The Passe & Williams Foundation have continued their longstanding support of Bionics Institute hearing researchers with the two prestigious Fellowships.
Dr Anu Sabu
The research will explore the range of physiological changes that enhance the speech comprehension and sound quality, especially in noisy environments. An understanding of how information is processed in the auditory brain of these patients will enable clinicians to make informed decisions on optimising the combined stimulation provided by the cochlear implants and hearing aids for people living with partial deafness.
The results from the research will shed light on the benefits of using a combination of cochlear implants and hearing aids for people with partial hearing loss. Dr Anu Sabu
I’m thrilled to have received this prestigious fellowship to establish and expand my research program. Dr Demi Gao
Congratulations Demi and Anu on this amazing achievement which allows further investigation into how a combination of cochlear implants and hearing aids might give a more unified perception of sound for improved speech understanding.
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Cynthia McLarty recently hosted a garden party fundraiser and raised an incredible $10K to help speed us groundbreaking Bionics Institute reaseach.
“What an incredible day it was, made possible by all the people that came and supported the event and the donors that were so generous.
I have been forever grateful to the Bionics institute from that miracle day, 24 years ago, when my son Sam heard sound for the first time. A moment I will never forget.” – Cynthia
Hosting the Garden party was a small way of giving back to an organisation that has changed so many lives around the world, and will continue to do so. Cynthia McLarty
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Dr Mehrnaz Shoushtarian, Senior Research and Development Engineer, was invited to speak on Einstein A Go-Go radio show on 3RRR to discuss her work into developing an objective measure of tinnitus.
The general understanding is that it usually starts with some sort of damage to the ear. But then it becomes more of a brain problem. It’s difficult to know exactly how it starts. Dr Mehrnaz Soushtarian
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Investing in innovation to build Australia
The 2024 Bionics Institute Innovation Lecture provided opportunity for the innovation ecosystem to build a shared understanding of the intersection between philanthropy and investment to leverage our nation’s wealth.
Date: Wednesday 29 May
Time: 5.15pm arrival for a 5.45 start (lecture) followed by networking drinks from 7.30pm
Venue: RACV City Club, Melbourne
Cost: Free (by invitation only)
Following the incredible success of the 2022 and 2023 Innovation Lectures, the Bionics Institute 2024 Lecture focused on bringing med tech leaders together to explore how to catalyse innovation for the benefit of all Australians.
Networking drinks followed the lecture which provided guests with the opportunity to forge partnerships and develop links with like-minded people.
Due to the overwhelming interest in our Innovation Lectures, attendance was by invitation only.
This event was generously supported by the City of Melbourne Business Event Sponsorship Program.
Lecture speakers and panellists
Keynote speaker
Mr David Williams – Founder, Kidder Williams
Panellists
Mr Alon Greenspan – Managing Partner, Mind Ventures
Ms Bronwyn Le Grice – CEO and Managing Director, ANDHealth
Mr Stephen Tomisich – Co-Founder and CEO, Trajan Scientific and Medical
Mr David Williams – Founder, Kidder Williams
Note: Dr Megan Baldwin (Opthea Ltd) was unable to attend as a panellist on the night.
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To kick off the New Year, AFL player Jordan Ridley is encouraging everyone to get fit in February and help people at the same time with the Couch to Your KM Fitness Challenge.
The challenge is to hit 45km in February in any exercise and raise vital funds for research at the Bionics Institute to help people with hearing loss. Participants who raise significant funds could also go into a draw to win two tickets to the Matildas’ Olympic Qualifier match in Melbourne on 28 February.
Jordan is an Ambassador for the Bionics Institute, which was founded to develop the cochlear implant that has given hearing to nearly a million people. However, one in six Australians still struggle with hearing loss. Read more about Jordan’s story here.
Researchers at the Bionics Institute aim to change that reality with life-changing treatments for people with hearing loss, like Charlie who was diagnosed with partial deafness as a baby. Read more about Charlie’s story here.
About the Couch to Your KM Fitness Challenge
Anyone can register for a solo or team challenge, pick their preferred exercise and hit 45km in the month of February.
