Expo spotlight turns to biomedicine

Expo speakers Dagan Feng (left) and Michael Fulham.

Innovations in biomedical engineering, which will help in the fight against some of the world's most feared diseases, will be discussed at the University's third symposium at the Shanghai Expo.

The symposium on Sunday (8 August) is being organised by the Faculty of Engineering and IT, and focuses on the cutting edge of biomedical research where the fields of medicine, engineering and IT collide.

It is an academic collaboration between Shanghai Jiao Tong University's Med-X Research Institute and the Faculty of Engineering and IT, and will bring together some of the leading figures in biomedical research from Australia, China and the USA.

Research into diseases such as cancer and dementia now extends well beyond the boundaries of traditional medicine to include experts such as Professor Dagan (David) Feng, who graduated in electrical engineering and computer science.

Professor Feng, who is helping to organise the symposium, is working with a team of research collaborators on new ways of improving the early detection of disease.

"By giving doctors a better chance of identifying disease in its early stages, we are giving patients a better chance of recovery," he said.

"A disease like dementia is a major global health problem that is increasing as the population ages. It is going to be a particular issue in China, where the one-child policy is going to produce a population with a high percentage of old people.

"Early diagnosis of dementia, when the symptoms are mild, is critical to optimise the benefits of new treatments but unfortunately, subtle brain function reductions are extremely difficult to detect, even for the most experienced experts.

"Our research will develop computer-assisted diagnosis of early dementia, when treatment is possible, by improving our ability to read and interpret the information we receive from PET-CT scans.

"We are seeking to greatly enhance the smart use of information and facilitate important new scientific discoveries."

Sunday's symposium will be opened by Professor Archie Johnston, Dean of Engineering and IT, and includes presentations by University of Sydney academics Professor Michael Fulham, Associate Professor Hala Zreiqat, Associate Professor Fariba Dehghani and Dr Alistair McEwan.

Other speakers include Professor Fan Yubo from Beihang University; Professor Huang Gang and Professor Gu Hongchen from the Med-X Research Institute at Shanghai Jiao Tong University; Professor Dai Kerong, Director of the Engineering in the Research Centre of Digital Medicine at the Chinese Ministry of Education; Professor Banu Onaral from Drexel University, Philadelphia; and Professor Hu Xiaoping from Georgia Tech and Emory University.

The University of Sydney is a gold sponsor of the Australian Pavilion at the Shanghai Expo. For further information about the University's program in Shanghai, visit our Expo website.

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