Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine

• Improving biocapacity of implanted devices
• Repairing wound ulcers
• Delivering bespoke engineered blood vessels and 3D vasculature
• Developing novel materials and in silico predictive models of human tissue

In light of increasing rates of obesity and diabetes, there is a profound and increasing need for constructs that can be ‘plugged into’ a patient to repair damaged tissue and malfunctioning organs.

Current artificial implants do not typically direct local cell growth, resulting in delayed healing, substantial fibrosis (scar tissue development) or both. Additionally, the current generation of organ-like implants lacks functional vasculature to nurture nutrient and gas transfer, leading to reduced function and local necrosis.

Our research addresses these gaps by engineering biologically directing surfaces and three-dimensional constructs that will direct and enhance local tissue performance.

This research will empower governments to regulate private behaviour to promote public health. Legal strategies like new legislation, heightened regulatory enforcement and litigation can be a highly cost-effective mechanism to deliver health benefits to the population.

Technology translation

• Elastagen Pty Ltd, a clinical stage company developing medical device products based on recombinant tropoelastin and founded by Professor Tony Weiss, was sold for to Allergan plc in 2018 for a total of US$260M in contingent and commercial payments. The bulk of this delivers benefits to the University and Australia. Using our awarded patents, Allergan has commercially progressed Elastagen’s tropoelastin in clinical applications, including treatment for acne scars, stretch marks, aesthetic skin repair and surgical wound repair.

Awards and recognition of node members

• ARC Laureate
• Clunies Ross National Science and Technology Award
• Eureka Prize for Innovation in Medical Research
• Fellow of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine
• NHMRC Leadership Fellow
• NSW Premier’s Prize for Science & Engineering Leadership in Innovation
• Order of Australia
• President-elect of the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society

Internal collaborators

• Professor Marcela Bilek
• Associate Professor Wojtek Chrzanowski
• Professor Fariba Dehghani
• Professor Shaun Jackson
• Professor David McKenzie
• Professor Tony Weiss (Project Node Leader)

External collaborators

• Associate Professor Nasim Annabi, UCLA
• Professor Markus Buehler, MIT
• Professor David Kaplan, Tufts University
• Professor Ali Khademhosseini, UCLA