Bionics Institute PhD student wins back-to-back public speaking awards
Bionics Institute PhD student, Elise Ajay has won two prestigious public speaking awards in the space of a week, taking top prizes at the 2022 Australasian Auditory Neuroscience Workshop and the Biomed Link 2022 conference.
Elise was awarded best student speaker at the 2022 Australasian Auditory Neuroscience Workshop in November for her presentation titled: ‘A complete deafness model for optogenetic, electrical, and hybrid optogenetic-electrical stimulation of the auditory nerve’.
“It was a wonderful workshop, and I had a lot of fun sharing our latest research with the broader scientific community. I feel really lucky to be awarded for talking about what I’m passionate about!
Elise then won first prize in oral presentation at the Biomed Link 2022 conference, held at the Bio21 Institute at the University of Melbourne in December.
Following an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering and biomedical science, Elise Ajay’s passion for music and her keen interest in the field of prosthetics led her to undertaking her PhD working with the Bionics Institute’s Optogenetics team to improve hearing treatments.
The awards add to Elise’s impressive list of early-career achievements, including last year’s win in the national “Pitch it Clever” competition.
Bionics Institute is a really conducive environment to research collaboration and learning. Elise Ajay
Elise has been a student at the University of Melbourne since 2020 and will be undertaking one more year of research at the Bionics Institute to complete her PhD.
Elise has also been a mentor in the Bionics Institute Girls in STEM Mentoring Program where she worked with high school students to help cultivate their interest in science and inspire them to undertake undergraduate studies in STEM.
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Find out how you can make a difference through a gift in Will
Often people feel that they do not have the means during their lifetime to help others as much as they would like to.
After taking care of your loved ones, including a gift in your Will to charity is a practical way of making a difference in people’s lives, without affecting your independence and self-sufficiency today.
Find out more about how gifts in Wills help the Bionics Institute support the future of medicine and transform the lives of people living with challenging diseases.
View a recording of the webinar below to hear:
Ann Fazakerley, Head of Philanthropy at the Bionics Institute whos explained what a gift in Will is, the huge impact they have in sustaining life-changing research at the Bionics Institute, and how they can enable the next great breakthrough.
Daniel Tomé – Partner at leading financial services firm Perpetual Private who shared the different types of gifts in Will available, who you can talk to about leaving a gift in your Will and the key things to consider.
Lucy McMorron from Gathered Here who explained the growing importance of online Wills and how with just a few clicks you can easily and quickly create your free Will in the comfort of your own home.
Event Recording
View the event recording for the Webinar: Include a charity in your Will
Write Your Will Online for Free
Bionics Institute has partnered with Gathered Here, one of Australia’s leading online Will platforms so that you can easily create your lawyer reviewed Will, for free.
With just a few clicks you can easily and quickly create your free Will in the comfort of your own home, in just 15 minutes. Gathered Here offers free and unlimited Will updates for life, supported by a legal team of highly experienced Wills and estate lawyers – something which would normally cost hundreds of dollars.
Although there is absolutely no requirement when writing your online Will, after you have taken care of your loved ones, you may also wish to leave a gift to Bionics Institute, to help us future proof our important work and transform the lives of people for generations to come.
Bionics Institute PhD student wins back-to-back public speaking awards
Bionics Institute PhD student, Elise Ajay has won two prestigious public speaking awards in the space of a week, taking top prizes at the 2022 Australasian Auditory Neuroscience Workshop and the Biomed Link 2022 conference.
Elise was awarded best student speaker at the 2022 Australasian Auditory Neuroscience Workshop in November for her presentation titled: ‘A complete deafness model for optogenetic, electrical, and hybrid optogenetic-electrical stimulation of the auditory nerve’.
“It was a wonderful workshop, and I had a lot of fun sharing our latest research with the broader scientific community. I feel really lucky to be awarded for talking about what I’m passionate about!
Elise then won first prize in oral presentation at the Biomed Link 2022 conference, held at the Bio21 Institute at the University of Melbourne in December.
Following an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering and biomedical science, Elise Ajay’s passion for music and her keen interest in the field of prosthetics led her to undertaking her PhD working with the Bionics Institute’s Optogenetics team to improve hearing treatments.
The awards add to Elise’s impressive list of early-career achievements, including last year’s win in the national “Pitch it Clever” competition.
You might be interested in…
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The Bionics Institute is preparing to launch a world-first clinical research trial to investigate whether a treatment for depression could be the key to fighting memory loss in Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia.
A devastating condition, not only for the individual but also their loved ones, Alzheimer’s causes decline in most areas of cognition, including memory.
