Bionics Institute

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The Bionics Institute
RGB horizontal.jpg
The Bionics Institute logo
MottoInnovation for Life
Founder(s)Professor Graeme Clark
Established1986;37 years ago (1986)
Mission Medical translational research
Focus Medical bionics
Chair John Stanhope AM
CEORobert Klupacs
Faculty
Adjunct faculty
  • Centre for Eye Research Australia
  • National ICT Australia
  • CSIRO
  • ARC Centre of Excellence for Electromaterials Science
  • Bionic Vision Australia
  • HEARing CRC
Staffapprox. 100
BudgetA$10.8 million (2019)
Formerly calledBionic Ear Institute
Location
384-388 Albert Street
,
East Melbourne
,
Victoria
,
Australia
Coordinates 37°48′34″S144°58′41″E / 37.80953°S 144.97804°E / -37.80953; 144.97804
Website bionicsinstitute.org

The Bionics Institute is an Australian medical research institute focusing on medical device development. It is located in Melbourne, Australia.

Contents

History

The Bionics Institute was founded in 1986 by Professor Graeme Clark AC. Professor Clark is widely recognised for his role in the development of the cochlear implant, [1] [2] a device that can restore hearing to deaf individuals. From 2005 to 2017, the Bionics Institute was under the leadership of Professor Rob Shepherd AM. During his tenure, the Institute's research focus expanded to include a variety of clinical areas, such as neurological conditions, blindness, and inflammatory bowel disease.[ citation needed ]

In 2017, Robert Klupacs was appointed as the Institute's CEO. [3] [4] [5] Under his leadership, the scope of the Institute's research was broadened to encompass auto-immune, chronic, brain, hearing, and vision disorders. [6] Additionally, Klupacs emphasised the importance of commercialising the Institute's research, facilitating the creation of several spin-off companies. [7]

The Institute's primary mission is to advance medical technologies through research and the development of medical devices, to transform the lives of individuals with disabilities and solve medical challenges. [8]

Location

The Bionics Institute has two campuses, one located in East Melbourne and the other in nearby Fitzroy. Mollison House (East Melbourne) is the site of the institute's administrative team as well as the bulk of its human research. The second campus exists in the Daly Wing of St Vincent's Hospital, Melbourne which houses the institute's wet labs and device fabrication facilities. [9]

Research

The Bionics Institute's research is focusses their research into three areas of study: auto-immune and chronic conditions; [10] [11] brain conditions; [12] hearing impairment and vision loss. [13]

Auto-immune and chronic conditions

The application of electricity for the purpose of modifying nerve function has emerged as a fundamental method for treating various auto-immune and chronic ailments that have limited responsiveness to traditional pharmaceutical treatments. Such conditions include Crohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, [10] type 2 diabetes [14] and incontinence.

Brain conditions

Various devices have been developed with the purpose of enhancing outcomes for individuals with neurological conditions, such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and stroke. [14] Additionally, the Institute develops neural prosthetics, which aims to improve bodily functions and brain function through the use of implanted devices. [15] [16]

Hearing impairment and vision loss

Hearing impairment research at the Bionics Institute is a field of study dedicated to addressing various forms of hearing loss and developing solutions to improve auditory function. The Institute focuses on advancing medical technology and addressing the needs of individuals with hearing impairments. One key area of research at the Bionics Institute is the development of a medical device geared towards optimising language development in hearing-impaired infants. [17] According to one 2006 study, the device aims to provide necessary auditory stimulation for language acquisition has resulted in improved speech and language skills. [18] Another area of study involves the use of light to enhance the selectivity of auditory nerve stimulation, particularly in the context of cochlear implants [19] and other neural stimulation devices; [20] Additionally, the Institute has developed objective tests for tinnitus. [21] [22]

Funding

The Bionics Institute is funded through a combination of government funding, private donations, and contract research. [23] In 2019, the institute's annual expenditure was $10.8 million.[ citation needed ] In 2019, 26.5% income was from Government Grants and 18.6% income was from donations and bequests.

