HEALTH - Gold Coast Health & Knowledge Precinct

Filed Under: HEALTH, TECHNOLOGY Tagged With: 3d printing, ADaPT, Dr Hal Rice, Dr Sam Canning, Neuroendovascular, Neurovascular, Stryker

High-tech training centre opportunity in life-saving procedures

Dr Sam Canning (left) from Griffith University and Dr Hal Rice from GCUH

In the most delicate and exacting of procedures, world-leading Interventional Neuroradiologist Dr Hal Rice routinely saves lives at the Gold Coast University Hospital (GCUH) – and now with ground-breaking help from 3D printing experts in the Precinct is set to train specialists from around the world.

Dr Rice, together with colleague Dr Laeticia de Villiers, extracts blood clots from inside blocked blood vessels in stroke patients and repairs fragile brain aneurysms that have ruptured or are at high risk of rupturing with catastrophic brain haemorrhage.

The specialist in minimally-invasive endovascular neurosurgical procedures navigates a series of tiny plastic tubes from the femoral artery in the patient’s groin or radial artery in the wrist up into brain blood vessels measuring only two to three millimetres wide, to gently remove blood clots or reconstruct swollen and ruptured blood vessels using innovative devices such as ultra-fine platinum coils and vascular stents, without the need to cut through the skull.

Many of the devices are made by leading global medical company Stryker, with Dr Rice’s world-class standing attracting Stryker’s President of Neurovascular Mark Paul and company executives from the region to visit the Precinct, with a view to using it as their Asia-Pacific base for specialised training.

The visiting Stryker delegation hosted by Dr Hal Rice

3D printed models take planning and training to new levels of precision

Working with advanced imaging and the specialist digital design skills of Griffith University ADaPT (Advanced Design and Prototyping Technology) experts, they’re 3D printing exact replicas of an individual patient’s aneurysm in situ within the blood vessel so they can better plan life-saving surgeries and train other specialists in this precision specialised medicine.

Conventional training has relied on animal models – the high-tech approach blending virtual simulation with replica printed models will be world-first.

‘The 3D printed models help us to very realistically simulate these complex lifesaving procedures, bringing to life what we see on screen in the operating theatre during an actual treatment,’ says Dr Rice.

‘With a large inventory of precisely printed 3D models we can now rehearse treatment plans and also train specialists in the latest technologies, while using the models to rigorously evaluate new and future products before commencing clinical trials. The models can even be fitted with special pumps to realistically mimic normal pulsating blood flow.’

Dr Rice shows Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt large and life-size versions of the 3D printed models

For Dr Sam Canning, Convenor of Digital and 3D Design at Griffith University, the project tests the limits of design and prototyping technologies.

‘With a project of this complexity we are breaking new ground. We’ve conducted exhaustive tests of combinations of imaging technologies, 3D modelling/imaging software and extensive exploration of 3D printing technologies,”Dr Canning says.

I think it is safe to say that it is recent advances in imaging, software and hardware that have made this entire project possible. Most of this technology (in its current form) did not exist only eighteen months ago.”

Filed Under: HEALTH, PROJECTS Tagged With: Professor Randy Bindra

In good hands – Professor Randy Bindra

Professor Randy Bindra tests a model on Griffith's Six Degree of Freedom robotic testing machine

A ROUNDABOUT JOURNEY ACROSS THREE CONTINENTS BROUGHT PROFESSOR RANDY BINDRA FROM HIS CHILDHOOD HOME IN INDIA TO THE GOLD COAST HEALTH AND KNOWLEDGE PRECINCT (GCHKP) WHERE HE INNOVATES IN ORTHOPAEDIC SURGERY.

The softly-spoken Sikh did his medical training in India’s largest city, Mumbai, before doing further specialist studies in the UK and the US, then leaving Chicago for the sunny shores of Australia’s Gold Coast in 2014.

With an Australian wife and the offer of work as a leading hand and wrist surgeon at the then brand new Gold Coast University Hospital (GCUH), along with a Professorship at Griffith University, the appeal was obvious.

Since arriving, Professor Bindra has found ready research partners within Griffith’s health and engineering faculties, as well as a growing appetite for surgical training from Indian specialists keen to learn from his extensive experience in trauma, and his cutting-edge research to regrow nerves and ligament tissue.

Now it is coming together in unique project with his Griffith University colleague Professor David Lloyd and team that offers the promise of not only repairing the most common wrist injury in young, active people, but providing a platform technology that will transform how sports injuries are treated.

From left: PhD candidate Alastair Quinn, Professor Bindra, Biomechanical engineer Dr David Saxby, PhD candidate Kaecee Fitzgerald, Griffith University

The project, funded by an almost $900,000 BioMedTech Horizons program grant from the Australian Government, is using groundbreaking bioengineering and 3D printing technology to create hope for sufferers of Scapholunate Interosseous Ligament (SLIL) injury.

SLIL injuries cause dislocation of scaphoid and lunate bones and can be career-ending for an athlete and result in long-term disability for others, with current treatments that improvise to use tendon in place of ligament having a poor prognosis. Long-term pain, limitation of movement and arthritis are often the eventual outcome.

“What we are trying to create is a ligament scaffold that is customised to the patient and is seeded with cells, so its a live ligament that is ready to grow and heal,” explains Professor Bindra.

