation frequency - An in vitro study, Journal of Neural Engineering: 17(1): 016069. doi: 1088/1741-2552/ab6a68. Richardson, R. T., A. C. Thompson, A. K. Wise, and K. Needham. 2017. Challenges for the application of optical stimulation in the cochlea for the study and treatment of hearing loss. Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy. 17(2): 213-23. doi: 1080/14712598.2017.1271870. Thompson, A. C., J. B. Fallon, A. K. Wise, S. A. Wade, R. K. Shepherd & P. R. Stoddart (2015). Infrared neural stimulation fails to evoke neural activity in the deaf guinea pig cochlea. Hearing Research 324: 46-53.
Dr Joel Villalobos Research Fellow (BEng, PhD) Expand Joel is a biomedical engineer with experience in preclinical research in the medical bionics field. As a research fellow, Joel’s work has focused on developing improved Deep Brain Stimulation implants for Parkinson’s disease therapy, as well as developing electrodes for a suprachoroidal Bionic Eye. Joel completed his PhD (Melbourne) in 2012 on the safety evaluation of a suprachoroidal retinal prosthesis. This work lead to a first-in-human clinical trial with the technology at the Bionics Institute. Recently Joel started looking into the possibility of using peripheral nerve stimulation technology to treat type 2 Diabetes. At the Bionics Institute Joel has been able to complement his interest in physiology with his formal background in Electronic Systems Engineering (cum laude, Tec de Monterrey, Mexico) to develop medical device technologies. Prior to his PhD in biomedical engineering, Joel worked as an electronics design engineer and software developer in an engineering firm with clients in the automotive, manufacturing and building automation industries. He has also worked in the construction industry where he fine-tuned his CAD skills and understanding of structural design. E: [email protected] Research projects Diabetes Pre-clinical validation (ERNA signal) Adaptive Deep Brain Stimulation Device (ASTUTE system) Improved positioning for DBS (ADEPT device) Recent publications Shivdasani, M. N., M. Evans, O. Burns, J. Yeoh, P. J. Allen, D. Nayagam, J. Villalobos, C. J. Abbott, C. D. Luu, N. L. Opie, A. Sabu, A. L. Saunders, M. McPhedran, L. Cardamone, C. McGowan, V. Maxim, R. A. Williams, K. Fox, R. Cicione, D. J. Garrett, A. Ahnood, K. Ganesan, H. Meffin, A. N. Burkitt, S. Prawer, C. E. Williams, and R. K. Shepherd. 2020. In vivo feasibility of epiretinal stimulation using ultrananocrystalline diamond electrodes. Journal of Neural Engineering: [epub ahead of print]. doi: 1088/1741-2552/aba560. Payne, S. C., G. Ward, R. J. MacIsaac, T. Hyakumura, J. B. Fallon, and J. Villalobos. 2020. Differential effects of vagus nerve stimulation strategies on glycemia and pancreatic secretions. Physiological reports. 8(11): e14479. doi: 14814/phy2.14479. Full Text Villalobos, J., H. J. McDermott, P. McNeill, A. Golod, V. Rathi, S. Bauquier, and J. B. Fallon. 2020. Slim electrodes for improved targeting in deep brain stimulation. Journal of Neural Engineering. 17: 026008. doi: 1088/1741-2552/ab7a51. Sikder, M. K. U., M. N. Shivdasani, J. B. Fallon, P. Seligman, K. Ganesan, J. Villalobos, S. Prawer, and D. J. Garrett. 2019. Electrically conducting diamond films grown on platinum foil for neural stimulation. Journal of Neural Engineering. 16(6): 066002. doi: 1088/1741-2552/ab2e79. Shepherd, R. K., J. Villalobos, O. Burns, and D. Nayagam. 2018. The development of neural stimulators: a review of preclinical safety and efficacy studies. Journal of Neural Engineering. 15(4): 041004. doi: 10.1088/1741-2552/aac43c. Full Text Abbott, C. J., D. A. X. Nayagam, C. D. Luu, S. B. Epp, R. A. Williams, C. M. Salinas-LaRosa, J. Villalobos, C. McGowan, M. N. Shivdasani, O. Burns, J. Leavens, J. Yeoh, A. A. Brandli, P. C. Thien, J. Zhou, H. Feng, C. E. Williams, R. K. Shepherd, and P. J. Allen. 2018. Safety Studies for a 44-Channel Suprachoroidal Retinal Prosthesis: A Chronic Passive Study. Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. 59(3): 1410-1424. doi: 10.1167/iovs.17-23086. Full Text Fox, K., H. Meffin, O. Burns, C. J. Abbott, P. J. Allen, N. L. Opie, C. McGowan, J. Yeoh, A. Ahnood, C. D. Luu, R. Cicione, A. L. Saunders, M. McPhedran, L. Cardamone, J. Villalobos, D. J. Garrett, D. A. Nayagam, N. V. Apollo, K. Ganesan, M. N. Shivdasani, A. Stacey, M. Escudie, S. Lichter, R. K. Shepherd, and S. Prawer. 2016. Development of a Magnetic Attachment Method for Bionic Eye Applications. Artificial Organs. 40(3): E12-24. Villalobos, J., J. B. Fallon, D. A. Nayagam, M. N. Shivdasani, C. D. Luu, P. J. Allen, R. K. Shepherd, and C. E. Williams. 2014. Cortical activation following chronic passive implantation of a wide-field suprachoroidal retinal prosthesis. Journal of Neural Engineering. 11(4): 046017. doi: 10.1088/1741-2560/11/4/046017. Saunders, A. L., C. E. Williams, W. Heriot, R. Briggs, J. Yeoh, D. A. Nayagam, M. McCombe, J. Villalobos, O. Burns, C. D. Luu, L. N. Ayton, M. McPhedran, N. L. Opie, C. McGowan, R. K. Shepherd, R. Guymer, and P. J. Allen. 2014. Development of a surgical procedure for implantation of a prototype suprachoroidal retinal prosthesis. Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology. 42(7): 665-74. doi: 1111/ceo.12287. Full Text Nayagam, D. A., R. A. Williams, P. J. Allen, M. N. Shivdasani, C. D. Luu, C. M. Salinas-LaRosa, S. Finch, L. N. Ayton, A. L. Saunders, M. McPhedran, C. McGowan, J. Villalobos, J. B. Fallon, A. K. Wise, J. Yeoh, J. Xu, H. Feng, R. Millard, M. McWade, P. C. Thien, C. E. Williams, and R. K. Shepherd. 2014. Chronic electrical stimulation with a suprachoroidal retinal prosthesis: a preclinical safety and efficacy study. PLoS ONE. 9(5): e97182. doi: 1371/journal.pone.0097182. Full Text