Commercialistion

Professor Graeme Clark, the founder of the Bionics Institute, played a prominent role in the development of Australia's cochlear implant, [24] [25] which was later commercialised by Cochlear Pty Ltd. [26]

Building upon this success, the Bionics Institute has also produced several spin-off companies including Epi-Minder, which focuses on the commercialisation of an epilepsy seizure monitoring device; [27] [28] [29] [30] DBS Tech which specialised in adaptive deep brain stimulation systems for Parkinson's disease; [31] [32] and Neo-Bionica (launched 2021), [33] a company dedicated to the design and manufacturing of specialised medical devices and implants for human clinical trials. [34] [35] [36]

Collaborations

The University of Melbourne, Medical Bionics Department

In July 2012, the School of Medicine and Dentistry at the of University of Melbourne established the Medical Bionics Department [37] in collaboration with the Bionics Institute.

The Medical Bionics department launched its inaugural PhD program in 2013. Professor James Fallon serves as the head of the Medical Bionics Department at the University of Melbourne. [38]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cochlear implant</span> Prosthesis

A cochlear implant (CI) is a surgically implanted neuroprosthesis that provides a person who has moderate-to-profound sensorineural hearing loss with sound perception. With the help of therapy, cochlear implants may allow for improved speech understanding in both quiet and noisy environments. A CI bypasses acoustic hearing by direct electrical stimulation of the auditory nerve. Through everyday listening and auditory training, cochlear implants allow both children and adults to learn to interpret those signals as speech and sound.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Audiology</span> Branch of science that studies hearing, balance, and related disorders

Audiology is a branch of science that studies hearing, balance, and related disorders. Audiologists treat those with hearing loss and proactively prevent related damage. By employing various testing strategies, audiologists aim to determine whether someone has normal sensitivity to sounds. If hearing loss is identified, audiologists determine which portions of hearing are affected, to what degree, and where the lesion causing the hearing loss is found. If an audiologist determines that a hearing loss or vestibular abnormality is present, they will provide recommendations for interventions or rehabilitation.

Unilateral hearing loss (UHL) is a type of hearing impairment where there is normal hearing in one ear and impaired hearing in the other ear.

Sonova Holding AG is an internationally active Swiss group of companies headquartered in Stäfa that specializes in hearing care. The Sonova group operates through its core business brands Phonak, Unitron, Hansaton, Advanced Bionics, AudioNova and Sennheiser. It is one of the largest providers in the sector worldwide. The group and its brands hold 24% of the global hearing aid market in sales. As of 11 September 2022, Sonova is a component of the Swiss Market Index.

Graeme Milbourne Clark AC is an Australian Professor of Otolaryngology at the University of Melbourne. Worked in ENT surgery, electronics and speech science contributed towards the development of the multiple-channel cochlear implant. His invention was later marketed by Cochlear Limited.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cochlear Limited</span> Australian public company

Cochlear is a medical device company that designs, manufactures, and supplies the Nucleus cochlear implant, the Hybrid electro-acoustic implant and the Baha bone conduction implant.

An auditory brainstem implant (ABI) is a surgically implanted electronic device that provides a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf, due to retrocochlear hearing impairment. In Europe, ABIs have been used in children and adults, and in patients with neurofibromatosis type II.

A visual prosthesis, often referred to as a bionic eye, is an experimental visual device intended to restore functional vision in those with partial or total blindness. Many devices have been developed, usually modeled on the cochlear implant or bionic ear devices, a type of neural prosthesis in use since the mid-1980s. The idea of using electrical current to provide sight dates back to the 18th century, discussed by Benjamin Franklin, Tiberius Cavallo, and Charles LeRoy.