“If we can perfect the science and make this a reliable platform starting off in the wrist, we could use it anywhere else where there’s a ligament injury.

We don’t even fully realise the potential yet, so its very exciting to be at the starting curve of something that could be dramatic in terms of sports injuries.”

Having already been trialled in successful animal studies, Professor Bindra, who was named 2016 Queensland Clinical Educator, says he expects the research to expand into human clinical trials within the next two to three years.

The project draws on the expertise of industry partner Orthocell, a successful Australian regenerative medicine company who are responsible for the cell biology work, and also involves collaboration with the Universities of Queensland and Western Australia, however the core multi-disciplinary team benefits from co-location within the GCHKP.

“The great thing about the Gold Coast and this health and knowledge precinct is the proximity of all the different teams. So you’ve got a hosptial and a medical school, we have access to cadavers, access to fantastic mechanical labs, we have ADaPT where we can print and create scaffolds and prototypes and we’ve got a lot of smart people at Griffith university,” Professor Bindra says.

“So we’ve got this combination of everything in one place which I’m not sure is replicated anywhere else.”

Filed Under: HEALTH, INVEST Tagged With: Chengdu, China, Institute for Glycomics, Mayor Tom Tate

China’s home of pandas has giant health investment promise

The delegation visits Olymvax Biopharmaceuticals

As the Gold Coast signs a key Sister City agreement with Chengdu, capital of China’s Sichuan province and home to the famous giant pandas, the promise of investment into the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct (GCHKP) is rapidly taking shape.

With a vaccine licensing agreement already in place between Griffith University’s Institute for Glycomics and Chengdu-based Olymvax Biopharmaceuticals to deliver a world-first vaccine for Streptococcus A infection, the next steps in engaging the sector in China will see expansion of biotech company relationships to position the GCHKP as a key location for Chinese investment in drug, vaccine and diagnostics development and other health technologies.

GCHKP Project Director Di Dixon joined Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate in a 40-strong Gold Coast group, the largest ever Australian delegation to Chengdu, to celebrate the Sister City agreement, host strategic partnership meetings and make key presentations to significant investors.

Mayor Tate joined Mayor of Chengdu, Mr Luo Qiang and other government and industry VIPs from both cities at a ceremony to formally affirm the sister city relationship.

“Becoming sister cities has been a work in progress over the past five years and I’m so pleased to have secured this agreement for the Gold Coast with one of China’s economic powerhouse cities,” says Mayor Tate.

“The signing recognises the momentum that has built up over the past few years and we’re pleased to see an increasing focus on health technology and medical research as the relationship now matures,” says Ms Dixon.

Formal Sister City signing

Why Chengdu?

Home to a metropolitan population of 10 million in a catchment of 16 million, Chengdu is at the centre of China’s fastest growing region as the Chinese government fosters development of its western cities and global influence through its signature ‘Belt and Road’ (BRI) policy initiative.

The Southern starting point of the historic Silk Road overland to Europe, Chengdu is being reimagined as a modern hub for Chinese trade and investment linking through the Eurasian ‘belt’ to European markets, and a burgeoning global centre of health technology.

The Sichuan capital offers global reach without the competition and costs of China’s eastern seaboard centres, where the cost of business is 20-40% higher.

63 higher education institutes and 50 scientific research institutes
Leads China in blood products, vaccines, stem cells and genomics
Strong in clinical trials with 8 clinical trial bases
2 key biotech precincts

(Source Austrade)

Long term relationships

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate has visited Chengdu six times, while GCHKP Project Director Di Dixon has now joined four Mayoral delegations to the city and has actively worked alongside Institute for Glycomics General Manager Dr Chris Davis to mature a growing relationship with Olymvax, cemented in a 2016 licensing deal to co-develop a potential blockbuster vaccine for the Strep A bacteria.

“Since the co-development deal a joint lab has been established and pre-clinical evaluation has commenced en route to a Phase 1 clinical trial, while we’ve been working towards a longer-term vision for expanding the partnership into a physical presence in the Precinct,” says Ms Dixon.

Mayor Tate with Olymvax Chairman Shaowen Fan

With education, civic and cultural links forging initial foundations of the emerging relationship between the Gold Coast and Chengdu, health was firmly a focus for the Sister City signing mission, with visits to the Sichuan Academy of Medical Services, Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital and the Chengdu International Medical City, as well as presentations to health focused investors.

The GCHKP hosted representatives from Olymvax, Chinese research and infrastructure investors and major Chinese biotechnology company Sinobioway for the celebration dinner, following signings of MOU’s with Sinobioway by the GCHKP and Griffith University in January, as the new partnership builds towards significant investment.

The delegation also visited Chengdu Medical city, an impressive 65kmsq land area focussed on the development of medicine, medical device manufacturing, medical research and services. The impressive approach to investment and facility development, alongside significant industry partners provides an opportunity for a future sister park collaboration.

Austrade Health Focus

“We can use the Sister City agreement to drive commercial opportunities in key areas of health and education – the timing is perfect for the new relationship to drive these opportunities.”

Tim White, Austrade Trade and Investment Commisioner, Chengdu

The China (Chengdu)–Australia Health Industry Fund is an initiative of Chengdu Municipal Government and Chengdu-based health industry representatives, with support from Austrade and the Australian Consulate-General in Chengdu. The objective is to provide new channels for project funding, IP incubation and research commercialisation partnerships in health and life sciences.