Brain insights through imaging to aid epilepsy and dementia diagnosis

Researchers will have new insight into what is happening in the brain, with NIF and The Florey co-investing in a $2.5 million MRI machine newly installed in Melbourne. 

The new Siemens Magnetom Vida 3T MRI scanner will enable high-quality personalised exams for clinical research, including as a tool for diagnosing epilepsy, dementia and mental health conditions.  

NIF Florey Node Co-Director Associate Professor Heath Pardoe said the machine was part of a collaboration also involving Siemens and Austin Health. 

“This installation future-proofs our MRI needs,” Associate Professor Pardoe said. 

“MRI technology is vital in giving Florey researchers the knowledge they need for solving brain and mind problems with world-leading neurological research, right here in Melbourne.” 

The new scanner has a number of technological improvements over the decommissioned machine it replaces, including improved ability to image white matter pathways – part of the brain architecture that connects neurons in grey matter for organising human behaviour. 

With its larger size, the scanner also provides improved patient accessibility and comfort. 

It is a vital component of new MRI-guided ultrasound technology to be installed at The Florey next year, enabling a non-invasive procedure using targeted heating of deep brain structures for treating essential tremor and tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease – without the need for surgery. 

NIF CEO Professor Wojtek Goscinski said the investment would enable better integration between basic science, applied science and clinical research.  

It aligned with the Federal Government’s 2021 Research Infrastructure Roadmap, which recognises the need to transform scientific discovery into medical products, he said.  

“We underpin the nation’s ability to translate research with expertise and equipment such as this, providing better clinical decision-making and better health for all Australians. 

“Focused ultrasound is among the fast-moving technologies that is increasingly critical to Australian health and wellbeing because it is so flexible and can offer minimally-invasive alternatives to surgery. 

“There are more than 150 disorders being investigated, new treatments being developed, or being applied using focused ultrasound – for tumours, trauma, pain, brain degeneration and movement disorders.” 

Victorian imaging network meets to map out innovative future

[Pictured: VBIC Annual Network Meeting guest speakers Prof Lindy Fitzgerald and Prof Amy Brodtmann] 

Innovation, industry partnerships and commercialisation will be among the topics discussed at a meeting bringing together NIF’s capabilities from around Victoria on November 24. 

The annual Victorian Biomedical Imaging Capability (VBIC) network meeting will attract researchers, clinicians and industry partners to Monash Biomedical Imaging in Melbourne. 

Participants will represent NIF nodes at the University of Melbourne, Monash, Swinburne, the Florey, Olivia Newton John Cancer Research Institute and La Trobe University. 

Neurologist Prof Amy Brodtmann will draw on her interests in imaging, stroke and dementia to present research findings from the Cognitive Health Initiative at Monash and Alfred Health  

Guest speaker Prof Melinda Fitzgerald from Curtin University and the Perron Institute will present on a national initiative she heads as CEO, called Connectivity, the Mission for Traumatic Brain Injury.  The initiative includes use of MRI and clinical biomarkers in a national trial to improve the diagnosis and prognosis of traumatic brain injury. 

Sessions at the meeting will also cover the work of imaging experts in research programs employing ultra-high field MRI, CT and PET; as well as presentations from experts in industry partnering and commercialisation. 

NIF Chief Executive Officer Prof Wojtek Goscinski said the meeting would provide a platform for early career researchers and emerging leaders, a showcase for new-generation imaging, and opportunities for important in-person networking. 

It would also enable discussion on the NIF Imaging Roadmap, including supporting innovation and ensuring Australia’s international comparative advantage, Prof Goscinski said. 

The roadmap will add to the substantial impact and jobs that VBIC and NIF have already delivered, with a recent report estimating more than $350 million in economic activity for Victoria. 

VBIC nodes have grown to employ more than 150 FTE imaging staff, and partner with more than 90 organisations, including Austin Health, CSIRO, Melbourne Health, Mental Health Research Institute and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. 

Capital investments have reached $37 million, providing access to human and preclinical MRI and PET-CT, preclinical DEXA scanners and confocal endomicroscopy, as well as magnetoencephalography and nuclear scintigraphy. 

A massive $235 million in major grants has been secured, enabling new research projects in cancer, infection and inflammation, brain function, epilepsy, dementia and even long-term aspirin use. 

Click here for more information about the VBIC network meeting and full programme.