There are 55 million people worldwide living with dementia today, but despite billions of dollars and decades of research, there are still no effective treatments.
However, that is set to change with a potentially ground-breaking treatment being investigated by Bionics Institute researcher Professor Kate Hoy.
Professor Hoy, a clinical neuropsychologist by training, found that a brain stimulation treatment called Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), which is an effective treatment for depression, may also improve cognition.
Explaining the painless, non-invasive procedure, Hoy says that TMS uses magnetic pulses to induce an electrical current in the brain, causing cells to fire.
Applied regularly over days and weeks, these magnetic pulses give rise to lasting changes in the brain cells that, in turn, can restore brain connectivity leading to an improvement in cognitive function.
Hoy said: “Results from initial research using TMS to improve cognition and fight memory loss in Alzheimer’s are promising and we’re about to launch a large-scale clinical trial to establish a personalised treatment approach – the first of its kind in the world.”
Bionics Institute CEO Robert Klupacs says this research is incredibly exciting, not only because it could improve the lives of millions of people around the world, but also improve quality of life for their carer.
He said: “With the right funding from donors and the government, we can get this trial moving and make this Alzheimer’s treatment available in clinics in the future, if shown to be effective.”
For Cheryl Conway, who has seen her 92-year-old mother deteriorate from Alzheimer’s over the past ten years, supporting research into a new treatment is incredibly important.
She says that with Alzheimer’s: ‘you lose your parent while they’re still alive’.
“Before my mother went into the nursing home it was awful. She’d ring me 20-30 times a day. She couldn’t remember how to use the oven or the washing machine. She ate like a bird and the weight just fell off.
“I just want mum to enjoy her final years, come to family gatherings, hold her great grandchildren.”
Download the media release here.
About this research
Magnetic stimulation of the brain shows promise as a potential new treatment for people with Alzheimer’s disease and is now ready for testing in larger clinical trials.
Bionics Institute senior research Professor Kate Hoy has developed a treatment program using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) to improve brain function in people with Alzeheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer’s disease has been shown to interfere with important networks in the brain and this disruption is linked to the cognitive difficulties experienced.
Professor Hoy will conduct a large-scale randomised, controlled trial of a personalised treatment approach. Read more about the research and how to register your interest in participating in the trial here.
Did you miss our recent event?
The Bionics Institute are developing a new treatment to improve memory function in people with Alzheimer’s disease.
Developed by Bionics Institute researcher, Professor Kate Hoy, this new treatment, called Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), uses magnetic pulses to alter brain activity.
View a recording of the webinar below to hear:
- Lead research Professor Kate Hoy, explain how magnetic brain stimulation could be key to fighting memory loss in Alzheimer’s disease.
- Clinician Dr Renata Lemke, give an overview of dementia and the limitations of current treatment.
- The personal experience of Cheryl Conway, who is caring for a family member with Alzheimer’s disease.
Watch the full event recording below.
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Hearing loss affects nearly half a billion people worldwide and is set to increase two-fold by 2050.
Despite this, there are currently no drug treatments available to restore hearing function. Bionics Institute researchers are working to change that.
Dr Niki Gunewardene and Dr Yingjie Hu are working on a world-first treatment for hearing loss using nanotechnology, as part of a research team led by Associate Professor Andrew Wise.
“It’s widely recognised that growth factors can repair damage to the sensory nerves in the inner ear. However, until now, there hasn’t been a safe and effective way to get high payloads of drug into the inner ear, impeding clinical translation of previous research,” said Dr Niki Gunewardene, Senior Research Fellow.
The ground-breaking technology developed by our team loads a drug, called ‘growth factors’, into small drug-carrying particles created via nano-engineering. Once delivered into the inner ear, the growth factors can act to restore lost connections between the nerve fibres and sensory hair cells.
Our work paves the way for further research to develop this therapeutic technology and move towards a clinical trial to restore hearing in patients.
Dr Yingjie Hu, Research and Development Engineer, is excited by the translational opportunities made possible by Bionics Institute hearing research.
“Our particle delivery system can increase the lifespan and improve distribution of growth factors delivered to the inner ear, which is an exciting development,” she said.
The development of this pioneering nanoparticle technology was made possible thanks to to a significant gift in Will from a Bionics Institute supporter.
A generous bequest has enabled us to grow the research team, build bespoke laboratory facilities and accelerate the pace of our research project.
