About us

Our foci

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• Disease focus

  IBMD will be of strategic importance to Australian biomedical research and industry only if we focus our technology development to real-world need and produce materials and devices that address a particular need in the market. Successfully leveraging our technology against critical biomedical problems will allow world-leading research that will contribute to the fundamental knowledge base and will produce ground-breaking findings that will transform our understanding of normal development and disease.

  We will collaborate with leading experts to provide technology that focuses on key health issues such as:

  • Cardiovascular disease (31% of all global deaths (17.9 M in 2016)
  • Cancer (2nd leading cause of death (9.6 M in 2018)),
  • Diabetes (1.6 M deaths directly attributable to diabetes in 2016 and 422 Million people with diabetes in 2014) and
  • Antibiotic resistance: an emerging and deeply worrying trend that could make many the medicines we currently rely on treat or control many infectious diseases. The scope of the issue is illustrated by the World Health Organisations statement that: “Without urgent action, we are heading for a post-antibiotic era, in which common infections and minor injuries can once again kill.”

• Point-of-care devices

  In the past decade, there has been an increasing push in Australian biomedical science to support translational research and commercialisation. Despite this, we believe that translation and commercialisation outcomes for Australia’s basic science can still be improved.  IBMD is uniquely situated to bridge the gap between basic research and industry as it 1) is primarily focused on technological research, 2) has developed and is continuing to develop strong collaborative partnerships with leading Australia biomedical research institutes and 3) has active and productive industrial collaborations in the point-of-care area though the IDEAL Hub

  By taking the knowledge, we generate using extremely sensitive, advanced research technology  and condensing this into simple, cost-effective point-of-care devices we will then be providing clinicians and medical professional with the tools they need to help a vast number  individuals.

  This capability is currently underpinned by the ARC IDEAL HUB

• Ultra sensitivity liquid biopsy

  Taking IBMD’s expertise in sensing, microfluidics and single-cell analysis, we are building advanced methodologies and devices for use in detection, prognosis and personalised treatment from liquid biopsy.  We are developing technologies that assist with:

  • CTC capture  - microfluidic-based enrichment and capture
  • CTC characterisation -  advanced imaging AND deep single-cell cytometry (fluorescence and genomic) and novel microfluidics devices for functional analysis of CTCs
  • Biomarker detection – advanced biofunctional probes for high-sensitivity detection of circulating biomarkers  AND point-of-care devices
  • Exosome analysis  - microfluidics separation and characterisation platforms
  • CtDNA detection – ultralow volume droplet-based assays and novel rapid sensing technologies
  • miRNA detection – assay development for novel miRNA

  We are excited to share the technologies with those looking to ask big biologically relevant questions. 

  This capability is currently supported by the:

• Advanced microsystems (human-on-a-chip)

  The capability to image cells at high resolution in their native environment has transformed our understanding of the spatial and temporal aspects of disease. However, inherent issues with the use of animal models and the increasing irrelevance of 2D cellular system is forcing the international community to look at alternate physiologically relevant systems. 

  Advanced micro-systems such as organ-on-a-chip are showing real promise in bridging the gap between in-vitro systems and the real human condition. They hold the promise of low cost, reproducible, physiologically relevant systems that will allow high throughput investigations into normal function and disease. 

  Organoids were recognised as Nature method of the year for 2017 and are a signficacnt step towards physiologically relevant systems Invitro system. However, at IBMD we want to extend the organoid concept to create a platform technology focused on truly integrated microphysiological systems. 

  At IBMD we build novel micro-physiological systems that integrate with:

  • our existing and developing sensor technology,
  • our advanced imaging platforms (including lattice light sheet and 
  • single cell characterisation capabilities
  • advanced on chip control.

  Such systems provide a novel way to study highly complex biological process in a extremely controlled manner with low sample input. We believe these will be critical for studying normal development, understanding disease processes, for drug discovery programs and in personalised medicine.