Neurostimulation is the purposeful modulation of the nervous system's activity using invasive or non-invasive means. Neurostimulation usually refers to the electromagnetic approaches to neuromodulation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henryk Skarżyński</span> Polish surgeon (born 1954)

Henryk Skarzynski is a Polish doctor otolaryngologist, audiologist and phoniatrist, creator and director of Warsaw Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing and World Hearing Center in Kajetany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ingeborg Hochmair</span> Austrian electrical engineer

Ingeborg J. Hochmair-Desoyer is an Austrian electrical engineer and the CEO and CTO of hearing implant company MED-EL. Dr Hochmair and her husband Prof. Erwin Hochmair co-created the first micro-electronic multi-channel cochlear implant in the world. She received the Lasker-DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award for her contributions towards the development of the modern cochlear implant. She also received the 2015 Russ Prize for bioengineering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital</span> Hospital in Victoria, Australia

TheRoyal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital is a specialist public teaching hospital in East Melbourne, Australia. It is the only hospital in Australia which specialises in both ophthalmology and otolaryngology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MED-EL</span> Multinational medical device company

MED-EL is a global medical technology company specializing in hearing implants and devices. They develop and manufacture products including cochlear implants, middle ear implants and bone conduction systems. 

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohan Kameswaran</span> Indian otorhinolaryngologist and medical academic

Mohan Kameswaran is an Indian otorhinolaryngologist, medical academic and the founder of MERF Institute of Speech and Hearing, a Chennai-based institution providing advanced training in audiology and speech-language pathology. He is one of the pioneers of cochlear implant surgery in India and a visiting professor at Rajah Muthiah Medical College of the Annamalai University and Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute, Chennai. He has many firsts to his credit such as the performance of the first auditory brain stem implantation surgery in South and South East Asia, the first pediatric brain stem implantation surgery in Asia, the first totally implantable hearing device surgery in Asia Pacific region, and the first to introduce KTP/532 laser-assisted ENT surgery in India. The Government of India awarded him the fourth highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 2006, for his contributions to Indian medicine.

Rylie Green is an Australian biomedical engineer who is a Professor at Imperial College London. She works on bioactive conducting polymers for applications in medical electronics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Debara L. Tucci</span> American otolaryngologist

Debara Lyn Tucci is an American otolaryngologist, studying ear, nose, and throat conditions. She co-founded the Duke Hearing Center and currently serves as a professor of Surgery and Director of the Cochlear Implant Program at Duke University. In September 2019 she became Director of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, one of the National Institutes of Health's 27 Institutes and Centers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Dowell</span> Australian audiologist and researcher

Richard Charles Dowell is an Australian audiologist, academic and researcher. He holds the Graeme Clark Chair in Audiology and Speech Science at University of Melbourne. He is a former director of Audiological Services at Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital.

Susan Ellen Shore is an American audiologist who is the Merle Lawrence Collegiate Professor of Otolaryngology at the University of Michigan. She was elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2021.

Gerald E. Loeb is an American neurophysiologist, biomedical engineer, academic and author. He is a Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Pharmacy and Neurology at the University of Southern California, the President of Biomed Concepts, and the co-founder of SynTouch.

Colette McKay is an Australian audiologist, academic and researcher. She leads the translational hearing program at the Bionics Institute of Australia.