Associate Professor Andrew Wise, Lead Researcher Hearing Therapeutics Lead Researcher explained:
“This gift really set the foundation for our work. We were able to hire two new scientists and create a facility at the Bionics Institute to manufacture our drug delivery system. This facility is a huge step forward for the program as it enables us to develop and optimise the manufacturing process under controlled conditions, which is a key step in establishing a manufacturing process,”
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Bionics Institute PhD student wins back-to-back public speaking awards
Bionics Institute PhD student, Elise Ajay has won two prestigious public speaking awards in the space of a week, taking top prizes at the 2022 Australasian Auditory Neuroscience Workshop and the Biomed Link 2022 conference.
Elise was awarded best student speaker at the 2022 Australasian Auditory Neuroscience Workshop in November for her presentation titled: ‘A complete deafness model for optogenetic, electrical, and hybrid optogenetic-electrical stimulation of the auditory nerve’.
“It was a wonderful workshop, and I had a lot of fun sharing our latest research with the broader scientific community. I feel really lucky to be awarded for talking about what I’m passionate about!
Elise then won first prize in oral presentation at the Biomed Link 2022 conference, held at the Bio21 Institute at the University of Melbourne in December.
Following an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering and biomedical science, Elise Ajay’s passion for music and her keen interest in the field of prosthetics led her to undertaking her PhD working with the Bionics Institute’s Optogenetics team to improve hearing treatments.
The awards add to Elise’s impressive list of early-career achievements, including last year’s win in the national “Pitch it Clever” competition.
You might be interested in…
Bionics Institute PhD student wins back-to-back public speaking awards
Bionics Institute PhD student, Elise Ajay has won two prestigious public speaking awards in the space of a week, taking top prizes at the 2022 Australasian Auditory Neuroscience Workshop and the Biomed Link 2022 conference.
Elise was awarded best student speaker at the 2022 Australasian Auditory Neuroscience Workshop in November for her presentation titled: ‘A complete deafness model for optogenetic, electrical, and hybrid optogenetic-electrical stimulation of the auditory nerve’.
“It was a wonderful workshop, and I had a lot of fun sharing our latest research with the broader scientific community. I feel really lucky to be awarded for talking about what I’m passionate about!
Elise then won first prize in oral presentation at the Biomed Link 2022 conference, held at the Bio21 Institute at the University of Melbourne in December.
Following an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering and biomedical science, Elise Ajay’s passion for music and her keen interest in the field of prosthetics led her to undertaking her PhD working with the Bionics Institute’s Optogenetics team to improve hearing treatments.
The awards add to Elise’s impressive list of early-career achievements, including last year’s win in the national “Pitch it Clever” competition.
You might be interested in…
The Bionics Institute hosted an online webinar in October 2022 to show how magnetic stimulation of the brain could improve cognition in Alzheimer’s disease.
The Bionics Institute are developing a new treatment to improve memory function in people with Alzheimer’s disease.
Developed by Bionics Institute researcher, Professor Kate Hoy, this new treatment, called Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), uses magnetic pulses to alter brain activity.
View a recording of the webinar below to hear:
- Lead research Professor Kate Hoy, explain how magnetic brain stimulation could be key to fighting memory loss in Alzheimer’s disease.
- Clinician Dr Renata Lemke, give an overview of dementia and the limitations of current treatment.
- The personal experience of Cheryl Conway, who is caring for a family member with Alzheimer’s disease.
How TMS aims to help in Alzheimer’s disease
Alzheimer’s disease has been shown to interfere with important networks in the brain and this disruption in neural communication is linked to the cognitive difficulties experienced.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) aims to improve brain function in people with Alzheimer’s disease by using magnetic pulses to alter brain activity.
This non-invasive approach has shown potential to restore healthy neural network function and improve memory in Alzheimer’s disease.
Our research team now aims to evaluate TMS in a larger clinical sample using a personalised treatment approach.
Event highlights
Professor James Fallon introduces the Bionics Institute.
Cheryl Conway discusses the personal experience of someone who is caring for a family member with Alzheimer’s disease.
Professor Kate Hoy explains how magnetic brain stimulation could be key to fighting memory loss in Alzheimer’s disease.
Clinician Dr Renata Lemke gives an overview of dementia and the limitations of current treatment options.
Bionics Institute PhD student wins back-to-back public speaking awards
Bionics Institute PhD student, Elise Ajay has won two prestigious public speaking awards in the space of a week, taking top prizes at the 2022 Australasian Auditory Neuroscience Workshop and the Biomed Link 2022 conference.
Elise was awarded best student speaker at the 2022 Australasian Auditory Neuroscience Workshop in November for her presentation titled: ‘A complete deafness model for optogenetic, electrical, and hybrid optogenetic-electrical stimulation of the auditory nerve’.