Announcing: Brainhack Global returns to Australia next month

Brainhack Global Australasia’s collaborative hackathon has been announced for 2022, supported by National Imaging Facility (NIF) and the Australian Research Data Commons–funded Australian Characterisation Commons at Scale (ACCS).

The Australian branch of the inclusive event will be hosted in-person for the first time at the University of Sydney from 30 Nov – 2 Dec, inviting attendance from students, post-graduates and faculty members to develop tools and collaborate on world-wide projects as part of the global hackathon.

The purpose of Brainhack is to bridge the data science and neuroscience research communities to advance the progress of brain and nervous system research, and to collaboratively build tools that foster open and reproducible practices.

Researchers from a range of disciplines and geographic locations will work together on community led projects that foster collaboration and innovation, as well as connecting the Australian neuroscientific community to international projects.

A number of successful projects have been borne out of past Australian Brainhack meetings, including Neurodesk, a flexible, scalable and browser-based data analysis environment for reproducible neuroimaging.

For more information and to register for Brainhack Australasia click here.

NIF to demonstrate impact of coordinated data and AI at RANZCR ASM 2022

National Imaging Facility (NIF) will host a session at the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR) 72nd Annual Scientific Meeting (ASM) this month.

The NIF Showcase will highlight critical expertise and human imaging projects from across Australia’s advanced imaging network, including regional MRI and life-changing imaging for Australians living with epilepsy.


Point-of-care imaging leveraging AI to grow healthcare equity in regional Australia

Head of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology research at Alfred Hospital, Prof Meng Law will present on new technology for point-of-care imaging and regional MRI. Prof Law is an expert on neuroimaging and AI, and his presentation will focus on federated deep learning for signal-to-noise ratio imaging and motion correction, using NIF’s low-field magnetic resonance network.

NIF is deploying four low-field MRI scanners to remote and regional sites to help researchers apply this affordable imaging technology in rural areas. These scanners will be used to understand how this fast-developing technology can be used to diagnose stroke, traumatic brain injury, and other conditions after testing in research laboratories at NIF nodes.


Imaging networks and datasets to support life-changing platform for more than 150,000 Australians living with epilepsy

Clinical Director of The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Prof Graeme Jackson will present on the Australian Epilepsy Project (AEP), reducing diagnosis uncertainty and fast-tracking optimal treatment by combining advanced imaging, genetics, cognition, and artificial intelligence (AI).

Prof Jackson is the Chief Investigator on the AEP Platform, which will drive major advances in decision support tools for epilepsy, and NIF’s national human MR network is set to enable scanning across Australia.

The data collected by the AEP will provide a rich resource for addressing many other traditional science and mechanistic questions in epilepsy to progress epilepsy research worldwide.


NIF CEO Prof Wojtek Goscinski said the invitation to showcase NIF at the RANZCR ASM was an opportunity to highlight the transformation of imaging through AI and big data, and to underline the unique capabilities that NIF provides.

“We’re privileged to have world-class speakers Prof Meng Law and Prof Graeme Jackson presenting on two projects that are supported by data collections and the AI models around them, which will lead to better treatment and diagnosis for Australians,” Prof Goscinski said.

The impact of imaging in radiology is only increasing, with experts now able to extract quantifiable information from ever larger data collections by applying machine learning methods such as deep learning and convolutional neural networks.

Big data and AI have a transformative effect on radiology, enhancing patient outcomes by distinguishing irregularities and patterns in data collections, and enabling diagnosis with speed and accuracy.

“NIF is focused on keeping Australia at the forefront of imaging technology and imaging data analytics, and is exploring a range of activities to increase uptake of machine learning in imaging, including data infrastructure and imaging quality,” he said.

The NIF Showcase session will also see a panel of experts discuss opportunities for collaboration between NIF and RANZCR for the benefit of medical research.

