
Therapeutic Technologies
The Therapeutic Technologies Research Initiative focused on new applications of mechano-pharmacology and organ-on-a-chip technology to transform drug screening processes.
By 2014, the nano and bionano-technology research revolution had produced exciting research outcomes. But, in many cases, they had not translated to practical outcomes for society. The Materials Hallmark Research Initiative was created to support interdisciplinary research and development in scaleable nano to meso-materials.
The Materials Hallmark Research Initiative offered support for researchers to pursue large-scale funding opportunities. In order to fuel these collaborations, the initiative offered:
By 2014, the nano and bionano-technology research revolution had produced exciting research outcomes. But in many cases, these findings have not translated to practical outcomes for society. This is largely due to the challenges involved in moving engineered particles, including nano-scale materials and devices, into production.
To address this, there has been a shift globally, where governments have supported materials research at the nano-scale (producing micro-grams of materials) there is now a focus on engineering materials that can be produced at a larger scale. This shift from the nano-scale to the meso-scale allows for viable links to process engineering. Meanwhile, it focuses on creating materials that possess novel properties that differ from traditional macroscopic materials.
The Materials Hallmark Research Initiative was announced in 2014, with funding from the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Research for three years. Although this initiative no longer receives DVCR funding, Professor Ray Dagastine and Dr Rackel San Nicolas continue as key contacts for the active community of materials researchers at the University.
The overarching vision of the Materials Hallmark Research Initiative was to support and develop interdisciplinary research in scaleable nano to meso-materials across three research themes:
Image: Shutterstock
The Therapeutic Technologies Research Initiative focused on new applications of mechano-pharmacology and organ-on-a-chip technology to transform drug screening processes.
The Computational Biology Hallmark Research Initiative strengthened cross-disciplinary and external collaborations in computational biology.