That could be running, rowing, cycling or anything active! For more static exercises such as yoga or weights 1 hour of activity equals 5km.
Achieving fitness goals will make you healthier and fundraising for the Bionics Institute will keep you motivated and help people with hearing loss.
To find out more, Google Bionics Institute Couch to Your KM, or go to: https://fundraise.bionicsinstitute.org/event/couch2yourkm/home
About the Bionics Institute
It’s 45 years since the first cochlear implant was first implanted into a patient by Professor Grame Clark, an invention that has given hearing to nearly a million people worldwide.
He founded the Bionics Institute, which is now a world leader in the development of medical devices to test and treat hearing loss, Alzheimer’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic pain and much more.
Our scientists are doing some amazing work to help people with hearing loss.
This includes developing a new hearing test for babies, a drug that could restore hearing nerve cells for people with age-related hearing loss, and a new test to help develop treatments for tinnitus.
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The Bionics Institute is delighted to announce that Jordan Ridley has joined us as an ambassador for the Couch to Your KM Fitness Challenge, which will raise vital funds for our hearing research.
Jordan has played 85 games since being drafted in 2016, and was the winner of the Crichton Medal, Essendon FC men’s best and fairest medal in 2016.
ordan said: “Getting fit is good for your heart and your mental health.
“I would love to see people getting behind the Bionics Institute by taking on a February fitness challenge and raising vital funds to give people the joy of hearing.”
This February, you can choose an exercise and complete 45km throughout February to raise funds and give the joy of hearing.
This can be done solo or part of a team – a win for your health and for hearing research.
Jordan Ridley is the latest ambassador for the Bionics Institute and is keen to get behind our researchers to help the 1.5 billion people around the world living with hearing loss.
Learn more about how you can participate in the Couch to Your KM Fitness Challenge this February.
I would love to see people getting behind the Bionics Institute by taking on a February fitness challenge and raising vital funds to give people the joy of hearing Jordan Ridley, Essendon star and Bionics Institute ambassador
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We were delighted to welcome Professor Field Rickards, Professor Dexter Irvine, Professor Peter Seligman and Associate Professor Graeme Rathbone to our final staff meeting of 2023.
All three researchers have made a substantial contribution to the Bionics Institute wider med tech sector during their careers and have held a number of prestigious roles, including academia.
In recognition of their long service, we were delighted to offer the inaugural Graeme Rathbone Award, Dexter Irvine Award and Graeme Rathbone Award, alongside our Field Rickards Annual Awards for Leadership and Impact.
This year our recipients were:
Field Rickards Award for Best Researcher
Professor Kate Hoy
Field Rickards Award for Best Team
Finance Team
Field Rickards Award for Best Student
Ajmal Azees
Dexter Irvine Award for Best Auditory Scientist/Engineer
Dr Gautam Balasubramanian
Peter Seligman Award for Best Engineer
Jerico Matarazzo
Graeme Rathbone Award for Best Early Career Researcher
Dr Oscar Murphy
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In a world first, our electrical stimulation device to treat Crohn’s disease has been implanted in a patient at the Austin Hospital, with the aim of preventing inflammation of the gut recurring after surgery.
This breakthrough is a significant step forward for Crohn’s treatments and could help transform the lives of people suffering from the disease.
With no current cure available and limited treatment options, most patients with Crohn’s require ongoing surgeries to remove damaged sections of their gut as well as life-long drug therapies to manage symptoms.
Our device, the size of a thumbnail, attaches to the vagus nerve in the abdomen to kick start the body’s natural anti-inflammatory mechanisms, explains Professor James Fallon, CTO and Head of Research at the Bionics Institute, who leads this research.
“The vagus nerve controls many functions in the body, such as digestion, heart rate and the immune system,” Professor Fallon said.
“Our device is made up of tiny electrodes that stimulate the vagus nerve to trigger the body’s natural defences and prevent inflammation from damaging the gut – with the hope of allowing patients to continue their lives without the fear of further surgery.”
Read more about our vagus nerve research here.
Potentially life-changing research
This significant breakthrough was featured on Ch 7 News in November 2023 with Melbourne Dad, Anthony Becker who was the first person to be implanted with the device.