View the NIF Showcase agenda below:

RANZCR ASM NIF Showcase: Friday 28 October, 08:30-10:00

TIMETOPICSPEAKER
8:30IntroductionA/Prof Sanjay Jeganathan
RANZCR President
8:35Introduction to National Imaging FacilityProf Wojtek Goscinski
NIF Chief Executive Officer
8:45Point of Care Imaging and Regional MRI 
NIF Low Field MR Network
Federated Deep Learning for SNR, Motion Correction
Prof Meng Law
Professor and Director of Radiology, Alfred Health
Director of iBRAIN
Monash University
9:05The Australian Epilepsy Project
MR guided focused ultrasound
Prof Graeme Jackson
Chief Investigator, Australian Epilepsy Project
Clinical Director, The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health
9:25Panel discussion
RANZCR and NIF: Opportunities for collaboration for the benefit of Australian healthcare
Chair: Prof Paul Parizel
NIF UWA Node Director
Chair, UWA Medical School
David Hartley Chair in Radiology, UWA Medical School

Prof Wojtek Goscinski

Prof Meng Law

Prof Graeme Jackson

A/Prof Christen Barras
Radiologist
Co-Convenor RANZCR ASM 2022

Dr Lauren Oakden Rayner
Director, Research
Royal Adelaide Hospital Medical Imaging

The RANZCR ASM will take place at the Adelaide Convention Centre on 27–30 October 2022.

Under the theme of Reflect, Revive, Reimagine, the 72nd RANZCR ASM will be the largest meeting to date, with an innovative scientific program of over 250 presentations across 70+ sessions.

The four-day conference has lined up leading international and local radiologists to share best practices and highlight emerging medical advancements.

Imaging brings treatment a step closer for children with genetic heart condition

Researchers have tracked a molecule that targets the heart using imaging techniques supported by NIF, taking them a step closer to preventing a common genetic cardiac condition. 

The researchers are developing the first therapeutic for preventing – and even reversing – hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), the leading cause of sudden cardiac death in those aged 5 to 15 years.  

They have identified a mechanism in which the powerhouse of the cell, called mitochondria, use large amounts of oxygen to enlarge the heart wall in people with HCM. 

In vivo multispectral fluorescence imaging at NIF’s Node at the Centre for Microscopy, Characterisation and Analysis (CMCA) at the University of Western Australia (UWA) tracked a molecule called AID-TAT that decreases oxygen used by the mitochondria and prevents the enlargement.  


UWA NIF Fellow, Ms Diana Patalwala said a fluorescent dye was added to the AID-TAT so it could be tracked to the heart to ensure it reached the correct site for treatment. 

AID-TAT was also tracked to the liver and kidneys so the ‘rate of clearance’ could be studied to confirm its safe removal from the body, she said. 

CMCA provided expertise to the project as part of NIF’s role in underpinning Australian research priorities, including how to handle the in vivo fluorescence imaging equipment and samples to obtain relevant results, and how best to analyse them. 

Wesfarmers, UWA and Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute Chair in Cardiovascular Research, Professor Livia Hool, who is leading the research, said HCM was hereditary so screening at-risk family members would identify people to target for prevention. 

“Prevention is better than cure with HCM,” Professor Hool said. 

“Genetic testing is now much cheaper so it will become more common – and that will help to identify the people who will benefit from HCM prevention strategies. 

“At the moment, people don’t know they have HCM until they develop symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue or going into cardiac arrest. 

“There is presently no treatment that can reverse or prevent HCM.” 

Professor Hool said the research team used the CMCA imaging to build a proof of concept for AID-TAT, to assist in moving towards preclinical trials to demonstrate safety and efficacy. 

A genetic mutation causes hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in one in 500 people and about one in every 100 of those people will have a sudden cardiac death. 

The research uses AID-TAT to control cardiac metabolic activity, which may help prevent HCM in at-risk people identified as having a genetic mutation. 

World’s first longitudinal muscle study grows understanding of cerebral palsy development

NIF infrastructure is enabling the Muscle Growth in the Lower Extremity (MUGgLE) Study, the first longitudinal study comparing muscle growth in children with cerebral palsy and typically developing children.

The project is a collaboration between Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA), the University of NSW (UNSW) and the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Institute.

The National Health and Medical Research Council-funded study is using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to compare muscle growth between typically developing children and children with cerebral palsy, using high-resolution measurements of the architecture of whole muscles.

Researcher Dr Bart Bolsterlee said the longitudinal study will see the lower legs of over 300 children scanned, between the ages of 0-3 months and 5-14 years.

“They will be scanned three times, with one-and-a-half years in between scans. We analyse the images to look at the individual muscles and how they change in size and structure over time,” Dr Bolsterlee said.

“The key measures we are getting out of this study are not just the volume of muscles, but also the orientations and lengths of their muscle fibres, which is a key determinant of the function of a muscle.

