At the April Lunch Club, we had much to celebrate. Six recipients of the 2024 CBT Early Career Researcher Funding Scheme, the Best Q1 Publication Award and the March Outstanding HDR Award.
Congratulations to the CBT ECR Awardees 2024
Dr Surasak Tony Kasetsirikul for the research project Electrochemical aptamer-based biosensors for continuous monitoring stem cellderived hepatocyte spheroids
Dr Hujin Xie for the research project Intracranial aneurysm rupture risk assessment based on 4D-CTA
Dr Jonathan Flintoff for the research project Assessing biosensing potential in neuroendocrinological markers of stress
Dr Muthukuttige Perera for the research project Exploring salivary long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) as non-invasive indicators for sleep deprivation: A Step Towards Developing Diagnostic Biosensors
Dr Sugandha Bhatia for the research project Bioengineering the osteosarcoma PDTs (patient derived tumouroids) for personalised drug screening
Dr Antonia Sun (not photographed) for the research project Self-reporting microneedle delivery platform for disease-modifying osteoarthritis therapies
Congratulations to the CBT April Awardees
Dr Louis Ong was awarded the CBT Best Publication Q1 2024 nominated by Prof Yi-Chin Toh and Dr Antonia Sun with the motivation: This paper is published in Advanced Functional Materials with an IF = 19. The paper demonstrates an elegant way to mimic the different oxygen levels that exist at the site-control interface in a joint. This is achieved by using a microfluidic device to pattern functional hypoxic hydrogels. Osteoblast and chondrocytes co-cultured in differential oxygen conditions revealed that sclerotic osteoblasts induce collagen expression changes in chondrocytes through MMP13 and ADAM15 production, a phenomenon not observed in uniform oxygen environments. The microfluidic model with localized oxygen variations effectively simulates osteoblast-chondrocyte interactions, offering significant insights into OA pathophysiology.
Agathe Bessot, PhD Candidate, received the April Outstanding HDR Award nominated by her supervisor Dr Nathalie Bock with the motivation: Agathe stands out as an exceptionally dedicated HDR student who consistently exceeds the expectations of her PhD project, while also demonstrating a remarkable willingness to support her colleagues. Agathe masterfully navigates complex animal experiments and resolves unexpected issues with unparalleled organization, ensuring no project delays. Her commitment extends beyond her project, as she is currently skillfully mentoring staff while contributing to three manuscripts. This month, her exceptional ability was highlighted by the completion of a high-quality manuscript draft for submission in a high-impact scientific journal, amidst managing unforeseen challenges in the laboratory. Finally, Agathe’s research excellence was recognized with both a rapid-fire and an oral presentation at the prestigious TERMIS conference in the US later this year, underscoring her outstanding contributions and the exceptional calibre of her work, making her an ideal candidate for the ‘Best HDR of the Month’ award.
Lunch Club Speakers:
Prof Davide Fontanarosa shared interesting facts about AI for automatic interpretation of ultrasound imaging and wearable automated imaging platforms. Dr Sinduja Suresh, a postdoctoral fellow at the School of Mechanical, Medical, and Process Engineering at QUT, discussed her specialist research area of Cosmesis and Surface Topography in Scoliosis Care. Hoang Son Pham, a dedicated PhD student, finished the session with an update on his research on the application of radiation therapy to study tumour response in a 3-dimensional in vitro model of breast cancer.
More information about the speakers:
Prof Davide Fontanarosa
Davide is the scientific and Translational Lead, Centre for Biomedical Technologies and Professor, School of Clinical Sciences. He was awarded his PhD in Medical Physics from the University of Maastricht (the Netherlands) with a thesis on: “Evaluation of speed of sound aberration and correction for ultrasound guided radiation therapy”. Presently, he works as Professor in the School of Clinical Sciences. Previously he worked as Senior Scientist at Maastro Clinic (Maastricht, the Netherlands) and at Philips Research (Eindhoven, the Netherlands). His major fields of research are: artificial intelligence for automatic interpretation of ultrasound imaging; image guidance in radiotherapy; minimally invasive surgery and orthopaedics (in particular using quantitative ultrasound imaging); advanced radiotherapy treatment planning and adaptation strategies. Professor Fontanarosa is currently supervising eighteen PhD students and he is accepting applications from new prospective students; he is the Unit coordinator for the Honours students in five different disciplines cross faculty and he teaches Physics of Ultrasound in the Physics of Medical Imaging Unit. He is the inventor of 11 patents, and authored 140+ peer reviewed publications, one book and 6 book chapters.
Dr Sinduja Suresh is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Biomechanics and Spine Research Group (BSRG) and in the ARC ITTC for Multiscale 3D Imaging, Modelling and Manufacturing (M3D Innovation). She has a background in Biomedical Engineering and is skilled in 3D imaging, 3D digital design for custom medical devices, additive manufacturing, and graphical programming for automated workflows. Her research at the BSRG is implementation-focussed and aims to advance paediatric spine deformity care by developing new digital and automated techniques to augment clinical diagnosis, treatment and monitoring. Sinduja has a special interest in patient welfare and quality of life, and her work is driven by clinical need.
Hoang Son Pham is a third-year PhD candidate at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Australia. Son completed his Bachelor (Hons) from the University of the West of England, UK and his Master from QUT. Son was granted a full Australian Government scholarship for his MPhil, which he completed in 2021 with 5 publications about the tumour microenvironment. Subsequently, Son was awarded a QUTPRA and CBT Top Up scholarship to support his ongoing PhD candidature, which commenced in October 2021. His doctoral project utilises biomaterials (GelMA hydrogels) to predict the tumour response to radiation therapy in 3D breast cancer models. The research holds promise for potentially enhancing the effectiveness of cancer treatment strategies. Having lived and pursued his academic career in culturally diverse environments such as Vietnam (2013-2016), the UK (2016-2018), and Australia (2019-present), Son has cultivated heightened adaptability, a track record of achieving milestones, and a continuous commitment to self-development.
Did you miss the event? Here’s a snapshot for you!
The CBT Lunch Club offers our HDR students and early career researchers an opportunity to network with like-minded, give practice talks and be inspired by external presenters. The sessions are arranged by Dr Jacqui McGovern and Dr Nathalie Bock, CBT Internal Engagement Leads.
Contact us if you have questions or would like to come as a guest speaker: https://research.qut.edu.au/cbt/