We are excited to share that a project led by Prof Woodruff has received a 3-year $810,000 Medical Research Future Fund Primary Health Care Digital Innovations Grant. The project will develop systems to enable the remote care for people with diabetes-related foot disease in regional Australia.
Professor Mia Woodruff, from the QUT’s Centre for Biomedical Technologies and lead of the Biofabrication and Tissue Morphology Group, said people living in regional and remote areas had reduced access to podiatry services and reduced chance of diabetes-related foot ulcers healing which, in turn, contributed to a higher risk of developing amputation.
“Our research team, comprising of engineers and clinicians and industry partners, will develop and evaluate low-cost foot scanning technologies, developed in partnership Aptium3D within an established digital framework,” Professor Woodruff said.
“These technologies will be integrated in the allied healthcare organisation, Healthia’s, diabetes-related foot ulcer (DFU) monitoring, diagnosis and treatment pipeline for use in regional communities.
“Our innovative 3D dynamic foot scanner, developed with partner Aptium3D will be used by expert podiatrists as a telehealth device for remote monitoring and diagnosis.
“It will be coupled with advanced, flexible, metamaterial 3D-printing technologies to create personalised insoles to help protect the feet from injury and ulceration.”
The project research team for the project, 3D digital solutions for diabetes-related foot ulcer offload treatment, comprises: Professor Woodruff, Associate Professor Peter Lazzarini, Dr Sean Powell, Associate Professor David Holmes, Alexander Terrill, Dr Edmund Pickering (QUT); Professor Jonathan Golledge (James Cook University); Dr Kerrie Evans (Healthia). Associate investigators are Dean Hartley, Chief technology officer, Healthia Ltd; Scott Morrison General manager iOrthotics, Greater Brisbane; and industry partner Aptium3D.