“We also look at the fat content which is a compositional feature of muscles that is quite different between diseased muscles and healthy muscles.

The impacts of this research have real implications for children growing up in Australia, with one-in-seven hundred babies born with cerebral palsy.

“This is very much a fundamental research study – we don’t have any direct clinical outcomes that we are assessing – but what we do know about children with cerebral palsy, the leading cause of childhood physical disability in the western world, is that outcomes can be pretty poor,” Dr Bolsterlee said.

“One-in-three children with cerebral palsy cannot walk independently, and we know this has got something to do with disordered muscle growth.

“It’s obvious from cross-sectional studies that there are quite some differences between the muscles of children with cerebral palsy and their typically developing peers, but nobody has actually studied this longitudinally, so we don’t know when these changes occur.

“We believe that information is necessary to develop new treatments.”

Currently there is no cure for cerebral palsy, and often children undergo severe interventions including complex surgical procedures with drugs to improve daily functioning. These interventions can change muscle growth, but how that affects musculoskeletal function is poorly understood.

Dr Bolsterlee is part of the team developing imaging methods and algorithms to be able to study this, and they are now generating the first data to give a comprehensive picture of how muscles develop typically – and how they develop in children with cerebral palsy.

“Many of the tools that are out there were developed for the brain – I’d say 99% of diffusion imaging software is used to reconstruct the neuronal architecture of the brain. We had to adapt the acquisition protocols as well as the imaging analysis techniques to accommodate measurement of the specific features of muscles we are interested in,” Dr Bolsterlee said.

In addition to configuring the imaging software to analyse data for the muscles, Dr Bolsterlee said there was a lot to consider when optimising scanning protocols to get the best images possible, while scanning children within a limited time.

“I’ve been working at NeuRA for the better part of eight years on this – and it’s really nice to see the first proof of principle demonstrations being taken to large-scale research – and hopefully to clinical practice as well.

“We’ve developed algorithms that several groups around the world are now using,” Dr Bolsterlee said.

This research into muscle imaging has grown the understanding of the architecture of muscles globally.

“Most anatomical knowledge comes from textbooks that are based on dissections of cadaver legs, and these are usually from older people who’ve donated their bodies to science.

“We have a rough understanding of the fibre structure within muscles and how they sit between muscles, but it’s been very difficult to get any information from living human muscles.

“Muscle is one of the most adaptable human tissues in the human body – when you exercise, they get bigger and when you’re lying in bed for too long, they get smaller very quickly.

“So, it’s very important if you want to understand how muscles respond to various stimuli, to have in-vivo imaging methods – or methods that can be applied to living humans,” Dr Bolsterlee said.

Previously, researchers were limited to ultrasound in living patients, which was 2D and only able to capture muscles superficial to the skin because the ultrasonic waves have limited penetration depth.

The MRI diffusion imaging technique allows researchers to look at whole human muscles in 3D, which has led to discoveries in the complex fibre structure of muscles and how it changes when they contract, lengthen or are diseased.

For more information, listen to our podcast with Dr Bolsterlee and NIF Fellow, Dr Michael Green from NeuRA: The MUGgLE Study: Imaging to understand how muscles grow.

Cancer diagnosis and targeted therapies to flow from new NIF investment

Cancer research will advance and personalised treatment will come a step closer, with installation of NIF’s new nanoScan PET/MRI 3T camera for preclinical studies.  

The camera is at the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute (ONJCRI) and represents a significant national investment as part of NIF expertise and critical mass in molecular imaging and nuclear theranostics.  

Nuclear theranostics offers simultaneous imaging and therapy, enabling researchers and clinicians to see where targeted medicines go in the body in real time, identify drugs most likely to succeed and select patients who will benefit. 

It has the potential to improve quality of life and decrease health-related costs.  

NIF Fellow Dr Ingrid Burvenich from ONJCRI and La Trobe University has conducted MRI scans using the camera as part of work to develop diagnostic tools and cancer therapies. 

“We found that the high field 3T magnet has fast scanning times and high-quality images,” Dr Burvenich said.  

“We can already see that we have excellent delineation of organs and that will enable us to better identify specific tumours in the brain, abdominal organs and other cancer sites.  

“With the new camera, we will be able to explore new areas of cancer biology, metabolism and neuroscience, and also develop new imaging probes and therapeutics.  

