Bionic limbs and osseointegration forum at the Alfred - all welcome

The Alfred-Monash forum on bionic limbs and osseointegration
is being held 3 pm Friday 27 April. All welcome, RSVP.

Mr Frank Bruscino-Raiola, Director and Head of Plastic Surgery at Alfred Health, and Mr Steven Gray, Director of Osseointegration (OI) & TMR Surgical and REHAB programme invite you to attend a forum at the AMREP Lecture Theatre

“Osseointegration and Bionic Limb Integrated to Bone, Nerves and Muscles”

Date: Friday 27 April 2018

Time: 2.30pm arrival/tea for 3.00pm start, followed by refreshments 4.30pm

Venue: AMREP Lecture Theatre, 75-85 Commercial Road, (between the Baker & Burnet Institutes), Melbourne 3004

RSVP for catering purposes: goo.gl/AVYu1k
Enquiries:  Mr Steven Gray, sjgray@alfred.org.au

Neural control of artificial limbs via osseointegrated implants: Dr. Max Ortiz Catalán

Dr Max Ortiz Catalán giving a TED talk on osseointegration. Link

You are invited to attend a Central Clinical School seminar at the AMREP seminar room on Bionic Limbs Integrated to Bone, Nerves, and Muscles.


Dr Max Ortiz Catalán will shed light on how biology and mechatronics can integrate man and machine through intuitive prosthetics, controlled by the mind.

The Alfred’s Mr Frank Bruscino-Raiola Director of Plastic Surgery, Mr Steven Gray, and the Alfred Hospital Osseointegration and Targeted Muscle Reinnervation Team, have helped to pioneer this revolutionary technique which enables amputees to gain better and more natural control of their prosthetic arm. They have strong collaborations with leading centres around the world, including Integrum in Sweden and Rehabilitation Institute in Chicago.

This event is co-hosted by the Plastic Surgery Unit at the Alfred Hospital and the Department of Surgery, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Alfred Centre.

Details:

• Speaker: Dr Max Ortiz Catalán
• Title: Bionic limbs integrated to bone, nerves, and muscles.
• Date:  Thursday 21 September 2017
• Time: 5.30pm drinks and canapes for 6.00pm start.  Lecture followed by Q&A session
• Venue: AMREP Seminar Room
• Cost: Free
• Contact: E daphne.vogiagis@monash.edu  T +61 3 9903 0611
• Photo gallery of Alfred osseointegration team

Dr Ortiz Catalán's research focuses on neural control of artificial limbs via osseointegrated implants. This involves bio-electric signals acquisition and processing, neural interfaces, machine learning, osseointegration, and neurostimulation. He is also interested in the use of virtual and augmented reality for neuromuscular rehabilitation and treatment of phantom limb pain (PLP) using myoelectric pattern recognition to decode motor volition.

Dr Ortiz Catalán is leading the development and clinical implementation of the Osseointegrated Human-Machine Gateway. This technology made possible, for the first time, the direct connection of a robotic prosthesis to the patients' bone, nerves, and muscles. He has also developed a novel treatment for phantom limb pain, which is currently under an international clinical investigation. These projects have in common the use of bioelectric pattern recognition (BioPatRec) for the decoding of motor intention. Dr. Ortiz Catalan has made the algorithms necessary for such task available in an open source platform for research and development (BioPatRec). He founded and leads the Biomechatronics and Neurorehabilitation Laboratory​​, and he is an Associate Editor for the Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation (JNER).

Dr Max Ortiz Catalán is an Assistant Professor at the Biomedical Signals and Systems research unit, and founder of the Biomechatronics and Neurorehabilitation Laboratory (@ChalmersBNL). He works in close collaboration with the Centre for Advanced Reconstruction of Extremities (C.A.R.E.) at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, and Integrum AB, both in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Reversing damage caused by diabetes complications

L-R: Prof Karin Jandeleit-Dahm, Dr Stephen Gray and
Dr Jay Jha are researching inhibition of enzymes known
to cause kidney injury in diabetes. See Diabetologia paper.
Image: Life Scientist

By Eliza Watson

Diabetes affects around 1.7 million Australians. Sufferers with the disease are unable to control blood glucose levels either through failure to produce insulin (Type 1) or resistance of cells to insulin (Type 2). It can have a range of serious complications affecting the major arteries (macrovascular diseases) potentially leading to stroke, as well as causing kidney disease, nerve damage and loss of vision (microvascular diseases). The seriousness of these complications highlights the need for effective preventive measures.

In a collaborative study involving several Monash University researchers, a potential treatment was assessed and found to successfully reduce some of these complications.

Photo of the week: Osseointegration clinic

L-R: Professor Michael Leong (Head, Plastic Surgery) with
Mr Steven Gray, Director of Osseointegration, and a patient.

The Plastic, Hand & Faciomaxillary Surgery Unit at The Alfred is involved in reconstructive surgery and has specialised expertise in a variety of plastic surgery specialities. This gallery features the clinical work of the Osseointegration unit, which works on cranio-facial, hand, orthopaedic (OPRA - Osseointegrated Prostheses for the Rehabilitation of Amputees) and bone anchored hearing aid (in association with ENT Surgical Unit). Mr Steven Gray is the Manager of Osseointegration Services & Director, OPRA Program. See more:

• Alfred Unit page
• Osseointegration photo gallery