2020 MIME Seed Funding recipients announced

The Monash Institute of Medical Engineering (MIME) has announced the successful applications from the 2020 Seed Funding round. There were 8 new projects and 1 top-up project (which had received funding from the 2019 round), with $450,000 in total being awarded. See detail.

Central Clinical School researchers are Clinical Champions on four of the projects. 

Professor Patrick Kwan, an epilepsy researcher in CCS's Department of Neuroscience, is Clinical Champion (CC) and Professor Wenlong Cheng (Chemical Engineering) is research lead (RL) for "AI-powered soft wearable devices for [epilepsy] seizure detection in out-of-hospital environment".

Prof Cheng wrote that "the wearable industry is on the rise, with a myriad of technical applications ranging from real-time health monitoring, the Internet of Things, and robotics, to name but a few. However, there is a saying “wearable is not wearable” because the current market-available wearable sensors are largely bulky and rigid, leading to uncomfortable wearing experience, motion artefacts, and poor data accuracy."

Profs Cheng and Kwan are developing a soft, wearable device to help people with epilepsy to detect their seizures. More accurate seizure detection will allow more judicious adjustment of medications. By monitoring seizures and cardiorespiratory function in real-time, the device will be able to notify medical practitioners or ambulance if the patient needs urgent medical attention after a seizure.

The other projects with CCS clinical champions are:

• AI-powered blood pressure monitoring during CPR: Professor David Kaye, Department of Medicine/Baker Institute (CC), Professor Wenlong Cheng (RL)
  
• Suture-less cannulation for cardiac support: Professor David McGiffin, Department of Surgery (CC), Dr Shaun Gregory, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (RL)
• Bedside detection of early kidney disease using vibrational spectroscopy: Professor Karin Jandeleit-Dahm, Department of Diabetes (CC), Professor Bayden Wood, School of Chemistry (RL)