“In our studies we answer questions such as: does the drug reach the tumour, is enough drug going into the tumour to be effective, and are there risks for toxicity?”  

Dr Burvenich’s tumour-targeting work involves collaboration with ONJCRI’s Centre for Research Excellence in Brain Cancer, focusing on research models that reflect the disease as it is seen in human patients.   

“We are very excited to try the new camera to image brain tumours to assist with developing new therapeutics.   

“Other ONJCRI collaborators are working on genetic models that develop tumours in the stomach or the intestine and surgical models for pancreatic cancer.  

“Increasing the visibility of such tumours will potentially make a difference in this research in monitoring how tumours establish, grow and respond to newly-developed therapeutics.  

“Our new camera will also assist with advancing research in heart disease, the brain and pharmaceutical drug development – especially in developing radiopharmaceuticals, medicines with radioactive isotopes that can be used as for both diagnosis and treatment.  

“We can evaluate the radiopharmaceuticals in preclinical models and then progress them into human trials.” 

NIF is investing in improved health outcomes through novel medical products, technologies and practices – including human imaging technologies, high value therapeutics and cutting-edge pharmaceutical treatments.  

Nuclear theranostics is increasingly being used for cancer imaging, detection and treatment, in clinical trials, and in research and development to counter a growing global incidence from 19.3 million new cases in 2020 to 28.4 million in 2040. 

It has a promising future, with estimated market valuations for 2021 ranging from $1.7 billion to $6 billion and annual growth ranging from 4 to 19 per cent within eight years.  

Advanced imaging collects insights into museum’s birds and their evolution

Using advanced NIF imaging techniques to study bird skulls is helping researchers understand how they see, how they evolved to hunt at night, and the best ways to protect them.

In the process, researchers are also digitising valuable museum collections, connecting communities to nature and science and unlocking possibilities for researchers to investigate our natural world.

NIF Micro-computed tomography (CT scanning) at the University of Queensland’s Centre for Advanced Imaging has been used to scan 30 raptor skulls from Australian museums, create 3D reconstructions, measure and then study the anatomy for tell-tale signs of a bird’s visual powers.

Research published in Royal Society Open Science compared the world’s only nocturnal hawk, the Australian letter-winged kite Elanus scriptus, to other hawks and falcons with differing hunting styles.

Associate Professor in Evolutionary Biology at Flinders University Vera Weisbecker said findings threw into doubt long-held views that changes to skeletal structure were needed for evolution.

The research sought to understand whether evolutionary changes to the eye-area of the skull was evidence of the kite’s adaptation to night-time hunting, Dr Weisbecker said.

“The answer is no. In fact, there are two close relatives of the letter-winged kite that have a similar bony visual system, but both hunt in daylight,” she said.

The findings have implications for the study of evolution, with researchers often deducing that changes in skeletal remains are linked to behavioural changes.

“That’s not necessarily the whole story. In this instance, there’s no difference between the eye regions in the skulls of the night-time and the day-time hunters, so if you were just looking at the skull, you’d never know.”

Dr Weisbecker said different birds had greatly adapted their vision to have excellent visual sensitivity, sharpness, colour discrimination or even UV wavelength detection.

For Australia’s letter-winged kite, it’s possible that the nocturnal bird also picks up odours and movement, as well as adjusting its hunting methods.

CT-scanning the 30 birds of prey was primarily undertaken by CAI’s Dr Karine Mardon, on NIF-funded equipment, with skulls provided by Queensland Museum.

Dr Mardon said the imaging techniques, teamed with recent advances in anatomical understanding, opened the door to a wealth of new knowledge without needing live birds or their tissues.

CAI was the ideal place to undertake the research, enabled through national investment in imaging equipment and expertise, data analysis capability, and existing relationships with the Queensland Museum and Flinders University, she said.

Dr Weisbecker said obtaining eyes and brains of rare species was generally not feasible but some aspects of their anatomy could be estimated from skulls.

“We are extremely lucky to have Australia’s amazing museum collections at our disposal to help us understand this bird without the need to find and disturb the species,” she said.

“The kinds of things you can study closely with CT scanning are the size of their eyes and their position in the skull – are they facing forward or more on the side?”

PhD student Aubrey Keirnan compared 3D reconstructions of the letter-winged kite’s skull and brain with other birds of prey in the Weisbecker lab.

“The diversity among hawks that are active during daylight is possibly the most striking between the Spotted Harrier and the Pacific Baza,” she said.