“It was a wonderful workshop, and I had a lot of fun sharing our latest research with the broader scientific community. I feel really lucky to be awarded for talking about what I’m passionate about!
Elise then won first prize in oral presentation at the Biomed Link 2022 conference, held at the Bio21 Institute at the University of Melbourne in December.
Following an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering and biomedical science, Elise Ajay’s passion for music and her keen interest in the field of prosthetics led her to undertaking her PhD working with the Bionics Institute’s Optogenetics team to improve hearing treatments.
The awards add to Elise’s impressive list of early-career achievements, including last year’s win in the national “Pitch it Clever” competition.
Watch the Innovation Lecture video
Our speakers and panel
Keynote speaker Dr Andrew Nash, Chief Scientific Officer, CSL spoke about Building Australia from Innovation
Keynote speaker A/Prof Tom Oxley, CEO, Synchron talked about Med Tech Start-Ups: The Highs and Lows
Panel members
Dr Andrew Nash, Chief Scientific Officer, CSL
Professor Michelle McIntosh, Director Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre and Theme Leader at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
Dr Megan O’Connor, Managing Director, Kantara Consulting
George Kenley, Chief Operating Officer, Seer Medical
Attendees
Invitees from across the med tech ecosystem include:
- Government agencies and peak bodies
- Start-up founders and entrepreneurs
- Innovative companies and med tech thought leaders
- Impact investors, funds and VCs
- Healthcare and tertiary education leaders
- Trusts, foundations and philanthropists
- Business media
Our Major Sponsors
About our keynote speaker
Dr Andrew Nash, Chief Scientific Officer, CSL
Andrew Nash is the Chief Scientific Officer and Senior Vice President, Head of Research at CSL and is an Honorary Associate Professor at the University of Melbourne.
He completed his PhD in immunology at The University of Melbourne in 1988 and, after moving to the Centre for Animal Biotechnology in the Faculty of Veterinary Science, developed and led a research group focused on basic and applied aspects of cytokine biology.
He later joined the ASX listed biotechnology company Zenyth Therapeutics (then Amrad Corporation) as a senior scientist and subsequently held a number of positions including Director of Biologicals Research and Chief Scientific Officer.
In July of 2005 he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Zenyth, a position which he held up until the acquisition of Zenyth by CSL Limited in November 2006.
Following the acquisition he was appointed as Senior Vice President, Research and is currently based at the Bio21 Institute where he leads a large global effort focused on the discovery and development of new protein, cell and gene-based medicines to treat serious human disease.
About our keynote speaker
A/Prof Tom Oxley MBBS BMedSc FRACP
Associate Professor Tom Oxley is an interventional neurologist at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, and founder and CEO of Synchron,
A company specialising in neural interface technology, Synchron is located across both Melbourne and New York.
Synchron has raised investment funding to develop the Stentrode, an implantable medical device that can translate brain signals from the inside of blood vessels.
Thoughts captured from users of the Stentrode are translated wirelessly to digital devices designed to stimulate thought-controlled movement, which could transform the lives of people who are paralysed or have severely restricted movement.
A/Prof Tom Oxley completed his medical degree at Monash University in Melbourne.
He completed an internal medicine, neurology residency in 2013; a stroke fellowship in 2015 at The Alfred and Royal Melbourne Hospitals; and an interventional neurology fellowship in 2017 at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.
A/Prof Oxley completed his PhD in neural engineering in 2016 at the University of Melbourne, where he established the Vascular Bionics Laboratory.
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Bionics Institute PhD student wins back-to-back public speaking awards
Bionics Institute PhD student, Elise Ajay has won two prestigious public speaking awards in the space of a week, taking top prizes at the 2022 Australasian Auditory Neuroscience Workshop and the Biomed Link 2022 conference.
Elise was awarded best student speaker at the 2022 Australasian Auditory Neuroscience Workshop in November for her presentation titled: ‘A complete deafness model for optogenetic, electrical, and hybrid optogenetic-electrical stimulation of the auditory nerve’.
“It was a wonderful workshop, and I had a lot of fun sharing our latest research with the broader scientific community. I feel really lucky to be awarded for talking about what I’m passionate about!
Elise then won first prize in oral presentation at the Biomed Link 2022 conference, held at the Bio21 Institute at the University of Melbourne in December.
Following an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering and biomedical science, Elise Ajay’s passion for music and her keen interest in the field of prosthetics led her to undertaking her PhD working with the Bionics Institute’s Optogenetics team to improve hearing treatments.
The awards add to Elise’s impressive list of early-career achievements, including last year’s win in the national “Pitch it Clever” competition.