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The Bionics Institute’s Professor Kate Hoy has published a pioneering new research paper showing changes in brain activity and cognitive function in Alzheimer’s disease patients following six weeks of a patterned form of magnetic brain stimulation therapy.
The Bionics Institute’s Professor Kate Hoy has published a pioneering new research paper showing changes in brain activity and cognitive function in Alzheimer’s disease patients following six weeks of a patterned form of magnetic brain stimulation therapy.
This non-invasive stimulation therapy, called intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS), significantly improved brain connectivity and episodic memory in study participants with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s.
The research team found that the strength of patient’s brain connectivity, both before and after treatment, predicted improvement in episodic memory.
“This is the first trial to provide iTBS to multiple brain regions in Alzheimer’s disease,” Professor Hoy said.
“We were able to show that our iTBS treatment successfully improved a specific type of brain activity that is closely associated with cognitive functioning, and that this was linked with improvement in memory.”
“We’re pleased to be able to share these findings, which have led us to continue our research into the potential of brain stimulation to help fight memory loss in Alzheimer’s.”
Leading the way for future Alzheimer’s breakthroughs
In the study, participants were asked to perform a memory task prior to receiving iTBS therapy, following six weeks of stimulation treatment, then three- and six-months post-treatment.
Professor Hoy and her research team also measured the strength of gamma connectivity in the brain across the six-week treatment period, to see if iTBS enhanced gamma connectivity and influenced memory function.
Results showed that, following active treatment, there was a significant increase in gamma connectivity and a significant, albeit modest, improvement in recall ability.
Gamma connectivity in the brain is associated with learning, memory and information processing.
“Importantly, our research indicates that improvements in recall memory may be predicted by measuring the strength of a patient’s brain connectivity before the magnetic stimulation therapy,” Professor Hoy said.
These promising findings have directly informed our current Alzheimer’s disease clinical trial, which is investigating a personalised form of this treatment and aims to enhance the cognitive effects seen.
Significant step towards new treatments for Alzheimer’s disease
Our findings are a critical step in the development of therapies for Alzheimer’s disease.
Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, which affects an estimated 55 million people worldwide [1].
Professor Kate Hoy is leading a world-first clinical trial to further investigate how a personalised form of magnetic brain stimulation can restore dysfunctional connections in the brain and fight memory loss in Alzheimer’s.
She and her team are recruiting more than 100 participants to take part in the clinical trial.
References
[1] World Health Organisation. Fact Sheets. Retrieved from: https://www.who.int/newsroom/fact-sheets/detail/dementia, viewed 16.09.2021
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Bionics Institiute PhD candidate, Ajmal Azees, has been awarded a prestigious MedTech Actuator Menzies Scholarship.
Supported by the MedTech Actuator and the Menzies Foundation, 10 high potential PhD researchers are awarded a MedTech Actuator Menzies Scholarship annually to support their academic development.
“I applied for the MedTech Actuator Menzies Scholarship because it presents a unique opportunity at the intersection of science, research, and entrepreneurship,” said Ajmal.
“I believe that by immersing myself in this ecosystem of innovation, I can contribute not only to the advancement of medical technology but also learn how to effectively bring these innovations to market.”
Ajmal is currently under the supervision of Associate Professor Rachael Richardson and is investigating how a hybrid approach of light and electricity can enhance neural stimulation, which can lead to better outcomes in hearing, eye and pain research at the Bionics Institute.
“The MedTech Actuator Menzies Scholarship will profoundly impact my development and my contributions to the Bionics Institute,” he explained.
“By acquiring entrepreneurial skills and learning how to bridge the gap between research and commercialisation, I will be better equipped to translate our research findings into practical solutions that can benefit patients and society.”
Ajmal has displayed prodigious research talent during his PhD candidacy and won the RMIT Round of the Three Minute Thesis.
The Bionics Institute has a proud history of developing exceptional PhD students, and Ajmal is the second Bionics Institute student in consecutive years to be awarded a MedTech Actuator Menzies Scholarship, following Ishara Paranawithana in 2022.