“Both are incredible predators, but one species resembles owls while the other is much more pigeon-like in appearance.

“These two species really highlight how adaptable and diverse the visual systems of birds are, even amongst species within the same family.

“You can have birds that are anatomically similar but behave differently – and species that are behaviourally similar but anatomically different. Both sides of the coin are true.”

But Dr Weisbecker said the research was not just about insights into evolution.

The Australian letter-winged kite lives in remote, arid Australia, avoids human settlements and is highly elusive. It is listed as near-threatened, with population estimates varying between 670 and 6,700, she said.

“To conserve the species, it is critical that we understand its behavioural needs and capabilities, but these are extremely difficult to observe.

“Think about fences and powerlines potentially posing a greater threat to nocturnal birds than their daytime relatives.

“For example, in an earlier study, we found that the nocturnal night parrot is likely unable to see small objects because it may trade high resolution for higher contrast. This may put it at risk of hitting with thin fence wires.”

Dr Mardon has also scanned the bones of a night parrot, a bandicoot and many Australian marsupial mammals.

“We have an excellent working relationship with Queensland Museum, who trust us with handling some of their precious items,” she said.

Later this year CAI will install a new NIF-funded CT-scanner, a Yxlon FF35CT, along with new software to increase graphics capability, such as accurate reconstructions of soft tissue around the skull.

CAI expects greater demand for scanning which contributes to research on evolution, and Australia’s native flora and fauna.

Read the article on the Australian letter-winged kite Elanus scriptus here: Not like night and day: the nocturnal letter-winged kite does not differ from diurnal congeners in orbit or endocast morphology | Royal Society Open Science (royalsocietypublishing.org)


More about National Imaging Facility (NIF)

NIF is Australia’s advanced imaging network.

We provide open access to flagship imaging equipment, expertise, tools, data and analysis. We address Australia’s strategic science and research priorities, and this benefits Australian industry and helps keep Australians healthy.

NIF provides a full suite of advanced imaging capability including preclinical and clinical, human and animal imaging, radiochemistry and imaging data analysis. We focus on health and medical innovation, and also provide highly specialised capabilities for agriculture, materials science, museums and cultural applications.

NIF assembles partnerships that produce quality-controlled and harmonised data that provides invaluable evidence to make new discoveries, validate new products and demonstrate new therapies.

We partner with people who can translate their discoveries into real-world applications. NIF has helped Australians innovate in fields such as bioengineering, clinical science, biology, medical technology, pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical therapies, agriculture, materials, museums and cultural collections.

More about the Centre for advanced Imaging (CAI)

The Centre for Advanced Imaging (CAI) brings together the skills of a critical mass of researchers and ‘state-of-the-art’ research imaging instruments. It is the only facility of its type in Australia, one of only a handful in the world. The 5,500 m2, $55M CAI building was funded by the Federal Education Investment Fund in 2010 and contains over $50M of imaging and spectroscopy equipment, putting The University of Queensland’s researchers at the forefront of a field that is advancing swiftly.

Our researchers work on innovations in spectroscopic and imaging technology, imaging biomarker development and in biomedical research disciplines, frequently in collaboration with clinical research sites and other local, national, and international research institutes.  Find out more here

National research infrastructure working together to improve the health of Australians

Innovation in Australia’s health and medical research translation has been boosted with National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS)- enabled health and medical research partners signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU).

Bioplatforms Australia (BPA), National Imaging Facility (NIF), Phenomics Australia, Population Health Research Network (PHRN) and Therapeutic Innovation Australia (TIA) will enhance collaborative opportunities between infrastructure capabilities and enable support across the whole research translation cycle, following the signing of the agreement to form the NCRIS Health Group.

Health and medical researchers investigate solutions to complex problems that are often not easily solved by a single discipline, and the NCRIS Health Group is aimed at enabling them collaboratively throughout the translational process.

Research to improve health outcomes is underpinned by research infrastructure encompassed by the NCRIS Health Group, including:

  • National integration of large-scale health datasets to enable population health research
  • Bespoke modeling to understand how diseases develop and test potential treatments 
  • Discovery and development research to identify drug targets
  • Development of medical products including therapeutics and diagnostics such as nuclear medicine and radiopharmaceuticals
  • Scale-up and manufacturing of medical products
  • National facilities supporting clinical trials

The NCRIS Health Group already enables research throughout the translation cycle, and this MOU will formalise access to health research expertise, instruments and infrastructure for collaborative use by researchers.

