Dr ZuFu Lu with PhD student, Stephanie Yee.

Despite the capacity of bone to rejuvenate itself, repairing and regenerating large bone defects and healing complex bone fractures remains a major clinical challenge for the health industry.

Biomedical engineer,Dr ZuFu Lusresearch has identified a protein that reprograms human fibroblast cells into functional bone cells (cells responsible for healing).

We hope this approach will have significant advantages over other commonly used cells, potentially leading to a shift in the current paradigm of bone regenerative medicine, said Dr Lu.

Inspired by the performance of highly mineralised, naturally occurring materials such as bone, teeth, enamel and seashells,Dr Mohammad Mirkhalafhas developed and patented a class of ceramic 3D- and 4D-printing techniques.

Dr Mirkhalaf has developed light-based 3D and 4D printing procedures for ceramic implants that are designed for different parts of the musculoskeletal system, such as for hip or femur implants.

The printing process duplicates the way naturally durable materials grow, resulting in bioceramic implants with the overall shape, internal architecture, biology and mechanics like natural products, such as bone, Dr Mirkhalaf said.

As a result, the printed products are ideal for the repair or replacement of the hard tissues of the musculoskeletal system. We hope these advances will help millions of people around the world suffering from bone conditions.

PhD student Pooria Lesani is developing nanobiosensing technology in the hope of creating a method for the early diagnosis and monitoring of diseases such as Parkinsons and Alzheimers disease.

Nanobiosensors are devices that measure a biochemical or biological activity in the body using any electronic, optical, or magnetic technology through a compact probe. Mr Lesani is using fluorescence technology to aid in the measurement of chemical concentrations and biomolecular activity in the body.

Early diagnosisof disease generally increases the chances of successful treatment. We hope the development of fluorescent nanobiosensors will allow for non-invasive and accurate detection of potential diseases and disorders at the very early stages, Mr Lesani said.

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$10.5m facility to boost bio-engineering research - The University of Sydney - News - The University of Sydney