My research sits at the interphase between materials, biology and medicine, focussing on engineering and tailoring at a molecular level, where biological entities interact with biomaterials and devices. Having the capacity to control that interphase allows me not only to interrogate and understand important physiological processes, but also to translate these capabilities to applications, which benefits patients, clinicians and fellow researchers. My work has been instrumental in advancing cutting-edge research across a range of disciplines and has resulted in the creation of innovative technologies, devices and research tools that are being utilized to overcome many pressing medical and biological challenges. Examples include: coatings that control infection and/or inflammation; precision diagnostic devices; drug delivery vehicles, and biomaterial surfaces capable of directing cellular responses required in areas such as tissue engineering and cell therapies. The key to my continuing success has been building of close working relationships with experts from a variety of fields and I enjoy productive cross-disciplinary collaborations, both nationally and internationally, with many leading physicians, surgeons and biologists. This cooperative approach enables the validation of the medical challenges addressed in my research, and charts a path for the translation of research outputs to significantly improve medical outcomes.
In addition to creating a body of knowledge via more than 270 publications, many with leading publishers, my research has a strong translational focus via excellent partnerships with the private sector. Several technologies developed in my laboratories are being scaled for production and commercialisation by industry partners. These include: 1) A bladder cancer diagnostic technology, successfully translated to the manufacturing facility of MOtherson Innovations Pty Ltd in South Australia and Svuported via a $5,000,000 in CRC-P Funding. 2) In collaboration with Global Orthopaedic Technologies, and funded by an Innovative Manufacturing CRC grant of $6,000,000, I am translating an antibacterial technology to the surface of orthopaedic implants. Analogous technology is also being transferred to dental implants with Anisop Holdings (https://anisop.com.au/about-us) and $1,200,000 project funded by MTP Connect. These translational projects are a key focus of my research strategy. On a practical level, the highly beneficial outputs of my research help patients, clinicians and other research colleagues. But at the macro level they also directly address a number of government innovation priorities at both a state and federal level, and make a significant contribution to the development and transformation of the Australian economy focussed on high added value manufacturing.