Develop microfluidic technologies for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases

Overview

The sudden rupture of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques and subsequent thrombosis formations are responsible for most acute vascular syndromes, such as myocardial infarction and stroke. Many victims who are apparently healthy die suddenly with no prior symptoms. Such deaths could be prevented through surgery or alternative medical therapy, if vulnerable plaques were identified earlier in their natural progression.To address this pressing need, we're developing simple-to-use, high-throughput and highly-informative microfluidic biochips to understand the sequences of molecular events underlying biomechanical thrombosis (mechanobiology). We're also developing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation to correlate the haemodynamic parameters with thrombotic phenotypes. We've recently discovered a new ‘biomechanical’ prothrombotic mechanism that highlights the remarkable platelet sensitivity to the shear stress gradients of blood flow disturbance.

We're assembling a team of bioengineers and clinicians to develop novel strategies for diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.

Research activities

The research activities you're involved in will depend on your study level. They can include:

• microfluidics design
• 3D printing
• fluid dynamics simulation
• cell culture
• in vitro experiments.

Research activities

The research activities you're involved in will depend on your study level. They can include:

• microfluidics design
• 3D printing
• fluid dynamics simulation
• cell culture
• in vitro experiments.

Outcomes

The anticipated outcome could translate into point-of-care tools that:

• enhance physicians' decisions on diagnosis
• monitor disease progression
• optimise treatment plan
• improve patient care.

Skills and experience

To qualify for entry to a PhD, you usually need to have achieved one of the following:

• successfully completed a research masters degree
• successfully completed a masters by coursework degree or professional doctorate, with at least 25% research
• graduated from an honours degree with a First Class or 2A Honours.

To be considered for this research project, you should have a background in either:

• mechanical engineering
• chemical engineering
• biomedical engineering.

Scholarships

You may be eligible to apply for a research scholarship.

Explore our research scholarships

Keywords

• cardiovascular disease
• biomedical engineering
• organ-on-chip
• tissue engineering

Contact

Contact the supervisor for more information. Please provide an up-to-date CV and a copy of your latest academic transcript or relevant research skills if applicable.