Prior to the formation of the NCRIS Health Group, partners have undertaken cooperative activities, including shared staffing, partnership in government initiatives such as the Medical Research Future Fund and the Australian Research Council, as well as collaboration in other key health and medical research projects.

President of the Australian Cardiovascular Alliance, Prof Gemma Figtree is undertaking internationally significant work enabled by the NCRIS Health Group in collaboration with other leading researchers and clinicians across biobanking, phenotypes, ‘omics, preclinical modeling and clinical trial networks as part of a strategy for novel drug development.

Prof Figtree said supporting collaborative medical product research will improve health outcomes for Australians through novel medical products, platforms, technologies and practices, which has the potential to improve quality of life and decrease health-related costs.

“I have enjoyed superb interaction with a number of the NCRIS Health capabilities through their support of the Australian Cardiovascular Alliance and CAD Frontiers. I am impressed by their vision and “can-do” approach, and our aligned philosophies around collaboration, multi-disciplinarity and acceleration of Australian discovery and innovation,” Prof Figtree said.

“Australian researchers are regarded at the highest level by our international colleagues. Improved alignment of our immense research talent to tackle our nation’s greatest health challenges, with maximum access to state-of-the-art infrastructure will accelerate solutions, but also benefit the growth of a vibrant and sustainable med-tech ecosystem that can attract global and local industry partnerships.”

The NCRIS Health Group is engaged in collaborative arrangements that support cross-disciplinary research, assisting Australian researchers to leverage access to world-leading facilities for more impactful outcomes. For more information, see the Health Innovation and Translation infographic below.

For further information about the NCRIS Health Group, contact:

National Imaging Facility
admin@anif.org.au

Population Health Research Network
phrn@uwa.edu.au

Therapeutic Innovation Australia
info@therapeuticinnovation.com.au

#JoinNIF: We’re recruiting a Chief Operating Officer to lead critical core operations

The National Imaging Facility (NIF) has launched a recruitment campaign to find its next Chief Operating Officer (COO).

The COO will be responsible for managing the core activities of NIF, across critical administrative, financial and legal operations, and will lead NIF’s Central Operations team.

NIF provides capabilities that underpin nationally significant and impactful research, which translates to products and benefits for Australians in health, agriculture and new materials.

The work of the COO has significant national reach at a multi-institutional scale, leading the development and operation of NIF’s national governance framework and operational structure across 13 nodes located in five states, in alignment with the NIF vision and mission.

The COO will work closely with the CEO and the Governing Board, facilitating initiatives to deliver a national-scale flagship infrastructure project with international impact.

The COO is responsible for empowering and leading NIF’s high-performing central operations team by facilitating an energetic environment with an open communication culture.

The COO will communicate with and influence a diverse range of stakeholders, extending from Australia’s research community, including scientists, fellows, NCRIS capability peers and government representatives, through to global imaging networks and partners.

The successful applicant will work closely with NIF’s node directors and operations managers to collaboratively develop and enable strategic initiatives.

The ideal candidate will have experience managing financial and legal operations, and working within collaborative, multi-institutional structures to manage and deliver reporting and governance documentation.

The NIF COO will be responsible for the organisation’s strategic management and planning, as well as operational management, including financial, legal and human resources, including:

  • Developing and delivering a national operational structure across 13 nodes located in five states, in alignment with the NIF vision and mission.
  • Develop, implement and evaluate strategic and operational activity plans for NIF
  • Work closely with stakeholders at an Executive University level (PVC, DVC), Commonwealth Government, and State Governments.
  • Lead operational management including risk, human resources, financial and legal matters
  • Negotiate and maintain key strategic partnerships with internal and external stakeholders, at an executive level.
  • Lead the development and implementation of efficient management structures, policies and procedures to enhance and support the vision of the national capability.
  • Manage an annual operating budget (up to $15M pa), in addition to $50M+ five-year capital budget and national investment plans.
  • Lead the consultations, negotiations and implementation of legal agreements with Partner organisations, Commonwealth Government and other funding partners.
  • Meet compliance requirements for the Commonwealth and State Governments, including milestone reporting, operational plan, risk management plan, and compliance with governmental and multi-institutional agreements.
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