References

  1. ↑ "Professor Graeme M. Clark AC". NAE Website. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  2. ↑ "Professor Graeme Clark AC". Australian of the Year. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  3. ↑ "Mr Robert Klupacs, Chief Executive Officer - Bionics Institute". www.bionicsinstitute.org. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  4. ↑ "Robert Klupacs, CEO Bionics Institute". rotaryclubofmelbourne.org.au. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  5. ↑ "Robert Klupacs, CEO, Bionics Institute". InnovationAus.com. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  6. ↑ "Scholarship for life sciences students promotes innovation". www.labonline.com.au. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  7. ↑ Hendry, Justin (29 May 2023). "Biotech success starts with a precinct approach". InnovationAus.com. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  8. ↑ "About Us - Bionics Institute". www.bionicsinstitute.org. 8 April 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  9. ↑ "Contact us". Bionics Institute. Archived from the original on 27 August 2016. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  10. 1 2 "Melbourne invention 'size of a thumbnail' could treat rheumatoid arthritis". ABC listen. 8 November 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  11. ↑ "Autoimmune and Chronic Condition Research - Bionics Institute". www.bionicsinstitute.org. 11 April 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  12. ↑ "Brain Research - Bionics Institute". www.bionicsinstitute.org. 11 April 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  13. ↑ "Hearing and Vision Research - Bionics Institute". www.bionicsinstitute.org. 11 April 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  14. 1 2 Dodd, Tim (8 November 2022). "Medical technology and medical devices rely on advanced research". The Australian. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  15. ↑ Deutsch, Sophie (19 July 2023). "New bionic limb uses AI to decode motor commands". Create. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  16. ↑ Post, Hippocratic (15 July 2023). "New bionic limb research redefining possibilities". The Hippocratic Post. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  17. ↑ "In the news". Australian Women's Weekly: 14–17. November 2017.
  18. ↑ Nowak, Rachel (25 November 2006). "Ear implant success sparks culture war". New Scientist. 192 (2579): 16–17. doi:10.1016/S0262-4079(06)61175-5.
  19. ↑ "Cochlear implants prevent 'scrambling' in deaf brains". New Scientist. 200 (2688): 13. 3 January 2009.
  20. ↑ "How to regrow lost hearing". New Scientist. 183 (2465): 13. 18 September 2004.
  21. ↑ Lu, Donna (28 November 2020). "AI can tell if you have tinnitus". New Scientist. 248 (3310): 20.
  22. ↑ SCIMEX (4 May 2022). "Tinnitus test paves the way to new treatments". Scimex. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  23. ↑ Bionics Institute. Annual Report 2018-2019 (PDF). Bionics Institute.
  24. ↑ "Clark, Graeme M - Faculty of Medicine Online Museum and Archive". www.sydney.edu.au. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  25. ↑ Fraser, Thomas (1 May 2023). "Bionic ear pioneer Professor Graeme Clark honoured by Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland". Newsroom. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  26. ↑ Clark, Graeme M; Clark, Jonathan; Cardamone, Tina; Clarke, Maria; Nielsen, Prue; Jones, Rob; Arhatari, Benedicta; Birbilis, Nick; Curtain, Roger; Xu, Jin; Wagstaff, Sheryl; Gibson, Peter; O'Leary, Stephen; Furness, John (September 2014). "Biomedical studies on temporal bones of the first multi-channel cochlear implant patient at the University of Melbourne". Cochlear Implants International. 15 (Suppl 2): S1–S15. doi:10.1179/1754762814Y.0000000087. ISSN   1754-7628. PMID   24915284. S2CID   25115227.
  27. ↑ "Predicting seizures in epilepsy" . Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  28. ↑ Ahveninen, Anna (16 March 2023). "Epi-Minder and the University of Melbourne". Research. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  29. ↑ Holland, Daryl (25 July 2023). "Case study: Monitoring epileptic seizures | Melbourne Research". Research. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  30. ↑ "Epiminder Project". ACMD. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  31. ↑ "Deep Brain Stimulation Technologies - Bionics Institute". www.bionicsinstitute.org. 11 May 2022. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  32. ↑ "Deep Brain Stimulation Technologies Pty Ltd : MTPConnect". www.mtpconnect.org.au. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  33. ↑ "MarketLine Company Profile: The University of Melbourne". University of Melbourne MarketLine Company Profile: 1–22. 29 September 2023.
  34. ↑ Melbourne, St Vincent’s Hospital. "St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne". www.svhm.org.au. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  35. ↑ Smith, Katherine (23 May 2023). "Neo-Bionica to make prototype implantable medical devices". Research. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  36. ↑ Kevey, Donna (23 February 2022). "New manufacturing facility takes Victorian bioengineering expertise to the world". Newsroom. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
  37. ↑ Udani, Bhavi (29 April 2020). "Medical Bionics Department". Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
  38. ↑ "Professor James Fallon, CTO and Head of Research Operations - Bionics Institute". www.bionicsinstitute.org. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
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